Game Overview

Game Name: March of the Ants
Publication Year: 2015
Designer: Tim Eisner and Ryan Swisher
Artist: Tim Eisner, Ryan Swisher, and Peter Wocken
Publisher: Weird City Games
Solo Mode: Expanded with Minions of the Meadow

Managing a colony and surviving has its roots in the base game, yet this expansion is what truly makes the game what it is for me. New locations and mechanics, like the aphids, add a lot and increase the complexity in a nice way. But never get comfortable… Centipedes are out there!

Into Early Spring

Remember how I talked about the configuration of the meadow? With just the base game, activity is focused on survival so that only 3-5 hexes typically end up explored.

In this case, I was already exploring a lot at the end of early spring. The ants still needed to stick close together to build up resources, but it was looking nice!

Aphids, represented by the little green critters, provided farming capabilities and extra bonuses as they bred.

See my giant major worker out there, too? Special bonuses made this a vital element to practically every action.

A Cache of Eggs

Sharp eyes probably also notice the yellow “ants” out on the board. Only those aren’t ants… Those are centipede nymphs that plagued my every move! I had to act quickly.

Although it was impossible to take them all out, I found an opportunity to locate a cache of eggs to trade a single larva in for 3 larvae and a new card. That worked out well!

Cards provide bonuses, and I always forget to show a lot of them. They have costs and can be used in battle instead.

Again, with the base game, I found few opportunities to use cards beyond battling. Here, I had more options!

Further Afield

Very interesting! I continued exploring on my own, while the hidden broodmother took her action after each of my turns. She expanded the meadow a bit, too.

I had everything well under control on the east side of the meadow. Aphids were breeding and all was well!

To the west, the nymphs were taking over. Although harmless and simple to defeat in this stage, they were on the cusp of molting into fully-fledged centipedes. Yikes!

Despite the trouble, I was still confident in my strategy. I had a plan and was very close in overall victory points.

Into the Unknown

The goal is to find and destroy the broodmother, which means that exploration is the key to uncovering her nest.

I used an expensive event card for a risky but successful mission into Beetle’s Burrow. I wondered who this beetle was. Possibly a friend in the meadow? I hoped so!

This was quite the boon for the colony! I still needed to focus on the west, though, for it looked like the very first centipedes were sure to show up in no time.

I hope it’s clear how much more I like the game with the expansion! It’s more difficult, yet also so very enjoyable.

Dangerous Denizens

Well, of course! The nymphs found an opportunity to molt, and I ended up looking at a pair of centipedes.

Ignoring these areas is always an option, yet there is a loss condition when too many centipedes invade the meadow. It comes down to figuring out where to fight the battles.

Lichen was already long gone. My ants weren’t going over there! Note that nymphs add strength to the centipede in battle, and they can’t be destroyed when under guard.

I needed to manage the centipedes, although my ants were poorly positioned for a battle at this exact moment.

Surprise in the Crevice

No, no, no! As my ants went exploring, they came across a rather pleasant area. The worm is actually very helpful, as it indicates a tunnel connected to all other worm hexes.

But it wasn’t exactly safe… The broodmother kept growing in power from her hideout. This time, it wasn’t centipedes. Nope: A trapdoor spider, or predator, appeared nearby.

Run away! It was healthy and strong enough to not allow any ants to occupy collection sites for resources.

This scouting party was forced to retreat since there was no possible way they could do much of anything in battle.

Slowly Evolving

On a more positive note, the strategic elements gave me more incentive to play evolution cards. So my ants had some specialized abilities as they continued on.

The collapsing head wasn’t particularly useful for rotating hexes, at least for me, but it provided extra army strength.

Meanwhile, the leaf cutter abdomen allowed me to change up to 2 collection sites to food if desired. Very useful! Food could also feed more ants, allowing me to do more.

Excellent ants, indeed! These evolutions also gave my major workers additional abilities. Lots of choices!

An Overrun Meadow

Try as I might, the final round looked rather bleak. I was up against a lot of centipedes, even though my ants kept destroying the ones in the east. Take that, broodmother!

However, she was too crafty. As she reached the highest power level, she expanded her nymphs into many hexes. In no time, they molted and overran the meadow as I lost.

The broodmother’s nest was never uncovered, and a lot of that came down to my lack of exploration early on.

Although I failed, this play felt a lot more satisfying than my base game victories. Now to figure out how to win!

Session Overview

Play Number: 17
Expansion: March of the Ants: Minions of the Meadow
Solo Mode: Expanded with Minions of the Meadow​
Play Details: Easy Expansion Difficulty Level
Outcome: 17-15 (Loss)

This is why I wasn’t very upset with my loss: In terms of victory points, I was just a few steps behind. Things were probably going to end up the way they did, but I didn’t feel completely lost. Some bright spots shone through! Even at the easiest expansion difficulty level, I have a lot more to learn before I can win. I shall continue to soldier on!

Affordability

Price & Value

8

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

9

Originality

Design & Theme

9

Quality

Components & Rules

10