Ultra Tiny Epic Kingdoms (2016)

About this game

You are a tiny kingdom with big ambition. You want to expand your population throughout the realms, learn powerful magic, build grand towers, and have your neighbors quiver at the mention of your name. The conflict? All of the other kingdoms want the same thing and there's not enough room for everyone to succeed... In Tiny Epic Kingdoms, a 4x fantasy game in a pocket-size package, each player starts with a unique faction (which has a unique technology tree) and a small territory. Throughout the game, players collect resources, explore other territories, battle each other, research magic, and work to build a great tower to protect their realm. Ultra Tiny Epic Kingdoms (UTEK) is everything Tiny Epic Kingdoms (TEK) is — minus the exploration mini-expansion, but with added solo play — but much smaller. UTEK and TEK are virtually the same game. The only rule difference between the two versions is how units react to the Ruins region and certain faction/territory restrictions exist due to having them back to back on the cards.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 5. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 2.1/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 13 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.