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As a bear, try to collect as much honey as possible, but hurry up - as soon as the bees notice the loss, you have to run home with what you have managed to collect.
On your turn, take the top card from any pile lying on the hive card. Check it secretly and take one of the following actions:
Put the card to your can. Choose any card from your can discard it. Place the acquired card instead of the discarded one.
Play an action card. Apply the effect of the action card, then discard it.
Discard the taken card. If you don't want to put a card to the can or play an action card, just put the card you took in the discard pile.
You then end your turn and pass it to the next player clockwise.
During the game, you cannot look at the cards in the cans, pass them to each other or exchange them. This can only be done through the effects of some action cards.
Action cards and their effects
Binoculars allow you to check any two cards in cans.
Magic mirror copies the value of the adjacent card.
Exchange allows to swap a card from your can and someone else.
The Umbrella will protect the card in your can.
An Interesting Find will allow you to swap a card from any can with the top discard card.
The Dance of the bees will make everyone exchange a pair of cards!
End of the game
When any player takes the last card from the pile on any hive card, players continue to take turns until they reach the first player. After that, the game ends - all players turn over the cards in their cans and start counting points. The player with the most points wins!
A more interactive game mode is also available for advanced players.
—description from the publisher (translated)
- Unique storytelling crossword-like mechanism that scales with chapters
- Group-control of all heroes fosters cooperative play
- Promising campaign structure (prologue + five chapters) with future content
- Clear, guided tutorial demonstrates mechanics without spoilers
- Prototype components may change before release
- Learning curve can be steep for newcomers to crossword-style storytelling
- Tile and resource management can feel tight and time-sensitive
- Storytelling through collaborative word-based puzzle mechanics; fate and discovery drive the narrative.
- A mythical realm on the brink of chaos where heroes are guided to intervene to restore balance.
- Crossword-like storytelling with branching story cards and Word of Power mechanics.
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Color zones and board state — Blue/green/orange zones influence where actions and scratches can occur, with zone-based effects.
- Cooperative control of all heroes — All players collectively control all heroes rather than dedicated, individual heroes.
- Hero action tiles — Players collect and place action tiles to perform multiple actions per round; tiles are scratched and resolved to reveal effects.
- Inventory and talents — Players collect items and talents that unlock tiles and provide ongoing benefits across chapters.
- Line of tragedy scoring — A track that tracks progress; completing lines or triggering events can end a chapter or affect scoring.
- Scratch-off word mechanic — Areas are scratched off to reveal words; players connect letters to form words that advance the story and trigger effects.
- Story cards and prologue/chapters — The game is structured with a prologue and five chapters, each feeding into a larger campaign.
- Track Advancement — A track that tracks progress; completing lines or triggering events can end a chapter or affect scoring.
- Word Building — Areas are scratched off to reveal words; players connect letters to form words that advance the story and trigger effects.
- Word-of-Power and brackets — Bracketed words unlock special abilities or reveal hidden story elements.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- One to any number of players can play.
- The tutorial really shows you enough as to how you play the game and how it works.
- Scratch off squares with your family and friends while uncovering a fun storytelling game.
- I can't wait to see what unfolds in the actual story.