Imagine that you control a faction of an advanced species of bees in a far distant time when human settlements and creatures no longer inhabit the earth. Upon discovering the ruins that men left behind, several bee factions gather on Earth, assimilate the technology they discover there and using their advanced intelligence, they build on it. Space travel is something the bees are adept at and with an increased lifespan, they have more opportunities to add and build on their progress. Because they still need to hibernate, it is important that the bee factions maximize efficiencies during the days they are active. As a player of Apiary, will you be able to master the building challenges, explore planets, gather resources, play cards and populate your faction’s hive with tiles that give you unique powers and points? There are many strategic ways to play this game to earn points both during and at game end to become the most powerful faction and win the game!
Just issued in 2023, Apiary uses Worker Placement, Resource Management, and Tile Laying strategies in a way that flows smoothly together and creates a synergy that keeps players challenged and engaged. In a 60 to 90-minute game time with a player count of 1-5, I found that in complexity and difficulty level it is slightly more complex than Wingspan and very close to that of Viticulture. Both are published by the same company (Stonemaier Games). Using 20 different bee factions with unique starting resources and powers, varied arrangements of player boards and an abundance of different tiles, I feel this game will appeal to a wide range of ages and game playgroups. For more information, see our download files for the game manual and appendix detailing game factions and tiles. ~Marsha