Board game
Number of players
2
Party time
60 to 120 minutes
Game difficulty
Complex
- epic battle of two magicians. You have a chance to become one of them.
Two powerful magicians appear in the arena, a huge crowd of observers instantly calms down. The announcement of opponents began, at this moment they evaluate each other and it becomes scary from their piercing glances. The fight will end only if one of the mages falls on the old arena slabs defeated. Very soon, a loud signal will sound, meaning that the battle has begun. In their hands, the magicians hold books with unique spells tightly, they concentrate with their eyes closed and thinking in their heads how the battle will go and which spell to apply first. What if you are one of the mages? Imagine yourself in this place! Are you wise and strong enough to get ahead of your opponent before he gets to you?
About the Mage Wars board game
Mage Wars is an exciting board card game about mage duels, magic and spells. Two students from different magical schools collide in the arena, this competition will help determine whose magical power is more powerful. There are as many as four schools of magic: Masters of animals control Nature and can summon any animal, and then endow it with strong spells with the help of magic; Priestesses use divine Light magic that can heal and protect; Sorcerers use the ancient magic of Darkness, their power is in curses and summoning terrible demons; Wizards have insidious magic and can redirect or cancel their opponent's spell, in addition to taking away some of the magical power.
A tough battle is ahead, but the winner is only the survivor in this struggle. Now imagine yourself as a magician - decide on a battle strategy, think over a system of spells that will protect you and outwit the enemy, allowing him to destroy. Take up your ancient spell book and your favorite powerful wand. The duel will begin soon, get ready to enter the magical arena!
Board Game Mage Wars: Rules
The Mage Wars game has a system of rounds that last until one of the fighting mages is destroyed, taking a lot of damage. The first step is for players to go through all the phases of the Preparation Phase, which include allocating an initiative token, acquiring the required mana pool and activating spells, maintaining or dispelling old spells, and choosing a new spell from the spellbook. The next is the Action Stage, in which players move, attack, or take other actions in turn. The game is played until the winner is revealed.
Who has won?
Destroy another magician and protect yourself - that's your goal! The one who is the last to stand on his feet wins.
Imagine if mages belonging to different philosophies and schools of magical craft could come together in the arena in a deadly battle? How would an illusionist fight a druid? Would a sorcerer defeat an animal charmer? Who will win - the priestess or the wizard?
The game Mage Wars will help answer these questions. Each magician uses his own spell book (which can be changed if desired) to defeat the enemy. Summon powerful beings who will fight for you. Unleash devastating spells on the enemy's head. Take advantage of ancient mystical artifacts, magical weapons and armor. All this awaits you in the battles on the Mage Wars arena.
Mage Wars is a tactical board game - a combination of a card game and a miniature game that combines the best elements of both genres. The battle takes place on the playing field of the arena, divided into square areas - "zones". The magicians, in whose role the players act, start the game in opposite corners of the arena.
Each player has a Spellbook in his hands, from which he draws spell cards, putting them into play. This allows you to feel like a real magician, turning over the pages of his mysterious tome in search of the right magic. The selection of spells for your book is based on a point system. Powerful sorcery and magic belonging to other schools of magic are worth more points.
On his turn, the player has the right to cast any spell, which opens up rich possibilities of strategy and tactics. Many spells - creatures, weapons, enchantments - are placed on the board and become game objects. Creatures are able to move around the arena and attack each other or the enemy Mage. Attacks in addition to damage also impose various effects, such as Burn, Corrode, Stun, Paralysis, Injury, and so on. Creatures that take too much damage will be destroyed. In addition, they can be affected by curses or spells.
Each Mage belongs to a specific school of magic - each with its own unique set of spells and strategies.
For example, the beast charmer will try to set his pets on the enemy, strengthening them with the charms of the forces of nature. The wizard is a master of meta-magic: his element is to deflect, steal, redirect, or destroy an opponent's spells and mana. In addition, the sorcerer is a professional in the field of teleportation. The sorcerer is skilled at cursing and destroying enemy creatures with fire spells. The priestess is a skilled healer and an expert in protective charms.
The developers promise that new add-ons will go on sale every few months, adding new Mages, spells and abilities to the base game.
The Russian edition of the game is on sale from January or February 2014.
Are you ready to feel like a real magician and enter the Arena to test the capabilities of other wizards?
Mage Wars is a tactical board game that combines the best mechanics of card battles and miniature games. Battles take place in the arena and each of the magicians represents his school of magic. The player has at his disposal a spell book with magic cards that he can put into play. Each mage belongs to a particular school of magic, each with its own unique set of spells and strategies.
On your turn, you can cast any spell, which opens up rich possibilities of strategy and tactics. Ferocious creatures, formidable weapons and destructive spells are at your service. The summoned creatures are able to move around the arena and attack each other or the enemy mage.
Attacks in addition to damage also impose various effects, such as Burn, Corrode, Stun, Paralysis, Injury, and so on. Creatures that take too much damage will be destroyed. In addition, they can be affected by curses or spells.
According to the creators of the game, this is not a collectible game, but a game with a huge variety of cards, their combinations and the ability to create your own style. Mage Wars has already gained recognition and popularity among the global community of players - new characters and cards appear regularly, big additions are in the queue and tournaments are held.
Equipment:
- playing field;
- 2 spell books;
- 322 spell cards;
- 4 mage cards;
- 4 mage ability cards;
- 2 mage status cards;
- 8 status dice;
- 20 action tokens;
- 2 quick spell tokens;
- 9 attack dice;
- twelve-sided effects die;
- initiative token;
- 3 ability tokens;
- 7 defense tokens;
- 6 ready tokens;
- 20 status tokens;
- 24 damage tokens;
- 8 mana tokens;
- rules of the game.
Sheremetyeva
What does the imagination draw when you hear the "duel of two wizards"? A large hall, two people, flashes of light from frequent machine-gun fire? And if we add to its description that wizards can summon animals and plants, then the imagination will helpfully add: complete chaos in the hall, screeching, croaking, roaring, howling, balls of wool, claws, feathers rolling on the floor ...
But in fact, the duel of wizards looks much more prosaic. Two players sit and leaf through some books with a thoughtful look, after a long pause they choose cards from there face down, then put them in turn on the field, throw dice, count, sit with a thoughtful look again, lay out, throw. Sometimes they quarrel. And before a new round, they again study the book for a long time.
Of course, if they play for the second or third time, then the process goes much faster. But here's the first game... First you need to read the book with the rules. If it works, then half the job is done. Because there are a lot of rules, and in this very little book they are not always conveniently organized. A cursory glance at the contents of the box can also drive depression: stacks of cards, slides of dice and chips with monosyllabic, but absolutely incomprehensible inscriptions. Why, it’s worth it just once to try to lift a closed box, as it becomes clear what awaits you upon opening it.
There are several characters in the game, each with their own set of spells. The rules also have a special plate, which describes in detail at what level of difficulty which cards each character has at his disposal. Cards come in different types: spells, living creatures, plants, items, upgrades, and so on. In many similar games, you collect all this in a certain amount at random. But not here! From a large pile of cards, you need to choose no more than three and play a round with them. On the one hand, due to this, you will not lose just because you have unsuccessfully mixed the cards. And on the other hand, you have a chance to feel like a real wizard, having in his arsenal exactly as much as you can, and not as much as came into your hand. Only a wizard, you are extremely forgetful, and therefore you are forced to constantly turn to your notes for advice, which have been lying around since the days of Hogwarts. In order not to dig into them completely, you should study your entire arsenal carefully (very carefully!) before starting the game.
In total, you have about forty cards in your hand. And this is not the limit! This is the base set. In addition, the card's properties are not always written in full text. For example, on a card of a living being, you read: “fast, elusive, legendary”, and then a literary text.
Naturally, for clues you have to climb into the rules. Now imagine that you look through all forty cards in this way before each turn. Although no, you still won’t look through all forty cards in this way, on most of them everything is written quite intelligibly. But when playing for the first time, you will have to be patient.
We must give the manufacturers their due, they made the task much easier for the players by including special booklets for cards in the game kit. If at least relative order reigns in it and if all the cards are arranged by category, then it will not be so difficult to navigate in your arsenal. Especially if you read the text and properties of all cards before starting the game.
You are unlikely to get the taste the first time. Mage Wars is made to be played over and over again, trying different sets of cards, getting used to them and gradually remembering their properties. Love at first sight is not guaranteed, but from the second, it’s how it will turn out.
This game is for strategists and people with a mathematical mindset. But this does not mean at all that there is no room for chance in it. Because the outcome of the fight between everything that moves (and that does not move too), determines the die. More precisely, several cubes. But, even if fortune is extremely favorable to you, victory will still for the most part depend on how well you calculated and thought everything through.
There are a lot of dueling games. Some of them are better, some are worse. Some are just different from others. If the authors of this game would have removed the cube completely, it would have received a serious advantage - it would have become exclusively mathematical. In this case, it is not very clear why choose spells from a huge stack. If we get rid of accidents, then in everything. A game for an amateur who is ready to spend a lot of time preparing for the game and play it many times. If you are not one of them, but have already bought Mage Wars, all that can be advised is to play more and try to get into it. Don't judge by the first time.
Let's start with some dry data:
- The game is designed for 2 players. Of course, you can play in the 4th,
but without an additional set, this is not the best idea. - The duration of the game is on average 40-60 minutes (the first game is three times longer)
- The threshold for entry into the game is not the highest, but not for beginners either.
And now more! And so, "Wars of Mages" is mainly a duel game, which, if you can play more than two, then only in pairs.
The game meets us with an abundance of cards, chips, tokens, a couple of tablets for tracking the status of magicians, a huge (but only before the first game against the Master of the Beasts) field and two spell books.
Books! Excellent graphical performance of the game, good localization and Books of Spells that make you feel like a real magician, with his magic tome!
At the beginning, you choose a magician for yourself, there are 4 of them in total, and here you have to think carefully. Each magician has his own tactics, in which he is especially good.
If you choose a Sorcerer for yourself, your opponent will have to oh how hard it is, because he will have to not only fight off various kinds of demons, but also constantly fight curses. Yes, and the Sorcerer himself is far from weak and may well rush into battle with a fiery whip at the ready.
The owner of the animals does not lag behind him. Our friend, a Greenpeace man, is a master at summoning a large number of different creatures, simply by flooding his opponent with them. With all this, he does not shun a good fight.
There is also a Wizard in the game, he is universal and, unlike the two previous comrades, he specializes in magic, trying to stay away from the fight.
Not without the fair sex - the Priestess. She, accompanied by very strong (and therefore not cheap) fighters, erecting temples and hanging reinforcements to the right and left, is in no way inferior to her "colleagues".
Here we have chosen a magician, got everything we need:
It's time to collect a book of spells, the game itself has already begun. You form a deck for yourself, and at the same time the tactics of the game. During the fight, you have access to any, even the most powerful spell from your book, but keep in mind that they are all one-time, so before you magic something, it’s better to think again, especially since you can only read two per turn spells.
And above, I voiced only the beginning of the game (on which, by the way, a lot depends). In general, we can talk about this game for quite a long time. This is a very high-quality dueling game, with a strong tactical component, excellent balance and beautiful design. Of the global shortcomings, perhaps only one can be distinguished here. Cubes.
Cubes got us here too. You can perfectly calculate everything, hang a number of strengthening spells on your basilisk, and then order it to attack the cursed enemy ferret and ... by the will of the dice, your basilisk will break all its teeth on it, because you did not roll a single damage. After that, a happy (why would it?) ferret will start to bite your mage painfully on the heels. But, despite this, the game does not lose interest. 4.5 out of 5 in my personal rating. In other words, a must have for those who love high-quality fighting games. Welcome, my friend, to the harsh everyday life of magicians