Small World: Realms
Small World: Realms Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 26 two-sided Geomorphic hex-shaped Terrain Tiles, lettered A to Z
- 6 River Border Markers
- 1 Game Turn Track
- Mountains: 12 in four variants (5, 2, 3 and 2 of each map symbol)
- 4 Peaks
- 6 Chasms
- 12 Tunnels
- 12 Black Mountains
- 10 Victory Coin Mines (+1)
- 1 Rusted Throne and 7 Miscellaneous Tokens, for use in scenarios of your own creation
Geomorphic Terrain Tiles
The Geomorphic Terrain Tiles, Mountains, Chasms and Peaks in this box assemble to form a variety of different Realm board maps to play games of Small World on.
These pieces are all two-sided, allowing you to explore the new Realms both from above and underground. You can even combine the two using the Tunnels included.
Tiles containing Water Regions can be used to represent Rivers, Seas or Lakes depending on the scenario in play.
As in standard Small World, Mountains are always stacked on top of an underlying (mountain) Region, providing one additional layer of defense to whoever occupies them. And now Peaks can be placed atop them, providing an additional level of protection. If the underlying Region covered by a Mountain includes a Map symbol, try to place a Mountain displaying the same symbol whenever possible.
Chasms are impassable Regions that must be circumvented, never crossed or passed through, similar to the Abysmal Chasms introduced in Small World Underground.
Setting up the Game
You can use Realms to play in one of two new ways: either setting up one of the new Scenarios introduced in this booklet; or building your own new Realm and Scenario to play in.
No matter your choice, first place the Game Turn Track on your table, placing the Game Turn Marker on its first spot: Just like in Small World, a 2-3 player game will last 10 turns, a 4 player game 9 turns, and a 5-6 player game only 8 turns.
Building your own Realm
If you choose to build your own Realm and Scenario, keep these design guidelines in mind:
- First decide if you want to play in Small World, Small World Underground or a mix of both.
- When building a new Realm, try to use an average of 9 Regions (Regions, not Tiles) per player. This will ensure your Realm is small enough to be worth fighting for, while leaving some breathing room for new Races to enter it. Increase or diminish this average slightly to make your Realm more peaceful or directly confrontational.
- Each Terrain type and each Map Symbol should be present in a proportion of about 1/5th the total number of Regions in play. So in a 4 player game, you should strive for a Realm that features 4x9 = 36 Terrain Regions, and 36/5 = about 7 Regions of each Terrain type and 7 Map Symbols of each type. In Small World, this would translate into about 7 Farmlands, 7 Forests, 7 Hills, 7 Marshes and 7 Mountains, along with approximately 7 Cavern, 7 Mine and 7 Magic Source symbols visible on some of these Regions.
A few suggestions:
- Start by setting up your Tiles that contain Water Regions, if any - making sure to decide what rules (Rivers or Seas & Lakes) will apply. If appropriate, set up borders on your Rivers, using the white River Border markers provided. If you have Seas, make sure to decide whether new Races will be able to enter the board through those edges or not.
- Now swap some of these Tiles with other Tiles containing Water Regions to adjust the proportion of each other Terrain type in your Realm's Regions, while preserving the contour of your waterways. At this time, think of where you'd like to place Mountains and/or Chasms (the later impact all Races, unlike other Terrain Types).
- Use Lost Tribes tokens (Monsters, in Small World Underground) to split vast tracts of otherwise empty Regions, so that the first players entering this Realm are not too advantaged.
- If you own Small World Underground, you can spice up your game by sprinkling the Realms with a few well chosen Places or Relics: Having a total of one more than there are players in your game is a good rule of thumb. Adjust this number up or down depending on the level of knowledge of your players and amount of time on hand. Feel free to use these in Small World Realms too, not just those that are underground.
- Try to think of a theme first, this often proves a useful source of inspiration.
- Resist introducing too many new rules in a same scenario - they rarely make the game more fun, only harder to play!
Now go play, explore and conquer some Realms!
Playing preset Scenarios
The Scenarios that follow invite you to discover new Realms using preset terrain configurations and specific goals/objectives. Unless written otherwise, all the rules from Small World and/or Small World Underground still apply.
The number of stars (from 1 to 3) next to each Scenario title helps describe its complexity, with one star being more appropriate for game novices, and three stars reserved for experienced players.
A legend below the title indicates whether the Realm is set in Small World, Small World Underground or both. Last, but not least, the number of players this scenario accommodates is indicated.
Introductory notes, set-up instructions and special rules (if any) complement the scenario's description.
Reading the set-up tables. Each map page prints a table per player count: the tile letters to use, the turn count (the number in the corner of each row), and the components with their counts. Where several icons of the same kind appear (for example, four Mountain icons), they are listed left to right as printed, because each shows a different map symbol. "Figure" icons are Lost Tribe tokens, "+1" icons are Victory Coin Mines, and "?" icons are face-down Popular Places.
Scenarios
1. My Precious (World)!
Small World • 2-6 players
"My Precious, my World, it's Miiiine! Rivers, Peaks and Chasms... We've arrived!"
A nice introductory scenario to discover Rivers and Chasms, and to reach new Peaks!
Special Rules
Small World Underground River rules apply: Unlike other empty Regions, Rivers only cost 1 token to conquer, but must be emptied during the player's redeployment phase. So, unless you have a special power that allows you otherwise, you cannot occupy any of the River Regions.
Set-up table (map page 12)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | C, D, F, L, O, R, T, X, Y | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Chasm x1, Peak x1, River Border Marker x2 |
| 3 | 10 | H, I, Q, W | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x1 |
| 4 | 9 | E, K, N, P, Z | Mountain x1, Chasm x1, River Border Marker x3 |
| 5 | 8 | B, J, M, V | Mountain x2, Mountain x1 |
| 6 | 8 | A, G, S, U | Mountain x1, Chasm x1 |
2. Life Is a Long - But Not So Quiet - River
Small World • 2-6 players
"What do you mean we're ALL in the same boat? Get me off now!"
Special Rules
Small World Underground River rules apply (see Scenario 1 - My Precious!). Unless you have a special power that lets you do otherwise, your new Races MUST enter the board through one of the 6 regions marked with an arrow on the map (the 2 River ends, and 4 Regions immediately bordering them).
Set-up table (map page 14)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | A, C, G, L, R, S, U, Y | Mountain x2, Mountain x2, Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x4 |
| 3 | 10 | B, J, M, V | Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x2 |
| 4 | 9 | E, K, N, Z | Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x4 |
| 5 | 8 | H, I, Q, W | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x2 |
| 6 | 8 | D, F, O, X | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x1 |
3. Go East
Small World • 2-6 players
Set-up
Place 1 Victory Coin Mine on each of the easternmost regions, as per the map.
Special Rules
Unless equipped with a Special Power that lets them enter the board anywhere, new races may only enter the board through the western edges of the westernmost regions on the map.
Active races occupying the easternmost regions of the map score 1 additional Victory Coin per such Region during their scoring phase, as indicated by the Victory Coin Mines (which are always left on the board as a reminder of this scoring bonus).
Set-up table (map page 16)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | A, D, F, G, N, O, U, X | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x6, Victory Coin Mine (+1) x2 |
| 3 | 10 | C, E, K | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Lost Tribe x4, Victory Coin Mine (+1) x2 |
| 4 | 9 | B, J, M, V | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x3, Victory Coin Mine (+1) x2 |
| 5 | 8 | H, I, S, W | Mountain x1, River Border Marker x2, Lost Tribe x2, Victory Coin Mine (+1) x2 |
| 6 | 8 | L, Q, R, Y | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Chasm x1, River Border Marker x2, Lost Tribe x3, Victory Coin Mine (+1) x2 |
4. I've Been to the Mountaintop
Small World • 3-6 players
"Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, It's up to the peaks we go!"
Set-Up
Place 4 Victory Coins of value 1 atop each Peak, as per the map.
Special Rules
Small World Underground River rules apply (see Scenario 1 - My Precious!).
Any player whose Active or In Decline race(s) occupies a Peak takes 1 Victory coin from each occupied Peak at the end of his turn (until the Victory coins run out).
Each time any player goes In Decline, after scoring he takes 3 Victory Coins of value 1 from the Victory stash, and places them on top of the Peaks of his choice. He cannot drop all 3 on a same Peak.
Set-up tables (map page 18)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | D, E, F, I, J, K, L, M, O, P, V, X, Y | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x3, Mountain x2, Chasm x2, River Border Marker x2, Lost Tribe x9, Victory Coin (value 1) x8 |
| 4 | 9 | A, B, R | Mountain x2, Mountain x1, Lost Tribe x4, Victory Coin (value 1) x4 |
| 5 | 8 | C, H, Q, W | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x1, River Border Marker x1, Lost Tribe x3, Victory Coin (value 1) x4 |
| 6 | 8 | G, U, N, S, Z | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Chasm x1, Lost Tribe x3 |
5. The Rusted Throne
Small World • 4-5 players
"There is something rotten in this Realm - not the tarnished throne that sits atop its peak, but the struggle to get there..."
Set-Up
Place the Rusted Throne atop the Peak, as per the map.
Special Rules
The Rusted Throne is a Popular Place, its Special Power granted to whoever occupies the Peak upon which it sits. The player whose (active or in decline) race occupies this Region receives a tribute of 1 Victory Coin for each players' (active or in decline) piles of race tokens that occupy one of the 5 Regions sharing a border with the Peak and its Rusted Throne. When a Lost Tribe occupies one of these Regions, the player on the Throne collects its tribute directly from the Victory stash.
Set-up table (map page 21)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 9 | B, C, D, E, F, H, I, J, M, Q, R, S, V, W, Y, Z | Mountain x3, Mountain x1, Mountain x2, Mountain x2, Mountain x1, Chasm x2, River Border Marker x3, Lost Tribe x13, dark card icon x1 |
| 5 | 8 | A, G, K | Mountain x1, Lost Tribe x3 |
6. Adrift
Small World • 2-6 players
Set-Up
Take all the Terrain Tiles, Mountains, Chasms and Lost Tribe tokens that correspond to the number of players shown in the table below. For example, if playing with 4, take all the tiles marked for 2, 3 and 4 players. Assemble all these tiles to form a single, roughly circular contiguous landmass; its exact shape, and the position and orientation of Tiles don't matter as they will soon start shifting.
Players using Small World Underground may add 1 Place or Relic to each set of Tiles listed below. Try and place each on a different Terrain type, in as much as possible.
Special Rules
At the start of each turn (including when In Decline), a player may set a single Tile "adrift", moving it to another location on the game table. The following rules apply:
- A Tile may only be pushed, not lifted, so only Tiles currently sitting on the outer perimeter of the "continent" may be moved.
- A Tile may be rotated around its center and put back in the same place.
- You may move your tile anywhere, but all Tiles must still be connected to form a single landmass, though it may contain "holes".
- A Tile cannot drift beyond the edge of the gaming table, but natural obstacles (game box, etc) on this table may be moved to accommodate a drift.
All Water Regions are treated as Seas. They are impassable, and even new Races cannot enter the board through them (unless through Special Power, of course). Water Regions adjacent to each other are considered to form a single Sea Region, with no separation.
Set-up table (map page 24)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | F, H, I, L, O, S, U, Y | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Chasm x1, Lost Tribe x4 |
| 3 | 10 | A, E, P, Q, Z | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Chasm x1, Lost Tribe x2 |
| 4 | 9 | G, K, M, X | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Lost Tribe x3 |
| 5 | 8 | D, J, N, T, V | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Chasm x1, Lost Tribe x3 |
| 6 | 8 | B, C, R, W | Mountain x2, Lost Tribe x3 |
7. Crops of Power
Small World • 2-6 players
"Power is something that must be cultivated... Crop circles really are magic!"
Set-Up
Place a Special Power, drawn at random, face up in each empty Farmland space surrounded by 6 Terrain tiles. If drawn, the Cursed, Historian, Spirit, Wealthy and Wise Special Powers (and Reborn if playing with Small World Underground) cannot crop up. Discard them and draw another Special Power in their place.
Special Rules
Small World Underground River rules apply (see Scenario 1 - My Precious!).
Any player whose active race occupies at least 5 Regions bordering a Crop space may use the Special Power placed in that Crop space immediately (even if gained in mid turn), but must stop using it as soon as he occupies less than 5 Regions again. Special Powers remain in their Crop space for the duration of the game.
Set-up table (map page 27)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | A, I, M, N, Q, R, S, U, X, Z | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x2, Crop x2 |
| 3 | 10 | C, G, L | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Crop x1 |
| 4 | 9 | E, K, O | Mountain x1, Crop x1 |
| 5 | 8 | B, J, F | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Crop x1 |
| 6 | 8 | D, H, W | Mountain x1, Crop x1 |
8. The Sword in the Cavern
Small World Underground • 3-5 players
Set-up
Place the Sword of the Killer Rabbit face up in the Central Region of the map, defended by 2 Monster tokens. Discard all the other Relics as they won't come into play. Now draw some Popular Places at random and place them face down, defended by 2 Monster tokens each, in the Regions indicated on the map.
Special Rules
All Water Regions are Seas that are impassable (unless equipped with a Special Power to do so).
Set-up tables (map pages 30, 31 and 32)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | A, B, E, F, G, H, N, O, R, S, V | Black Mountain x6, Chasm x6, green-and-red card x10, blue "?" token x4, Sword x1 |
| 4 | 9 | A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, M, N, R, V, Y, Z | Black Mountain x8, Chasm x6, green-and-red card x12, blue "?" token x5, Sword x1 |
| 5 | 8 | A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, Q, U, V, W, X, Y | Black Mountain x8, Chasm x6, green-and-red card x14, blue "?" token x6, Sword x1 |
Table icons are described as printed. The blue "?" token is a face-down Popular Place, and the Sword icon is the Sword of the Killer Rabbit.
9. A Game of Gods
3-6 players, or 2 players with the variant set-up
"Pfff, you've seen nothing - I weave my own Realms out of thin air!" - Puff, a Vanishing Wizard
Set-up (3-6 players)
Mix all the Races you want to play with and randomly deal 3 to each player, who will keep them secret for now. Do the same with the Special Powers. Since some Races and Special Powers (listed below) are harder to play than others, you may choose to either discard them and draw new ones to replace them OR receive some bonus Victory Coins (VC) the first time they enter the board. Decide before the start of the game which option you all play under. If you choose the bonuses, they are: Cursed (+12 VC), Dwarves (+4 VC), White Ladies (+4 VC), Shadow Mimes (+2 VC), Homunculi (+2 Homunculi), Iron Dwarves (-4 VC).
Set-up (2 players only)
Randomly draw 7 Races and 7 Special Powers, discarding and drawing new ones when you draw Cursed, Homunculi or Shadow Mimes. Lay all of them face up on the table. Starting with the 1st player take one item (Race or Special Power) each, until each player has 3 Special Powers and 3 Races. Discard the Special Power and Race left.
Special Rules
Small World Underground River rules apply (see Scenario 1 - My Precious!). Contiguous River regions are considered to form a single Region.
The players build the board throughout the game. At game start, spread all the Tiles on the table. Pick the 1st player at random. He chooses a Tile and places it in the center of the game table. He may place a Mountain and/or Chasm on it. He may also place a Lost Tribe on it, and must do so if the Tile contains at least two non-Mountainous Regions. The other players do the same, making sure to place their Tile adjacent to at least one Tile already part of the game.
The game then proceeds as usual, except that:
- If the number of Regions (not Tiles) on the board is less than 9x the number of players, at the start of his turn the player adds a new Tile to the board using the same rules as at game start.
- There are no Race and Special Power combos to draw from. Instead, during the first turn and following each subsequent Decline, the player makes up his own Race and Special Power combo from those he drew at game start. Each item can only be used in a single combo per game. The player keeps his yet unplayed items secret until he plays them.
- This scenario can also be played using Small World Underground or both games. In this case, each player also draws one Place or Relic without looking at it and must place it on top of the first or second Tile he lays down, along with 2 Monster tokens to protect it. The first player also places one random Place or Relic on top of the very first Tile laid down during set-up.
10. A Dig Too Far
Small World Underground • 3-4 players
"Keep digging, I can feel the gold already! No... wait, something's moving. Maybe we should stop?" - Famous Last Words of Doug the Iron Dwarf
Set-up
The inhabitants of this Realm have discovered 3 veins of Gold running deep underground. Each gold vein is initially only accessible in its uppermost (A) Regions. Once all (A) Regions have been successfully conquered by the players, all (B) Regions open up, then all (C) Regions.
Assemble 3 stacks of Victory coins per the chart next to the map. From each of these stacks, draw a Victory Coin at random and place it face down on each of the corresponding veins of Gold Regions, until all Regions linked to that stack have a Victory Coin on them. Discard the remaining Victory Coins without looking at their values.
| Stack | Victory Coin values |
|---|---|
| A | 1, 1, 1, 1, 3, 3 |
| B | 1, 1, 3, 3, 5, 5 |
| C | 5, 5, 5, 10 |
Place 2 Popular Places, each protected by 2 Monster tokens, on Regions to the North, as per the map, and place a stack of all the Relics face down close to the veins of Gold, just off the board.
Flames won't come into Play, leave their Banner in the game box. Do the same with the Skeletons, Sorcerers and Mummies - their tokens will represent Monsters defending the veins of Gold. Place 1 Skeleton in each Region of the leftmost vein of Gold, 1 Sorcerer in each Region of the center vein, and 1 Mummy in each Region of the rightmost vein. If you do not own Small World, feel free to use other markers in lieu of the Skeletons and Sorcerers.
Small World Underground River rules apply.
Digging Veins of Gold
Veins of Gold Regions are conquered using standard combat rules (2 Tokens + 1 per Monster defending it - initially just 1 Monster is defending each). When conquering a Vein of Gold Region, take the Victory Coin that's on it. If its value is a 5 or a 10, add a Relic to the Region just conquered.
If multiple Monsters were defending the Region, discard 1, redeploying the others (if any) in the next yet unconquered Region in the same vein of Gold (i.e. survivors of A redeploy in adjacent B, survivors of B in adjacent C).
Add as many new Monsters to that Region as the value of the Victory Coins you just gained!
Monsters attack
Once all players have finished playing a turn, before the Game Turn Marker advances one spot, all Monsters attack, one Vein of Gold at a time, from West to East. These Monsters use the standard Combat rules, attacking with all Monsters in that vein except 1 per Region they occupy, rolling a Reinforcement die for their last attack, etc. They always attack the least protected Regions first (in case of a tie, roll a die). Unused Monster tokens (in the case of a failed Reinforcement roll) and Monster tokens under attack are all redeployed into the highest unconquered Vein of Gold region - or in the Region from which the attack originated, if all the Regions of this vein have already been conquered.
Set-up table (map page 38)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | A, B, D, E, F, G, H, N, O, P, R, S, U | Black Mountain x5, Chasm x4, River Border Marker x2, green-and-red card x2, figure token x4, figure token x4, blue card with building x1, blue "?" token x7 |
| 4 | 9 | C, L, M, Q | Black Mountain x2, Chasm x2, green-and-red card x2, figure token x4, blue card with building x1 |
Table icons are described as printed on the map page.
11. All Together Now
Small World and Small World Underground • 5 players
"I'll be the Yin to your Yang" - One Frightened Shadow Mime to another
Set-up
Create one stack of Small World Race banners and a separate stack of Small World Underground Race banners. Create a single stack of Special Powers. Layout in 4 separate columns: 6 Small World Race banners, 6 Special Powers, a (currently empty) column where Victory Coins paid to skip combos will be paid, and 6 Small World Underground Race banners.
Draw the players' seats around the table randomly. Players in 1st and 4th position around the table form a single team; they will play together exclusively using Small World Races. They add their score together at game's end. Players seated in 2nd and 5th position play together, exclusively using Small World Underground Races, scoring their points together at game's end. Player # 3 plays alone, doubling her points at game's end, and can select from either stack of Races.
Selecting a new Combo (see example)
Combos are not preset. Select a Race from your own Team's column, and associate it with any of the visible Special Powers. Place any Victory Coins you must pay in the Victory Coin column, dropping 1 Coin per row skipped for your most expensive item (Race or Special Power). Collect the Victory Coins placed on the Special Power corresponding to the most expensive item (Race or Special Power) you picked, if any. Pick the Race and Special Power you selected and shift the above Races, Special Powers (and Coins in the Victory Coins column, if any), up one row each as needed.
Special Rules
Small World Underground River rules apply.
Tunnels connect Regions containing the same numbered Tunnels in the other side of the world.
Small World Races must first enter the board above ground, and Small World Underground Races must first enter underground. Special Powers apply whenever possible, as per the compatibility rules introduced in Small World Underground.
Monsters defend all Regions containing Popular Places or Righteous Relics using Small World Underground rules.
Example
- The player wants Dragon Master Trolls.
- He collects no Victory coins since there are none on the Trolls row (the more expensive item). The player now drops 1 Victory coin on each of the 3 rows above and picks up the DragonMaster Trolls.
- Race banners and Special powers below the empty spots are now all shifted one row up. But the Victory coins next to the Special Powers are left unmoved.
Set-up table (map page 43)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 8 | A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M, N, Q, S, U, V, X, Y, Z | Mountain x2, Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Chasm x5, River Border Marker x2, Lost Tribe x12, green-and-red card x8, blue "?" token x4, Black Mountain x4, Chasm x1, dome icon (1-4) |
12. Night and Day
Small World and Small World Underground • 3-5 players
"Where some discover their World is two sides of the same coin..."
Set-Up
Shuffle two separate stacks of Small World and Small World Underground Races, doing the same for the Special Powers. Put 6 Race & Special Power combos into a column, alternating Small World and Small World Underground. Keep alternating whenever a new combo appears.
Special Rules
Small World Underground River rules apply.
A player with a Small World Race that goes in decline may opt to take its next Race from Underground if he so chooses (and vice-versa).
Small World Races must enter the board through one of the Northern Regions, Small World Underground Races through the Southern Ones.
Small World Races score 1 bonus Victory Coin each turn for each Small World Underground Region they occupy, and for each Small World Region previously occupied by a Small World Underground Race. And vice versa.
Special Powers apply whenever possible, as per the compatibility rules introduced in Small World Underground.
Set-up table (map page 48)
| Players | Turns | Tiles | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 10 | B, C, E, H, I, K, L, N, R, S, V, Y | Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Mountain x1, Black Mountain x3, Chasm x2, Lost Tribe x7, green-and-red card x8, blue "?" token x4, dome icon (1-3) |
| 4 | 9 | A, D, O, U | Mountain x1, Black Mountain x1, Lost Tribe x2, green-and-red card x2, blue "?" token x1, dome icon (4) |
| 5 | 8 | F, M, Q, Z | Mountain x1, Black Mountain x1, Lost Tribe x2, green-and-red card x2, blue "?" token x1, dome icon (5) |