It was a lovely spring morning; birds were singing, flowers were blooming, giants were getting new tattoos, and the rest of the Small World inhabitants were preparing for another day of conquest.
An eerie silence settled on the land as a huge shadow glided over forest and mountain. Had the Wizards accidentally given their flocks of sheep flight again?
All eyes turned to the horizon as an archipelago of Sky Islands floated over Small World…and realization dawned at the same time as the sun.
This new land could finally provide some much-needed elbow room and the opportunity of new riches! Within a few hours, the most enterprising Races were leading the way up to the Sky Islands using a Giant Magical Beanstalk and a Stairway to Heaven.
Unfortunately they also discovered new races who were just as excited to see new land below them! The battle for the Sky Islands had just begun...
Components
- Double-sided board (2 or 3 Islands)
- 7 Fantasy Race banners
- 7 Unique Special Power badges
- 94 Matching Race tokens
- 4 Lost Tribe token
- 5 Zeppelin/Burning Region tokens
- 5 Trade Pact tokens
- 3 transformed Drakon tokens
- 2 Lightning Bolt tokens
- 2 Cannon tokens
- 2 Access point to the Sky Islands tokens
- 1 "END" token
- 1 Summary Sheet
Playing with the Sky Islands
Setup
When you play with Small World Sky Islands, choose one side of this expansion board (the Sky Islands) and take the board from the base game that accommodates one less player than the actual number of players in the game (the Ground). Place both boards side by side.
For example, in a 4-player game, you will use the 3-player board from the base game and the Sky Island board of your choice.
Place the access point tokens in two random Regions on the Ground (our advice is to avoid any border Regions and to keep at least two empty Regions between them).
The two access point Regions are now considered adadjacent to the Regions with the matching symbols on the Sky Islands (Beanstalk or Stairway).
In 4- and 5-player games, put the "END" token on the last spot of the Game Turn track to remind you that the game lasts one turn less due to the change of board. In 3- and 6-player games, you play to the end of the turn track for that board.
Special Rules
New races can't begin their conquests on the Sky Islands (unless otherwise noted in a Race ability or Special Power); they must access them through the beanstalk, stairs or a special ability.
Note: A Flying Race can access the Sky Islands with its second conquest. Halflings must make their first conquest on a Ground Region.
If this Region holds an access point, their second conquest can be on the Sky Island Region with the matching access point. They put a Hole in the Ground in both regions as normal (but don't dig too deep).
At the end of your turn, each island completely occupied by one of your Races (Active or In Decline) earn that Race one additional Victory coin. Occupying the Lake is not required for this bonus.
Example: You're playing with the 3-Island board and it's the end of your turn. Your Commando Ratmen occupy both of the regions of the smallest Island, giving you one extra Victory coin.
Your In Decline Trolls occupy all 3 of the 3-region Island, giving you another one. But your Ratmen occupy 3 regions and your Trolls occupy the last region in the 4-region Island so you don't get a Victory coin for that Island.
On this turn, you earned 11 victory coins because of the 5 regions your Ratmen controlled, the 4 regions your Trolls still control In Decline, and the 2 bonus coins.
Regions on the Sky Islands linked by a cloud bridge are considered adjacent to each other for conquest purposes.
The Lake Region on the Sky Islands board follows the exact same rules as the one on the Ground. It can thus be conquered by Seafaring Races and influences Races and Powers such as Tritons or Aquatic...On the other hand, rivers and waterfalls are purely decorative and don't affect gameplay in any way.
What Are you Waiting for
I just saw some Orcs launch their Zeppelins and you know how they are about sharing, so you better hurry if you hope to benefit from this new land!
Escargots
You receive the Victory coins for the Regions you occupy with your Escargots at the beginning of your turn, not at the end (which means nothing for your first turn with them).
Victory coins earned through the use of your Special Power are not impacted by this rule and are still earned at the end of your turn.
Scarecrows
Each time a player conguers a Region occupied by active Scarecrows, that player earns an extra Victory coin from the bank.
Scarecrows are the guintessential victims.
Khans
While they are active, Khans earn an extra Victory coin per Hill or Farmland Region they occupy. However, any other Region is worth one less Victory coin.
A region can never be worth less than zero Victory coins.
Scavengers
When Scavengers conquer an In Decline Region, Race tokens that would normally be discarded stay in place and add to the Region's Defense.
Even when Regions are occupied by the Scavengers, any In Decline Race owner still earns Victory coins for it at the end of their turn (this also applies to any In Decline race tokens that the Scavenger player has, allowing him to earn Victory coins for these regions twice per turn).
The In Decline Race tokens are discarded when the Region is conquered by another Race or when the Scavengers go In Decline.
Reminder: In Decline Race tokens are also discarded as usual when their controlling player's active race enters In Decline.
Storm Giants
Storm Giants' first conquest can be in the Sky Islands. At the beginning of each turn you receive two Lightning Bolt tokens.
Each of those tokens allows the conquest of any Mountain Region by using a single Race token, regardless of the number of enemy tokens defending it.
Drakons
Each turn, Drakons can transform up to three of their Race tokens into Dragons (transformed Drakon tokens are discarded).
These Dragons work in the exact same way as the Dragon Master power from the base game.
At the beginning of your next turn, the Dragon tokens are removed from the board to be used again when another Drakon token is transformed.
Wendigos
Once per turn, Wendigos can choose a Forest Region anywhere on the board (either on the Ground or in Sky Islands). This region is cleared of any Race tokens and the Wendigos gain an extra token from the storage tray if available.
The player who occupied this Forest Region takes his Race tokens) back in hand, discards one of them as normal, and redeploys the rest at the end of the Wendigos' turn.
Elves are not immune to Wendigos' power. If the Race in the Forest Region is In Decline, the token(s) in it are simply discarded.
The emptied Forest Region can now be conquered normally.
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Goldsmith
As long as it is active, the Goldsmith Race earns two extra Victory coins per Mine Region they occupy. However, any other Region is worth one less Victory coin. A region can never be worth less than zero Victory coin.
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Zeppelined
Your Zeppelin tokens can be used for up to five special conquests per turn. To perform a Zeppelined conquest, you choose a Region anywhere on the board (either on the Ground or in Sky Islands) and roll the Reinforcement Die.
Pips on the Die are worth one Race token each. If you don't have enough
Race tokens in hand to overcome the Defense value of the Region (you always need to place at least one Race token in the Region), your turn is over and you must redeploy any remaining tokens.
If the roll is an empty side, the zeppelin crashes: the Defender discards one Race token for that attack and takes any others back in hand, exactly like a typical conquest.
The Zeppelined player must also discard a Race token and doesn't occupy the Region. Place a Burning Region token in the Region instead. It is immune to conquests and racial or special powers until the beginning of your next turn when all the Burning Region tokens are removed from the board.
Note: To perform a Zeppelined conquest, you must have at least one Race token in hand.
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Airborne
During the turn when the Airborne power is selected, conquests follow normal requirements but they cost two less Race tokens than normal. A minimum of one Race token is still required.
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Haggling
You receive 5 Trade Pact tokens. During your turn, you can freely distribute them among the other players. You cannot give more Trade Pacts than the number of Victory coins you own though.
If a player with Trade Pacts conquers at least one of your Haggling Race's Regions, he must give you one Victory coin per Trade Pact he has (if he doesn't have enough coins, he gives you everything he has).
On the other hand, if a player with Trade Pacts doesn't conquer any Region from your Haggling Race, you must give him one Victory coin per Trade Pact he has. Players who receive Trade Pact tokens must give them back at the end of their turn.
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Gunner
At the end of your first turn, you put both Cannon tokens in two of your Gunner Regions with the inactive side up.
During the follow- ing turns, each Cannon can either shoot (flip it to it's "Fire!" side) or move to another of your Gunner Regions (inactive side up).
Regions with a Cannon inside are immune to conquests and racial or special powers. A cannon with its "Fire!" side up allows the conquest of adjacent Regions at a cost of two less Race tokens than normal.
The effect of both Cannon tokens are cumulative, but a minimum of one Race token is still required.
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Exploring
At the end of each of your turns, you receive a Victory coin bonus equal to the number of Regions you occupy on the Ground orin the Sky Islands, whichever is less.
Note: Exploring Special Power cannot be used in games without the Sky Island board.
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Racketeering
Each time another player chooses a new race, you earn (from the bank) as many Victory coins as the number of combinations the player skips down to reach their choice.
When your Racketeering Race finally goes In Decline, your next race is free no matter where it is in the column.
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