Microworld Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Idea of the Game
• Setup
  • The board
• Game Play
• Gene Powers
• End of Game
• Additional Rules
  • A — Each player takes 1 leftover gene token
  • B — Draw 1 target tile and place it next to the board
  • C — Each player draws 2 mutation tiles and chooses 1 to keep
  • D — First player who reaches 10 points draws 1 leftover gene token and scores 2 more points
  • E — Nervous cells
  • F — Last free cell of a tissue
  • G — Mucous tissues don't score points
  • H — Muscular tissues score double points

Components

• 4 elements to create the board
• 4 elements to create the scoretrack
• 14 virus and 14 anticorp pawns
• 2 score-markers
• 9 gene tokens
• 1 gene arrow
• 1 gene tokens summary
• 1 rules summary

Components of scenarios:

• 8 additional rule tiles
• 4 target tiles
• 6 mutation tiles
• 5 mutation tokens
• 1 scenarios sheet

Idea of the Game

Microworld is a fast strategy game for 2 players. Each turn you will place one of your pawns on the board: you immediately gain points for your adjacent pawns, and you will gain points at the end of the game for each area you will control with a pawn majority. Every time you place a pawn, you also determine where your opponent can place their pawn in the next turn. Viruses and anticorps always grow and fight close to each other!

Setup

1. Combine the 4 elements together to create a circular board and place it on the table. You can randomly or freely choose side and position of each element. (There are really a lot of combinations!)
2. Combine the 4 elements to create the scoretrack and place it around the board.
3. Place the rules summary and the gene tokens summary next to the board. Place the gene arrow next to the gene tokens summary. (Use it as a reminder to indicate the last used gene token.)
4. Place the score-markers on the "0" step of the scoretrack. When you pass the "39" step, turn the score-marker upside down!
5. Players choose their factions and take all 14 pawns of their color.
6. Shuffle the 9 gene tokens. Randomly place 7 tokens face-down in each appropriate space on the board. Place the leftover tokens next to the board without looking at them.

Attention: it is better not to use additional rules and components in the first games. See the Additional Rules section for more details.

The board

The board represent an inner part of a body. It is divided in 4 kind of Cell, an area delimitated by white lines: mucous, nervous, osseous, muscolar.

Each Cell is adjacent to another Cell when they are divided only by one white line. (The "cross" in the center of the board is considered to be formed by one line. Two opposite cells in the center of the board are NOT adjacent.)

A group of adjacent Cells of the same kind forms a Tissue. A Tissue can be formed by Cells in two different elements of the board (once you create the board, forget about its elements). Tissues are important for final scoring: each Tissue is worth the number of Cells it contains.

Game Play

• At the beginning of the game, the player who controls the Viruses chooses a Cell that contains a gene token and put that token face-down next to the board without looking at it. Then they place one Virus pawn in that Cell.
• From now on, players will take their turn one after the other. Players must place their pawn in a free Cell that is adjacent to the Cell where the opponent placed their pawn in the previous turn.
• If there are not free adjacent Cells, they can place in any free Cell on the board.
• After they have placed a pawn, they gain 1 point for each adjacent pawn of their color (an adjacent pawn is a pawn in an adjacent Cell).
• They move their score-marker on the scoretrack.
• When a player places their pawn in a Cell that contains a gene token (except the very first turn, see above), they take the token and look at it without revealing it. They can use a gene token they have during their turn (they can use it in the same turn or keep it for a next turn). To use a gene token, players have to reveal it and immediately activate its power (see below). (They can place the gene arrow on the gene powers summary next to the symbol of the token they have used, as reminder.) After using a gene token, keep the token face-up in front of you.

Gene Powers

Gene tokens are identified below by their effect (on the tokens they are shown as symbols).

Flip pawn — [After placing] Flip an opponent's pawn (adjacent to the pawn you placed this turn) upside down. At the end of the game, remove the flipped pawn from the board before the final scoring. During the game, the flipped pawn still count as a normal pawn (for scoring points after placing).

Example: "Viruses" flip an adjacent pawn to gain the majority in this tissue.

Place anywhere — [Before placing] You can place in any free Cell on the board. (You are not forced to place in an adjacent Cell.)

Double points — [After placing] Score 2 points for each of your adjacent pawns (instead of 1).

Example: "Anticorps" scores 6 points for 3 adjacent pawns.

Score opponent pawns — [After placing] Score 1 point for each opponent's pawn adjacent to the pawn you have placed (instead of your pawns).

Example: "Anticorps" scores 3 points for 3 adjacent "Virus" pawns.

Block opponent — [After placing] Opponent can't use gene tokens next turn and doesn't score points at the end of next turn.

Place in occupied Cell — [Before placing] You can place in an occupied Cell adjacent to the last placed pawn. The Cell could be occupied even by one of your pawns. Calculate both pawns every time you need.

Example: "Viruses" place in the occupied adjacent cell to gain the majority in this tissue.

Move opponent's pawn — [Before placing] Move the pawn placed by your opponent in their last turn in any free adjacent Cell. Then place your pawn adjacent to it as usual.

Example: "Viruses" move that pawn in order to place their pawn in a cell that contains a gene token.

Attention: if you move the pawn in a Cell that contains a gene token, no one takes it.

Radiation — [After placing] Place this token in the same Cell where you placed your pawn this turn (place it over your pawn). At the end of the game, the Tissue formed by that Cell doesn't score points.

Example: "Anticorps" place the gene token together with their pawn to prevent "Viruses" scoring 4 points at the end of the game.

Copy — [?] Copy the power indicated by the gene arrow, on the gene tokens summary. This token is a replica of the last used gene token.

End of Game

The game ends when players have placed all their pawns (Anticorps will always play last turn).

You must now calculate who has the majority of pawns in each Tissue separately. For each Tissue, the player who has more pawns in the Cells that form that Tissue scores a number of points equal to the number of Cells that form that Tissue. (It doesn't matter the number of pawns you have inside the Tissue, you always score a number of points equal to the number of Cells.)

In case of a tie of pawns inside a Tissue, no one scores points for that Tissue. (You can easily score points Tissue after Tissue; remove all the pawns from the Tissues you already have calculated.)

Example: In this example players score points in the following way. "Viruses" score 7 points for the big mucous tissue and 2 points for a little osseous tissue. "Anticorps" score 4 points and 2 points for osseous tissues, 3 points for a nervous tissue and 6 points for a big muscular tissue (in this case they gain majority here by using a gene token to flip a virus pawn). Remaining nervous and muscular tissues are in a tie and no one score points for those.

The winner is the player with most points. In case of a tie, the winner is the player with most not used (face-down) gene tokens. (If there is still a tie, play it again!)

Additional Rules

Microworld is a very fast game with easy rules. After a few games with the basic rules, you could want to try new possibilities in the game play. Microworld comes with 8 additional rules that can be combined to create hundreds of different scenarios.

Some rules are more complex than others, and some combinations require more attention. That's why we describe scenarios in order of complexity. It is very easy to play a scenario. Take the additional rule tiles indicated and place them in the summary of rules. Now you only have to follow the summary and play. All the basic rules of the game are applied. (When there is a contradiction between basic and additional rules, follow the additional rule.)

A — Each player takes 1 leftover gene token

[Setup rule] After placing gene tokens on the board, each player draws one leftover gene token and keep it. During their turn, players can use up to two gene tokens.

B — Draw 1 target tile and place it next to the board

[Setup rule] Draw one target tile and place it next to the board. First player who reaches the condition requested will immediately score 5 points. After the target is achieved, turn the target tile face-down.

Bone Lover: This target requires to place a pawn in four osseous Cells. These Cells don't have to be adjacent.

15 Points Scored: This target requires that a player scores 15 points during the game. When a score-marker first reaches or passes the 15 points step on the scoretrack, move it 5 steps forward.

Chain of Cells: This target requires a chain of adjacent pawns that connect two external Cells (next to the scoretrack) in two opposite quarter of the board. The chain must be formed by pawns of the same color adjacent one after the other from an external Cell to the opposite external Cell included. Attention: two opposite Cells at the center of the board are not adjacent.

4 Gene Tokens Used: This target requires to use 4 gene tokens. When a player first uses 4 gene tokens, they score 5 points. Remember that not all the gene tokens you use are in front of you; some of them (the last two tokens explained on the Gene Powers pages) could be on the board but they are always in a Cell together with the pawn of the player who used them.

C — Each player draws 2 mutation tiles and chooses 1 to keep

[Setup rule] Each player draws two mutation tiles and choose one to keep in front of them (place the discard one back in the box). The mutation gives them a special ability. Some special abilities (with the symbols of 1/2/3 mutation tokens) make you start the game you with a certain number of mutation tokens.

Mutations:

• "When you score 2 or more points during your turn, score 1 additional point." [After placing] If you score 2 or more points, score 1 additional point (not only points from adjacent pawns, but also points from additional rules and from gene tokens are valid to activate this special ability). Example: "Viruses" score 3 points (instead of 2) after placing.
• "Score 1 additional point for every tissue where you have the majority." [End of the game] Score 1 additional point each time you score points for having the majority in a Tissue. Example: "Viruses" score 4 points (instead of 3) for this nervous Tissue.
• "Place 1 [mutation token] in a cell. Opponent can't place in that cell next turn." [After placing] (Take 3 mutation tokens) Once per turn, you can place one mutation token in a Cell. Opponent cannot place their pawn in that Cell next turn. At the beginning of your next turn, remove the token from the board and discard it.
• "When opponent uses 1 gene token, discard 1 [mutation token] to steal it." [Opponent's turn] (Take 1 mutation token) When opponent uses a gene token, you can discard your mutation token to cancel its effect. Then you can take that gene token with you (you can use it afterward, as if you have taken it from the board).
• "Discard 1 [mutation token] to exchange the pawn you have placed with an adjacent one." [After placing] (Take 2 mutation tokens) Once per turn, you can discard a mutation token to exchange the pawn you have just placed with an adjacent one of your opponent. In this example, "Anticorps" exchange their last placed pawn to gain the majority in a Tissue.
• "Discard 1 [mutation token] to move the pawn you have placed." [After placing] (Take 2 mutation tokens) Once per turn, you can discard a mutation token to move the pawn you have just placed to an adjacent free Cell. In this example, "Anticorps" move their last placed pawn to gain the majority in a Tissue.

D — First player who reaches 10 points draws 1 leftover gene token and scores 2 more points

[Gameplay rule] First player who reaches 10 points on the scoretrack, draws 1 leftover gene token and takes it (they can use it during their next turns), then scores 2 more points.

E — Nervous cells

When players place their pawns in a nervous cell, they score +1 point.

[Gameplay rule] When players place their pawn in a nervous (blue) Cell, they score immediately 1 additional point (even if they don't score points in that turn).

F — Last free cell of a tissue

When players place their pawns in the last free cell of a tissue, they score +2 points.

[Gameplay rule] When players place their pawn in the last free Cell of a Tissue, they score immediately 2 additional points (even if they don't score points in that turn).

G — Mucous tissues don't score points

[End of the game rule] When you calculate the points at the end of the game, mucous Tissues don't score points.

H — Muscular tissues score double points

[End of the game rule] When you calculate the points from the muscular Tissues at the end of the game, score a number of points equal to the number of Cells that form that Tissue multiplied x2.