Scorpion (fan expansion for Hive)

3/5 good abstract game, but without the expansion it suffers from similar strategy & first player advantage. 1000+ plays.

5/5 Hive with the Pillbug, Mosquito, & Ladybug really blow the doors open on gameplay. This becomes a deeper game than chess with more possible moves. Definitely a modern classic. We have played this game all over the world and it is always well received and people stop and ask what is going on. The theme of animals is just so much more engaging. Building your board as you play vs playing a piece, vs moving a piece is that wonderful push and pull. Knowing when to defend or attack is key. The expansion pieces balance out the start player advantage because there are so many more ways to defend attacks now.

5/5 the fan creations for hive which you can PnP or order is incredible. The new killer queen bee is great. the rule of having to get 7 pieces instead of 6 to win makes it more thinky. players being able to take a double turn make it more strategic. the largest issue with hive was the direct start, but that is nullified by a common starting piece which opens up more places to go right away. The new pieces are always nice to have, but they don't add that many new rules & arent that different from the pieces that exist. you can choose which piece you want to place (which bug side up) and on your turn you can even simply flip a piece over and that will change the board state.