Hive (game) - Composition

Composition

The game uses hexagonal tiles to represent the various contents of the hive. The original two editions used wooden tiles with full-color insect illustrations on blue and silver stickers to represent the units, but the current third edition has been published using black and almond phenolic resin ("Bakelite") tiles with single-color painted etchings.

There are 22 pieces in total making up a Hive set, with 11 pieces per player, each representing an insect and a different means of moving (the colors listed are for the third edition of the game; the first and second used full-color drawings):

• 1 Queen Bee (Yellow-Gold)
• 2 Spiders (Brown)
• 2 Beetles (Purple)
• 3 Grasshoppers (Green)
• 3 Soldier Ants (Blue)

In addition, one or both expansions may be optionally added to the game:

• 1 Mosquito (Gray)
• 1 Ladybug (Red)

In addition, the game is packaged with a travel bag (a black drawstring bag for older editions; a nylon zippered case for the current version) to make the game more portable. Given the durability of the tiles and the lack of a board, the game is marketed as a "go-anywhere" game that simply needs a relatively flat surface on which to place pieces.

In 2011, the publisher released a "Carbon" edition of Hive with two significant changes. First, the pieces are in black and white; either black insects on white pieces or white insects on black pieces. Second, the Mosquito and Ladybug expansions are included in this set. (See the Expansions section below for details on these pieces.)

In 2012, the publisher released a "Pocket" edition of Hive. The pieces are smaller versions of the colored Bakelite tiles (including the Mosquito and Ladybug expansions), and come with a red drawstring bag for storage. Hive Pocket retails for significantly less money than either of the full-size versions of Hive.