The Daily Worker Placement

Friday, March 29, 2024

Minuscule: A Bug Problem

by | published Thursday, October 8, 2015

Minuscule is a game about bugs, tiny bugs fighting for position on a track. Now that might sound a bit silly, but keep in mind you’ll be making all the moves that determine where the fly, snail, grasshopper, bee, ladybug, wasp and caterpillar end up, and you’ll have a vested interest in where they do. Players will get secret goal cards dealt to them at the start of the game that will inform them the position they want some of the bugs to end up. The closer to the front of the line they end up, the more points it’s worth!

Designed by Juhwa Lee and published by Bombyx and Asmodee, Minuscule is a kids game for 2-6 players. The rules are dead simple (as they should be) but there are mechanics that will teach deduction and achieving secret goals in an easily digestible fashion for younger players.

minu2aThe game starts with each player getting two secret goal cards. That will determine which bug they want to reach the number one position when the race ends. The better your bugs’ position, the more points you’ll earn. The track is created by laying out the track cards 1-7 in order. Each track card has both a number and an object (like an acorn or stone) on it. Then one at time players will choose an insect to add to the board determining the opening positions.

Move cards are dealt out based on the number of players (which will also determine the number of rounds you’ll have). Most move cards feature a bug, for example the grasshopper, that will be moved forward or backward the indicated number of spaces. All the other bugs will shuffle along to fill in the gap. Other move cards might feature an object or objects, like the brick and the walnut. This indicates that whatever bugs are on those spots will move forward or back, but they both must go in the same direction.minu3a

There are some special cards that show up in Minuscule as well. Run For Your Life allows you to move the bug at the start of the line all the way to the back. Bad Encounter gives you the option of changing one of your goal cards or forcing an opponent to do so. If you feel like someone is having a particularly good run, it can really mess up their plans to have their goals rearranged.

The game ends when the last move card is played. Players reveal their goal cards and points are awarded depending on where your bugs finished. The player with the most points wins!

There is an ant variant to Minuscule, for a slightly tougher experience. After the opening positions have been established the bug in the last spot will have their clear stand replaced with a black stand. Then each player in turn will have the option of passing or taking an ant token. Once everyone has made their decision the game is played out normally. At the end of the game if the bug with the black stand is in one of the top three positions, anyone with an ant token will score an additional five points. If they failed to make one of the top spots then everyone holding an ant token will lose three points. It ups the ante a bit and gives everyone a bit more to play for.

The art in Minuscule is for the most part simple, but the bugs themselves are delightfully cute. I could see the whole gang starring in the next Pixar adventure. Everything is wrapped up in an awesome, tiny tin box. The perfect fit for a game about little insects.

Minuscule is a fun kids game that will introduce budding gamers to some concepts that they’ll encounter in more complex fare down the road. They’ll have to think critically to get their own bugs to the front of the line and determine which bugs their opponents care about. If you have a young gamer in your life or hope to convert someone to the hobby, Minuscule is a great introduction to our world.

Author

  • Sean J.

    Sean is the Founder and Photographer for the DWP. He has been gaming all his life. From Monopoly and Clue at the cottage to Euchre tournaments with the family, tabletop games have taken up a lot of his free time. In his gaming career he has worked for Snakes & Lattes Board Game Cafe, Asmodee, and CMON. He is a contributor to The Dice Tower Podcast and has written for Games Trade Magazine and Meeple Monthly. He lives and works in Toronto.

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2 thoughts on “Minuscule: A Bug Problem

  1. Lee Ambolt says:

    You probably don’t realise (since you mentioned Pixar) but this is already based on an existing animation series (and now a full Movie which was released this year, or was it last”: Its called Minuscule, you can find episodes om Youtube, they are wonderful fun for kids and parents. So much expression and not a single Word of dialogue. I recommend you look out for both the series and the Cinema Movie. I did not realise they’d made a game for it but will try to track this down, no surprise that Asmodee is involved then.

    • admin@dailyworkerplacement.com says:

      Wow, thanks for that info Lee! I’ll have to check out the show and movie. I had a feeling those bugs would make great characters for a kids show!

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