Smallworld: Underground (Board Game)
Publisher: Days of Wonder
Release Date: July 2011
MSRP: $50.00
Number of Players: 2-5
Playing Time: Approx. 60 minutes
Age Rating: 8+
Product #: DOW 7909  
UPC: 824968726990
ICv2 Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Days of Wonder once again ventures into the Small World, this time uncovering a subterranean realm of conflict, peopled by unpredictable fantasy races whose sole purpose seems to be beating one another up.  Like the original game, Small World: Underground is an attractively packaged and well-rounded light wargame.

Summary:  Small World: Underground pits two to five players in a bloody struggle for control of a subterranean realm of fungal forests, bottomless chasms, and mysterious relics.  For those already familiar with the original game, there are very few new features.  For those new to the genre, this brief description may be helpful:

Each player controls a serious of fantasy races, each with its own unique powers.  Each race hopes to expand over as large an area of the board as possible, earning victory points in the form of coins.  At the end of the game, the player who has amassed the largest pile of coins is the winner.

The essential element of the Small World games is their elegant simplicity.  Combat is resolved by a simple matter of strength versus strength.  If a defender holds a territory with two "units," the attacker must send in four of his own.  A very small amount of randomness may come into play when the player launches his final attack of his turn:  the "reinforcement die" can grant a temporary bonus of up to three units for this one attack.

Each player begins the game by choosing one wacky fantasy race, such as the water-loving Kraken or mighty Ogres.  Each race has its own inherent ability, but it also receives a second "special power," assigned randomly.  Creative use of these two abilities is the heart of strategy and tactics in the game.

Once a player feels that he can no longer profitably expand his empire, he may choose to put his race into "decline."  Its pieces become passive, only defending territory until destroyed, but the player does continue to gain coins from those areas.

So, what is new in Underground?  Well, there's an entirely new map (four of them, technically, based on the number of players) with new terrain features.  There is a river area that any race may take advantage of, but which is automatically lost at the end of the turn.  There are fifteen new races and twenty-one new powers, which are (mostly) compatible and interchangeable with those from the basic game.

But most interesting are the introduction of the "popular places" and "righteous relics."  A small number of these tiles are scattered about the board, waiting for a player to conquer them.  Each grants its controller a unique ability that he can use as long as he controls it with an active race.

Originality:  For the most part, Underground is identical to the original Small World.  So there aren't a lot of originality points to be earned here.  Fans of the original game will naturally enjoy Underground, but it has little new to offer.  On the other hand, the introduction of relics and places give players some new objectives to focus on, and the new mix of powers and races do create a somewhat different feel from the original title.

Presentation:  As always, Days of Wonder has done a remarkably good job with the artistic and physical presentation of the game.  The cartoony and silly artwork helps keep the game light and communicates clearly that this is not a "hard core" wargame.  The box is colorful and eye-catching, with an attractive illustration of the game on the back.  The rulebook is well-written and clear with plenty of full-color illustrations throughout.

Quality:  The packaging and components are top notch all around.  The board is sturdy and easy to read.  The playing pieces are made from nice, thick cardboard and will stand up to repeated play.  The illustrations are evocative of the theme, and effective at communicating game concepts.  And everything is contained neatly in a very well-designed and effective storing and sorting tray.

Marketability:  Days of Wonder has a sizeable and loyal fan base, earned by producing a number of high-quality games with excellent presentation and component quality.  Small World has already spawned a number of expansions and shows no sign of slowing down.  Underground represents a departure from expansions, as it is a stand-alone game, but many Small World fans will still approach it as an expansion due to the number of new races and powers that it offers, which can be mixed and matched with those in the base game.  The suggested retail price of $50 is more than fair for a game of this quality and replayability.

Overall:  Small World: Underground is an excellent lightweight wargame with a good mix of humor, strategy, and tactics.  It has superb components and graphic presentation, and its backed by a solid line of supporting products.  It has a very low luck factor and very few random elements, giving it a lot of appeal to gamers who want skill to be the deciding factor in their games.  In my opinion, it does suffer from a few serious flaws, however.  The very limited number of turns discourages long-term planning, and the random assignment of powers to races often creates combinations that are inherently superior or inferior, destabilizing game balance.  Despite those shortcomings, it is a fun game well suited to novices, while still offering enough depth and variability to appeal to experienced gamers.  I give this game 3 out of 5.

--William Niebling: Freelance Writer and Game Developer