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Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer
2019
Rules assistance for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 30–120 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.9/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer is a board game released in 2019 for 1–4 players, 30–120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Matt Shoemaker and its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Modular Board, and Worker Placement.
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About the game
Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer is a game designed to run 1-4 players through a year of managing a wild bee hive. Players of this medium-weight Eurogame utilize resource management and worker placement mechanisms to be the hive that sets up the best possible path for its survival. In more detail, in Bee Lives you manage your own hive by interacting with both your internal hive player board and the shared external board that is made up of tiles and collaboratively built by all of the players. During the game, you swarm to propagate your bees and score victory points, but these newly formed wild hives compete with you and the other players for resources on the board. Can you ensure your hive will make it through winter?
Designers
Publishers
- Hit 'Em With a Shoe
Questions and answers
Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer is 30–120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer has a complexity rating of 3.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer belongs to these categories: Animals and Economic. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement, Modular Board, and Worker Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer are: Matt Shoemaker. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.