What if you could travel the world collecting stories and assembling them in a beautiful tableau? What do you mean, no thanks? You fool! You and your lazy behind are missing out on a… on a world of wonders! Tell you what, I like you, I’ll do you a favour. I’ll find a way you can gather these stories and travel the world without ever leaving your table. How does that suit you? (You lazy, no good…)
What’s this all about then? Smallfolk from Rocnest Games is a cosy 1-4 player tableau builder about various myths and folklore from around the world, with influences drawn from all continents – there’ll be stuff you recognise, and elements that are new, which I love to find.. Each player takes on the role of an Adventurer, collecting helpful smallfolk, finding powerful relics, and visiting mythic wonders. You collect them in the form of cards that you assemble on your tapestry, using these cards to collect useful resources and create powerful combos.
I’ve had the pleasure of previewing Smallfolk, and can promise you that it’s a cracking little game with a vibe all of its own. The artwork is outstanding. The map/game board is beautiful with intricate details, and the Story and Hero cards are a pleasure to behold. It looks fantastic on the table. Although this is a competitive game – most Victory Gems wins – it’s quite a chilled out experience. There’s no race to the finish line – players go round the board until the last Gem is collected. Hero talents are powerful but single use, providing an additional layer of strategy as you judge when best to use them.
I personally like to arrange my tableau as an actual Story – the cat stumbles upon a secret cavern with a pot of gold guarded by a stern-looking centaur. Is that weird? Maybe. I’m fine with it, and feel like it’s a fun way to use the wonderfully illustrated cards. Basically, there’s always room in my collection for multiplayer solitaire games (After Us is a fine example). It’s a game that opens up as the rounds progress, leading to a satisfying full tableau.
If you back Smallfolk on Kickstarter now, it comes with a free ‘Familiar Faces’ card pack, made up of nine cards that feature characters from other popular board games, such as Wingspan, Diatoms and Deep Regrets. They’re as cool as they sound. Head on over to this page now and start your own story.
