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Beneath the soft spring grass, the meadow wakes. Ant colonies come back to life after the thaw, and the underground hums with activity. Workers dig tunnels, soldiers guard against predators, and larvae grow into new forms that will shape the future of the colony. But your ants aren’t alone down there. Other colonies are also on the move, expanding, evolving, and trying to claim the best parts of the meadow.
In March of the Ants, you take command of one of these colonies. It’s a strategy game about exploring, growing, and surviving. Do you send your ants marching into new territory, evolve them with special abilities to gain an edge over your rivals, or stock up on food for the coming rounds? Over a few short turns, the meadow becomes a living, shifting map of tunnels, food sites, and small battles, until one colony comes out on top as ruler of the field.
👥 1-5 players, ages 14+
⌛ Playing time: 60-90 minutes
📝 Designers: Tim Eisner & Ryan Swisher
🎨 Artwork: Lina Cossette & Ryan Swisher
🏢 Publisher: Weird City Games (review copy provided)
Gameplay Overview
The game plays out over several rounds, each divided into four phases: worker, soldier, queen, and slumber.
During the worker phase, players take turns performing actions like exploring new hexes to expand the meadow, marching ants through tunnels, foraging for cards and resources, or playing cards to evolve their colony, trigger events, or complete goals. When you’ve done enough for the round, you can rest and take a rest tile, but not on your very first turn. After each action, the two players sitting next to you can take a smaller reaction linked to what you just did, which keeps everyone involved even when it’s not their turn.
At the end of the worker phase, colonies that have evolved their thorax can take bonus reactions, one different reaction for each thorax evolution in play.
The soldier phase is when conflicts are settled. First, there’s a battle in the great tunnel if multiple players’ ants are there. After that, any contested hexes are resolved in order by their hex number, except in the first round when no battles take place. A hex becomes contested if more colonies are trying to collect resources there than it can hold, or if a centipede has appeared. Battles are decided by counting ants and adding any bonuses from evolved heads, and players can also play cards to boost their strength. The winner takes control of the area and gains spoils, but even the losing ants manage to strike back before they’re gone. Centipedes can make things messy too, becoming stronger as the game goes on and adding a danger that everyone has to deal with sooner or later.
In the queen phase, colonies collect resources from the hexes they control. Ants in food or larva chambers bring those back, while others might earn cards or points. Then it’s feeding time. Each food token feeds up to four ants, plus one more for every abdomen evolution your colony has. Any ants that go hungry are removed, and starvation lowers your score.
Once feeding is done, each colony makes its queen’s choice: twice choosing between one food or three larvae to prepare for the next round.
The slumber phase wraps up the round. Players score points for controlling hexes next to the great tunnel, known as the inner meadow, and for completing any colony goal cards they’ve played. The meadow is then refreshed with new rest tiles and a new tunnel reward, and the next round begins.
After the final round, players compare resources for endgame awards that give a few extra points: the largest brood (most larvae), greatest stores (most food), and untold potential (most cards in hand). The colony with the highest total score wins and becomes ruler of the meadow.
Gameplay & Flow
March of the Ants spreads out in layers, much like the colonies it represents. The first round can feel like a lot, with plenty happening between phases, cards, and tunnels, but the structure quickly starts to click. After a play or two, the flow of the game feels almost instinctive. Explore, march, harvest, score. It flows in a way that makes sense once you’re in it.
The pace is active without feeling rushed. Everyone stays involved most of the time thanks to the reaction system that lets you respond to other players’ moves. It keeps everyone alert, although at first it can feel like you’re juggling a lot of small decisions. Once you get used to the timing, it turns into a nice back-and-forth where you’re always watching what others do and planning your next move.
The phases move naturally from one to the next, shifting between stretches of planning and moments of tension when colonies collide. It ticks along nicely, with peaceful turns giving way to the occasional scrap for territory. The learning curve is there, but it feels fair. By the second round, most players start connecting how everything fits together.
With more players, turns can take a little longer, especially if someone likes to think things through, but downtime is minimal since there’s almost always something to react to. Once everyone knows the system, the game flows smoothly and stays engaging from start to finish.
It’s one of those games that feels more dynamic than it first appears. There’s very little wasted time, and the mix of steady planning and small surprises keeps each round moving, like watching a real colony grow and shift beneath the grass.
Strategy & Luck
The strategy in March of the Ants comes from managing growth while adapting to whatever the meadow gives you. There are several ways to score points: expanding territory, evolving efficient ant bodies, completing goals, or fighting for valuable sites. You can’t chase them all at once, so you’ll need to pick your focus and adjust as the game develops.
Evolutions are the heart of the system. Each body part gives your colony a new ability: thoraxes grant extra reactions, heads improve battles, and abdomens make feeding easier. Completing a full body also scores points, so timing your upgrades becomes part of the challenge. Every card costs resources, so spending too freely can leave you short when you need to act.
The battles get their unpredictability from the ferocity cards, with centipedes wandering in just to complicate things further. They tend to show up on richer hexes, grow stronger each round, and often force you to rethink your plans. The meadow tiles themselves bring their own bit of randomness, changing the layout in small but important ways.
Planning ahead is important, but the game rewards players who can stay flexible. You can’t control everything that happens, but reacting smartly to what the meadow throws at you is what keeps it interesting.
Player Interaction
The meadow might look peaceful, but things get competitive quickly. Most of the interaction comes from where you place your ants and when you decide to move them. Space is limited, and once the meadow fills up, conflicts become inevitable.
When two colonies want the same site, battles decide who keeps it, and resources can shift hands fast. It’s tense without being harsh, more about clever positioning than knocking someone out.
Cards have a way of shaking the calm when you least expect it. A few events or evolutions let you nudge, steal, or interfere with others in small ways. It’s not too aggressive, but it can change the balance of a round if played well. These moments often lead to some laughter and light teasing rather than grudges. The interaction feels competitive but not cruel, which suits the game’s tone perfectly.
Theme & Atmosphere
March of the Ants commits to its theme and makes it work. You’re not just managing cubes or icons; you’re running a living colony that has to grow, feed, and adapt to survive. Every action ties into that idea in a simple but convincing way.
The artwork adds a lot to the experience. The meadow tiles are full of earthy details like roots, mushrooms, and small insects, and the wooden ants crawling through tunnels make the table look alive. As the meadow spreads, it starts to resemble a tiny ecosystem that’s constantly shifting.
The pace also reflects its theme. One moment you’re calmly collecting food, and the next you’re clashing over a patch of soil. There’s no big story to follow, but the way the meadow changes tells its own quiet one, full of growth, setbacks, and small victories.
Components & Art
March of the Ants: Evolved Edition looks great once it’s on the table. The meadow begins small and expands into a bright, busy map that’s full of life. The art style sits neatly between natural and stylised, colourful without being loud, and detailed without being messy.
The cards are well illustrated, showing different ant species with their scientific names. The wooden ants and centipedes feel solid and look great as they move through the tunnels, and the player boards are clear and easy to use.
The cardboard storage boxes inside the main box are a nice touch. They match the artwork, keep things tidy, and make setup faster. It’s a small detail, but it fits the “efficient colony” theme nicely.
Once everything is spread across the table, it’s a lovely sight. The colours pop, the design is clear, and it really feels like a living world under the grass.
Pacing & Replayability
The game’s tempo depends a lot on the group. First plays can run long while everyone learns the system, but once familiar, it flows naturally. Because players can react between turns, there’s very little downtime, even with more people at the table.
Replayability is strong thanks to the random mix of cards and meadow tiles, which means no two games ever unfold quite the same way. Some sessions become quiet races for efficiency, while others turn into crowded battles over territory. Player choices have a huge impact on how each game develops.
Accessibility & Rulebook
March of the Ants isn’t difficult once you know it, but it can feel a bit much on the first play. There are several systems to keep track of, and the reaction timing can take a round to settle in. After that, it becomes much smoother.
It’s a solid medium-weight game with a few layers to unwrap. The listed 60 to 90 minutes is accurate once everyone knows what they’re doing, though early games might take longer.
The rulebook is excellent. It’s organised clearly, filled with examples, and even starts with a short section explaining how to read it. The icon guide is clear and useful, and each phase is explained in a simple, step-by-step way. It feels like a book written by people who actually wanted you to understand the game, which is rarer than it should be.
Final Thoughts
March of the Ants sits somewhere between a thoughtful euro-style strategy game and a compact 4X experience. You’re exploring, expanding, evolving, and sometimes fighting, not across galaxies but under a patch of spring grass. It manages to stay smart and grounded while still feeling alive and unpredictable.
It’s best with three or four players, where there’s enough competition to keep things tense without dragging. Two players works fine with the Old Guard dummy colony, though it feels more tactical. At five, the meadow gets crowded, and turns can slow a little, but it’s still a lively experience if everyone knows the rules.
This is a game for players who enjoy adapting as much as planning. It rewards careful timing, good observation, and the ability to make the best of what you’re dealt. The cards and hexes bring enough randomness to keep things fresh, but it never feels unfair.
It’s not a light game, and the first round might feel like a study in ant behaviour, but once it clicks, it’s very satisfying. Watching your colony spread and evolve across the meadow feels great, even when a centipede ruins your perfect plan.
March of the Ants won’t be for everyone. If you prefer fast, simple games or don’t enjoy a bit of chaos in your strategy, it might feel a touch heavy. But for players who like a thoughtful, ever-changing challenge with a strong theme, it’s a game that quietly grows on you, just like the colony you’ve built.
Just remember: in this meadow, even the smallest creatures have big plans.
📝 We received a review copy from Weird City Games.
