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Microdot

Microdot

Palitoy Ltd. · 1975
2–460 min8+ yrs1.2/5 complexity5.3 BGG#27.365 BGG171CouplesFamily
short answer

How do you play Microdot?

Espionage game where players must steal the diplomatic bag of any one opponent and return it to their own headquarters to win; a 'capture the bag' game you might say.

To find the best price for Microdot, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Microdot box art
official art · Palitoy Ltd.

Espionage game where players must steal the diplomatic bag of any one opponent and return it to their own headquarters to win; a 'capture the bag' game you might say.

Players start on the outer track of the board where they move around gathering pieces of equipment (ladder, revolver, dagger, earphones, passport, wire-cutters) needed for the bag-capture 'mission'. As each piece is obtained, it is placed near the player's HQ on the inner part of the board. Once five pieces of equipment have been so placed, the mission can begin.

The mission takes place on the inner part of the board. Here, each player has a home territory of 5x5 squares and these areas are separated from one another by a wall or fence. On his turn, the player rolls a special die and uses it to move his equipment pieces toward an enemy HQ. The barriers can be breached by moving a ladder or wire-cutter onto them, or alternatively the passport piece can be moved onto the central checkpoint square to allow other pieces to pass through here. Each type of equipment has a point value (gun = 6, dagger =5, etc). When two opposing pieces occupy the same square, the one with the lower value is removed (both are removed if they are of equal value). Players cannot continue missions with fewer than five pieces of equipment and are forced to return to the outer board to acquire replacements before continuing. If a player manages to land a piece onto an opposing diplomatic bag, it is captured and he can start to move both pieces back towards his own HQ as a single unit.

While moving on both the inner and outer board, the player may have to draw a chance card of some sort, and this is where the game's chief gimmick comes into play and from where it takes its name. These cards all have the word 'Microdot' on them, written in dots. One of these dots contains a very small number or letter and the included plastic magnifying glass is supposed to be used to read it (but this is not really necessary). The letter/number is then referenced on the relevant 'decode' chart and the instructions followed.

game anatomy
Complexity1.2 / 5
BGG rating5.3 / 10
Vibe
CouplesFamily
Language dependence
Some text — easily memorized
🌐 plays without English
Play time
60 min
Players
2–4
Recommended age
8+ yrs
BGG rank
#27.365
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Microdot cost?
No store is currently tracking Microdot. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Microdot cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Microdot?
Microdot is a spies / secret agents game, for 2–4 players, taking ~60 minutes, featuring roll / spin and move. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Microdot — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Microdot support?
Microdot is played by 2–4 players.
Q5How long does a game of Microdot take?
A game of Microdot takes about 60 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Microdot for?
Microdot is recommended from age 8.
Q7How complex is Microdot?
Microdot has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 1.2 out of 5.
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