Designed by Philippe Keyaerts as a fantasy follow-up to his award-winning Vinci, Small World is inhabited by a zany cast of characters such as dwarves, wizards, amazons, giants, orcs and even humans; who use their troops to occupy territory and conquer adjacent lands in order to push the other races off the face of the earth. Picking the right combination from the 14 different fantasy races and 20 unique special powers, players rush to expand their empires -- often at the expense of weaker neighbors. Yet they must also know when to push their own over-extended civilization into decline and ride a new one to victory.

Small World's design emphasizes the playful fantasy theme with rich details and components that beg to be played. The game includes: Two double-sided game boards, one for each of four possible player configurations, 14 Fantasy Races with matching banners & tokens, 20 Special Power badges, a variety of Troll Lairs, Mountains, Fortresses, Encampments, Holes-in-the-ground, 2 Heroes and even a Dragon, along with Victory Coins, 6 Player Summary Sheets, a Reinforcement Die, Rules Booklet and a Days of Wonder Online Access Number.