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Apiary
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Description
In a far-distant future, humans no longer inhabit Earth. The cause of their disappearance (or perhaps their demise) is unknown, but their absence left a void ready to be filled by another sentient species.
Over the span of untold generations, one species of the humble honeybee evolved to fill that void. They grew in size and intelligence to become a highly advanced society. They call themselves Mellifera, and they have made substantial technological advances in addition to the technology they adapted from human ruins, up to and including space travel.
In Apiary, each player controls 1 of 20 unique factions. Your faction starts the game with a hive, a few resources, and worker bees. A worker-placement, hivebuilding challenge awaits you: explore planets, gather resources, develop technologies, and create carvings to demonstrate your faction’s strengths (measured in victory points) over one year’s Flow. However, the Dearth quickly approaches, and your workers can only take a few actions before they must hibernate! Can you thrive or merely survive?
Components
1 multiplayer rulebook, 1 Automa solo rulebook, 1 appendix, 1 teaching guide, and 5 player aids
5 asymmetric hive mats and 20 asymmetric faction tiles (randomize your pairing using this optional web app)
59 cards (57x87mm; 45 seed cards and 14 Automa cards)
1 insert (designed to hold sleeved cards) and 1 easy-setup resource tray and more!
The latest release from Stonemaier Games has finally bee-n announced. The internet is abuzz with excitement as the hive mind wonders what is to come from debuting designer Connie Vogelmann. The initial paragraph from the description goes like this:
“In a far-distant future, humans no longer inhabit Earth. The cause of their disappearance (or perhaps their demise) is unknown, but their absence left a void ready to be filled by another sentient species.”
The humble honeybee has evolved over numerous generations and now has become a super intelligent and supersized society known as the Mellifera. Their technology is so advanced, they can now go to space. Yep, that’s right folks. We got space bees.
In Apiary, 1-5 players are given a choice of 20 unique factions to start with, with a hive, some resources and worker bees. The gameplay is described as worker placement and hivebuilding, allowing you to explore planets, gather resources, develop the technologies of your hive and create carvings of your faction’s strength over a year’s Flow. Workers don’t have long to act before the Dearth where they must hibernate.
Having a more through flip through the rulebook, the contents of the game are all the more intriguing. There are several resources to manage, including wax, pollen and fibre, a cool Queenship mini, workers with variable strengths printed on them and a lot more. Action spaces are never blocked, but you can bump other players out of a space, which gives them a stronger bee for a future turn. You can keep playing actions until you want to regain income or just want to hibernate your strength 4 bees.
This looks like a really fun game to play and learn the strategy for, and in particular, fans of Teotihuacan, Honey Buzz, Tzolk’in and/or Euphoria are suggested as potential fans of Apiary. Throughout October, the reviewer content will be available and the game purchasable through the Stonemaier store. However, if you’re happy to wait, the worldwide retail release is scheduled for late November, just in time for Christmas.
UN-BEE-LIEVABLE
If it’s not Cats out-evolving us, it’s Bees, apparently. In this new treat from Stonemaier Games (Scythe/Expeditions, Wingspan, Viticulture and let’s not forget our absolute favourite Red Rising), after we are long extinct it is the Bees that have replaced us as the dominant species… but like us, they have over-used the planet’s resources, and it is time to waggle dance with the stars in Apiary!
WHO PUT THE BUMP IN THE BUMP-DE-BUMP-DE-BUMP?
You start small, but aim to spread out, initially feeling very conventional with your basic worker bees gathering resources. Unlike regular worker placement, however, which as we know can lead to frustration and analysis paralysis, you can “bump” an opponent’s bee – but, that which bumps me makes me stronger! Yes, bumping a bee returns it to its home hive, but in turn increases its strength. Hit 4 strength, and you can generate a new dance and placement space – in other words, if you build it (in this case, your engine) and they will come (dancing)! But, at the same time, that great space bee will enter hibernation, providing a natural cap that neatly prevents a single player’s engine running away to dominance. It’s all a very effective combination of mechanics which are at once familiar in feel and innovative in their application.
DRONING ON
At the start of the game, you have your basic faction frame – hiveship, in essence – which can be expanded as part of the grow action (the expansion frames ARE very thin cardstock, which is my only niggle in product quality). It will have benefits for filling the hexes with appropriate Farm, Recruit or Development tiles. The resources are limited and simple to manage, with excellent clear pieces for Fibre, Pollen, Water and the more complex Honey and Wax; the game scores very well on the accessibility front (always important to consider visual impairment). If you don’t have space to store your resources, they are instead converted into the Queen’s Favour, a separate score track – which means that interestingly NOT hoarding is a valid tactic also. The board itself is busy but clear, with reminders at every step of results of placement and action choices. I’m one of those people who usually demands player aids, and whilst the game does come with them (and they’re good), it’s so clear that they’re really not necessary. For me, the Seed deck is one of my favourite touches, allowing you to gain instant bonuses or be planted for endgame score bonuses – I love the mix of short vs long term planning (if you remember the Investment cards from the classic VTES CCG, it’s that kind of vibe)
BUSY AS A…
Whilst not fully 4X (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate), it does have some elements of that: for example, the deep space sections of the board are resource rich, and as the game progresses, the competition for the top hibernation spots can feel quite aggressive even if there is no direct combat as such. If I do have a criticism, dominating the hibernation spots can give you a heck of an edge in 2-player, though there is still an element of risk if you commit too many workers to hibernation. I’ve already mentioned the quality of the tokens and cards, but let’s not forget how impressive the actual bee ships are: coloured but washed black (break out the Nuln Oil!), they rotate to show their level – crisp and clear. The Queen Ship is a chonky gal, and it’s a bit of a shame she’s not painted also, but I’m really reaching to find fault if that’s one.
BEE-RILLIANT
With 20 (!) sub-species factions out of the box, there’s a wealth of content here – it’s a level of asymmetry that feels strongly reminiscent of Twilight Imperium (which surely must be a deliberate nod, minus the 4-day long gameplay), and you can see hints of where another 4 factions might fit in too. There are a half-dozen suggested starting factions, who run off developing the basic resources, but with all the other options it will keep you coming back again and again. With a whole galaxy of options to explore, and a cracking Automa solo mode, this is a rich and engaging game that will keep on bringing you back for more of its sweet space honey! Another top-notch Stonemaier effort!
Editors note: This blog was originally published on 26th Feb 2024 Updated on 22nd May 2024 to improve the information available
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Zatu Score
You might like
- Worker placement with a twist
- Elements of 4X
- Superb component quality
Might not like
- Another Euro game!
- Can become very long at high player count
- Can be dominated by early hibernation in 2 player