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Small World Underground Board Game – Review, Gameplay & Insights

Small World Underground

$47. 99
7.2

Met Expectations

8.0/10

Replay Value

7.0/10

Engaged Players

7.0/10

Value for Money

7.0/10

Overall Rating

7.2/10

 

Small World Underground at a Glance

Game Type
Fantasy, Territory
Building, Area Majority / Influence,
Area Movement,
Dice Rolling,
Variable Player Powers
Play Time
30 - 90 mins
Skill/Complexity (2.5 - 5)
Light - Medium
Age
12+
Publisher(s)
Days of Wonder
Published
2011
Categories
Family / Strategy
Players
2 - 5
Cost
$47.99
Our Rating
7.2/10
Related
Small World

 

Small World underground box cover

About – Description

Small World Underground is a strategy game where you will choose races with special powers to get the maximum number of coins possible. You will meet a whole variety of underground monsters, like the infamous Balrog!, along with other tribes that will also be fighting to establish their hegemony.

Within the game you’ll find combinations which are endless as abilities and races (broadened with expansions) are mixed separately, creating a whole lot of possibilities. But those are not the only challenges you will have in this world. As time goes by, you will be falling into decline while being forced to play with new races to make your way into Small World’s caverns.

When you open the colorful box of Small World Underground, you’ll realize that this game plays out using many different tokens, markers, races, monsters, abilities, and coins. At first, it may seem overwhelming, but the large amount of pieces and parts will become recognizable and familiar once you have immersed yourself in this cavernous world. The artwork is very explicit and hardly forgettable, all made with great detail and quality (that is, solid and thick cardboard).

Small World underground close up
Courtesy of @Camdin (BGG)

2 to 5 players can participate. You will also see that it is perfectly balanced so that a confrontation, regardless of the number of participants, is unavoidable! But it has a whole dimension of possibilities that we haven’t seen in any other game, especially for two people.

This is a standalone game of the original Small World board game, which we previously reviewed. It maintains its simple mechanics with a very nice twist to the original (We’ll get into that), to the point where we can confidently say that this is one of the best versions of Small World. Just like the original game, the main objective is the accumulation of wealth, which will be given in a general way by the number of territories conquered, and in a particular way by the traits of each race.

A perfect game for teenagers and up, very practical to take out at family gatherings, and works very well for both newbies and more experienced players—a great game to introduce friends and family to the world of board games.

Skill – Complexity (Light – Medium)

This game is accessible for everyone (any age, between 8 and up). But we personally recommend it for older people than what the box says (around 12+). We consider it too complicated for the younger ones to enjoy what the game offers without getting bored.

It does not contain a main backstory but can be seen as a continuation of the original title (which occurs on the surface) with simple, improved, concise, and straightforward mechanics. Its learning curve is very swift (complexity level light-medium), and the assembly is not complicated at all. I

SM Underground lends itself to having high replayability if you compare it to other similar titles obtained at the same price (like Risk, for example). If you are looking for a fantasy game, accessible for a wide age gap, with simple mechanics, easy to build at home, and that will last you several matches without getting tired of it, this is an ideal game.

Small World underground set up for 5 players
Set up for 5 players – Courtesy of @Camdin (BGG)

Gameplay – How it Plays!

We suggest that you browse through the manual to check for yourself how easy this game’s mechanics function. In addition to the Small World standard rules, there are new rules marked with the “SW news” label, enhancing the overall gaming experience and making it more challenging. There are many new features like relic obtention, among other stuff. Here’s a summary below:

I. The first turn
During the First Turn of the game, each player:

    1. 1. Picks a Race and Special Power combo
    1. 2. Conquers some Regions
    1. 3. Scores some Victory coins

II. Following Turns
In following turns, the first player moves the Game Turn marker up one spot on the track, and the game continues clockwise. During his turn, each player must now either: Expand the reach of his race through new conquests OR put his race In Decline to select a new one.

Small World underground being played
The battle rages on below ground…(@SoulStealer50 – BGG)

End of the game
Once the Game Turn marker has reached its final spot on the Game Turn track and all players have had a chance to play a final turn, the Victory coins held by each player are revealed and tallied.

The player with the highest score wins. In the case of a tie, the player with the most Race tokens (Active + In Decline) still on the board is the winner.

Versions, Editions & Expansions

There are many expansions to date, 18 in total. We can name SW – Sky Islands (A world in the sky), SW – River World (A world dominated by pirates) and others. However, we want to make a special mention of the latest installment: Small World of Warcraft, which was just recently made available for sale. So, what are you waiting for? Now we are testing it, and it’s wonderful!

Likes & Dislikes

thumbs up

  • Simple and very original mechanics. Learning to play takes 10 to 15 minutes, and it’s for almost all audiences. Suitable for players looking for more than just one playthrough.
  • The game is mostly strategy and slightly randomness. The only features of randomness it has are the allocation of races and the possibility of rolling the dice in the last conquest (which we’ve only got to do three times in all our games).
  • Its simplicity hides a tremendous strategic load. You ought to think well about which territories to conquer while observing your opponent’s movements, whose points are kept hidden until the end of the game. So, if you’re not aware enough, there will always be unexpected outcomes. But the burden does not end here; you must obtain the races that suit your interests the most, and above all, decide when is the best time to do the change.
  • There are various expansions and supplements that potentiate the gaming experience—especially Small World Tunnels (we’ll get into that).

thumbs down

  • The game’s basis is one of resource management and accumulation of wealth, which is not that much about combat as it might seem.
  • The gaming experience can become monotonous. Although we said that this game has great replayability, turns can sometimes feel repetitive. So, we strongly suggest getting extensions and supplements.
  • This is not a critique of the game itself, but something that comes from our playing experience: You need to be careful when playing with your younger peers. You can lose those nicely made coins and troops without realizing it, and if you lose a unique piece like the Cthulhu it can be a very painful experience!

Final Thoughts: Small World vs. Small World Underground

We have seen that Small World Underground is much more than a simple expansion of the original version, Small World. Already in itself, this is a game with unique traits, but still holds the same mechanics. Now the question that we all ask ourselves, which one is better? We say it is fundamentally the same game, but with different characters, atmosphere and some new features. Many players are still debating on these issues to this day. So, here we are to solve some doubts.

Neither of these is better than the other. Small World itself is terrific as an introductory game, ideal for an all-inclusive age gap, from the youngest to the oldest. On the other hand, Small World Underground is slightly more complicated, which is better for teenagers and above.

They both have incredible art styles, while one theme is on the surface, the other happens deep underground. When comparing complexities, Small World Underground has special rules, making a huge difference while playing it. Also, skills and strategies are entirely different. In case you have neither of these two titles, our recommendation is to purchase Small World Underground first, since its experience is similar to the original but with bonus features.

But! There’s also Small World Tunnels. A supplement (which is free) that combines both Small World and Small World Underground into one game! Creating even broader gaming experiences in which more experienced players can have a great time creating even more combos. This enhanced game increases the number of players to 6, although we recommend playing it with a maximum of 5.

Available @ Amazon »

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