
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,861
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Flame & Fang
- 1–4 players
- 30–60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2024

2026
Rules assistance for Before The Rain
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Before The Rain is a board game released in 2026 for 2–6 players, 15–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Evan Wilcock and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Events.
Players take on the role of busy bees, set out to gather as much pollen as they can before the rainy weather comes in. Score points by taking valuable pollen from the five different flowers back to your hive. Be careful, timing your return against your opponents and the weather is crucial. Push your luck to contribute and collect as much pollen as possible, and always keep an eye on the skies to head back to the hive before the rain ends the round. Each turn, all players will simultaneously play a card facedown from their hand. When revealed, players will either add pollen to the growing central pile or play their "Return to Hive" card to safely collect everything accumulated so far and back out of the round. After each turn, Weather Cards are revealed to show if the rain is approaching. Once three rain symbols accumulate, anyone still in the field loses all their pollen for that round. The game will end after three rounds, adding up your best score from each round to find your total score! Will you be the first to take the pollen for yourself, or will you push your luck further and race against the rain? Before The Rain is an easy-to-learn, push-your-luck game featuring beautiful hand-illustrated artwork. —description from the publisher
Before The Rain supports 2–6 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 Before The Rain is 15–30 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 Before The Rain for ages 8 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.
Before The Rain has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light 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.
Before The Rain belongs to these categories: Card Game and Animals. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Simultaneous Action Selection, and Events. 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 Before The Rain are: Evan Wilcock. 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 Before The Rain 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.