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- 7.8
Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala
- 2–4 players
- 40–80 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,047
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Bethel Woods
2016
Rules assistance for Bethel Woods
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 40 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.4/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Bethel Woods
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bethel Woods is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 40 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Shem Phillips and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Set Collection, and Cooperative Game.
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About the game
In the golden green woodlands of the Alpine Slopes, stands Bethel Woods; an orphanage once explored by young, creative minds pushing the limits of space and time, gravity and light. But when an ominous force invades the world, Bethel Woods becomes a distant memory, lost inside the thickets of the forest. Now a group of young people, wearing the crest of the orphanage, return to finish the work that was started long ago. They must work diligently, however, to repair and restore the machines scattered throughout the forest, before the ominous force finds the technology and destroys the only chance the world has in surviving. The cooperative game Bethel Woods is set in the universe of "Hours", created by author, Jessy Ribordy (Falling Up/The River Empires) and uses a mancala-like mechanism. Players first pick up all the Workers from any one of the 6 Machines surrounding the Orphanage, then move either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the board, dropping one worker on each Machine and fixing Malfunctions as they go. There are 4 Malfunction types, each with a matching Worker type to fix it. All Malfunctions that players fix are added to their personal supply as "Knowledge". To win, players need to send 6 of the 12 Workers into Bethel Woods Orphanage with increasing amounts of Knowledge to construct the "Daydreamer" (a machine that will rescue the orphanage's inhabitants from the impending downfall). The first Worker needs just 1 Knowledge of their type, the second 2, the third 3, and so on. Players also need to use their acquired Knowledge to uncover spies, hidden within each of the Machines. Players may uncover 1 Spy only on the last Machine they place a Worker on each turn. After each turn, three random Malfunctions are drawn and added to the various Machines. If a Machine has more than 3 Malfunctions and/or Spies, it goes into the critical state. These all make the task of maintaining the Machines and constructing the Daydreamer that much harder. Also, any round where at least one Machine goes critical, results in a Spy being placed. Players lose the game if at the end of a player's turn, there are 4 critical Machines. They can also lose immediately if there are ever 6 Spies on the board or not enough Malfunctions when placing them.
Designers
Publishers
- Garphill Games
Questions and answers
Bethel Woods supports 2–4 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 Bethel Woods is 40 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 Bethel Woods for ages 12 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.
Bethel Woods has a complexity rating of 2.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Bethel Woods belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Novel-based. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Set Collection, and Cooperative Game. 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 Bethel Woods are: Shem Phillips. 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 Bethel Woods 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.