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Days of Wonder

Small World

Out of stock
$67.00
$67.00 RRP $93.00

Small World is a light-hearted fantasy conquest game for 2–5 players, playable in around 40–80 minutes and recommended for ages 8 and up. With medium-light complexity, it blends area control, variable player powers and a touch of dice rolling as players draft quirky race-and-power combinations, expand their empires, and score coins for every territory they hold.

Players
2–5 players
Play time
2h
Age
All ages
Complexity
Medium
Sold out

About the Game

In Small World, players vie for control of a fantasy land that is simply too small to accommodate them all. Each turn you spread your chosen race's troops across the map, conquering adjacent territories — often at the expense of weaker neighbours — and scoring a coin for every region you occupy. The clever twist is knowing when to abandon an over-extended empire: send your race into decline, pick a fresh combination from the 14 races and 20 special powers, and ride a new civilisation to victory. After the final round, the richest player wins.

Small World plays with 2–5 players in roughly 40–80 minutes, is recommended for ages 8 and up, and sits at a medium-light complexity, combining area control, variable player powers and dice rolling.

Designed by Philippe Keyaerts and published by Days of Wonder in 2009, Small World is a fantasy reworking of his 1999 game Vinci, swapping the historical setting for a zany cast of fantasy races and earning Games magazine's 2010 Game of the Year award.

History

Small World was designed by Philippe Keyaerts, illustrated by Miguel Coimbra, and published by Days of Wonder in 2009. It is a fantasy reworking of Keyaerts' earlier game Vinci (1999), trading that game's historical civilisation-building for a whimsical cast of dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs and humans, while keeping the core idea of cycling civilisations into decline.

The game was well received on release and won Games magazine's 2010 Game of the Year award.

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Watch: How to play

Rules of Small World

  • Setup: Choose the board side matching your player count, place the turn marker on the first space, and stack the race banners and special power badges face down, then reveal six race-and-power combos in a row.
  • Each player starts with five victory coins; keep your coins hidden from other players.
  • Pick a combo: On your first turn, take one of the six combos. The bottom combo is free; each combo above it costs one coin, placed on the combos you skip. You receive troops equal to the numbers on the race banner plus the power badge.
  • Conquer: Enter from a map edge, then spread into adjacent regions. Each region costs two troops plus one extra for every enemy token, mountain, or defensive structure there.
  • Reinforcement die: If you're just short on your final conquest of the turn, roll the die and add its pips to your remaining troops.
  • Redeploy and score: Rearrange your troops for defence, then collect one coin per region you occupy, plus any bonuses from your race and power.
  • Decline: Instead of conquering, you may send your race into decline — flip the banner, leave one token per region, and still score those regions. Next turn, pick a fresh combo and expand again.
  • Game end: When the turn marker reaches the final round, everyone takes their last turn; the richest player wins.

Strategy

  • Look for race-and-power combos that work together, but don't overpay — the free or cheap options are often perfectly serviceable.
  • Grabbing a combo that other players have placed coins on is essentially free income; factor those coins into your choice.
  • Empty or lightly defended regions score just as well as hard-fought ones, so expand into soft targets before picking fights.
  • Don't over-extend. A wide, thin empire is easy for opponents to pick apart, and each lost region costs you coins every round.
  • The key skill is timing your decline: when your conquests dry up or your borders get fragile, go into decline rather than limping along for a shrinking income.
  • Mountains and defensive structures make regions cheaper to hold, so consider anchoring your empire around them.
  • Watch what powers are still in the deck — some combos suit aggressive play, others reward turtling, so match your pick to the board state and your position.
  • Coins are hidden, so don't assume the loudest conqueror is winning; steady income across many turns usually beats one explosive round.