Expansion Review: Apiary: Expanding the Hive

Expanding the Hive is the first expansion for the board game, Apiary. Designed by Connie Vogelmann and published by Stonemaier Games, it came out in 2024. Whilst I paid for my copy of Apiary (it was our Game of the Month for March 2024), a review copy of this expansion was provided by the publisher. Affiliate links are included at the end of this review.

I like Apiary a lot. It’s one of my favourite worker placement games, alongside Architects of the West Kingdom. We played it a lot last year, and probably actually played it too much in the first half of 2024. It got to the point that we kind of sickened ourselves on it. We burnt out. We recently broke it back out after the publisher, Stonemaier Games, sent over a review copy of the first expansion.

And, you know what, let’s cut to the chase; I love it. My group loves it. Expanding the Hive is a fantastic expansion for an already beloved board game. This expansion adds a wealth of new content that enhances the base game without overwhelming it.

Okay, I’ve kind of jumped in feet first, but let’s take a step back; how does it do this?

Let’s start with what’s in the box. The expansion introduces 15 new frames, 7 hive mats, 4 farms, 3 carvings, 4 recruits, 5 developments, and 3 new dance tiles with 6 new tokens. There are also 15 new seed cards and 4 explore tokens. Additionally, there’s a new faction, the Cedoni, and updated versions of 2 existing faction tiles. These components seamlessly integrate into the base game, offering fresh strategies and more viable, diverse paths to victory.

One of the standout features of Expanding the Hive, and the one that our group found most refreshing, is the new frames. These are the multi-tile blocks that let you add more buildable space to your hive. Unlike the base game frames, these offer a real range of different building bonuses while still awarding 8 points for filling them completely. This makes them far more interesting than the old frames, which all gave you access to more seed cards. Having more variety is really good; it’s great that not all frames are the same any more. The expansion also includes balance improvements, such as splitting the frames into two stacks for drafting and tweaking explore tokens. On explore tokens, there are more cards and tiles that now interact with explore tokens. I love this. I love that they’ve taken something already in the game and just brought it a little more prominence and utility.

The new ships are also a lot more interesting than the original ones. I really enjoyed using the one that lets you build some frames for free. This really capitalises on what the expansion does well, letting you make the most of the improvements that have been made. I also really like the carving-focused ship, which sets you up to place a carving in the middle of your ship for free. You also get to take this carving from the many unused ones that are sitting in the box. Excellent. It really feels like the ships were the product of the designers just really seeing how their game works in the wild and playing with interesting variations. I’m all for that.

The expansion addresses minor issues from the base game, such as replacing some tiles and updating the rules, including with an optional adjustment that limits the use of seed cards. Our group found seed card-heavy play to be quite problematic and lead to long, complex turns. Limiting this is a huge improvement, even if it is optional. We will always take that option! These updates enhance the overall gameplay experience without introducing any new layers of complexity, making it easy for players to integrate the expansion into their existing setup. Heck, this feels like less of an expansion and more like a refined second edition.

I really would call Expanding the Hive is a must-have for Apiary fans. It adds more variety to the game, transforming how players approach their strategies. The new components and balance improvements make the game even more engaging and replayable. It brings aspects of the game that were previously less developed into more of a focus, and it completely swaps out some stale aspects, such as the old, samey frames. Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the game, this expansion just makes the game better. As I’ve already said, it feels like a refined, improved second edition.