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Small World (2009) - A Silly-Goose Time Filled With Strategy - Review
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Strategy games. What comes to your mind when you hear that phrase? Perhaps a war game, where one player is pitted against another in a long drawn-out campaign of attrition. Perhaps you think of a historically accurate take on a particular time period. Strategy games can range from niche tasks like running a hotel, or more sweeping epics where players control whole civilizations and that can span galaxies. “Strategy games” is a general term that can encompass a wide array of board games. What it does not often bring to mind, is thoughts of fantasy and comedy. Is it possible to have a strategy game that doesn’t take itself too seriously? Here is a game that fits that market, Small World.
The land of Small World is, well.... small. There is not enough physical space to occupy all the races that make up this realm. Players must maximize the limited space they have available to them in order to score victory coins (this game’s version of points). Because space is so limited, players quickly run out of options that they have with one race. Rather then hit a wall, where now they can no longer make any viable plays, it is time for that player to move onto a new race; using its new powers to score more and more points. Players will have to overcome other races, lost tribes, and even the landscape itself in order to make their mark and ensure that they have a place on this small world.
The theme of Small World is fantasy. Fairly generic fantasy at that. You have your standard races of Orcs, Elves, and Humans. Sorcerers and Wizards make an appearance as two difference races (I personally am unsure what the difference between the two is). There are more uncommon races like Tritons, Amazons, and Halflings. The theme alone is not what makes this game stand out in an ocean of fantasy-themed board games. Rather, it is how it presents its theme to the player.
Small World is a game that knows what it is. It has a strategic level, that doesn’t go too deep. This is a game that is made to play in a relatively quick amount of time (30-45 minutes) and not set your brain on fire. Looking at the box cover, you can see Philippe Keyaerts’ (designer) vision of a lighter game that is not too afraid to laugh at itself. The cartoony, fantasy artwork of Miguel Coimbra and Cyrille Daujeanmbra help to reinforce this idea. This is not a game built around the idea of a struggle of races to coexist in a land that is crumbling around them; and that is okay. Even the mechanics of the game give of this feeling of whimsy. With its Mancala-like movement of races/tiles, this gameplay brings back feelings of being a kid. The idea of abandoning a race in favor of another helps a player to not stay too attached and not overthink their next move.
Small World has a great replayability factor. Each race comes with its own unique power that allows the player to do something that with race. This could range from controlling certain regions, getting more troops, or gaining more points. Each race then gets paired with an additional power that allows it to be played differently and benefit differently depending on what regions it occupies/conquers. The Elves in one game may play very differently from the Elves in another game. With the board size changing depending on player count, Small World has enough variability to allow players to keep coming back to it whatever group that they play with.
All is not perfect with Small World. There is some clunkiness when it comes to redeploying your troops and how the different powers interact with other races. How race tiles can be spread out, and combined with each other sends players reaching for the rule book multiple times on their first few sessions. The idea of putting your race in decline can be tricky for new players to grasp. Most games demand that you abandon the race you started with (be warned, DON’T get emotionally attached). As with almost all games, the more familiar you are with it, the better your outcome will be. A new player playing with only veterans, may not have such a great time.
Don’t go into Small World expecting a big sweeping epic fantasy, or a deep strategy game that will require multiple turns to get your troops right where you want them. That is not what this game is trying to be. Small World fits that mid-level section of games that are light enough to be accessible to new players, but also have deep enough mechanics and enough differentiation between games for veterans. It has clearly found its audience; with multiple expansions, and a digital version built off of it; for those of you who want even more Small World in your life. This game may have been originally released in 2009, but there is plenty here to make it worth your time in 2023.
Game Title: Small World
Publisher: Days Of Wonder
Designer: Philippe Keyaerts
Gameplay: 6.0
Presentation: 7.0
Replayability: 8.0
Thematic: 6.0
Player Interaction: 8.0
Teachability: 7.0
Overall: 7.0
Explanation of Grading Scale: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3101109/bored-gamer-grading-scale
https://www.instagram.com/theboredgamer101/
Top Comment: It's a game my husband and I can play with our 6 year old, and we all enjoy it. The expansions are fun too.
What is the most fun combination of Smallworld, expansions and number of players?
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Me and a co-worker use to arrange after-work pizza and boardgame evenings. Sometimes we pick a game and then invite other co-workers we think would enjoy that particular game, other times we pick the game based on who is available. So far, we have played Dune Imperium and expansions, Blood Rage and Ankh. For our next session we wanted something a little lighter and have decided to try Smallworld.
I have the base game with powerpack #1 and #2 and the Tales and Legends deck. I have played it a few times maybe 5-6 years ago. A couple of times with just the base game and a couple of times with all the expansions I mentioned. From what I remember, I thought the game became "messier" and less balanced with the new races and powers but that I liked the surprise factor of the Tales and Legends deck. I also remember thinking it was more fun with 3 players than with 2 players. But it has been some years, and both I and the group I was playing with back then had pretty much no experience with boardgames, so I don't know how much I trust my old impressions.
So, now I am looking for the opinions of experienced Smallworld players. What is the most fun way to play this game?
- Just the base game or with expansions?
- Are there any "broken" races or abilities you exclude from the game?
- What about the Tales and Legends deck?
- How many players should we aim for? The more the merrier? Or does it get clogged down at a certain point?
Top Comment: I play with all the races/powers in my collection. Nothing is worth banning. I have the Tales and Legends deck - totally up to you. If your group is used to those heavier games, the added complexity of this deck will not be an issue. For player count, I enjoy every count except 3P. I avoid 3 because the board feels a bit small, and it seems like one person always gets stuck in the middle, getting attacked from both sides, which tends to determine the outcome of the match even more than the players’ strategic decisions. The maximum 5P is the most fun for me.
Risk and Small World
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Someone in a recent thread said they thought Small World was better than Risk (and Monopoly!), and I thought it was worth a thread of its own!
I’ve played hundreds of games of Risk overy many years, mostly in the original variant (in its various editions) and more recently in the Lord of the Rings version which saw a lot of play with the same group of friends a while back.
More recently, I’ve haven’t played any Risk, but I have played Small World quite often at my local board game clubs, which was with different groups of players. I’ve also played the iPad version, and although a digital version is hardly comparable, I am fairly familiar with the game.
Generally, I think Risk is a truly classic strategy game with area control and dice-rolling themes that provided the foundation for every similar game that came after. It’s basic rules and mechanisms are so strong you could imagine playing it after the Apocalypse with a map drawn in the sand, pieces carved from wood, and dice carved from bones!
Whereas whilst Small World is a modern game that’s drawn on all the lessons learned in the last half century of game development. It fixes some of Risk’s most serious problems (the card draw system and social problem of player elimination to name two), but it’s fiddly as hell, and the limit to expansion because of the small number of counters for each race is very frustrating.
What do regular gamers here think about the two games side-by-side?
Top Comment: Small World is unequivocally better in my eyes. It doesn't just solve player elimination, it also improves on player bullying, king-making, play time, down time, replayability, and table space. And at what cost? A very small amount of extra fiddle. I don't even think Small World is all that as a game any more, but I don't think Risk can hold a candle to it. As you say, Risk popularised a lot of core mechanics for Men on Map games, but that doesn't make it a good game. It makes it a grandfather game - an important game - but not one I'd ever subject someone to, new gamer or hobbyist.
How good is Small World?
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Since it is one of me and my friend's favorite games, I was wondering how good Small World is, especially as risk and monopoly, both games I enjoy, don't seem to be rated very highly by this sub
Top Comment: Not really sure where risk and monopoly come in (maybe to set a comparison) but IMO Small World is significantly better than Risk or Monopoly. Small world delivers on what it is and doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s biggest flaw is that when players know the game well picking your race becomes the most meaningful decision. I also really enjoy the flavor of the game and the humor of it. I used to play it a lot but I have moved on. I would play if someone asked.
What are your thoughts on Small World?
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I've been playing this game a bunch of times. It's great and it's a good game, with almost no RNG. After a few research, this game seems hated. Why so?
Top Comment: Is it hated? I actually quite enjoy it as a not too deep game that I can get to the table with out too much difficulty.
Why is Small World so popular?
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I've played it a good number ofntimes, and after the "new game" novelty wears off, it really feels like a shallow experience. Even compared to other lighter games Small World has almost no interesting decisions for you to make (other than going in decline). What you go for on the board is never interesting and is just whatever will maximize points, and then the downtime is horrendous. I know not every game is for everyone, but Im curious why it has such a following.
Top Comment: It’s a very light game that has many mechanisms familiar to non-gamers (from risk especially), and which avoid many of the bad feelings they know from board games (bad luck with dice, super long games, lots of down time, feeling bad about losing territories). It also introduces player powers in a way that is fun and clever. I don’t ever want to play it again, but there are many contexts where the appeal is obvious.
Advice for buying 'Small World'
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I am going to buy Small World after it was a huge hit with my gaming group 3 times. I have only played the vanilla game though and am wondering what expansions are most favoured. Thanks in advance for any replies!
EDIT: thanks all for the replies. I got the base fame and the race expansion packs since I do not think my group is reasy for new mechanics.
Top Comment: Ok -- I'll try to keep this concise yet informative. I wrote something similar on BGG Small World forum under expansion guide. Quick rundown of what's available: Race Expansions: Cursed 2/5 race/powers Dames 3/2 race/powers Be Not Afraid 5/5 race/powers + chit holder Royal Bonus 3/3 race/powers Spider Web 3/3 races/powers + chit holder Promos: Leaders -- adds an extra unit but potentially at a cost Necromancer Island -- adds another player w/ a different goal Tunnels -- can merge 2 boards together (included in Realms now) Stand-alone: SW Underground -- similar to base but with relics Game-altering: Tales and Legends -- card based expansion that changes turn conditions Realms -- modular board; variable ways to play 6p board -- team play for 6p Riverworld -- new game map, non-modular with extra rules Biggest question is why does your group like it? If it's for the races and powers combo...get more races and powers. If you like the system and want to see what more can be done...then get any of the game altering ones. My buying order preference is Races (Cursed, BNA, Royal, Dames, Spider), then Tales and Legends, then Leaders. ALL the other stuff is nice, but honestly overkill. My group loves the different combo-ing and with just one expansion, you avoid the potential of re-seeing a race (not so much powers). I put Cursed over BNA as I feel the races/powers are better HOWEVER, BNA is usually suggested as a 1st purchase because of the amount of races/powers that are included as well as the chit holder. Edit: words
What's your best "small world" moment?
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Edit: save the r/thathappened bull shit. If you reference that sub, you will get insulted over the internet by a stranger.
Top Comment: I met the same random stranger on a train in Belgium in 2011, on the airport bus in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 and again in the airport in Hong Kong in 2013. No idea what his name is, but we both instantly recognized each other the last two times, and I bet he was as freaked out as I was.