Hi guys. I’m only 1/2 way through the show but I have a few comments already.

Joe:  I agree that Hive is a great, quick, strategy game.  I especially it’s “cafe factor” which is that you can easily take it to a coffee shop and you will get a lot of interesting comments from passers-by.  I guess your pieces are in good shape but most of the people I know who own the game have seen their stickers wrinkle. In fact, I was given a replacement set which developed the same problem. I think this issue should be a caveat to prospective buyers because it happens regularly.

I disagree with you about the spiders, they are incredibly powerful at the beginning of the game since they can move far enough on the early board to lock down your opponent’s queen.  They should be your second or third deployment onto the playing area. This frees up your ant deployment until later in the game.

Tom:You mention surprise with Apples to Apples being rated at just below a 7 but I think this is entirely appropiate.  Apples to Apples suffers from something I call “Out of the Box” syndrome which is that most OTB-games seem fun for about a dozen plays or so and then they get a little stale.  Even you yourself said it “wears a little thin”.  If I’m playing with non-gamers, of course I’d bring it out and I know it would go over well but with even casual gamers who are used to Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly I would be playing something else first, like TransAmerica.