Believe it or not, the 'sequel' Small World of Warcraft did an excellent job of rejiggering the skill/race powers to ensure that the degenerate combinations are far less likely, resulting in a much tighter experience. So, I sold my Small World and Realms and kept Small WoW because it creates the best of both, a modular board with better race/skill combinations that is great to bring out on occasion even with jaded gamers. I prefer Shogun/Wallenstein for a euro-esque Area Control game, but Small WoW still has a place with the right players.
First, let me say that your reviews are just amazing and engaging. You get to the point, you explain mechanics and talk a lot of bollocks in a very short and sweet amount of time. Love your reviews! Ok, so I was really on the fence with this one and now I have made the choice after this wonderful review to not get this version, but I am curious if you have played the Smallworld of warcraft version? Again keep up the great work!
Slightly surprised by your judgement but you laid the groundwork in the review. I will happily play this game as an easygoing time passer, but confess I don’t like the jolly-jolly artwork so I stick with Vinci. A cattle prod is an essential gamer accessory for dealing with AP.
This was one of my first games and recently I’ve been thinking about selling it. Hopefully it’ll still be worth a decent amount 😅 Thanks for the video! Basically confirmed my own thoughts on it. Glad I had some good plays with it.
I've had Smallworld Underground for years and you've summarized it perfectly. It's weird how it offers so much variety in races and perks, and yet it doesn't allow for many different play styles or choices. It might be that I'm just bored of a game that I've played plenty of.
One of the games I sold in favour of the app, which is excellent. Being able to knock out a quick game of pass and play (or local play if you have 2 devices) compensates for some of the fiddlyness that makes the game take longer than it should. Agree there are better area control games now but it still has its charms and the app allows me to get that occasional hit while freeing up valuable Kallax space for the meatier options!
This game is a lot better in digital form because it removes the fiddliness and causes the game to play very quickly as a result. You do quickly get to understand what power+faction combos are very good, and some of them can indeed be dominant.
Base game is boring and crappy for the reasons you've mentioned, I agree. With Rivers expansion it's whole new game because the world is essentially smaller and you've got choices to make because there are special symbols on the map like trading posts, dock or an oracle. Plus rules keep changing with a weather so each round feels fresh and exciting. Combine it with flying islands and you've got actually quite a lot of interesting decision making and this is one of the nicest area control games to play. Sure people can get overwhelmed by the variety for the first time, but if you play even for the second time it all can go smoothly like... like something very smooth.
I agree that for seasoned, adult gamers, small world probably isn’t really worth playing at this point. That said, for anyone with children- this is still a great option when they’re at the right age. That’s why I still have it in my collection.
I’ve just started watching your videos and love your style. However despite me leading a similar life to you when I was younger, I’ve got to say that your references to drugs are a real turn off for me these days having seen friends fuck up permanently and in some cases die. . I’ve liked all the videos I have watched of yours but I’m not going to subscribe for this reason. See you next Tuesday .
