Objective of the Game
Small World is a board game in which players vie for control over a world too small to accommodate them all. The objective is to earn the most victory points by controlling regions and pushing back other players.
Game Components
- A double-sided game board (depending on the number of players).
- Various race tokens with special abilities.
- Race banners and special power badges.
- A set of coins marking victory points.
- Various tokens like mountain, troll lairs, fortress, and lost tribe tokens.
Setup
- Choose the appropriate game board based on the number of players.
- Each player starts with five 1 coin as their starting capital.
- Shuffle the race tokens and special power badges and draw randomly until there are six race-power combinations on the starting lineup.
- Set the round counter nearby.
Game Play
A game of Small World lasts for a set number of turns (depending on the number of players). On each turn, a player has the following options:
- Select a New Race:
- Choose a new race with a special power from the six available combinations.
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Pay coins if selecting a combination other than the first from the left (as many coins as there are on skipped combinations).
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Conquest:
- Use your race tokens to conquer regions.
- The cost to conquer a region is two race tokens plus one token for each enemy token or marker (such as mountains, fortresses) in the region.
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If you still have race tokens left at the end of your conquests, you may make a final conquest attempt.
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End of Turn:
- Redistribute and reinforce your units on the board.
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Collect coins for each region you control as well as bonuses from race or special abilities.
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Decline:
- Once during your turn, you can decide to send your current race into decline. Remove all special markers and place a decline token on each region you control.
- This allows you to choose a new race and power combination on your next turn.
Winning Conditions
After the final round, each player tallies up their coins. The player with the highest total score is the winner.
Strategic Considerations
- Timing of Decline: Choosing the right time to send a race into decline can often make the difference between a win and a loss.
- Region Control: Maintaining control over key regions and making it difficult for other players to diminish your points can be key.
- Use of Race Powers: Each race and power has unique synergies. Maximize these to shape the course of play to your advantage.
Enjoy playing Small World!
