From the rules published on the designer's website:The players' men 'work' as traders / hunters / trappers / messengers, and earn their main income (= points) by traveling from station to station along the trail marked by the circles. Supplementary sources of income are bear-hunting and bounty-hunting (there are sometimes 'Wanted'-warrants out for the men of one or more players). After each round of player action, the bears move autonomously (on the squares) and keep the players on their toes by occasionally attacking / eating their employees. The challenge consists in being the player who assesses the risks and chances involved most successfully. - BoardGameGeek