Smart Zone Games Hive- A Game Crawling With Possibilities, (5525890)

This maybe the most fun abstract strategy game I've ever played. It's a lot like chess in that each piece has a different movement, but it is also definitely one-of-a-kind. The strategy is deep, but the game is much simpler and plays faster than chess. If you want a more complex game, you can buy the expansions. The object of the game is to surround your opponent's queen bee (a hexagon stamped with a bee graphic). The other hexagonal tiles (with bugs imprinted on them) have unique movements. The pieces are really beautiful and are much improved from the original wood pieces. I'd recommend getting this version, NOT the carbon version. Sure you save a few dollars on the carbon version, but there are a few caveats with the carbon version. With the carbon version there are only 2 colors (black and white), which makes it harder to tell the playing pieces apart than the Original version of "Hive," where each playing piece (bug) is a different color, making it much easier to tell the difference between the pieces. Second, and this is just an opinion, the carbon version gives it a very serious look, like chess. Some people like that. I do not. The colors create a playful, easy-going flavor. One of the big benefits of the game is that it is much more accessible to people than chess. The serious look of the carbon version makes it look...like chess, decreasing the possibility that people will try out the game because they think they're playing the difficult, serious and complicated game of chess. My recommendation is get this set.

Its very great quality, the pieces are satisfying themselves lol. Gameplay is very simple to pick up and play, rules are very straightforward and i loved especially how they show pictures of how individual pieces move. So much more fun with the expansions as well. Perfect for someone who likes chess or someone who wants to get into those mechanics as well. Overall just a great simple and quick game to bring anywhere. Only objective is to surround the queen bee with the tiles...would 100% recommend and would buy again if needed.

The most fun game! I loved that it was easy to learn and great for two people. The tiles also have a great feel to them and it’s a fun concept!

Hive struck me like a fresh new concept in tabletop gaming when I first ran into it at the manufacturer's own website. There, you could play the game against a robot that they said wasn't all that good a player. He taught me so much, beating me 15 consecutive times before I finally beat him. Hive has tiles with special movement rules, like chess, but there is no "board". The first tile played in the game initiates "The Hive", and all subsequent play takes place on, or adjacent to, The Hive. The tiles depict bugs, and both players get a queen bee, 2 spiders, 2 beetles, 3 grasshoppers, and 3 ants. An expansion set gives each player a mosquito too. Players take turns adding tiles to the hive. When adding a tile, it must touch already-laid tiles of your color and no tiles of the other color (except for player #2's first tile). During the first 4 moves, both players must add their queen bee to the hive. Once a player's queen bee is played, they may elect to move a tile rather than play a new one. Moving tiles are allowed to land next to the other color in a way that newly played tiles cannot. This decision about bringing a new piece into play or working with the pieces already in play is one small example of the strategy at play here. The object is to completely surround the opponent's queen bee. Doesn't have to be all your tiles, but if she is surrounded you win. Don't let it happen to your queen bee! The game play is strongly oriented towards "1) Don't lose, 2) Win, if you can" That was the lesson of my first 10 games against the robot at the Hive site. Ants can move anywhere on the outer perimeter of the hive - any distance. Spiders can do the same thing, but they must move exactly 3 hexes, no more, no less. Grasshoppers leap over the hive along hex lines to the first vacant space. Beetles can only move one hex in any direction, but they can crawl up onto the hive itself and move around on it. The piece they are sitting on is immobilized until they leave. The optional mosquito can move like any tile of either color that it is touching at the beginning of it's turn. Enough about the game - it's a brilliant invention in game-play with really thought-provoking strategy. Its not a quick learn-and-play game. That said, it is a delicious long-term learn-and-play game - lots of "ah ha!" as I witness my own improvement as a player. This product tho - WOW! These tiles are bigger than I expected - you can squint one like a monocle - and substantial like well-made dominoes, finger-tall. The hexes are white and black, each type of bug is painted into the recessed image in it's own color. The green-on-black grasshopper contrasted with the green-on-white grasshopper is very cool - these pieces are lovely.

Big game player here, and really good 2-player games are not the easiest thing to come by if you're not really looking. This game was an incredible find. Easy to learn, for sure. Like chess, each piece has it's own movements, but movement is always in relation to other pieces, because there's no game board. Both players build the hive (the game board) that they are tied to and work within that ever evolving play field to try and capture the enemies Queen(bee). Absolutely fun, quick games can take as short as 5 min (one embarrassing evening for me) but they average about 20-30. Quick to pick up, but there is a lot to work with so it'll take time to really master it. We've had it for a few months now and we break it out a lot. One other thing I want to mention, the game comes with a pouch to carry the pieces in. We take it to restaurants and play while we wait for food, it's that easy to set up and a sweep of the arm to clean. Great game, consider me part of the hive!

My husband and I were looking for a 2-person strategy game that had play time of less than 20 minutes. You know, something to keep our minds sharp, something entertaining for when nothing good is on tv (so all the time). For whatever reason, my husband specified that the game could NOT be chess. I have no idea why, but when I saw Hive was like chess, but with bugs, I knew it would be the perfect choice for us. We have been playing for two months now, and we've been enjoying the game. That said, I do kind of wish my husband would have been ok with chess. On the upside, this game is excellent in quality. Hive will last you a lifetime. The pieces are sturdy and thick, no weak papery pieces here. It's also a great game for travel, because everything you need fits inside an included pouch. I went ahead and tossed the box. This game is easy to store in a small space. I appreciate that this is a competitive game, none of that co-operative game bs. My husband and I aren't built for the kind of games where you help each other fake farm or whatever-- there must be a winner (and the winner must be me!). These are the reasons I've given it 4 stars. But there are downsides to this game, that may or may not be a deal breaker for some. First, the cost. Hive isn't cheap. If you buy the three expansion pieces (which we are finding necessary, more on that later), you'll have invested about 60 dollars into this game. Be sure you really want a competitive strategy game and will play it often before buying this. Once me and my husband mapped out our favorite strategies with the included pieces, the game gets a bit stagnant. This is where the expansion pieces come into play. I really think they should be included to begin with. They expand the possible strategies to where you can get years of exciting game play instead of months. It is super easy for the queen bees to get close enough together where it creates a drawl (because to put in that last piece that surrounds the opponent's bee, you're surrounding your own at the same time). One way to prevent this is to play under an unofficial rule that you can't put down the bee as your first piece. It still happens, though, and ties are no fun. The player who goes first has an advantage. If you're evenly matched with your opponent, it's a noticeable advantage. That said, if you're playing against a weaker opponent, or someone newer to the game, it can keep things competitive to let that player go first every time. Engineers and computer science majors seem to be masters at this game. This is the perfect gift idea for that special programmer in your life. I imagine we'll be playing this game for years to come.

This may be the best designed game I have ever seen. I mean, like the best table top game since chess. It's a little more laid back than chess and quicker, both of which are nice from an enjoyment point of view. And pieces are never taken out of the game, so it doesn't simplify as the game progresses. Further, defense is very difficult, which means that the games don't go on and on for too long. Wonderful ideas and execution. I don't consider myself real skilled at it but I'm always happy to play with my wife or one of my kids. It's simple enough for kids and interesting enough for anyone. The pieces are also very well designed and constructed. Very robust and satisfying to play with. Nice designs and colors. Overall this game is quite an accomplishment. Ok, so where's the downside? Well, if you have read any reviews you know that the makers also sell a "carbon" version, which is black and white. It's a little cheaper than this version but it comes with two expansions (which are like $10 each). So it's a lot cheaper. I thought about getting that one but decided I wanted color in my game. After playing with the base set, I was convinced that I had made the right choice. Worth spending some extra for a set with color. However, the color expansions are not as nice as the set. In particular, the mosquito is dark grey, which is very hard to see and unsightly on the black tile. And the white tiles for both the mosquito and pillbug are a different color than the main set: they are greener and a little darker. It doesn't affect gameplay but it's an eyesore. Given the cost of these expansions it's silly that they can't color match. If I had bought the carbon edition two expansions would be included and certainly match and I bet the pillbug would match too. I mean, at the end of the day we are going for aesthetics. You miss some color with the carbon, but at least everything matches. That's my only issue with this set. If you are only sticking with the base set, I'd say color is better.

My daughter and I really enjoy this game! It’s easy to learn but challenging to master! The game itself is great quality. Tiles are thick and sturdy and the prints on them should last a very long time (without rubbing off)