Zombieknight

I am a pretty avid gamer, however my wife is not. She likes to play card games, maybe Yahtzee with the kids, and that’s about it normally. However, Hive is one game she will play again and again.

Hive is an abstract tile laying/movement game, the purpose of which is to completely surround your opponent’s bee tile with other hexagonal bakelite tiles that have various bugs on them, and each bug has a different movement ability. There is no capturing involved, just placement and movement. My wife likes it because the rules are not complex, yet there is strategy there and she quickly got to a point where we were equally skillful at the game.

I like this game because it is easy to teach to someone, and it can really get you thinking. You have to be careful not to let your own bee get surrounded while trying to maneuver your tiles to surround your opponent’s bee. You can pretty quickly get yourself in a spot if you’re too focussed on your opponent.

The pieces are great, too – very solid bakelite pieces with vibrant colors for the bugs that are etched on them. I highly recommend Hive for a quick pick-up game, or for that gamer in your life who wants something they can sink their teeth into without having to memorize a lot of rules.