Rój Hive

By girlfriend normally gets sick of board games because I keep beating her at them. Not so with Hive! It's completely deterministic, all down to skill, and she is far better than me at it. Though obviously my pride is in tatters I do still admire the game greatly for being very accessible to anyone - especially with its big clunky pieces - and for really surprising with its depth of play. Lots of emergent tactics can come about, and a game that seems a foregone conclusion can quickly turn around with a clever move. Games are quick, over in about 10 minutes, and really satisfying with their density of decision making. Every action feels like it matters, and a move made at the start of the game can become a significant factor later on. I highly recommend this game. One of the best 2-player games I've ever played, and easy to pick up no matter how experienced you are.

This is my favourite board game of all time. Very, very simple to explain to your opponent, 5 minutes tops-This is great. SO much depth to this game. I've played it for about a year now (I'm reviewing a second copy I ordered for a friend), and every time I play I am still learning. Such a fun and challenging game. I've had matches last 5 minutes, and 3 hours. Such variation, and each match you will learn something new. Sadly there doesn't seem to be much of an online community on the Steam verision of the game, but playing in real life is always better anyway. Particularly because the pieces are luscious. Just the perfect weigh and density. They allow you to feel intelligent as you hold some in your hand trying to figure out why on earth your opponent just moved a spider with such confidence.

I've had this game more than a year now and it is one we pull out of the cupboard time and time again. Even when you think you have lost, a bit of careful thinking can pull you back into the game. Easy to learn and fun for everyone. I love the feel of the playing pieces, I'm glad we didn't go for travel size. I'm also glad we chose the coloured set rather than the black and white set - I find it helps when playing to have different coloured insects. I'd get them mixed up otherwise. The bag is okay for cupboard storage but it don't think it would last long if you were travelling with it - it is worth buying or making a bag for it though.

I was intrigued to buy this game because I had read so much about it on online board game forums. It does have similar gaming properties to chess and the like but not as complicated. The box suggests age 9+ But my 5 1/2-year-old can play it with help. I don’t think he fully understands the strategy of it yet but it’s never too early to start them on games like this, so if you have a younger child then consider this when purchasing hive. My husband plays it with my son so I can’t really comment too much on the gameplay as I’m not very good at this kind of game. But it seems to be that the game can last quite a while or it can be short so there are benefits there. The pieces are a lovely weight and it feels like it will last forever, so all in all a good purchase and I love the fact that it’s bugs - something unusual to add to the board game cupboard! Good for travel as all the pieces fit in the circular bag.

What a lovely find! The game itself is great. It is both simple and full of complex strategy. But what was even better is the build quality of the solid pieces and a neat little case to make it easy to take away on holiday. This really is a well thought out game and if you're looking for an alternative to chess type 1v1 strategy games i would highly recommend that you check this out!

Game is good and easy to learn but I've actually returned this one and bought the travel edition. The pieces are a better size and the version I got included two of the expansions. If I bought the full size and 3 expansions it would have been upwards of £60. Travel size was about £25 for all of it

Everyone loves Hive! I first encountered it on an online gaming site, then made my own set and have finally done right by the creators and bought a copy. Having used virtual and home made pieces I'm really enjoy the feel of the real pieces, they are larger than I'd have thought, something like an inch and a quarter across and they feel solid. The game itself plays like a very cut down version of chess, with play being limited to a need for pieces to be contiguous rather than a board. Like chess different pieces behave differently however to win you need to surround your opponents bee before they surround yours. Its punchy, quick to learn and plays hugely differently according to whose playing. Overall, its pretty satisfying stuff.

Bought this after reading rave reviews elsewhere, and was actually really disappointed. I may have misinterpretted these reviews (it was in a couple of "top 10" lists, and expected it to be a challenge for two adults, but perrsonally felt it was, err, just a waste of time. To be fair, don't avoid it based on my review alone, there are clearly plenty of people that like/love it, sadly, I'm just not one of them.

Estaba indecisa entre este formato o el Pocket. La verdad que estoy muy contenta con el juego, llegó todo en perfecto estado. Lo que más me ha gustado es que te viene con un estuche que entiendo que o bien es para guardarlo y poder tirar la caja, o bien para llevarlo de viaje. Hay que tener en cuenta que las instrucciones no vienen es español, pero en internet se pueden encontrar fácilmente.

Es mag schon einige Rezensionen zu diesem Spiel geben, aber bei Hive bin ich sehr verführt, den bestehenden Bewertungen auch noch meine Beschreibung dieses 2-Personen Spiels hinzuzufügen. Obwohl der Vergleich als überstrapaziert gilt, ist Hive für mich ein Spiel wie Schach. Man hat fünf unterschiedliche Insekten-Spielfiguren, die bestimmte Züge ausführen können und verfolgt das Ziel die gegnerische Biene "matt" zu setzen. Allerdings wird bei Hive ein Spielstein nicht geschlagen, sondern man kann Figuren lediglich festsetzen bzw. die gegnerische Biene versuchen einzukreisen. Gelingt letzteres hat man gewonnen. Wie beim Schach ist jedes Spiel komplett anders, jeder Zug erfordert eine Planung wie man mit seinen Figuren an den Gegner herankommen kann und Angriffe auf die eigene Bienenkönigin abwehrt. Das Spiel ist dabei unwahrscheinlich herausfordernd. Allerdings hat Hive auch in den Bereichen Qualitäten, die Schach bei Vielen unattraktiv macht. Es gibt nur 5 Spielfiguren deren Züge sehr leicht zu erlernen sind und das selbst für Kinder. Eine Partie dauert in der Regel nur etwa 20 Minuten, nur bei sehr erfahrenen Hive-Spieler kann es auch schonmal länger dauern. Man muss gegenüber Schach deutlich weniger Figuren im Blick halten und dennoch sind Komplexität und Möglichkeiten ebenfalls unwahrscheinlich hoch. Genial ist zudem, dass Hive anders als Schach kein Spielbrett benötigt, da sich die Figuren immer am namensgebenden "Schwarm" (engl. Hive) bewegen. Der meines Erachtens einzige Nachteil von Hive ist ebenfalls ähnlich zu Schach. Bei geübten Spielern hat derjenige der angefängt einen leichten aber manchmal entscheidenden Vorteil. Hive ist ein phantastisches 2-Personen Spiel, dessen Tiefgründigkeit und Kurzweil mich immer wieder begeistert. Es gibt auch eine Erweiterung mit zwei "Moskito-Figuren", die laut anderen Rezensionen sehr empfehlenswert sein soll aber von Amazon leider nicht geführt wird. Natürlich muss man für Hive strategische Spiele mögen. Wer eher seichte und glücksabhängige Spiele wie das gute alte "Mensch Ärgere Dich Nicht" mag, für den könnte Hive zu anstrengend sein. Für alle anderen ist der Kauf es unbedingt wert.

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.

A perfect game for the whole family. Simple but so much potential for strategy. Great for a travel game.

Fun and fast paced. I’d like to get the add on piece to add more complexity but it is a great game as is.