HIVE

HIVE

WOW all I have to say is WOW! This a FANTASTIC abstract game! I have been meaning to play it for over a year now just never getting around too it and I am sorry I waited SOOOO long! I played for the first time last Saturday with my buddy Marky Mark and was an instant fan. The next day I bought it and already have 15 plays on the game!

Its designer is John Yianni and current US publisher is Smart Zone Games.


Procedurally Hive like most abstract games is not that difficult but the options and game play are endless lending a different experience with any new people or old adversaries  that you play with a different game every time! There is a reason why its ranked 112th on Board Games Geek. 


Here are the nuts and bolts. Every piece has a different movement type including the 2 expansion pieces  The Mosquito and the Lady Bug which are a MUST! 

The Queen bee moves 1 space
The Ant Moves around the outside of the hive as many spaces as you want
The grasshopper moves in straight lines and can hop over pieces and onto the other side
The spider moves 3 spaces around (no less)
The beetle can move 1 space but can move on top of  another piece or down into a hole or other side
The lady Bug moves over top of two pieces and then down 1  (no less)
The mosquito is a wild card and gains the movement of any piece it is next to. 
When you move a piece you cannot break the hive.


The goal of the game is to trap (surround) your opponents Queen with any combination of your and your opponents pieces on all sides not on top. You start the game with 1 piece from each player in contact with each other and then in alternating turns either place a piece from your supply not in contact with an opponents piece or move a piece. The Queen MUST be one of the first 4 pieces you place and you cannot move a piece until your Queen is placed. That's it now you literally know how to play! Mark and I usually follow up normal games with a variant of drawing tiles blindly before placing them which is quite good too.

It sound simple and is mechanically but you will have a lot of fun doing it. The pieces are of GREAT quality and the bag they come in is very nice too.

Bzzz!

Here are my Plays:http://www.boardgamegeek.com/plays/thing/2655?userid=312147

For more information.