Mage Wars. Wars of mages - witchcraft, spells and crowds of unseen creatures Star board game war of mages

The second participant appeared in the review contest. Meet the reader by name Victor talking about Mage Wars and mostly good. In his opinion, this is a rather complicated board game, but very interesting.

In a nutshell: Mage Wars - New in 2012; Duel game about the battle of magicians in the arena; Card game without a deck; Tactical game with miniatures but no miniatures; Cool art, complicated rules.

Now more on points.

The box of the game says "Customizable strategy game", which can be translated as "customizable strategy". The BGG website has a separate rating of customizable games, this rating includes such games as Netruner, Warhammer 40,000, Dungeon Command, Magic The Gathering - Games in which players prepare a deck and / or army of miniatures in advance according to their preferences in strategy. Some of these games are collectible (Warhammer 40,000, Magic The Gathering), in order to play them, each player must find and buy those cards and miniatures that he wants to see in his army / deck. Other games are less demanding on the player (Netruner, Dungeon Command), in order to fully play them, you just need to buy a box for each player, and then buy additional add-ons. Mage Wars belongs to the second type. In all Mage Wars expansions, there are enough copies of each card for any possible strategy, which is not true for all games of this type. The base box allows you to play with the recommended sets of cards, but you won’t be able to fully customize the spellbooks for both players - you will have to buy a second base.

According to the developers, Mage Wars is designed to be played as if magic really existed. Those. the magic here is quite "realistic" compared to many other games about the battle of magicians. The main realistic feature of Mage Wars is the books. The player does not draw random spell cards from the deck, but chooses the ones they need from their spell book.

Spells come in six basic types similar to card types in MtG: equipment, creatures, enchantments, constructs, attacks, and just spells. Enchantments deserve special attention. Enchantments here, as in MtG, are cards that are attached to something after being played (to other cards in the game or game zones), but they are played face down, that is, they are put into play face down. Then, at any time, the controller of that enchantment can break it and use the effect written on the card. Effects on enchantments can be permanent, which last as long as the enchantment remains in play, and one-time - enchantments with such effects go to the discard immediately after opening. The face-to-face enchantment mechanic introduces an additional psychological component and room for bluffing into the game. With such mechanics, you always have a chance to surprise your opponent. I think this is a really interesting find.

As I mentioned above, spellbooks are pre-formed by players. The total value of all spells in the book must not exceed 120 training points. Different spells have different values ​​depending on the level of the spell and the mage's adherence to the respective school of magic. There are only 10 schools (6 main and 4 elements). The magician's card lists which schools of magic he has been trained in, usually one or two. If the spell does not belong to a school on this list, it will cost twice as much training points for it. In addition, each class of magicians has exclusive spells.

On the this moment there are 8 different classes of magicians: Beastmaster, Warlock, Wizard, Priest from the base; Forcemaster and Warlord from the first expansion, which is called “Forcemaster vs. Warlord"; and an add-on that came out just the other day ”Druid vs. Necromacer". In addition, a small addition was released in the summer, including alternative maps mages for the Beastmaster and Priest classes, with unique abilities. I dare to suggest that Arcane Wonders (as the Mage Wars publishing house is called) will continue to release a box every 3 months and alternate 2 new classes and 2 alternative ones.

At the very beginning, I wrote that Mage Wars is tactical game with thumbnails, but no thumbnails. What does it mean? The game uses the playing field (arena), on which the actual battle takes place. Mage cards and summoned creatures move around the field and fight with each other, while giving the impression of a game with miniatures. If you look at the Mage Wars page on BGG, you will see the word ”Miniatures” in the list of categories 🙂

Although the stretch random cards absent in Mage Wars, there are dice that determine the amount of damage inflicted by an attack. Damage on creatures is marked with tokens. In general, there are a lot of large and colorful tokens in the game to indicate different effects and states that creatures can be in. The most beautiful thing is that the text of the rules related to the effects of these tokens is printed on the tokens, which I have not seen anywhere before, and I was very impressed.

In Russia, many describe Mage Wars as a mixture of MtG and Berserk, while abroad it is compared to MtG and Summoner Wars. I can’t say anything about Summoner Wars, since I haven’t played it, but it doesn’t look much like Berserk. Personally, I see a lot of similarities between Mage Wars and Dungeons & Dragons.

First, the action system of Mage Wars is very similar to DnD. The game is divided into rounds in which players take turns activating their creatures (one creature at a time until all are active). When activated, the creature can perform a full action, or a move and a quick action, or two moves. In most games where players activate cards, to indicate activated cards players turn those cards (MtG, Berserk, Dungeon Command...), in Mage Wars there is no dedicated direction, and turning the card simply does not make sense, here instead wooden markers are used, which must be turned over, and turned back at the beginning of the round. These markers look great and are a pleasure to use - another good trick.

Secondly, the game has an effects die (d12) for rolls for various checks. When a creature attacks another creature, it can inflict some effects on it, such as poison or stun, and the probabilistic nature of these effects is tied exactly to the effect die. In addition, the player uses an effect die to make saving throws for creatures that are disoriented after being stunned, stuck in quicksand, etc.

Mage Wars rules are very complex and are 30 pages thick. Remembering all the keywords and exceptions is almost impossible, and you constantly have to refer to the code. In this case, individual cards can have up to eight keywords. On top of that, the number of options in the game just rolls over, because players have access to all the cards from the book at once. Because of this, the first game usually lasts about 3 hours, the players just look at the books and do not know what to choose. But it is the books that make this game different from others. Each round you need to play something that will bring you closer to victory and some kind of response to your opponent's strategy. For this reason, unlike other card games, a typical book in Mage Wars contains cards for several possible strategies at once and effective narrowly focused answers. Such a book allows you to play very flexible and change strategy on the fly, while in card games a successful deck must be completely versatile and consist entirely of synergistic cards. Mage Wars has a high entry threshold, but it all pays off after a couple of games, when you start to understand what to play and how to play.

What can you say about the popularity of the game? Additions are released quite often (every 3 months). In the overall rating on BGG, the game takes 28th place, and in the customizable rating, it ranks 2nd right behind Netrunner. Publishers support the community in every possible way, hold tournaments, give out promo cards for participating in tournaments or for pre-ordering add-ons. There is also an Ambassador program where anyone can become an agent promoting Mage Wars in their city. For activity, ambassadors receive T-shirts, promo cards and other goodies. Just recently, Mage Wars was localized in German and Chinese, and in January-February 2014 localization into Russian is expected, oddly enough. I hope it will take root with us and we will play our own tournaments!

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 flip through some books with a thoughtful look, after a long pause they choose face-up cards from there, then lay them out on the field in turn, throw dice, count, sit with a thoughtful look again, lay them out, throw them. 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, piles 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. In the rules, there is 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 all this you type 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 it came into your hand. Only a wizard, you are extremely forgetful, and therefore are forced to constantly seek advice from your notes, 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.

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 - tactical board game is 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.

Every hereditary magician dreams of becoming the most powerful wizard in the world, being the master of all conceivable natural elements, various creatures and possessing spells of incredible power. Since warlocks and sorcerers in recent times there is a great multitude, then the competition for the right to be called the “most-most” is quite high. The best way to prove your superiority is to meet your opponent face to face and destroy him, turning him into a toad, for example. Today on the Pink Sofa - magic-destroying board game "Wars of Mages".

Since battles between sorcerers always bring global cataclysms, hurricanes, tornadoes and other destruction to the surrounding world, competitions between contenders for the title of "Powerful Magician of All Dimensions" are held in the most remote corner of the Earth. The place for fights is surrounded by a high wall made of special sorcery stones that can withstand the onslaught of any magic spells. On both sides of the makeshift arena are gates through which the magicians enter the courtyard. The doors are closed and... What am I telling you, now you will see everything for yourself and even participate!

Inside a huge non-standard box with the game there is a convenient organizer, in the cells of which there are two magic books, a lot of tokens, wooden chips, plastic dice, a solid stack of cards, individual tablets and an arena for duels. The booklet of the warlock will help you navigate the intricacies of magic spells. The remaining space will be useful for additional sets, which, I think, will be released to the game quite regularly, emptying the wallets of magic duel fans...

Magic is unpredictable, so no less unpredictable dice are used to activate spells. Five red hexagons are useful for attacking an opponent, and a yellow dodecahedron affects magical abilities and spells.

Wooden cylinders of two colors and black tokens of quick spells are located on the character cards and reflect their state (done by the hero possible actions or not). The red and black dice mark the mage's performance on the individual board. Please note that there are no blue cubes (many people look for them by opening the box). Both blue and red players each get one red marker.

Three basic values ​​are indicated on the individual sheet: the inflow and amount of mana, as well as the character's vitality. If this is your first time in the “ring”, then pay attention to the hint in the lower left corner of the cardboard.

The arena is huge and takes up significant space on the table. This is due to the fact that each of the twelve cells can contain several cards of each of the opponents. At the corners of the arena - the exit points of the magicians, marked with shutters.

Magic books are the main distinguishing feature of the game. This beautiful accessory creates an appropriate atmosphere and allows you to conveniently use card sets, keeping your army a secret from your opponent. Stylish books for true connoisseurs of card games...

Mages (as well as their wards) during the game are injured, use special properties and are exposed to the actions of the opponent's spells. All this is marked with special cardboard tokens, which are located on the character cards. What is there just not: rotting, burning, weakness and other ailments.

In the box you will find portraits of powerful magicians from four schools and sheets with the characteristics of the characters. It is noteworthy that each sorcerer has his own individual properties, as well as reserves of vital and magical forces.

In addition to personal skills, a hereditary magician can call on ferocious creatures to help, cast a spell, cast spells, enchant an opponent, use items from personal equipment, and also attack an opponent with various fireballs and fiery tornadoes. There are six types of cards in total, which are recommended to be combined with each other when attacking or defending.

Some spells allow you to create four types of obstacles on the field, from impenetrable fog to a wall of scorching fire.

On this, the study of the components of the magic box can be considered complete, it's time to get down to business ...

Enchanted sorcerer.

Required retreat.

This game allows opponents to make individual sets with which they go to battle with the enemy. Each card has a special property with its own activation conditions. Since the game is based on the properties of cards, the "War of Mages" has only basic rules that determine the order of the turn, as well as the basic principles of defense and defense. Everything else is in the hands of the players and depends entirely on the selected armies. During a duel, priority is given to the text on the map, which can drastically change even the basic rules of the game.

During the first acquaintance with the "War of Mages", assemble an army according to the table from the rules. The developers have tried to balance the opposing sides, so choose any magician - each of the characters will be strong in their own way. I recommend playing a trial round, and only then proceed to real combat operations.

Since the player has a lot of cards at his disposal, the developers put two albums with transparent cells into the box. This handy accessory will allow you to hide the army from the eyes of the enemy, quickly view the available reserves. This method of storage allows you to make the necessary set at home, and, putting the booklet in your pocket, go to the tournament.

When compiling the first set, you may find that the text in the rules table and the text on the map are very different. For example: "Thunderhawk" is "Thunderfalcon". Alas, the costs of localizing a huge amount of text.

After the armies are ready for battle, the rivals place their magicians in the corners of the arena and mark on the tablets the starting values ​​​​of the increase in mana, its initial amount and the character's vitality. Then, the player's color "action" disc and a black "quick spell" marker are placed on the mage cards. Both chips are placed with a white symbol up.

Please note: mages are initially endowed with special abilities, so read the text on the card carefully - you may need to take the appropriate token from the reserve. Before the start of the game, an “initiative” token is played, which determines the first player. In subsequent rounds, this marker alternately changes hands.

The turn begins with the fact that the magician adds to himself the amount of mana indicated in the first column (move the black die along the track). Then, all wooden tokens on the character and creature cards are turned over with the symbol side up, in a similar way, other special markers (previously introduced into the game) must be put into standby mode.

It's time to plan actions for the current move. The opponents draw two cards from their books and place them face down on the table. These are the abilities of magicians, but some wizards have assistants. Each such assistant can use an additional one spell card in the current round.

An important note: as soon as the opponents designate the desired cards, it is no longer possible to change anything. In the current round, only spell cards laid out on the table are allowed to be used!

The goal of the magician is to destroy the opponent with the help of magic and attacking creatures. Therefore, at first it is desirable to put additional fighters on the field who can go on the attack or surround the magician with an impregnable wall of defense.

New creatures are placed in the same space as their master. In this case, the mage must spend an action, and the creature that appears enters ready mode (the wooden marker of the player's color is turned symbol down). Each mage has one additional action that can be used once per turn (black marker). Once the primary and secondary actions have been used, the markers are flipped to their non-symbol side - the creature becomes inactive.

Active creatures can move across the field in straight lines at right angles and engage in combat. It is impossible to run through a cell with an opponent's warrior - you must stop moving. The attack range is indicated on the card and is basically "zero" cells. This means that the object of the attack must be located in the same location as the attacker and look his fate in the eye. Some characters have the ability to teleport, which allows them to be released from spells cast on the creature.

As I noted earlier, many creatures have special properties. This ability can only be activated if the result of the twelve-sided die meets the requirements stated on the card. Otherwise, nothing happens, and the attack is carried out according to the standard rules.

Red dice have three meanings - miss (empty), hit (numerical value) and damage (number in an asterisk). The attacking character throws the number of hexagons indicated on his card, and the object of the attack takes into account his defense indicators and adjusts the results.

A miss is also a miss in the magical world, so the “empty” dice are set aside. Numbers with an asterisk break through any defense and deal damage (place the required number of tokens on the map). Normal numbers are added together, the result is subtracted from the attacked creature's defense indicator. Anything not absorbed by the defense deals damage (add tokens). As soon as the creature gets a critical number of markers, it dies and is removed from the field.

You can strengthen the attack with sorcery, which deals additional damage to the object of attack. These are quick action cards - their effect immediately spreads to the victim, and the spell is discarded.

You can also use witchcraft spells on your own warriors, giving them the opportunity to evade attacks or adding strength to the character in battle.

The magician can take certain equipment with him to the arena, giving him additional features. Each item is located on the body of the magician and takes up space. Only one object can correspond to one part of the body. During combat, you can also use traps, bind spells, cast spells, and much more - it all depends on the cards that are in your booklet.

The ultimate goal of the opponents is to destroy the opponent's mage card. Because the creature's mages are strong and have high hit points, damage is taken into account on the board by moving the red die. After the death of the magician, the remaining creatures on the field can only survive until the end of the current round, which gives them a small chance to avenge the owner. The victor celebrates his triumph with thunder and lightning...

Rotting an opponent on fire.

Beautiful and exciting card game for two players, which allows you to hold large-scale tournaments and local competitions between fans of the "War of Mages". To basic set, most likely, many add-ons and hundreds of boosters will be released - there are all prerequisites for this, given the increasing popularity of the game.

The quality of the design deserves special praise - spectacular pictures and literary inserts of text on the cards create an atmosphere of a battle between real magicians. You don't just lay out a booklet card on the table, you cast spells, create creatures, and send them into battle. And for a successful attack, it is necessary to think over combinations, take into account reserves and correctly place forces on the field. There is a place for tactics and strategy, and preparing kits before the next game is a separate game process. After all, the success of the battle directly depends on how competently you calculate the forces and plan your actions on the field.

My first acquaintance with the game took place at Igrocon. Then a trial game was played, in which certain mistakes were made, as we incorrectly interpreted some points of the rules. Nevertheless, I immediately liked the gameplay for its idea and depth. Now that the box with the "Mages" was in my hands and I was able to slowly "feel" the mechanics, I can say with confidence that the "War of Mages" has a great future. If you are a fan of card games, then be sure to check out this duel fantasy game.

“War of Mages” can be recommended to children over the age of 12, it makes no sense to start the game earlier, since the abundance of combinations, most likely, will not “fit” in the head of a young magician. But young people, as well as experienced and novice players, should at least once (or better - twice) enter the arena and fight with rivals in a magical fight. It is noteworthy that it will take you about half an hour to learn the rules, and several days to understand the game. The developers have come up with so many things that it will not be easy to master all the card material...

By the way: this is a great tournament game. Opponents can create their booklets using cards from the add-ons, and then surprise the opponent with unimaginable combos that sweep away everything in their path. In a word - take risks and enjoy the game!

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 witchcraft power is more powerful. There are as many as four schools of magic: Animal Masters 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 magic 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 thing players do is 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.