Small World

The term “light wargame” is somewhat paradoxical. Wargames are almost always a long and involved labor of gaming love. Even Risk, by far the most mainstream wargame, is no small time or energy commitment. Small World is a very different wargame, that seeks to offer a more fun and light-hearted wargaming experience.

Small World is just that, an absurdly small world map on which players use various fantasy races to conquer as much of the world as they can. The combat mechanics are very simple. You send enough units into a space, and you conquer it. You’re never inflicted any casualties while attacking, but you do stretch out your territory with each square you take.

What happens next is what sets Small World apart from other games. See, that fantasy race that you originally chose? Yeah, eventually you run out of units with that race, and the player is forced to abandon that race then choose another race to play. The abandoned race is said to be in decline, and while the controlling player still scores points for the territory amassed as that race, the player can no longer use that race’s special abilities nor can they conquer any more territory. That race’s territory becomes a target for your opponent’s expansion. With your newly chosen race, you can either defend that territory, or reconquer it yourself for some reason. The game lasts 8 rounds of each player taking a turn, and you can only have one active and one declining race at any time.

The whole game has an air of parody that really works and is amusing. The races are caricatures of the different races of fantasy and adventure. Elves are effeminate, Ratmen are numerous, and Halflings (hobbits) have underground burrows. The special powers for the races are also ridiculous and make for almost a MadLib of these creatures of fantasy. Commando Dwarves, Flying Ratmen, Stout Elves, and Wealthy Amazons are regularly hilarious race choices.

Each race also has different abilities that allow them to attack, defend, or move better or more efficiently, as well as a number of starting units. Each race is also paired with a special power that grants an additional ability as well as an additional number of starting units. So the units that you actually start off a race with are the sum of the two numbers, balanced by the potency of the races ability and its random special power. These are the only troops you get for this race, and once their gone you don’t get any more.

The pairing of races and special powers is one of the better mechanics of the game. One game you could have Flying Giants, and the next you could have Seafaring Giants. This makes for an enormous amount of replay potential and expandability, which is something that I highly value in a game. The simple combat and relatively short play time make this game easily accessible to any kind of gamer. Its irreverent attitude is refreshing and fun, getting Small World an 8/10. I can’t wait to play it again.