
- BGG rank
- BGG #656
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Small World Underground
- 2–5 players
- 30–90 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2011

Rules assistance for Small World: A Spider's Web
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Small World: A Spider's Web is an expansion for Small World released in 2014 for 2–5 players, 80 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Philippe Keyaerts, Andrew Capel, Alex Gurski, Bill Gurski, and Randy Pitchford and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Dice Rolling.
Small World: A Spider's Web is a mini-expansion for Small World that contains three Races (Ice Witches, Skags and Slingmen) and three Special Powers (Copycat, Lava and Soul-Touch). This expansion comes complete with a plastic storage tray designed to store all the badges and tokens from A Spider’s Web, plus it includes room for all the additional recent Small World expansions. It also includes leader tokens for the 3 new Races. A Spider’s Web features entries from Andrew Capel, Alex and Bill Gurski, and Randy Pitchford, “Spiderine” backers from the Small World 2 Kickstarter campaign.
Small World: A Spider's Web supports 2–5 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Small World: A Spider's Web is 80 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Small World: A Spider's Web for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Small World: A Spider's Web has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Small World: A Spider's Web belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Fighting, and Territory Building. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Area Movement, and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Small World: A Spider's Web are: Philippe Keyaerts, Andrew Capel, Alex Gurski, Bill Gurski, and Randy Pitchford. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Small World: A Spider's Web as an expansion for Small World. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Small World to use it. Check that your edition of Small World is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.