During setup, deal faction tiles and hive mats face up in the center of the table. Deal factions equal to the number of players plus 1 (e.g., 5 in a 4-player game) and hive mats equal to the number of players (e.g., 4 in a 4-player game). Starting with the last player in turn order, each player drafts either a faction or a hive mat, in a snake draft. After the draft, each player will have 1 faction tile and 1 hive mat.

In a 4-player game, this means that the 4th player will choose an item, then the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st players. The 1st player will pick their second item, followed by the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th players.