Hive Pocket Review: The Strategy Game That Fits in Your Caravan Drawer
- Caravan Coach
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
Product Category: Travel Board Games
Brand: Gen42 Games
Prices Usually Range From: £16 - £20
Best For: Couples looking for a compact, no-setup strategy game to enjoy on the pitch Where to Buy: Available at Waterstones and Rules of Play, or major retailers like Amazon.
Travel Board Game for Caravanning: Why Hive Pocket Works on the Pitch
Space in a caravan is always at a premium. Whether it's a kitchen drawer or the side pocket of your holdall, there's rarely room for a full-sized board game. Hive Pocket solves that problem rather neatly. The entire game comes in a small drawstring bag, weighing around 280 grams, with 26 hexagonal tiles that form the playing area as you go. There's no board to unfold, no cards to shuffle, and nothing to lose in the gap between the seat cushions.
Designed by John Yianni and published by Gen42 Games, Hive Pocket is the travel-sized version of the multi-award-winning Hive. The objective is straightforward: surround your opponent's Queen Bee tile using your own insect pieces, each of which moves differently. It's a two-player strategy game that takes around 20 to 45 minutes per game and can be played on any flat surface, including a caravan table or a picnic bench outside the awning.
Key Features
Hive Pocket uses one-inch hexagonal tiles rather than the standard 1.5-inch tiles found in the full-size version. The result is a game small enough to sit comfortably on a caravan table without eating up all the room. The tiles themselves are made from a durable Bakelite-style material with coloured bug artwork, and they feel solid and tactile rather than cheap or flimsy.
The game includes 26 tiles in total: the standard 22 pieces split between two players, plus the Mosquito and Ladybug expansion tiles, which are included in the Pocket edition as standard. Each insect type moves in a unique way. Grasshoppers jump over pieces, soldier ants orbit the outside of the hive, beetles climb on top of other tiles, and spiders move exactly three spaces per turn. The Mosquito mimics the movement of any adjacent tile, and the Ladybug moves over the top of the hive in a set pattern. These variations are what give the game its depth.
Because there's no board, there's also no set-up. You place a tile, your opponent places a tile, and the game begins immediately. This makes it particularly useful when you're settled on a pitch after a long drive and want something to do without the fuss of laying out a complicated game.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Genuinely compact, the entire game fits in a small drawstring bag that slips easily into luggage or a caravan storage drawer
No board required, so it works on any flat surface including caravan tables and outdoor picnic benches
Zero set-up time, the first tile placed is the start of the game
The Mosquito and Ladybug expansions are included in the box, adding more tactical variety without extra cost
Tiles are durable and won't warp, fade, or suffer from the kind of wear that paper cards or cardboard counters would
Works just as well for complete beginners as it does for experienced players, with strategies that deepen the more you play
Cons:
Strictly two players, so it won't work as an evening game for a group
The tiles are smaller than the standard version, which some people find fiddly, particularly in lower light conditions
The Pillbug expansion is sold separately and not included, which is worth knowing if you want the full set
Not ideal for young children, as the pieces are small and the strategy can be challenging for under-nines
Performance
Hive Pocket genuinely delivers on its travel credentials. The drawstring bag keeps everything together without any fuss, and because the tiles are solid and weighty, they don't shift around mid-game if the table has a slight lean to it, which is not uncommon on uneven pitches.
The gameplay itself holds up remarkably well for something so small. The rules take around ten minutes to explain to a new player, and most people are competitive within a few games. The strategic depth increases steadily as you become more familiar with how each insect moves, and the inclusion of the Mosquito and Ladybug tiles adds enough variation to keep regular players engaged across multiple trips.
Games typically run between 20 and 45 minutes, which makes it a good fit for evenings in the awning or a wet afternoon when you're stuck on the pitch. It's also quiet by nature, there's no dice rolling or noisy components, which matters if you have children asleep in bed that you don't want to disturb.
The tiles show no signs of wear even after regular use, which is a genuine advantage over card-based travel games that tend to soften and bend with humidity.
Specifications
Players: 2
Recommended Age: 9+
Playing Time: 20 to 45 minutes
Number of Tiles: 26 (including Mosquito and Ladybug expansions)
Tile Size: 1 inch hexagonal
Material: Bakelite-style plastic
Storage: Drawstring cloth bag
Approximate Weight: 280 grams
Publisher: Gen42 Games
Designer: John Yianni
Why It's Recommended
Hive Pocket earns its place in a caravan storage drawer because it does exactly what it promises. It's small, it's durable, and it provides a proper two-player game without any of the usual faff. There's nothing to set up, nothing fragile to worry about, and it plays on whatever surface you have available.
For couples who tour regularly, it fills the gap between a quick round of cards and something that actually makes you think. It also travels well beyond the caravan itself: it's been taken to beach trips, used on train journeys, and played in pubs and campsites across the UK. That flexibility is part of the appeal.
At around £16 to £20, it's good value for something that will last the life of the van and beyond.
Rating
Overall Score: 4.5/5
Score Breakdown:
Design: 4.5/5
Durability: 5/5
Ease of Use: 4/5
Value for Money: 4.5/5
Disclaimer
This review reflects our genuine opinions and experiences. Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This means we may receive a small commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Product details, availability, and prices were accurate at the time of writing but may change without notice. Please check with the retailer for the latest information before making a purchase. Caravan Coach cannot be held responsible for differences between this review and the actual product or service you receive.
