Micron is a novel game based on microbial ecology concepts.
At the beginning, players create a board randomly picking hexagonal tiles, each representing a specific marine habitat; every habitat is characterized by specific and different conditions in terms of, for instance, temperature and light, which can be exploited by players. In fact, each player must manage a microbial species, and make it thrive and multiply across the board colonizing habitats that can sustain its metabolism.
Every species is characterized by a metabolism, a way in which it grows and multiplies. Metabolic features are chosen from a set of "plasmids," cards that are picked by players at the beginning of the game from a starting deck. Plasmids belong to different groups, and choosing different sets of plasmids can yield different gaming experiences.
During their turn, players can choose to spend energy for growth, to move, evolve or attack species living in nearby habitats. Since the goal of the game is to colonize the highest number of habitats, each player can tailor his/her strategy according to the special characteristics of his/her microbe.
A player is declared winning when either is the only one left alone on the board or when he/she has colonized the highest number of habitats.
—description from the designer