One of the best board games of 2009, Small World debuted as the lighthearted and fun alternative to serious war games. Through a combination of easy to resolve combat and beautiful artwork, Small World showed mass appeal, quickly going on to sell over 100,000 copies. Over the past two years, the title has maintained its popularity through high quality expansions (you may recall our review of the Be Not Afraid set a few months back). Now publisher Days of Wonder is preparing to release the first ever standalone entry to the series, Small World Underground.
Designed by the original Small World creator Philippe Keyaerts and containing the same great artwork that fans have come to expect, Small World Underground promises to be a deeper gaming experience than its predecessor (a game widely regarded as a great entry point into strategy board gaming). Days of Wonder CEO Eric Hautemont had the following to say about the design of Underground:
Small World Underground contains all the ingredients that made the original Small World so successful, while introducing a whole new cast of fanciful characters and unique new map features that will thrill even the most jaded Small World players. Legendary places and buried relics of great power combine to make venturing beneath Small World’s surface more tactical than ever, while the new local denizens fight in a hilarious bid to convince you to put their slightly-twisted, 'tongue-in-cheek' special powers to good use.
As you can see in the box art above, Small World Underground has no shortage of new characters. In total, there are 15 new races and 21 new special powers packed into this game. There are also some additional components listed in the Days of Wonder press release that hint at new wrinkles in the Underground gameplay. These include 9 Popular Places, 6 Righteous Relics, 9 Black Mountains,1 Volcano, a variety of Armors, Hammers and Vengeance Markers, a Bag-o'-Many-Things. If you're a fan of the original Small World, some of those have immediate uses that jump to mind, while other new components will remain a mystery until the rule book is released.
The new playable races include:
- Gnomes
- Shadow Mimes
- Cultists
- Mummies
- Spiderines
- Shrooms
- Flames
- Mud Men
- Lizard Men
- Iron Dwarves
Available in July at a retail price of $50, Small World Underground has a lot going for it already in these early stages. Until July though, you'll have to stay tuned to the Days of Wonder blog, where details will slowly be released. Of course once the game has released, you can expect a full review here at MTV Geek.
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