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- BGG rating
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Book of Dragons
- 1–8 players
- 15–60 min
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- 2018
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Dance of the Fireflies
2017
Rules assistance for Dance of the Fireflies
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 15–45 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.6/5
Rules assistant for Dance of the Fireflies
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dance of the Fireflies is a board game released in 2017 for 2–6 players, 15–45 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Oliver Brooks and its main mechanics are Set Collection, Area Majority / Influence, and Secret Unit Deployment.
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About the game
Dance of the Fireflies' is a 2-6 player card game in which players striving to be the next royal gardener bid on flowers around a sundial in an attempt to create the most beautiful gardens and win the coveted title. In the game, each player is allocated a set of seven fireflies, one of them being a royal firefly, more powerful than the regular fireflies. Each round, the players bid on flowers in the flower clock using their fireflies. They can also plant a flower from their hand into one of their gardens, secretly bid a royal firefly, and also discard one of the cards in their had to the compost heap so they can bid a second firefly on the flower clock. Each of the six types of beautifully colored flowers has a special ability which players can utilize to form combos and add benefits to their play. Additionally, orchid/weed cards can be bid on, and these allow players to add bonuses to their gardens or attack an opponent's garden. A round ends once all players have taken their turns and drawn back up to three flowers in their hand and the sundial has turned one card clockwise to see which flowers are coming off the flower clock that round. Once all the flowers have been exhausted from the potting shed (i.e., the draw deck), the game ends and points are totaled for flower beds created to see who wins and becomes the next royal gardener.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Backspindle Games Ltd.
- Ninja Division
Questions and answers
Dance of the Fireflies 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 Dance of the Fireflies is 15–45 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 Dance of the Fireflies 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.
Dance of the Fireflies has a complexity rating of 2.6 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.
Dance of the Fireflies belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Set Collection, Area Majority / Influence, and Secret Unit Deployment. 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 Dance of the Fireflies are: Oliver Brooks. 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 Dance of the Fireflies 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.