Good Things Come in Small Packages!
A Review of Micro Dojo
BGG 7.3 Weight 2.0/5(feels closer to 2.2) Ages 10+ 1–2 players 10–30 min.
Published by Prometheus Game Labs and Designed by Ben Downton
My BGG rating 8.0
“In Micro Dojo, you are one of the two Daimyo (feudal lords of Edo period Japan) tasked by the Shogun to bring prosperity to a small town. Carefully manoeuver the town’s retainers to gather resources, construct buildings, complete the Shogun’s tasks, and win favour. The most prosperous Daimyo will be granted the title to the town.”
I was recently gifted a copy of Micro Dojo by a friend in my local gaming group. He’d backed 3 copies during the Kickstarter campaign because the price was so low. Something like $8 if I recall. I carried it home in the front pocket of my shorts that day. Yes, it was that tiny of a package.
I’m writing about this little game you may have never even heard of before for a couple of reasons.
First, let’s get the novelty out of the way. Micro Dojo is…well…Micro. It comes on a single punchboard with a rule book and you are ready to play. It keeps in a resealable plastic bag instead of any sort of box but the components were fit so tightly I “rehomed” the game into a slightly larger plastic baggie so I wouldn’t have to worry about it unsealing if something pushed the components against the seal.
The individual tiles are about the size of my thumbnail I’d guess. Works fine as long as you don’t have fat fingers. I am borderline but I like that they are so small. it feels special for whatever reason. The art is simple, yet charming in the story it tells about this particular town in old Japan. It does what it needs to do. The punchboard is thick and the tokens have a double-sided gloss (and art on both sides!) which is an awesome touch. Feels even a bit fancy. The Solo mode cards are also durable and I wager spill-resistant. The board is surprisingly sturdy and doesn’t slide around on the table.
The game is one I imagine playing with my wife on an airplane fold-down tray or on top of my MacBook while seated at the airport killing time.
Besides being tiny, why else should gamers be interested in trying out Micro Dojo?
Well, the gameplay is surprisingly deep for a “filler” game. It’s not On Mars but it’s very easy to make a mistake and it’s really important to double-check your options and consider where your opponent wants to travel to on their next turn. Before I get more into that, let’s talk about the nuts and bolts of the game in the 2-player mode.
In Micro Dojo, players will move one of the four thematic characters to an open space located orthogonally adjacent to them and then they resolve the space. That’s it!
Some spaces provide resources like food and coins, some allow you to construct one of the many asymmetrical building or to give a building to the town, and 2 spaces allows a player to resolve an “Action” which include activating a scoring objective, activating a building’s ability, or making a donation to the town.
Sounds simple enough, but one thoughtless move or build can put you on the backfoot really fast in Micro Dojo.
The movements and decisions points are tight and tactical in nature. Some moves are all about gaining the resources you need and advancing your own strategy as much as possible, but sometimes the best play ends up being taking a lesser reward and denying your opponent a key space on the board.
The starting set-up can be quite random. Only 6 of the possible 12 asymmetrical buildings are in the game at any time and only 5 of the 12 objective cards. That means you are HIGHLY unlikely to ever play with the same exact starting scenario twice!
The Solo mode has several different difficulty levels and is challenging for what it is without being fiddly. The AI system is elegant and satisfying. The rulebook for Micro Dojo is sparsely written but effective and clearly worded. I found it comprehensive for its size. I also want to take my hat off for Prometheus Game Labs making this game color-blind friendly!
Players can try out Micro Dojo on Tabletop Simulator but the real joy comes from its play me anywhere anytime attitude.
It’s surprisingly tight and replayable for such a “simple” design. I’m eager to bring it along on my next trip!
