Small World Review

Small world is the latest offering from Days of Wonder and is a reworking of an older game called Vinci. Its an area control game set in a fantasy world with very oddball races. Play time is around 60-80 minutes and its a very easy game to play and the random elements of the game certainly add to its re-playability.

Opening the box you get

• 2 Beautiful double sided boards
• 14 Fantasy race's and tokens for each
• 20 special power tokens
• Numerous other tokens depicting lairs and forts and other items
• victory coin counters
  
• a custom 6 sided dice
• Rules booklet
• player aids

The first thing you notice when looking at the components is the quality of the artwork. Days of Wonder are up to there usual standard here, the components look beautiful.

Setup is very easy, the two boards are double sided so there is a board for each player number combination. Place the board down and then shuffle the race tokens and place 5 down next to the board. Next shuffle up the special power tokens and place one next to each of the race tokens. These sets of tokens lock together so that the special ability is connected to the race. Next a number of counters need to be placed on the board. There are mountain counters that need to be placed on ever mountain region plus lost civilization counters which go on other regions.
Deal out 5 victory coins and a player aid to each player. First player is the person with the pointiest ears!

The aim of the game is to end with the most victory coins and you gain these coins by using your different races to expand over the world depicted on the board. You do this by choosing a race and then using it to conquer the different areas on the board. There will come a point when your race has over expanded or has lost its way, you can then put that race into decline and start off with another race. This in effect allows you to score with two races at the same time.

Most of the fun of the game is playing the different race/power combos and these are very diverse. Each race has its own power and these are pretty stereotypical. The dwarfs gain extra victory points for controlling areas with mines, the humans for farm areas. The special powers add the twist, beserker gives combat bonus's while flying allows you to attack any region on the board. With 14 races and 20 power tokens available the number of combinations is pretty big. This has lead to Beserker Halflinks, Flying Skeletons, Commando Elves, heroic amazons, wealthy ratmen and stoutfull orcs to name a few. There are some very good combinations, some probably better than others but all are fun to play.

The first player gets to choose which race/power combo to buy, the first in the row is free all others cost victory coins one for each combo missed. So if the first player decided to choose the commando halflings which are the third race out of the five, they would put one victory coin on the first race and one on the second and then take the halflings. They now total up the large numbers on each token of the combo and take that number of counters for there race.

Now its time to start taking over some of the small world. Your first conquest must be either a coastal territory or one that borders the edge of the board. Each region requires two tokens to conquer it plus one for each other token in that region. So a mountain region would require 3 or a hill region with a lost civilization would also take 3. Some races and abilities will effect this. If you end with a single race counter in your hand you can perform one last attack using the special 6 sided dice for virtual reinforcements. The dice has 3 blank sides and the others are marked 1,2 and 3. You can roll this dice and add the reinforcements to that final battle. This will usually net you about 3 or 4 regions depending on powers and where you have attacked. You can then redistribute your tokens around the regions you now control.

Next you add up your victory points, 1 per region you control plus any bonus points. So for example if a flying human race had taken over 4 regions but 2 of them were farmland the player would receive 6 victory points. Humans get a +1 victory point for each farmland region controlled. finally the race/power tokens are rearranged with all tokens pushed up and a new combo drawn from the stack.

When each player has made there first conquest you now have the option in your turn to put your race into decline. This takes a whole turn and you simply remove all race tokens from the regions you own except for one which you flip over to its black and white side. you also flip over your race/power tokens to signify that its in decline. You still gain the victory points for the regions you control, but usually not for any special abilities or race bonuses. Why put a race in decline? Generally the race can't go any further, either all the tokens are used up or the race simply has no where to go. It's also the only way to get two races on the board that you can score with. So those 4 or 5 regions with your declined race will help boost your score with the new race. Choosing when to put your race into decline is one of the key points to the game.

Each game runs for a set number of turns, this depends on the number of players and there is a marker on the board to help you keep track. When the last player has finished the last turn everyone counts up there victory points and the player with the most wins the game.

Small world sounds incredibly easy to play, it is. There are basically only a few rules that you need to remember and they have made everything very simple. You will be up and playing very quickly and soon sending your crazy races across the board trying to score you as many victory points as possible. The number of race power combinations is certainly a huge draw to the game, I haven't got board with it yet after a couple of plays. Trying to get the right combo at the right time can be a huge bonus whether or not its a very aggressive race combo which allows you to quickly over run a large number of areas or one that allows you to strategically take specific region types. Either way you should see those victory points start racking up. Not being tied to one race is also a good mechanic, if you get board you can simply put it into decline and pick something more interesting or powerful.

Summary

A light Euro game with a lot of replayability. 8/10

Clarity of Rules: A well written rule book and simple rules. 8/10

Game Length: About 45-60 minutes for 4 players 9/10

Value: Lots of races and power for you to try, and beautiful components. 9/10

Overall: An interesting game that's easy to play and will appeal to most gamers . (9/10 not an average)

Pitchcar Review

Pitchcar is one of the finest dexterity games produced and one that everyone should try at least once.

It's a finger flicking race game where you control the car around a race track.

Opening the heavy red box you get

• Six straightaways
• Ten 90-degree curves
• Rail pieces for straights and curves
• Eight car discs with stickers
• One Start/Finish line sticker
• Rule sheet
  

First thing is to put the stickers on, the 8 car disks each require a sticker your choice as to which colour. Then the start/finish line sticker needs placing on a piece of straight track. Next up is building the track.
The track pieces are made from MDF and fit together really well, they have a black coating to make them look like a race track and to also aid in the flicking. The rules booklet comes with some suggested tracks and all are very easy to put together.

After the main pieces of track are assembled you need to put the crash barriers on. These are plastic strips that come in two sizes. The longer is used on the curves and the shorter on the straights. It's worth double checking the track as the crash barriers are only used on one side of the track pieces.

A flat table is essential for this game. The slightest difference in height will usually result in a small lip where the tracks pieces join. This can cause a few irritations when it comes to racing.

Racing is easy, its all in the flicking and shoving techniques of the racers. But before you can race you have to qualify.
Players take it in turns to do a qualifying lap. The winner is the person who can flick there car around the track using the least number of flicks. If a flick results in your car coming off the track or ending upside down you have crashed. You have to put your car back to where it was.

Once everyone has qualified the cars are arranged on the grid in typical formula one fashion. The game can take up to 8 players so the start can be a little crowded, but the more players the better. Players now take it in turn to flick there car around the track. One flick at a time. Once everyone has had a turn it starts again with the player in the lead going first. If you accidentally knock an opponent off the track you put the car back on where it came off.

After 3 laps the first player over the start/finish line wins the game. It's that simple.

This game is a lot of fun, from setting up the board to trying to rebound your car around the track its all good fun. I have played this game with several groups of people of all ages and everyone has enjoyed it. The only minor point to the game is maybe the cost. It weights in at just under £40 but you get a hefty game for the money and one that will get a lot of play.

If the price is an issue there is a Pitchcar mini version available. Its about half the price and about half the size so it may be easier to play in smaller venues. It's the exact same game that has just been scaled down.

There are also expansions for both versions of the game. I think the most impressive is the first expansion for the main game. This adds a jump and tunnel. This component alone can really transform the game. If you think you have got your flicking action down, wait till you have a vertical element added to the track.
Other expansions add chicanes, longer straights tighter curves and an elevated section. So you can really change the tracks around.

Pitchcar Expansion 1 - Jump and Tunnel
Pitchcar Expansion 2 - Crossroads and Corners
Pitchcar Expansion 3 - Long Straights
Pitchcar Mini Expansion 1 - Ramps
Pitchcar Mini Expansion 2 - More curves
Pitchcar Mini Expansion 3 - Long straights


I really like Pitchcar, its a great game to bring out at party's or when you need a break from heavier games. It's quick to setup and tear down and a game will usually last about 20 minutes unless you get stuck in the tunnel

Summary

A fun game that will get the crowd going. 9/10

Clarity of Rules Ready, aim, flick. Not much more to it. 9/10

Game Length About 20 mins for a 5 player game, so it gets a few replays in. 8/10

Value

Quality components that will last. 8/10

Overall A fantastic game that will continually hit the table no matter who is around(9/10 not an average)