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SituationalHow we teach it and play it
Honeypot
6.5/ 10- 1–6 players
- 15–30 min
- Light
- Ages 10+
- Best with 4 by BGG vote
How we teach it
Honeypot – Concise Setup & Play Guide
(1–6 players, ~15–30 minutes)
Goal
Score the most points after 5 rounds by collecting valuable intel and spy supplies while avoiding traps (bad cards and the Beeees! token). Highest score wins.
Setup
Shuffle the Honeypot cards into a face-down deck.
Shuffle the Round Bonus cards and place 5 face-down near the deck (return the rest to the box).
Each player takes one Character Identity card, its matching Secret Cache Folder, and 2 Swiping tokens.
Place remaining Swiping tokens and the Beeees! token in a shared supply.
Choose a starting player and give them the Turn Rotation marker (clockwise side up).
Round Structure (5 rounds total)
Each round has these phases:
Draw
All players simultaneously draw 6 Honeypot cards from the deck. (If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new one.)
Arrange Secret Cache
Secretly arrange your 6 cards in any order and place them face-down into your Secret Cache Folder.
Pass the closed folder to a neighbor in the direction shown on the Turn Rotation marker (do not look at the folder you receive).
Reveal & Choose (in turn order, starting with the player who has the Turn Rotation marker)
Flip the top two cards of the cache you received.
Decide: Keep this pair or discard them and reveal the next pair.
You may discard a second time, but you must keep the final pair.
Add the kept pair face-up to your personal tableau.
Discarded cards may be swiped by other players (using a Swiping token) — the player who arranged the cache cannot swipe their own.
Any remaining unclaimed cards are discarded.
End of Round
The player with the most negative points from Bad Intel cards claims one face-down Round Bonus card (resolve any immediate action if it is an Action card).
Flip the Turn Rotation marker to reverse direction and pass it to the next player.
Begin the next round.
Key Card Notes & Scoring (end of game)
Good Intel: Points based on value; bonus for collecting one of each type.
Bad Intel: Negative points; a full set of all three is discarded (removing the penalty).
Berries / Honeycombs / Codebooks / Disguises: Set-collection scoring (e.g., pairs of Codebooks = 7 points; too many of certain sets can reset or become worthless).
Honeycombs attract the Beeees! token (last player to take one keeps it — worth –7 points at game end if still held).
Round Bonus cards and any leftover Swiping tokens can also contribute points or effects.
After the 5th round, total all points from your tableau (including bonuses and penalties). Highest score is the winner.
That’s the full Dossier — arrange traps for others, dig carefully through what you receive, and build the best set of spy gear!
Teach this game, step by step →
Norman's review
6.5/10. Honeypot came home in the same Gen Con haul as everything else this year, another Flatout Games box picked up on the strength of the same instinct that got me Forage. Read the full review →
