B.E.E.S. (2016)

The year is 2112 and the machines being produced now run on quintessence, a fully renewable energy source held in Spirits. In 2040, Dr. Russel VanOrman Quine discovered that Spirits contain energy that can never be destroyed. Even when used to power heavy machinery, this energy source (quintessence) dissipates into the ether, returning to its unknown source. All we need to do is collect it.

You have just been hired by B.E.E.net to collect Bound Ethereal Energy Spirits (B.E.E.S.). Seems simple? Just find B.E.E.S. wandering around in any haunted manor and grab them with your VanOrman Machine aka “H.I.V.E.” (Held Intensity Vitality Extractor). The main issue is a H.I.V.E. needs to be exactly Arrayed to grab a Spirit by joining Tubes to match it. Of course there may be some side effects. So... BEE careful.

Holding Spirits makes a H.I.V.E. rise in Pressure and Tubes may leak. A failed Tube can lead to the unbinding of the Spirit and the Tubes must be trashed. The Spirit is released back into the unknown perhaps to be rebound another day.

Also keep in mind that although Spirit collectors work together, you must all fill your quota each day or you may lose your jobs! Alternatively, an especially good harvest may get your pictures on the wall at headquarters.

B.E.E.S. can be played cooperatively or competitively, and the cooperative game can be played with one player. Your goal in the cooperative game is to collect a quota of Spirits and Quintessence, and your goal in the competitive game is to have the most Quintessence when the game ends. To collect a Spirit and acquire its Quintessence, you must build an Array with Tube cards from your hand and pass both an Array test and a Pressure test. When you collect a Spirit, it goes into your H.I.V.E. and affects you Pressure. Players must manage their hand of Tubes and decide how to build their Array while balancing the board state when deciding which Spirit to target. Gameplay is relatively simple, but the nuances in your decisions determine your level of risk vs. reward and can also greatly affect the other players.