Harmonies: Pulse
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By the third game, you thought you'd figured it all out. Then come the tricolor patterns, and you realize you were just warming up.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
When the puzzle becomes a chess match with nature
Pulse is the expansion that transforms Harmonies from a spatial puzzle into a tactical brain-teaser. Designed by Maëva da Silva, the same author as the base game, and illustrated with her characteristic naturalistic delicacy, it introduces challenges that require multi-turn planning.
At the table, this means: tricolor patterns that cannot be solved instinctively, animal cards with intricate requirements, and the constant feeling of having to choose between the immediate point and the perfect configuration later. The mechanics remain identical, but every choice weighs more heavily.
What they say abroad
Pulse doesn't change Harmonies. It refines it for those who wanted something tougher to bite into.
— FroGames
Harmonies: Pulse
Harmonies was born as a solo game with a multiplayer option. Pulse takes this philosophy to the extreme: tricolor patterns become pure puzzles, without the social variable. The solo experience is complete and probably more satisfying than multiplayer, because you can focus solely on spatial optimization.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, international reviews, and play sessionsThe expansion's new features
What Pulse adds to your landscape
Tricolor patterns
Configurations that require three different habitats in precise positions. They can't be solved at a glance: you have to build them turn after turn, methodically.
New animal cards
More complex and intertwined spatial requirements. Each card forces you to rethink the entire landscape, not just the corner where you place it.
Additional scoring opportunities
Objectives that reward long-term planning. Those who jump on easy points risk losing to those who build more intricate configurations.
Total compatibility
Integrates into the base game without needing additional rules. You decide how many new cards to mix in: you can gradually increase the difficulty.
After this expansion, you'll look at the base game and think 'that was just the tutorial.' It always happens with Pulse.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Familiar setup
You shuffle the new cards with the base ones, arrange the tiles. Everything looks identical to classic Harmonies. Then you flip the first animal card and see that three-color pattern: three different habitats in a precise configuration. And you realize that this game will be different.
The first difficult choice
By the second turn, you already have two cards in hand that require incompatible configurations. In the base game, you would have solved both. Here you have to choose which landscape to build and which objective to sacrifice. Welcome to Pulse.
The puzzle gets complicated
Mid-game, your landscape is a mosaic of interwoven habitats. Each new tile must serve three purposes simultaneously: complete a pattern, make space for the next one, and not ruin what you've already built. Every placement is a mini-chess game.
The moment of the impossible combo
You draw the perfect tile: the one that closes two three-color patterns simultaneously and unlocks three animal cards. You place it, score the points, and for ten seconds, you feel like a genius of spatial interlocking. Then you look at the others' landscapes and realize that they are building something even more complex.
Final count
You tally the points for animals, patterns, habitats. In the base game, the winner was clear three turns ago. Here, the difference is minimal: whoever planned better wins by two points. And immediately, the urge to replay kicks in, to try that alternative configuration you saw mid-game.
How to play
The flow of each round
Pulse doesn't add phases or steps: the turn remains identical to Harmonies. Only how much you have to think about it changes.
Open draft from the central pool. Take one or more tiles of the same type, considering not only what you need now but also which three-color patterns you want to build in the next three turns.
Position the tiles on the hexagonal grid in front of you, respecting the requirements of the animal cards you want to complete. With the three-color patterns, you have to think vertically: each tile influences three habitats simultaneously.
If you have met the spatial requirements of a card (often complex three-color patterns), you place it on the landscape and score points. Some new cards have chained effects: completing one brings you closer to completing two others.
Add new tiles to the central pool. End of turn. You look at your opponents' landscapes and try to understand what pattern they are building, to take the tiles you need before they do.
Why it's different from the others
Six mechanics that make the difference
Three-color patterns that force planning
You can no longer place tiles instinctively. The three-color requirements force you to build configurations over multiple turns, anticipating which tiles will be needed three rounds later. It's Harmonies becoming a game of position.
Interlocking animal cards
The new cards have overlapping spatial requirements: completing one brings you closer to completing two others, but only if you have planned the landscape intelligently. The reward is for those who think systematically, not about individual cards.
Modular compatibility with the base game
You decide how many new cards to mix in. You can start with 25% Pulse cards and gradually increase, or play full expansion for the maximum challenge. The difficulty level is scalable.
Zero additional rules
If you know how to play Harmonies, you know how to play Pulse. The expansion doesn't add mechanics or phases: it simply makes decisions deeper. The learning curve is flat, the mastery curve is steep.
Scores optimizable to the extreme
Additional scoring opportunities reward those who build perfect configurations. In the base game, you reached 60-70 points. With Pulse well played, you exceed 90, but only if you don't make a single placement mistake.
Perfectly integrated illustrations
The new animal cards share Maëva da Silva's delicate and naturalistic style. They don't look like an addition: they look like pieces of the base game that were left in a drawer. Visual consistency is total.
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
Victory is for those who plan best, not for those who place the most tiles.
Victory
- Complete the most complex three-color patterns to maximize points from advanced animal cards
- Build spatial configurations that meet multiple requirements simultaneously, exploiting synergies between new and old cards
- Anticipate which tiles will be needed three turns later and secure them before opponents, blocking their strategies
Defeat
- Playing Pulse like the base game: placing tiles instinctively without planning three-color patterns leads to low scores and wasted spaces
- Focusing on a single animal card instead of building a systemic landscape: isolated configurations yield fewer points
- Ignoring competitive drafting: if you let others take the key tiles for their patterns, they will win
Pulse is the expansion that transforms a relaxing puzzle into a tactical challenge. Not for everyone, but perfect for those who want a tougher bite.
Frequently Asked Questions
Harmonies: Pulse FAQ
Do I need the base game to play Pulse?
Yes, it's mandatory. Pulse is an expansion that adds cards and challenges to the base game Harmonies. It is not standalone: you need the habitat tiles, the board, and the core mechanics of the original game.
How much more difficult does the game become with this expansion?
The difficulty increases significantly. Three-color patterns require multi-turn planning and the ability to visualize complex configurations. If you won the base game without much thought, with Pulse you really need to concentrate. It's a clear leap in decision-making complexity, while keeping the same rules.
Can I use only some expansion cards or is it all or nothing?
You can adjust it. Mix in 25%, 50%, or 100% of the new cards depending on how much you want to complicate the game. Modularity is excellent: you can start slow and increase the difficulty when you feel ready. I recommend starting with a handful of cards to understand the impact of the three-color patterns.
Does the expansion change the duration of games?
Games last 5-10 minutes longer, not due to additional rules but because decisions require more time. You need to visualize complex patterns, anticipate future moves, calculate synergies between cards. The pace slows down slightly, but in a positive way: you're thinking more, not waiting.
Is this expansion available in Italian?
Yes, the edition sold on FroGames is in Italian, published by Asmodee. Animal cards, any tokens, and the rulebook are all translated. Guaranteed compatibility with the Italian base game.
Harmonies: Pulse is the strategic expansion for Maëva da Silva's award-winning pattern building game, for 1-4 players, games lasting 30-45 minutes, recommended age 10+. It introduces complex three-color patterns and new animal cards with advanced spatial requirements, transforming the accessible puzzle of the base game into a deep tactical challenge. Mechanics: tile placement on a hexagonal grid, set collection, open drafting, with full solo support. Published by Libellud, Italian edition Asmodee. Available on FroGames.it.
Harmonies: Pulse
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