Game Objective: Dominate the Underworld and Accumulate Treasures!

Welcome, subterranean adventurers! In Small World Underground, your objective is simple yet challenging: conquer as many regions as possible in this hidden world and accumulate more Victory Coins than your opponents. Prepare to choose fantastic races, combine them with unique special powers, and expand your underground empire, all while dealing with monsters, powerful relics, and mysterious places. The player with the most Victory Coins at the end of the game will be crowned the true sovereign of the underworld!

Setup: Diving into the Depths

To begin your journey in Small World Underground, follow these steps to set up the board:

1. Organize the Board: Place the game board in the center of the table, accessible to everyone.
2. Prepare Races and Powers: Shuffle the Race and Special Power tokens separately. Form stacks of 5 Race and Special Power combinations, revealing the first 5 for everyone to see.
3. Victory Coins: Keep the Victory Coins in a central reserve, within reach of all players.
4. Race Tokens: Separate the tokens of each Race into their respective trays or piles.
5. Monsters and Lost Tribes: If playing with Popular Places and Virtue Relics, use a number of Monster tokens equal to (2x the number of players) + 2. Place 2 Monster tokens in each desired Lost Tribe Region, ensuring no Regions with Monsters are adjacent to each other. Then, place a Lost Tribe token in each Lost Tribe Region not occupied by Monsters.
6. Popular Places and Virtue Relics: Position the Popular Places and Virtue Relics markers in the regions indicated on the board, or according to their specific setup rules. Remember that some powers may not make sense on certain maps or with certain combinations, so remove them if that's the case.
7. Reinforcement Die: Keep the Reinforcement Die visible to everyone.
8. First Player: The player who most recently visited a cave or basement starts the game, and play proceeds clockwise.

The Game Turn: Conquest, Decline, and Riches

A turn in Small World Underground is divided into a few crucial phases. Each turn, you'll have the chance to expand your empire or, strategically, go into decline to make way for a new civilization.

1. First Turn (and after going into Decline)

If it's your first turn in the game, or if you just put a race into decline on the previous turn, follow these steps:

1. Select the Combo:
   • Choose an available Race and Special Power combination.
   • Pay 1 Victory Coin for each combo below the chosen one in the selection pile.
   • Take the chosen combo, along with any coins accumulated on it, and the indicated race tokens.
2. Conquer Some Regions:
   • Your first conquest must be in a Region on the edge of the map, including the "ends" of the river.
   • Subsequent conquests must be in Regions adjacent to those you already control.
   • To conquer a region, you generally need 2 race tokens for the region, plus 1 token for each obstacle (such as opponent tokens or monsters). The opponent loses 1 token, and the rest can be redistributed in the regions they already occupy.
   • On your final conquest of the turn, you can use the Reinforcement Die after selecting a Region (you need at least 1 race token for this).
   • Redistribute your troops: At the end of the turn, you can freely distribute your race tokens among the Regions you have conquered.
3. Tally Victory Points:
   • Receive 1 Victory Coin for each Region your Race (active or in decline) occupies.
   • Collect additional Victory Coins as a result of your Race and Special Power benefits (active or in decline).
   • Keep your Victory Coins secret from other players.

2. Subsequent Turns (with an Active Race)

If you already have an active race on the map, you have two main options:

1. Expand Through New Conquests:
   • Prepare your troops: Leave at least 1 race token in each Region you occupy and take the rest back into your hand. You can, if you wish, abandon some Regions in this phase (but you will lose the coins associated with them).
   • Conquer: Conquer new Regions (usually adjacent) following the conquest rules.
2. Go into Decline:
   • Flip your Race banner to the Decline position and discard your Special Power.
   • Flip 1 of your Race tokens in each Region you occupy to the decline side and (normally) discard the remaining race tokens to the tray.
   • If you already have a Race in Decline on the map, discard all tokens of your first declining race and return the Race and Special Power banner to their respective piles.
   • On your next turn, you will play as if it were your First Turn, choosing a new Race and Special Power combination.

Important: In any case, you always gain Victory Coins at the end of your turn, both for your active Races and those in Decline.

Specific Conquest and Region Rules

• To conquer a Region, you need 2 Race tokens, plus 1 token for each obstacle (opponent tokens, monsters, etc.).
• An immune Region cannot be conquered, nor affected by race powers, special powers, Popular Places, or Virtue Relics of your opponents, as long as the immunizer is present in the Region.
• River Regions must be emptied at the end of the turn, and your troops redistributed to other regions (that are not river regions), unless your Race/Special Power combination specifies otherwise (like the Kraken).
• Abyss Regions are impassable and must be circumvented.

End of Game and Scoring: Who Will Reign in the Underworld?

The game ends after a predetermined number of rounds (usually indicated on the board or in the advanced rules). At the end of the last round, all players tally their Victory Coins (which were kept secret during the game).

• The player with the highest number of Victory Coins is the winner!
• In case of a tie, the player with more Active and Declining Race tokens on the board wins.

Tips for Winning: Strategies for Subterranean Success

1. Know When to Go into Decline: Don't be afraid to put a race into decline! It's a crucial strategy to maintain your momentum and ensure you always have enough race tokens for new conquests. A declining race can still generate coins, while a new race can open up new opportunities.
2. Leverage Special Powers and Relics: The combinations of Race and Special Power are the heart of the game. Understand how they interact and how they can be enhanced by Popular Places and Virtue Relics. For example, Cultists benefit from regions adjacent to the Great Old One, while Miners thrive in Digging Regions. Use these bonuses to your advantage to maximize your coin income.
3. Control Strategic Regions: Some regions offer special bonuses, such as Digging Regions for the Iron Dwarves or Mystic Crystal Regions for the Mystics. Additionally, controlling Popular Places like the Lost Dwarf Mine or the Homeland Fortress can ensure a steady income of coins or additional defenses. Prioritize conquering and defending these areas to secure a lasting advantage.