Overview

Objective

Surround the opponent's queen bee.

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• 2 player abstract.
• Players compete to gain control of a hive by surrounding their opponent's queen bee.
• One player plays the black pieces, the other player plays the white pieces.
• Play area starts empty.

Player Turn

• Must make a move if possible, otherwise their turn is skipped.

Each turn choose to either:

1. Place a new piece.
2. Move a piece.

Place a piece

• Must be on the edge of the hive.
• Queen bee must be placed in your first 4 turns.

After each player has placed their first piece:

• Must touch a piece of the same color.
• Cannot touch a piece of the opposite color.

Note: Stacks are the color of the top piece.

Move a piece

• You cannot move pieces until your queen bee is placed.
• Imaginary hexagonal grid.
• Adjacent pieces always touch a complete edge.
• All pieces must form one contiguous group at all times (One Hive rule, see below).
• A piece cannot move through a gap that is too narrow (Freedom to Move rule, see below).

Queen bee

Slides to an adjacent space.

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Beetle

Slides or climbs to an adjacent space.

• Cannot be first placed on top of the hive.
• Any covered pieces cannot be used.
• Can drop down into any space.

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• Moving to the
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  space would violate the Freedom to Move rule (see below).

Spider

Slides 3 spaces around the hive in one direction.

• When adjacent to more than one part of the hive, it may continue on any side of the hive.

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Soldier Ant

Slides anywhere.

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Grasshopper

Jumps over a line of one or more pieces to the first empty space.

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Ladybug

Climbs 2 spaces over the hive and 1 space to the edge of the hive.

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Pillbug

Slides to an adjacent space or moves an adjacent piece to another space adjacent to the pillbug.

• Cannot move a piece moved in the previous turn.
• Moved piece cannot move in the next turn.
• Cannot move a piece in a stack.

Pillbug movement

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Pillbug special ability

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Freedom to Move

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Mosquito

Copies any adjacent piece.

• Beetle: remains a beetle until it moves to the edge of the hive.
• Cannot copy pieces underneath a beetle.
• Cannot move when only adjacent to the other mosquito.

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One Hive rule

All played pieces must be linked at all times.

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cannot move because it would disconnect

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from the hive, either permanently or temporarily while moving.

Freedom to Move rule

Cannot move through a narrow gate

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Game end

Draw

• By agreement / repetition.
• Both queen bees are surrounded on all sides in the same move.

Win

• Only the opponent's queen bee is surrounded on all sides.

Variants

Expansion pieces:

• Ladybug
• Mosquito
• Pillbug

Opening:

• Standard: no restriction
• Tournament: The queen bee may not be placed in the first turn.