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# Hit 'Em With a Shoe

Games, Game History, Library, Archival and Educational Services

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://hitemwithashoe.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Hit 'Em With a Shoe at Gen Con 2026](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2026/05/15/hit-em-with-a-shoe-at-gen-con-2026/) - Here is a list of all the events Hit 'Em With a Shoe is hosting at Gen Con 2026.
- [Want to Learn More about Gaming History and Gathering of Gamers?](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2025/11/02/want-to-learn-more-about-gaming-history-and-gathering-of-gamers/) - Since Gathering of Gamers was announced Matt has been talking about the book and gaming history. To help you find this content here are links and descriptions.
- [Gathering of Gamers is Now Available!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2025/08/19/gathering-of-gamers-is-now-available/) - The book which details the history of tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, boardgames, and other forms of play through Gen Con is now available!
- [Book on the History of Tabletop Gaming and Gen Con Coming Soon!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2025/06/03/gathering-of-gamers-coming-soon/) - A new book, Gathering of Gamers by Matt Shoemaker, on the history of tabletop gaming and the Gen Con game convention is coming out soon.
- [Origins 50th History Site Now Live!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2025/06/09/origins_50th_anniversary/) - We have been working with GAMA on the creation of a history website for the 50th anniversary of the Origins Game Fair. It is now live at Origins50.org!
- [Red Burnoose Nominated for Charles S. Roberts Award](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2023/06/05/red-burnoose-charles-s-roberts-awards/) - The nominations for the 2022 Charles S. Roberts awards are out and The Red Burnoose: Algeria 1857 is nominated for best early modern era wargame!
- [The Red Burnoose is Now Available for Preorder!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2022/08/14/the-red-burnoose-is-now-available-for-preorder/) - Arrival of The Red Burnoose is eminent! Since it should be available by the end of September, if not sooner, we have opened up the store for preorder sales. If you want to pick up this 1-4 player cooperative deckbuilding wargame do not delay, place an order today. You can find it in our store
- [The Red Burnoose Comes to Kickstarter September 14th](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2021/07/01/red-burnoose-kickstarter-sept-14/) - The Red Burnoose: Algeria 1857 will be coming to Kickstarter on September 14, 2021! We hope you will join us for the launch of this new game where you play as Kabyle villages defending themselves from invading French armies. The game is designed for 1 to 4 players to cooperatively play using deck building, area
- [Gen Con Online this Week!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2020/07/27/gen-con-online-this-week/) - #GenConOnline starts in just a couple of days! Join Hit 'em With a Shoe this year for specials and demos of two new games we are announcing at Gen Con's first virtual convention this year.
- [Bee Lives has Funded on Kickstarter!!!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2018/09/17/bee-lives-kickstarter/) - We launched the funding campaign on Kickstarter on September 10 and have successfully funded! This means that Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer is now going to be a reality! We are so excited and grateful for all of your support. We hope you will join us all for the next 3 weeks we
- [Spiel 2019 and Science for Bee Lives!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2019/10/16/spiel-2019-and-science-for-bee-lives/) - We're headed to Spiel 2019 in Germany! We were also reviewed by the journal Science, which is amazing!
- [Bee Lives Release at Gen Con 2019](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2019/07/16/bee-lives-release-at-gen-con-2019/) - Hit 'em With a Shoe is returning to Gen Con for our second year, and this time we're not just demoing Bee Lives We Will Only Summer, we're selling it! Head on over to booth #1941 to have a demo, talk about games or bees, see what we have coming next, and of course pick up your own copy of Bee Lives!
- [Bee Lives - Beeginning a New Game](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/11/26/bee-lives-beeginning-a-new-game/) - We recently began work on the game "Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer" as Hit 'Em With a Shoe's first product. This particular game is something that I have been thinking about for a while. As a beekeeper, game maker and educator I wanted to create something that a wide variety of people could
- [An Early Playtest](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/11/26/an-early-playtest/) - I've been working on Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer for about about a month now and have conducted several play tests. Both on my own and with other people. This week in September happened to be my birthday, and what better birthday gift could my friends give me than play testing the game
- [What is with the title, We Will Only Know Summer?](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/11/26/what-is-with-the-title-we-will-only-know-summer/) - Since I began introducing people to Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer I get people asking me why I decided to go with the title I did. As a beekeeper, I am a little more familiar with the hardships that bees are going through today, at least in the North East where I live.
- [Gen Con: The Best 50 Years in Gaming](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/11/26/gen-con-the-best-50-years-in-gaming/) - Last year I was lucky enough to do a project on the history of Gen Con. This is something I had been excited about the possibility of doing for a while, and with the 50th anniversary of Gen Con coming up in 2017 I couldn't pass up the chance to delve into the conventions history.
- [Unpub at PAX Unplugged with Bee Lives!](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/11/26/unpub-at-pax-unplugged-with-bee-lives/) - Testing on the game continues and what better place to get more testing in than an Unpub event! If you have never heard of Unpub I definitely recommend you check them out. Unpub is a group that organizes play tests for game designers and connects them with game players who are interested in helping make
- [Trying Out New Pieces for Bee Lives](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/11/26/trying-out-new-pieces-for-bee-lives/) - As playtests continue to work on rules tweak we are also working on graphical improvements for the game. Our graphic designer is currently working on creating some iconography for the game. Iconography is the addition of symbols on game pieces so you can understand rules and actions without using written language. This is one of
- [Why Make a Bee Themed Game?](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/12/01/why-make-a-bee-themed-game/) - Bees and other social insects have always fascinated me. The way they all work together, instinctually, to thrive together is both amazing and inspiring. When I was a child, I was fascinated with ants and would dig holes nearly as large as myself into ant hills to try and learn more about them. The game
- [Video Introductions: The Hive Board](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/12/06/video-introductions-the-hive-board/) - Today I would like to introduce you to a short video series on Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer where I take you through the various different components of the game. For the first video, we will be examining the hive board. The hive board serves as the access point to the inside of
- [Video Introductions: Swarming](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/12/20/video-introductions-swarming/) - This week's video in our series introducing Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer covers the swarming mechanic. Swarming is one of the best ways to earn victory points in the game and is also how you seed the shared map with the AI controlled wild hives. If you have any questions please comment here
- [Video Introductions: The 4 Queen Types](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/12/27/video-introductions-4-queen-types/) - This video introduces you to the 4 queen types of Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer. There is only 1 queen type in the basic version of the game but you have access to all 4 queens in the advanced game. The queens influence certain actions of your worker bees and their behavior. Though
- [Playtesting Over the Holidays](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2018/01/03/playtesting-over-the-holidays/) - Happy New Year! For the past two weeks I was able to visit my family in Wisconsin. As you may have noticed, it was extremely cold this December meaning there was tons of time to stay inside and do some playtesting! We were able to get through around 15 games in the 10 days I
- [Introducing our Illustrator, Alina Josan](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2018/01/10/introducing-illustrator-alina-josan/) - We are proud to announce the illustrator for the Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer project is Alina Josan! Alina is an artist with a longtime passion for Philadelphia's books and libraries. She studied painting and art history at Temple University's Tyler School of Art and her work has been commissioned by local historic institutions
- [Bee Facts in Bee Lives Site Launched](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2019/04/21/bee-facts-in-bee-lives-site-launched/) - Today we are happy to announce that the we have completed the supplementary site for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer full of bee facts related to the game. This was the final stretch goal we unlocked during the campaign. Now you can learn more about how bees behave in the real world influenced
- [Gen Con 2018: Big Push for Bee Lives](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2018/08/13/gen-con-2018-bee-lives-big-push/) - Last week the Bee Lives crew made their way out to Indianapolis for Gen Con 2018. This was an exciting event for us as we had a booth for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer in Entrepreneur's Avenue this year. Though this may have been our first time as exhibitors, this was hardly our
- [What Comes in the Box for Bee Lives?](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2018/06/12/box-contents/) - We can finally give you all a good showing of what is currently slated to come in the box for Bee Lives We Will Only Know Summer! Our illustrator, Alina Josan, and our graphic designer, Helen Shoemaker, have been diligently working away in order to create this final prototype of the game. Alina took some
- [Video Introductions: The Shared Map](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/12/13/video-introductions-shared-map/) - Today's video in our series introducing Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer shows the shared map. This map is the point where your worker bees interact with the world around them, the other players, and with the AI driven wild hives. If you have any questions please comment here or in the comments of
- [Getting the Word Out at a Game Convention](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2018/03/28/game-convention/) - The past few weeks we've been focusing on getting the word out on Bee Lives by attending several different conventions in the region. This has been great because it has allowed us to keep playtesting the game with the public while networking with other designers and gamers. Each convention is different from the last, so
- [Origins Game Fair 2018: Bee Lives on the Road](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2018/06/23/origins-game-fair-2018/) - Last weekend the Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer crew took the game to the Origins Game Fair. This was our first big push of the game to the public and it was a great success! The trip started off a bit different from planned. Our designer, Matt Shoemaker (me), woke up on Tuesday
- [Protospiel - Madison, WI 2017](https://hitemwithashoe.com/2017/12/11/protospiel-madison-wi-2017/) - The Wisconsin division of Hit Em With A Shoe made it to our first #Protospiel in Madison, WI. We were looking to get an understanding of how Protospiel works and went as play testers. There were all kinds of different games. We played and saw games about four square, building robots, dragons, political primaries and

## Pages

- [The Red Burnoose: Algeria 1857](https://hitemwithashoe.com/algeria1857/) - Join Fadhma N'Soumer in her fight against the invading French armies in the Kabylie region of Algeria in 1857. You will join forces with up to 3 other players in this co-op board game to use deck building and area control elements to survive as the French advance on your villages. The French are run
- [Games](https://hitemwithashoe.com/games/) - Check out Hit 'em With a Shoe's games
- [Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer](https://hitemwithashoe.com/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer/) - Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer is a game designed to run 1 to 4 players through a year of managing a wild bee hive. Players of this medium weight euro game will utilize resource management and worker placement mechanics to be the hive that sets up the best possible path for its survival.
- [Dirt Dog](https://hitemwithashoe.com/dirt-dog/) - Now on Kickstarter! Use the unique skill of your pup to overcome obstacles and catch prized quarries in the underground world of Dirt Dog. Create challenges for your opponent to find out whose dog has the most moxie in the end! Loosely based on the real world dog sport of Earth Dog, the game Dirt Dog has
- [Virtual Gen Con 2020](https://hitemwithashoe.com/gen-con-2020/) - Hit 'em With a Shoe is proud to participate in Virtual Gen Con 2020! This year we have a few show specials for you as well as two upcoming games to tell you about and demo. Our show special this year for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer is the game, a playmat, and
- [Shop](https://hitemwithashoe.com/shop/) - Free rules downloads for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer English Rules DownloadTélécharger Règles FrançaisesDeutsche Regeln
- [Facts from Inside the Hive](https://hitemwithashoe.com/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer/bee-facts/facts-inside-the-hive/) - Honey bees do not have any control over their external environment. What they can control, though, is what goes on inside of their hive. Bees are natural builders, and they use materials gathered from nature or produced from their bodies to improve their homes. On this page, we will examine how bees carve out a
- [Playing Bee Lives](https://hitemwithashoe.com/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer/bee-facts/playing-bee-lives/) - Bee Lives We Will Only Know Summer was created to provide an enjoyable Euro game experience which could help people learn about honey bees through play. By playing this game we hope you and your friends can better appreciate the challenges bees face and how games can help us learn more about the world we
- [Facts about Queens and Disease](https://hitemwithashoe.com/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer/bee-facts/queens-disease-behavior/) - Everyone knows that a hive of bees has a queen. Though she does not hold leadership powers over those in her hive as human queens do over their subjects, she does set the tone for the behavior of her hive. The queen's genetic code is shared with all of the workers in a hive. This
- [Bee Facts Behind Bee Lives](https://hitemwithashoe.com/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer/bee-facts/) - The game mechanics in Bee Lives We Will Only Know Summer were created to model real honey bee behavior when possible. Though you do not need to know all of the reasons behind the game design decisions that went into Bee Lives to enjoy the game, we know many of you would like to learn
- [Best 50 Years In Gaming](https://hitemwithashoe.com/best-50-years-in-gaming/) - Best 50 Years in Gaming is a game history project conducted over 2016 and 2017 to examine the history of the Gen Con gaming convention through its programs. Gen Con is one of the oldest gaming conventions in North America and certainly the largest. 2017 was the 50th anniversary of the convention and we worked to
- [About](https://hitemwithashoe.com/sample-page/) - Founded in 2017 and located in Philadelphia, PA, Hit 'Em With a Shoe exists to provide games, educational services, and library services. Headed by Matt Shoemaker MLIS and MA History, Hit 'Em With a Shoe has experience in modifying games for educational outcomes; providing archival, library, and digital archival/library consulting; historical research in game history;

## Products

- [Set of 4 Collapsible Bit Trays](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/bit-trays/) - These bit trays help to keep all of your cubes, meeples, and other game bits organized and portable while playing games. They have the same fabric used on our bee bags on one side, black on the other, and a felt core.
- [The Red Burnoose: Algeria 1857](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/the-red-burnoose-algeria-1857/) - The Red Burnoose: Algeria 1857 is a cooperative wargame for 1 to 4 players where you play the role of the Kabyle people trying to fend off the French who want to conquer their land. The game uses deckbuilding combined with some area control for playing the game.
- [Reversible Bee Bag](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/reversible-bee-bag/) - Reversible bag with bee pattern on one side, black fabric on the other. Bags have a square bottom so they will sit open. They also have a nylon drawstring.
- [Pin Bazaar 2022 Alien Conductor](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/pin-bazaar-2022-alien-conductor/) - Our 2022 Pin Bazaar pin, the alien conductor!
- [Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer/) - Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer board game for 1 to 4 players.
- [Dirt Dog](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/dirt-dog/) - Use the unique skill of your pup to overcome obstacles and catch prized quarries in the underground world of Dirt Dog. Create challenges for your opponent to find out whose dog has the most moxie in the end! Dirt Dog is a card game for 2 or 4 players ages 8 and up.
- [Pin Bazaar 2020 Kabyle Pin](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/pin-bazaar-2020-kabyle-pin/) - Our 2020 Gen Con Pin Bazaar pin for our upcoming game that takes place in Algeria.
- [Pin Bazaar 2019 Dirt Dog Pin](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/pin-bazaar-2019-dirt-dog-pin/) - Our 2019 Gen Con Pin Bazaar pin for the upcoming game Dirt Dog
- [Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer Cover Art Poster](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer-cover-art-poster/) - An 11x17in poster of the cover art by Alina Josan for Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer
- [Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer Playmat](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product/bee-lives-we-will-only-know-summer-playmat/) - A 500x500mm neoprene playmat for use with the Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer board game.

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://hitemwithashoe.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Games](https://hitemwithashoe.com/category/games/)
- [Bee Lives](https://hitemwithashoe.com/category/games/beelives/) - Posts about the game Bee Lives: We Will Only Know Summer
- [History](https://hitemwithashoe.com/category/games/gamehistory/)
- [Gen Con](https://hitemwithashoe.com/category/games/gamehistory/gencon/) - Posts about the www.best50yearsingaming.com project
- [slideshow](https://hitemwithashoe.com/category/slideshow/) - Posts meant to show up in the slideshow for the site

## Tags

- [prototypes](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/prototypes/)
- [play tests](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/play-tests/)
- [Gen Con](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/gencon/)
- [beekeeping](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/beekeeping/)
- [video](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/video/)
- [components](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/components/)
- [hive board](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/hive-board/)
- [shared map](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/shared-map/)
- [swarm](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/swarm/)
- [proto](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/proto/)
- [queen](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/queen/)
- [conventions](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/conventions/)
- [illustrator](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/illustrator/)
- [art](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/art/)
- [unpub](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/unpub/)
- [garycon](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/garycon/)
- [dreamation](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/dreamation/)
- [origins](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/origins/)
- [playtesting](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/playtesting/)
- [kickstarter](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/kickstarter/)
- [crowdfunding](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/crowdfunding/)
- [new release](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/new-release/)
- [spiel](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/spiel/)
- [review](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/review/)
- [Dirt Dog](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/dirt-dog/)
- [Algeria 1857](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/algeria-1857/)
- [red burnoose](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/red-burnoose/)
- [history](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/history/)
- [book](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/book/)
- [podcast](https://hitemwithashoe.com/tag/podcast/)

## Product categories

- [Games](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-category/games/)
- [Art](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-category/art/)
- [Accessories](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-category/games/accessories/)

## Product tags

- [Bee Lives](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-tag/bee-lives/)
- [bag](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-tag/bag/)
- [trays](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-tag/trays/)
- [pin](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-tag/pin/)
- [Dirt Dog](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-tag/dirt-dog/)
- [Red Burnoose](https://hitemwithashoe.com/product-tag/red-burnoose/)