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This time publisher Days of Wonder has gone in a different direction by changing the world itself, offering a package of large land "hexes" (which actually aren't regular hexes) that can be combined in any number of ways for use in pre-printed scenarios or maps of your own creation. The hexes are double-sided with the terrain types from Small World on one side and the terrain types from Small World Underground – a sequel to SW that plays the same, but with different races and terrain – on the other.
The 26 double-sided hex-shaped terrain tiles are the core part of the expansion, and each tile contains 1-3 regions, with the regions being particular terrain types or water. Mountains are one of the normal terrains, but for SWR the mountains come on 12 separate tiles that cover one-third of a normal tile – a nice idea that allows for more variability in how you create maps. Naturally caves, mines and magic areas – special locations that interact with particular races – are displayed in some of the regions. To make construction of the playing area easier when using one of the scenarios, each hex is marked with a different letter.
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First game with my
daughter Caterina
Small World Realms includes 12 pre-made scenarios, along with rules and hints for how to create your own maps. My greatest concern with this release was how the constructed maps would look and whether they would be "solid" once assembled. Turns out that the "geomorphic hex-shaped" tiles are quite stable with no real problems – and I'm used to playing with kids, who are the best testers for solidity! The scenarios offer a fair amount of variability, with some optimized for 4-6 players, others for three players, and five playable by two. The "river rule" from Small World Underground – in which a player can cross a river for only one token, which is then redeployed at the end of the turn – is used here, which makes sense as you can create multiple rivers with the material included.
The rules for creating your own maps suggest that you have an average of nine regions per player with each terrain type and map symbol making up one-fifth the total number of regions in play. For a two-player game, we prepared a map with 20 regions with four of each terrain, seas and two peaks, to see how they'd work. The overall impression was really good – the old known Small World with a new freshness.
We then moved to the prepared scenarios "Adrift" (in which the map changes during the game) and "Crops of Power" in which control over some regions gives you additional power. Both scenarios was fun and tense; again, the overall impression was the same already loved Small World with something new. Of course, the scenarios presented in the box are just the tip of the iceberg as I'm sure DoW and fans will create new scenarios using the great range of possibilities offered by this expansion.
I'm not sure Small World will ever again be so small in the future.
(Disclosure: I received a review copy of Small World Realms – which is already out Europe and coming out in the U.S. on July 3, 2012 – from Days of Wonder.)
Caterina wins!
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