Hive Carbon Pillbug Expansion – Defensive Strategy Piece for Hive Carbon Edition

Complete Your Hive Carbon Collection

The Hive Carbon Pillbug Expansion adds the final strategic piece to your Hive Carbon game collection. Designed specifically to match the sophisticated black and white aesthetic of Hive Carbon edition, this expansion introduces a unique defensive piece that fundamentally changes tactical gameplay. The Pillbug expansion piece was intentionally designed to provide defensive counterplay against the offensive Mosquito and Ladybug pieces, giving the second player enhanced strategic options and creating more balanced, competitive matches.

Requires: Hive Carbon base game (sold separately)
Number of Players: 2 players
Recommended Age: 9 years and up
Average Game Time: 20 minutes
Tile Size: 38mm (1.5″) across – Full standard size matching Hive Carbon
Color Scheme: Premium black and white monochrome design

What Makes the Pillbug Special?

The Pillbug is unlike any other piece in Hive. While it moves slowly like the Queen Bee—just one space at a time—its true power lies in its unique special ability. Instead of moving itself, the Pillbug can pick up any adjacent piece (friendly or enemy) and relocate it to a different empty space next to itself. This remarkable ability makes the Pillbug both a formidable defensive tool for rescuing threatened pieces and a powerful offensive weapon for disrupting opponent strategies.

Imagine this scenario: your Queen Bee is surrounded on five sides and one move away from defeat. The Pillbug can grab your Queen and relocate it to safety, turning certain defeat into continued play. Or use the Pillbug offensively by moving your opponent’s defensive pieces out of position, creating openings for your attacking insects. This dual-purpose versatility makes the Pillbug expansion essential for competitive Hive Carbon gameplay.

How the Pillbug Works

Movement: The Pillbug moves exactly like the Queen Bee—one space at a time around the perimeter of the hive.

Special Ability: Instead of moving, the Pillbug can use its signature power to relocate adjacent pieces. The action happens in two steps:

1. The Pillbug lifts an adjacent unstacked piece (friend or foe) onto itself
2. The Pillbug places that piece into an empty space adjacent to itself

This special ability allows incredible tactical flexibility—rescue your own pieces from danger, disrupt opponent formations, or create unexpected strategic opportunities.

Important Pillbug Rules & Restrictions

The Pillbug’s power has specific limitations that maintain game balance:

Cannot Move Recently Moved Pieces: The Pillbug cannot move any piece that was moved by the opponent on their immediately previous turn. Similarly, any piece moved by the Pillbug cannot be moved again on the next player’s turn.

Cannot Move Stacked Pieces: The Pillbug can only move pieces on the main hive level, not pieces covered by Beetles or Ladybugs.

Must Respect One Hive Rule: The Pillbug cannot move a piece if doing so would split the hive into separate groups.

Cannot Create Beetle Gates: The Pillbug cannot move pieces through narrow gaps created by stacked Beetles (known as “Beetle gates”).

Movement Immunity: Any piece that was physically moved (either directly or via Pillbug action) is rendered immobile on the next player’s turn—it cannot move, be moved, or use special abilities.

Mosquito Interaction: When the Mosquito is adjacent to a Pillbug, it can mimic both the Pillbug’s movement AND its special relocating ability, creating even more tactical complexity.

Strategic Applications

Defensive Uses:

• Rescue your Queen Bee when surrounded on multiple sides
• Reposition threatened Soldier Ants or Spiders to safety
• Move your own pieces away from opponent Beetle attacks
• Create protective formations around your vulnerable pieces

Offensive Uses:

• Disrupt opponent defensive formations
• Move enemy pieces away from protecting their Queen
• Create openings for your attacking insects
• Force opponent pieces into disadvantageous positions
• Control the tempo by manipulating enemy piece placement

Advanced Tactics:

• Coordinate Pillbug movements with Soldier Ant positioning
• Use Pillbug to counter aggressive Beetle and Ladybug strategies
• Create “Pillbug chains” by moving pieces multiple times across several turns
• Combine with Mosquito for devastating tactical combinations

Why Add the Pillbug to Hive Carbon?

Enhanced Strategic Depth: The Pillbug adds an entirely new dimension to Hive strategy—piece manipulation. This creates more complex decision trees and deeper tactical planning.

Defensive Balance: Designed specifically to counter the offensive power of Mosquito and Ladybug expansions, the Pillbug creates more balanced, competitive gameplay.

Second Player Advantage: The Pillbug slightly favors the second player, helping offset the first-player advantage in standard Hive games.

Perfect for Competitive Play: Tournament players and serious Hive Carbon enthusiasts consider the Pillbug essential for complete strategic options.

Monochrome Aesthetic: Matches the sophisticated black and white design of Hive Carbon perfectly—maintaining visual elegance while expanding gameplay.

Complete Collection: Along with Mosquito and Ladybug (included in Hive Carbon base game), the Pillbug completes your full expansion set.

What’s in the Box

2 Premium Bakelite Hexagonal Pillbug Tiles:

• 1 Black Pillbug piece with white markings
• 1 White Pillbug piece with black markings

Also Includes:

• Illustrated rules leaflet with detailed Pillbug movement examples
• Special ability explanations and restriction guidelines

Each Pillbug tile measures 38mm (1.5 inches) across and 12mm thick—identical to your Hive Carbon base game pieces. The tiles are crafted from premium, durable Bakelite with raised insect designs, ensuring they match perfectly with your existing Hive Carbon collection in both size and quality. The monochrome black and white aesthetic integrates seamlessly with the Carbon edition’s sophisticated design.

Who Needs the Pillbug Expansion?

This expansion piece is essential for competitive Hive Carbon players, strategy enthusiasts seeking maximum tactical depth, players who own the Mosquito and Ladybug expansions (included in Carbon), anyone who wants complete collection of all Hive pieces, defensive-minded strategists, and Hive tournament participants. If you’ve mastered basic Hive Carbon gameplay and want to explore advanced strategies, the Pillbug expansion is your next essential purchase.

Official North American Distributor – Authentic Gen42 Games Product
Note: Requires Hive Carbon base game. This expansion is specifically designed for the Carbon edition’s black and white color scheme.