At the beginning of 2023 I already have the basic game “honey buzz“. Now that the “Autumn Abundance” expansion will be arriving in just a few weeks, just in time for the start of spring, we have sent our Beeple out again, set up honeycomb nets and tried out the expansion’s new modules. You can find out what added value the expansion has in this review.
In autumn, there are many new things to do in the beehive. The autumn fruits are waiting to be harvested, the beehive can be decorated with colourful foliage, nectar cells can be closed for the winter and workers who are retiring must be given a proper farewell. With five modules, the expansion adds autumn abundance new elements have been added in many places. Here is a brief overview.
The first module, which is almost not one
I find it difficult to consider the first module mentioned in the rules as a "fully-fledged" module, even compared to the other four modules. This means that the end of the game has a new condition. On the sunset board, the sun marker moves downwards when certain events occur. If it reaches the lowest field, the current round is played to the end. Then the final scoring follows as usual. In addition to the conditions that you already know from the basic game, there are other events that relate to elements of the other modules.
The first "real" module brings autumn fruits into play. Since it's autumn, they appropriately replace pollen, which is great for people with allergies and more. The forest board on which the nectar tiles are located is also replaced by an autumnal version. If you were to get pollen in the basic game, you now get one of the three forest fruits in the expansion. Which one depends on the row and column you choose.
There are now also fruit orders on the market, which can be fulfilled according to the familiar rules. On the orders from the basic game, pollen is simply replaced with any fruit. Fruit can be sold in the same way as pollen. Apples, pears and pumpkins each have a fixed price of two, three or four coins. If you sell a set of all three types, you get the price specified by the price marker. This then slides down one space.
decoration and lid
With the autumn leaves module, six honeycomb tiles of each type from the basic game are replaced with the corresponding honeycomb tiles with colorful autumn leaves. As always, you can only buy the top tile of a stack. Even if this shows autumn leaves, it is initially placed in the honeycomb network as usual. At the end of the game, the leaves are rewarded with coins according to the conditions specified by the scoring card. There are eight different foliage scoring cards.
The nectar cap module gives the bookkeeping action a new option. Instead of receiving five coins as usual, you can choose to take the most valuable nectar cap. You place this on any nectar tile. As the game progresses, this tile will no longer produce honey. At the end of the game, the person who has the most nectar caps (and in the event of a tie, the most valuable) receives a trophy that earns you additional points. The nectar caps earn you the points printed on them.
On to retirement
The last module allows you to send bees into retirement. You can always perform this action at the end of your turn. To do this, a Beeple is placed on the festival board. Once placed, the bees are no longer available for the rest of the game.
The retired worker still offers one last action. You can carry out a decree action (“Joker”) or you can take one of the available toast cards. The toasts show conditions that are immediately evaluated when you claim the card. You get the corresponding number of coins from the general supply as usual.
I didn't test the solo mode for this review.
Information about Honey Buzz: Autumn Plenty
| Number of people: 1 to 4 people Age: from 10 years Playing time: 45 to 90 minutes Difficulty: expert game Long-term motivation: very good Classification: Worker Placement, Tile-laying game Game idea: Paul Salomon Illustrations: Anne Heidsieck Publisher: Skellig Games, Elf Creek Games Official Website: Link Year of publication: 2024 Language: German Cost: 30 Euro |
Conclusion
autumn abundance is really a worthwhile expansion. The character of the game that you know from the basic game is completely preserved, but is wonderfully supplemented at various points. You don't really notice that you are playing with an expansion because everything is so well integrated. You never think: "Oh, I should do the things that the expansion allows me to do." Everything just fits together so well.
In terms of materials and rules, the expansion is on the same very high level as the basic game. The very well thought-out structure is particularly noticeable in the rule book. Each module is presented individually and it is listed again which components belong to the corresponding module. This saves you having to keep flipping back to the front.
In detail, there are two modules that replace components from the basic game (autumn leaves, autumn fruits) and two that open up new possibilities by giving things away (nectar caps, harvest festival). As I already mentioned, the sunset module is not really a standalone module for me, especially in comparison to the other four modules. It is more of a variant. But of course it looks better on the packaging if it says five instead of four.
I find it really hard to name a clear favorite out of the four modules because they all fit so well into the flow of the game. I tend to like the autumn leaves module the least because, especially with three or four players, you are very dependent on luck that a honeycomb tile with leaves ends up on top of one of the stacks on your turn.
The autumn fruit module is practically unnoticeable as a game element that wasn't part of the game from the start. As a replacement for pollen, however, it opens up new possibilities, especially in the professional version and on the market, as selling a large amount of fruit can really be worthwhile.
I really like the new options for discarding or covering the valuable workers or nectar tiles. This adds a touch more complexity to the game, but it never feels forced or artificial. Frequent players will have no problem playing directly with elements of the modules, even if they haven't played the game before.
The new extension to honey buzz shows how an expansion should work. It integrates perfectly into the flow of the game, never feels forced, offers exciting new possibilities and thus increases the replay value of the basic game. All those who honey buzz like, you can actually use this extension without hesitation.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
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Funtails GmbH FTGFTK1D - Feed the Kraken – Basic Edition* | 59,89 EUR |
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