Objective: Surround your opponent's Queen Bee with your own insect tiles or a combination of yours and your opponent's tiles. The first player to achieve this encirclement wins the game.

Number of Players: 2 players

Playing Time: Around 15-20 minutes

Components:

• 22 small insect tiles (11 white and 11 black), each depicting a different insect with a unique movement pattern (3 Ants, 2 Spiders, 2 Beetles, 3 Grasshoppers, 1 Queen Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 1 Mosquito)

• Travel bag (optional)
  

Setup:

1. Choose Colors: Each player selects a color and takes all 11 insect tiles of that color.

2. Starting Player: Decide who goes first,  you can flip a coin, roll a die, or simply agree on a starting player.
   

Gameplay:

The game is played in turns, with players taking turns placing or moving their insect tiles. Here's what happens on a typical turn:

1. First Turn (Optional):  In some variations, the first player might be restricted to placing their first insect tile in the center of the playing area. This is an optional rule to prevent an early strategic advantage.

2. Playing a Tile (Placement): On your turn, you can choose one of your unplayed insect tiles from your hand and place it face down on the playing area. This tile placement must follow two restrictions:

   • Touching an Existing Tile: The newly placed tile must touch at least one edge of another tile already on the board, but diagonally touching is not allowed.

   • Empty Center: Your first tile placement (unless restricted by the optional first-turn rule) cannot be in the exact center of the playing area.

3. Moving a Tile: After placing all your insect tiles, subsequent turns allow you to move one of your already placed insect tiles according to its specific movement pattern depicted on the tile itself.  Here's a quick explanation of some common insect movements:

   • Slide:  Insects like the Queen Bee, Soldier Ant, and Beetle can slide any number of empty spaces along a straight line in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally).

   • Scuttle:  Grasshoppers can move two empty spaces in any direction, but not diagonally on their first move. On subsequent moves, they can move two spaces in a straight line but must end on an empty space adjacent to another tile.

   • Jump:  Spiders can jump over a single adjacent insect tile (friend or foe) to an empty space on the other side.

4. Restrictions:  You cannot move an insect tile in a way that would cause any part of the board to become disconnected or lift other tiles off the playing surface.  Also, you cannot move an insect tile through another insect tile.

5. Winning the Game: The first player to completely surround their opponent's Queen Bee with their own insect tiles or a combination of their tiles and their opponent's tiles wins the game. A Queen Bee is surrounded if it is completely encircled by other insect tiles with no empty spaces adjacent to it.
   

Additional Notes:

• No Board: Hive Pocket does not use a traditional game board. The tiles themselves create the playing surface as the game progresses.

• All Pieces Always in Play: Unlike some games, you don't capture or remove opponent's insect tiles. All 22 insect tiles remain on the board throughout the game.

• Quick Setup and Gameplay:  The compact size and simple rules make Hive Pocket a great choice for quick and strategic games on the go.