Small World Underground - Tips & Strategies

At the beginning try to take a race that can expand rapidly. That way you can take over the zones with artifacts faster than the other players. These artifacts are quite powerful and should not be underestimated.

When I play wiht my daughter, the family or new player, I only put on the table the same quantity of race and power as number of player. I then take the time to explain only the available race/power.

During the game, the race/power are picked randomly from the box.

So players don’t have to go throw all the available power/race cards to make a strategic choice…Its simpler for them and makes the game faster.

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Good communication (or deception) can mean the difference between winning and losing.

Small World has an under-appreciated social element. Under-appreciated in that it can be a big part of the game, and also that some people don’t appreciate it…

Because players can directly affect each other’s armies, and therefore the points they’re raking in, it’s everyone’s responsibility to recognize when someone is running away with the game and keep them in check. For example, if someone’s in-decline race is still getting them 9 points a turn, consider mopping those up.

This sort of targeting can feel unfair, especially if you’re the one being targeted and you know that someone else is doing better than you! If this is the case, you should let the table know who they should be targeting instead.

Players can use communication, or the lack thereof, to their advantage. Sneaky players can try to take their turn quickly and not disclose out loud how many points they earned, or draw attention to other player’s high scoring rounds to draw other’s attacks away.

The more games we play, and the better we get at the general strategy, the more we find that this social element keeps the game fresh. Some tables might not appreciate it though, so point your fingers wisely.