It’s time we had a serious discussion about poop. Or at least about the importance of dung beetles. These little guys don’t get enough credit for shoveling s…. Stuff all day long. It’s about time they were given some love, and what better way than their own tabletop game: Hexcrement!! When Aelytra Conservation told me about their new game, I was immediately drawn in by their passion for both games and science. It sounded chaotic, fun, and different. Most of all, it sounded like the kind of game to play with equally chaotic and entertaining friends. This is the kind of game you can pull from the shelves and play after dinner. It doesn’t require great set-up, explanation, or world-building. It does elicit discussion, laughter, and random facts that lead to greater conversations. Most of all, Hexcrement fosters the same enthusiasm and joy that emanates from its designers. And if Marcela and Paul can build that momentum into more educational games like Hexcrement, than I am looking forward to their very bright and colourful future. 

What is Hexcrement?

What a way to debut in tabletop games! Hexcrement is the first tabletop game from Aelytra Conservation and its game developers Marcela and Paul. It is precisely what you think it is: A game about poop. Well, more accurately, it is about dung beetles. Designed for 1-6 players, the box says it is for ages 14 and up. However, I think that is due to the small meeples of dung beetles because this game can very easily be played by much younger gamers who can work from a list of instructions for the smaller hex tiles. 

The gameplay varies depending on how many players you have. It can be as fast as 10 minutes. However, the game works best with more players, who can extend it to 30-45 minutes of mayhem. The key mechanic is the search-and-collect movement around the play area, with additional instructions randomly placed along the way. Each additional instruction is based on real-life activities of dung beetles, offering an educational benefit for students and eco-enthusiasts. For a little added excitement, players can challenge each other and steal the collected dung. Honestly, I trust the kids more often than the adults!

What’s in the Box?

• 48x Hex Cards (tiles), including 6x with images of poop emojis and the remainder with word instructions
• 6x large hexagon playmats to connect
• 1x hexagon dice tray (this is amazing and worth the game alone!!)
• 6x coloured dung beetle meeples
• 6x corresponding D8 dice 
• 6x small direction coins/disc
• 1x instruction manual

Let’s talk about game components. The developers behind Hexcrement have paid equal attention to both the game mechanics and the components. It is beautiful to play with, in both aesthetics and the craftsmanship. All cardboard components are thick and durable, with bright, colourful printing that enhances the gameplay. The dice are standard dice that will last any raucous game night, and the wooden meeples are consistent, solid, and fun. 

But the piece de resistance is the dice tray. You can buy dice trays almost anywhere, but this is the perfect tray for this game. It fits exactly as it should within the hexagon playmats. It clips together with clean and firm precision. It maintains the hexagon shape, characteristic of the game itself (I mean, it’s in the title). This choice was genius and is the key piece that brings the whole together. I honestly don’t think any other setup would work so beautifully. 

How to Collect All the Poop 

First, How to Set Up

1. Connect all six (6) hexagon playmats around the dice tray
2. Place all 48 hex cards face down in the dice tray, shuffling thoroughly
3. Place seven (7) hex cards face down on each playmat randomly, word down / image up. Honestly, it doesn’t matter how you do this so long as there is a sense of randomness to it. This will leave six (6) hex cards in the tray. This is important later. 

Now, We Play

4. Each player flips their direction coin to determine whether they move clockwise or anti-clockwise around the board. Then, place your coin on the starting point at the bottom centre of your playmat. This is a visual reminder of your direction (which will change during the game) and your start/end point. 
5. Place your dung beetle meeple on top of your direction coin. 
6. Each player rolls their colour-matching dice to determine who goes first (highest number). 
7. The first player then rolls their dice and moves that number of tiles in their designated direction. 
8. Movement rules: moving up or down is okay, so long as your final position is at least one (1) step over from where you started for this turn, in the direction as shown on your coin. Each step must be to an adjoining tile space. 
9. If you land on a place with a hex tile, flip it to see if you have instructions or dung. There are six (6) dung tiles, matching the colours of the meeple. If it is dung (Yay! Poop!), replace it with one of the six (6) tiles remaining in the dice tray. Otherwise, follow the instructions of the tile, as per the Instruction Guide. 
10. If another player lands on your tile while you are carrying dung, they can challenge you for it!! Players roll the dice, and the higher roll keeps the dung. 
11. The game ends when the first player returns to their starting position with dung. 

The hex card instructions provide a wide variety of additional moves during the game. Direction coins can be flipped, hex cards swapped or morphed, and even tunnels can be created for short cuts around the playmats. 

This was the only downside to Hexcrement. The Instruction Guide is confusing. Fortunately, the gameplay is actually more intuitive than the guide, and how you think it will play is the best way to play it (as detailed above). The coin controls the direction of movement and can be different for each player; that’s how you initiate Beetle Battles for dung. Hex tiles can be replaced from the dice tray to keep it random and fluid with play. 

Honestly, you never know if it will be a fast game or a slow, methodical game, because it can change from game to game. The sweet spot is chaotic play with six (6) players, filling the table and constantly moving amongst each other. It can be played with two (2) players, but we found the movement to slow significantly, reducing the interaction between players–and, honestly, that’s where the chaos/fun is found. 

Is This Worth Getting Your Hands Dirty?

If you want a fun party game, this is definitely one for your library! The spawnlings will love tiles’ randomness mixed with movement consistency. Plus, poop is funny. 

Strangely enough, I am hearing more love for this game from adults than kids. Don’t get me wrong, kids are having fun with it. But grab a couple of adults together for game night and tell them to battle it out for dung, and they will just build that chaos all around the table. We are strange creatures. Possibly even stranger than dung beetles. 

For gameschooling, this is a fantastic introduction to ‘Mini Beasts’, an exciting and much-loved syllabus topic around Stage 1 (Years 1/2 NSW). The game developers, Marcela and Paul, are eco-enthusiasts, scientists who are also passionate about education. In Hexcrement, every hex tile instruction is based on real-life struggles that dung beetles face while searching for precious dung. The game itself educates on the movement and environment of dung beetles, highlighting their essential role within the ecosystem. Each colourful meeple is based on an actual dung beetle sub-species, with information in the Instruction Guide highlighting their habitat and behaviour. 

In Gameschooling, where science-based tabletop games can be hard to find, Hexcrement is now in my top five. It is fun, educational, and dynamic with gameplay. Once you work through the Instruction Guide, Hexcrement is a game that can easily take over your game night with kids and adults alike. 

Hexcrement can be purchased for around AUD$40 through selected tabletop/boardgame outlets like The Games Shop. The game was released in 2024 and has been demo’ed at a few smaller conventions, like the NSW Central Coast. I would love to see this in the Play Area of PAX Aus, a perfect match in the joyful atmosphere for large groups of players. To be honest, $40 is an absolute bargain for the quality of components and the fantastic gameplay of Gameschooling. Families and schools should be grabbing this game fast!! 

Score: 4 out of 5 shiny polished dung balls (4.5 if you can work through the instructions)

Evil Genius Mum received a review copy for the purpose fo this review. No payments or further incentives were received. All views are my own with input from the EG Family. For more information, visit the Aelytra Conservation website here. 

Categories: Curriculum of Evil Gameschooling

Tagged as: Australia ecosystem education environment game reviews games Gameschooling indie games kids science spawnlings tabletop

Evil Genius Mum

Evil Genius Mum
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