THE GAME GUIDE
Swarm
Surround the opposing queen without separating the swarm.
01 · THE ESSENTIALS
The rules to get started
The proposed variant
Five species, distinct movement, stackable beetles, and an evolving surface.
THE ESSENTIALS
How to Play
- Swarm: a prototype with original graphics inspired by Hive, without expansions. Eleven tiles per side: queen, two beetles, three grasshoppers, two spiders, and three ants.
- After your first piece, a placement must touch your camp without touching an opposing piece; the color of a stack is the color of its top piece. Place your queen no later than the fourth turn; no movement before she is placed.
- The queen moves one step, the spider exactly three without backtracking, and the ant moves freely along the edge. The grasshopper jumps over a continuous line of tiles. The beetle moves one step and can climb onto a stack.
- The swarm stays connected even while moving. Moves through spaces that are too narrow are forbidden. The top piece in a stack determines its color and blocks the tiles below.
- A queen surrounded on all six sides loses; two queens surrounded simultaneously result in a draw. Pass only if no action is available. Friendly convention: third repetition or 200 turns without placement = draw.
THE BOARD REFERENCES
Read squares and moves
02 · SEE THE MOVES
The moves, piece by piece
MOVEMENT VIDEOSSee each move family
Surround the opposing queen without separating the swarm.