The three mini expansions for Hive are even too small to review on their own in this format so I have lumped them together. In my opinion, Ladybug is the weakest of the three while Pillbug is the strongest and Mosquito is somewhere in the middle. Let's explore why!
Ladybug
Per the BoardGameGeek description, "The Ladybug moves three spaces; two on top of the Hive, then one down." This is a good piece because it can slip into the spots that are almost completely surrounded and being able to climb onto the hive gives it a lot of flexibility. When I mentioned earlier that it is the weakest of the three, it is only because it is not as interesting as the other two. The piece is still very powerful in terms of maneuverability, especially compared to the Spider which must move around the outside of the hive with its three space move.
Mosquito
Once the Mosquito is placed into the Hive, it copies the ability of any piece that it touches. For example, if it begins its turn next to an Ant, it moves like an Ant until the next turn, where it moves like whatever piece it is touching then. This is an amazingly flexible and game-changing piece as it makes it hard to predict what it will do. I personally find it more interesting than the Ladybug because of this, even though it does not have its own unique movement.
Pillbug
The Pillbug can only move one space at a time or pick up any adjacent unstacked piece onto itself and then down into another adjacent space. There are a couple caveats to this however. First, it cannot pick up the last piece that moved. Second, the piece that it moves cannot move during the next turn of the player that piece belongs to. Even with these limits, which make it a bit more difficult to remember how the piece moves, this piece is quite powerful and interesting. The ability to pick up pieces out of danger or put pieces into danger is game-changing.
In conclusion, I think all three pieces add excellent variety to the game even though I may prefer one over the other. However, at around $10 CAD/USD for each one, it is quite a hefty price for what amounts to a one-piece expansion. In fact, all three expansions together will cost you the price of the base game! That is why I recommend Hive: Pocket - it is cheaper, more compact and portable, and includes The Ladybug and The Mosquito. Then if you really want The Pillbug, it is only one extra expansions to get.
Ladybug
Per the BoardGameGeek description, "The Ladybug moves three spaces; two on top of the Hive, then one down." This is a good piece because it can slip into the spots that are almost completely surrounded and being able to climb onto the hive gives it a lot of flexibility. When I mentioned earlier that it is the weakest of the three, it is only because it is not as interesting as the other two. The piece is still very powerful in terms of maneuverability, especially compared to the Spider which must move around the outside of the hive with its three space move.
Mosquito
Once the Mosquito is placed into the Hive, it copies the ability of any piece that it touches. For example, if it begins its turn next to an Ant, it moves like an Ant until the next turn, where it moves like whatever piece it is touching then. This is an amazingly flexible and game-changing piece as it makes it hard to predict what it will do. I personally find it more interesting than the Ladybug because of this, even though it does not have its own unique movement.
Pillbug
The Pillbug can only move one space at a time or pick up any adjacent unstacked piece onto itself and then down into another adjacent space. There are a couple caveats to this however. First, it cannot pick up the last piece that moved. Second, the piece that it moves cannot move during the next turn of the player that piece belongs to. Even with these limits, which make it a bit more difficult to remember how the piece moves, this piece is quite powerful and interesting. The ability to pick up pieces out of danger or put pieces into danger is game-changing.
In conclusion, I think all three pieces add excellent variety to the game even though I may prefer one over the other. However, at around $10 CAD/USD for each one, it is quite a hefty price for what amounts to a one-piece expansion. In fact, all three expansions together will cost you the price of the base game! That is why I recommend Hive: Pocket - it is cheaper, more compact and portable, and includes The Ladybug and The Mosquito. Then if you really want The Pillbug, it is only one extra expansions to get.
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