Hive

Hive has no board. The tiles you play are the board, and the shape of the hive changes every single turn. Two players — one light, one dark — take turns adding creatures to the hive or moving creatures already in it. The moment one Queen Bee is completely surrounded, the game ends.

Setup

There is no board and no setup to speak of. Tip the tiles out and go.

Each player takes the 11 tiles of their colour:

Tiles	Creature
1	Queen Bee
2	Spiders
2	Beetles
3	Grasshoppers
3	Soldier Ants

The first player places any one tile to start the hive. The second player places a tile touching it.

That opening move is the only time in the whole game you are allowed to place a tile next to an enemy creature.

How a Turn Works

On your turn you must do exactly one of two things: place a new tile, or move a tile already in the hive. You may not do both, and you may not skip a turn that you are able to take.

Placing a new creature

• The new tile must touch at least one of your own creatures.
• It must not touch any enemy creature.
• Exception: the very first tile each player places, at the start of the game.

Your Queen Bee must be down by turn four

You may place your Queen Bee on any of your first four turns, but it must be on the table by your fourth turn.

Until your Queen Bee is placed you cannot move anything — you may only keep placing new tiles. Getting the Queen out early buys you the freedom to start moving sooner.

Moving a creature

Each creature moves in its own way:

Creature	How it moves
Queen Bee	One space at a time.
Beetle	One space in any direction — and it may climb on top of other creatures.
Grasshopper	Jumps in a straight line over at least one creature, landing in the first empty space beyond them.
Spider	Exactly three spaces, no more and no less, staying on the outside of the hive.
Soldier Ant	Any distance, anywhere around the outside of the hive.

The Soldier Ant’s range makes it the most useful creature on the table. Spend them carefully.

A Beetle sitting on top of another tile pins it — the creature underneath cannot move until the Beetle steps off. The Beetle also takes on the colour of the stack it sits on for the purpose of placement.

Two rules that govern every move

Freedom to Move. A creature has to physically slide into its new space. If a gap is too narrow to slide through — if you would have to lift the tile over other creatures to get it there — the move is illegal. The Beetle and the Grasshopper are the exceptions, because they go over the top rather than through the gap.

One Hive. The hive must stay in one connected piece at all times, including during the move. If picking a creature up would split the hive into two groups, that creature is stuck and cannot move at all.

If you can neither place nor move, your turn passes to your opponent. This is rare, but it is legal.

How to Win

You win by completely surrounding your opponent’s Queen Bee — all six sides of that tile occupied.

It does not matter whose creatures do the surrounding. Your own tiles count, and so do your opponent’s. A player can absolutely lose by boxing in their own Queen while trying to defend it.

If both Queen Bees become surrounded on the same move, the game is a draw.

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting the Queen by turn four. It is the single most common error. Miss it and you have no legal move.
• Trying to move before the Queen is placed. Nothing of yours can move until your Queen Bee is on the table.
• Placing next to an opponent. Legal only for your opening tile — after that, new tiles touch friendly creatures only.
• Squeezing through a gap. If the tile cannot physically slide into the space, the move is illegal, however obvious the destination looks.
• Breaking the hive. Check before you lift: if removing that creature splits the hive, it has to stay put.
• Forgetting your own tiles can trap you. Surrounding is colour-blind. Crowding your own Queen is a real way to lose.