Board game Mage Wars. Board game ZVEZDA "Wars of Mages" Games about warriors and mages

Place the playing field on the table. Each player chooses a mage. I draws the appropriate mage card and ability card (the ability card does not need to be used in tutorial mode). He also chooses either red or blue and takes 10 tokens of the corresponding color. In addition, each player banked 3 black status dice, 1 red status dice, and 1 black quickcast token. Place your mage card in the corner zone closest to you (marked on the game board with a door). In tutorial mode, use only half of the field (see page 4). Place one of your action tokens and a quickcast token on your mage card - the white symbols should be at the top, as shown in the picture on the left.

Place the status card in front of you. Place the black dice on the starting values ​​for mana gain, mana pool (all mages start at 10 mana), and life (starting values ​​are shown on the mage card). In tutorial mode, all mages have the same starting values ​​(see page 4). Place the red die on the "O" value of the life bar. This die shows how much damage the mage has received.

Choose your spell book. If this is your first game, you will need to build yourself a book (see Spellbook on page 4). Place dice, condition tokens, and other game tokens within reach.

Both players roll the effects die. The one with the highest score gets the initiative token: he will act first during the first round of the game! Now your duel can begin!

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 it can be played by 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 the 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 in a 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

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, 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. There are cards different types: spells, living beings, 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 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.

Every hereditary magician dreams of becoming the most powerful wizard in the world, to be the master of all conceivable natural elements, various creatures and to possess spells of incredible power. Since a great many warlocks and sorcerers have recently appeared, the competition for the right to be called the “most-most” is quite high. The best way prove your superiority - meet your opponent face to face and destroy him, turning him, for example, into a toad. 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 world around them, 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 hexes are useful for attacking an opponent, and a yellow dodecahedron affects magical abilities and curses.

Wooden cylinders of two colors and black tokens of quick spells are located on the character cards and reflect their state (whether the hero performed 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 storage method allows 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 mana growth, 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 carefully read the text on the card - 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 abilities. 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.

A beautiful and addictive card game for two players that allows you to hold large-scale tournaments and local competitions between Mage Wars fans. 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 gameplay. 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 for children aged 12 and over, 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!

Today we'll talk about Mage Wars or Mage Wars. This board game fully justifies its name, as it focuses on the confrontation between two sorcerers and their minions. It also has one interesting feature in the form of spellbooks for each player - and not some conventional ones, but real ones that you can flip through, freely choosing the desired witchcraft card.

Many people say that the Mage Wars (hereinafter simply WM) is a cross between Magic: The Gathering and Summoner Wars. I've played both and tend to agree. True, as for me, VM is closer to Summoner Wars, because there is also a playing field, lined into squares, and players control armies, represented not by separate factions, but by magicians and creatures called by them.

Like Summoner Wars, the VM resembles a tactical miniatures game, where ordinary cards act as miniatures. Plus two: 1) with the same content, the box comes out many times cheaper; 2) greatly simplifies the tracking of various effects and parameters. The downside is obvious - the cards on the field are much less pleasing to the eye than the figures.

The basis of the WM is all kinds of spells, there are more than three hundred of them in the database. The coffin, in which the contents are supplied, is due to a hefty field on which creature cards will move, a compartment for storing books and, of course, attracting the attention of potential buyers. On the other hand, on this moment a lot of additions have already been released to the VM, and they will fit in the base box without any problems.

By the way, the publisher intends to get rid of such an awkward coffin. In the near future, an updated edition of the fourth edition in a standard square container will appear on sale, which will be proudly called Mage Wars Arena: Core Set. And what, the game has already received a portion of popularity, and it's time to return to practicality.

In addition to themed spellbooks, VM boasts great art and custom hexagons for acting out attacks. Large wooden activation chips do not shine with design, but they turned out to be quite convenient and visual.

The faceless tablets and the field, which is a boring gray area with masonry, let us down a bit. By the way, in the new edition, the arena was redrawn in a more cheerful manner. The tablets were left unchanged. It's a pity, counters-twirls a la FFG would not interfere here.

WM is a tactical duel in which the prelude, which consists in compiling spellbooks, plays a large role. Before the game, players languish over their magical tomes, filling their pockets with spell cards. Already at the preparation stage, they can outline some tricky combinations and combinations, absolutely not worrying that the cards may come in the wrong order or not appear at all.

What are the principles of writing books? They are pretty flexible. You can shove whatever your heart desires into the book, the main thing is that later you have enough mana to pay for it. Of course, I'm exaggerating, and there are still some limits. Each card has a level, which indicates its value. In the database, players are given 120 points. If the card does not match the school of the chosen mage, then its price is doubled. The limit of cards of a particular level is also stipulated.

It turns out that the player can easily include any card in his arsenal. Coping with the restrictions will probably be more difficult with the purchase of add-ons, as more tasty and expensive cards will appear. But I don’t want to say that the choice in the database is meager, there are enough cards here even to collect more or less decent “decks” for all four magicians included in the set at the same time.

So, having dealt with the books, the players take a tablet each, necessary to control the number of lives and the level of magical power of magicians, a property card and a couple of activation tokens. After that, they put their wards in opposite corners of the field, just like in a boxing ring. And rushed! I will briefly describe how the game round goes.

The round is divided into two main stages: preparation and action. Preparation is such a technical phase during which magicians accrue mana points to themselves (its influx is constant, but can be modified various properties); pay for the extension of the spell so that they do not dispel (special spells that are on the playing field); apply the effects of any status (decay, for example) and refresh activation tokens on creatures, flipping them to the active side. Players then choose up to two spell cards and place them face down in front of them.

And then the fun begins. Mages take turns casting their chosen spells, dressing themselves in magic clothes and summoning creatures to their side for mana points. Creatures scurry around the field back and forth, hit each other with melee/ranged/magic attacks and protect their masters by becoming defensive. The purpose of this whole action is to strengthen your position and reduce the health of the opponent's magician to zero.

Probably, after such a superficial description, the game is unlikely to arouse any interest in you or, in general, at least some emotions. But what is there to dissemble, from the outside, the process looks exactly like this: I got mana, chose cards, moved creatures, threw cubes. But it's worth digging deeper...

As the foreword in the rules says, the gameplay in the VM is staging a battle of mages as it would look in reality. This is achieved not only due to the grandiose variety of spells, but also thanks to the cool idea with the book. The book is not only a pretentious accessory, it is really convenient to operate cards with it, in addition, it brings some zest to the mechanics. Players can calmly plan their actions without relying on chance, and it is this moment that gives what is happening "realism". You are a magician and completely control your strength and mind, and not some kind of sclerotic who casts chaotic spells dictated by a random draw of cards from the deck.

I am one of those who do not like to mess with cards, changing and correcting decks every time. Therefore, I was sincerely pleased with the rules for compiling books and the ability to quickly equip four magicians with cards at once. Reassuring and freedom in compilation, it frees hands on the part of the experiments and eliminates difficult dilemmas that make one sacrifice for the benefit of the other (as is usually the case in such games). On the other hand, at first such freedom is discouraging. Therefore, at first it’s better to run the recommended sets a couple of times in order to understand the essence of the game, and then ideas will begin to be generated on their own.

As expected, the main characters have their own distinct specialization and promote different styles of combat. The four magicians belong to different schools and have a set unique properties. The Beastmaster summons hordes of, ahem, beasts, the Priestess specializes in healing, the Sorcerer specializes in weakening an opponent with curses, and the Wizard indulges in mana drain and spell redirection.

VM is a storehouse of tactical solutions. Full hands of all sorts of charms, spells; a gradually growing network of summoned beings; an arena where you can move around, choosing the most advantageous positions for attack or defense - all this contributes to the birth of many interesting decisions and tricks.

Probably only the first couple of moves will seem simple, when the mages are alone and bored in their own corner. But then you don't get bored. Constant skirmishes, firefights at a distance, traps, obstacles, destructive effects make the battle colorful and memorable. Dice also add fun, diluting a partly chess-like process with not always predictable results.

In addition to cubes, ignorance of what the opponent has in store is also intriguing. Realizing that he could put any spell in the book, you prepare in advance for a bunch of surprises and try to protect yourself with antidotes for all occasions. But still, surprises can not be avoided here. And that's great, as they provide food for thought for future games. And it's doubly great that the treachery of the opponent, and not the flaws of the mechanics, is responsible for the surprises here.

As for the simplest balance of cost/strength, it is observed. If you want to call a fat creature for two dozen mana, save and endure how many moves, defending. Everything is logical. In general, the logic of the game does not hold, this also applies to the main goal, the structure of the round, and the effects of cards. And don't let the 50-page rulebook intimidate you, the core of the rules is insanely simple, provided you already have deckbuilding experience. You will only have to tinker with the analysis of spell types, icons and terms.

Now about some warnings and ambiguous moments. Firstly, VM is one of those games that require like-minded people with their boxes, cash injections into add-ons, time to compose and test decks. Secondly, when sitting down for a game, it is difficult to predict how long it will last. It can be a dynamic 40 minutes or a grueling 2+ hours, especially if both play defensively. Thirdly, not everyone will like direct aggression, a lot of text on the cards, the notorious random on cubes and a field littered with cards. And the last thing, for absolutely beginners, I'm afraid, the entry threshold will be unbearable, a special approach is needed here.

Well, if you like this genre, you have already played enough of Summoner Wars or the same Berserk, and you want something new, then the Mage Wars is a hit in the bullseye. Just before buying, it is advisable to conduct a small analysis in order to identify friends who are ready to join this game. Another purchase will be justified if your district has already formed, albeit small, but a community where gatherings or tournaments on VM are constantly held.

Unfortunately, in my collection of Mages, the same fate awaits as Netrunner - dust will be shaken off the game during rare forays into game libraries or even rarer games with Katya. True, I still have a glimmer of hope to recruit a Berserker fan friend I know. The game is really fun 8 /10.