I know my last post was about Smallworld, but there’s more to say about this game.
One of the best parts about the game is the strong community involvement . In addition to being a super-fun, well designed game, Smallworld actively encourages player modifications and expansions. Included in the original game is a blank race token so players can come up with their own, complete with special powers.
My boyfriend and I created the dragons- a powerful yet solitary race that receives a +1 gold bonus for occupying territories that aren’t adjacent to one another. Dragons need their privacy, after all.
Smallworld also has several expansion packs which feature contest-winning entries from players.
The “Grand Dames” expansion features more female races (which were lacking in the original) as well as two new special powers. The Priestess race lets you group all your remaining tokens in one territory for full victory points once they go into decline. This would be a massive advantage; however it’s balanced out by the relatively low number of units you receive. The Historian special power also looks neat: you’ll get bonus gold for territories once your race goes into decline.
The priestess race with the historian special power
We also have the Necromancer Island expansion ; however we haven’t played it yet because it requires at least three people to play. After teaching the game to my roommate though, I hold high hopes for being able to try this one out soon!
The cover for the Necromancer Island expansion (courtesy of boardgamegeek.com)
Expansions I want to Try:
The “Cursed” expansion pack looks very interesting, adding the Kobold and Goblin races as well as 5 new special powers. The most exciting is the “Were-“power badge, which lets you conquer territories with 2 less tokens than normal at night (even-numbered turns). I’m thinking this expansion is the next one to try.
One expansion changes the storyline during each turn. Tales and Legends provides event cards which confer advantages and penalties. The “White Queen” event makes your in-decline race invulnerable to conquest for one full turn, which can be very useful…
gameable 