Propolis

You run a medieval bee colony and want the most impressive hive in the realm. Worker bees go out to flower fields to gather pollen, which becomes propolis, which buys structures for your hive, ending with a palace for your queen. Points come from structures, dominated fields, and that palace. A turn is one placement: put a bee on a field card in the middle and take what it gives. Most bees on a field earns extra when it scores. Each structure either produces resources, opens new scoring, or unlocks the palace, so the colony speeds up as it grows. It packs worker placement, area control and engine building into a half-hour box, so it is heavier than it looks but teachable in ten minutes. A good step up for a family that has played Ticket to Ride and wants more decisions, with a solo mode too. Best at three.