Warlord

Conjurations

3 Wall of Stone
3 Wall of Steel
4 Tanglevine
2 Temple of the Dawnbreaker
2 Archer's Watchtower

Creatures

5 Goblin Builder
2 Grimson Deadeye, Sniper
2 Giant Wolf Spider
3 Dwarf Panzergarde

Enchantments

1 Mongoose Agility
2 Cheetah Speed
3 Hellfire trap
3 Teleport trap
3 Spiked Pit
1 Force Orb

Equipment

1 Defense Ring
2 Eagleclaw boots
1 Ivarium Longbow

Incantations

2 Dispel
2 Seeking Dispel
2 Dissolve


If you like Tom and Jerry, you will like this spellbook. It's a chase build, but rather than chasing my opponent, I'm having my opponent chase me. The first thing I do is cast a cheetah speed on myself. Then over the next 2-3 rounds, I start moving and placing 3 of my walls in the center of the arena, to create a circuit. If my opponent or one of their creatures starts getting too close for comfort before I'm done placing the 3 walls, I'll cast a teleport trap or a tanglevine.

Then once the walls are down, I continue to run away from my opponent, placing Panzergardes and traps on the field to slow them down and do damage. I also use the Panzergardes to protect myself. At some point when I have enough mana I cast Temple of the Dawnbreaker in one of the two center zones. At another point when I have enough mana I either cast a Giant Wolf Spider while behind my opponent, or a Grimson Deadeye Sniper in the other center zone as well as an Archer's Watchtower. That way those wizards and priestesses and the like can't just stand still and will have to run after me.

If I'm threatened by a creature(s) with climbing or flying, or if I'm facing a Forcemaster, I will equip myself with Eagleclaw Boots, so I can climb over my own walls. If my opponent tries to swarm me with hindering creatures, I'll cast Mongoose Agility on myself and escape from the swarm. I have Goblin Builders to help me cast conjurations and protect them from destruction with their healing ability, and I have extra walls to replace the destroyed ones, and also so that I can choose between the two types of walls I have depending on what I'm up against.

I have Force Orb and Defense Ring to help defend myself from ranged attacks, and an Ivarium Longbow to make some of my own.

I win by dealing damage from a combination of creature attacks and Traps.

I think I've covered everything. So what do you think of my new spellbook build?

Disclaimer: I do not own Mage Wars.



----------------------------
The young man stared up at the enormous tower in front of him. There was a sign bolted above the enormous wooden door:

Tower of Battle--home to Maegis University's School of WAR

He gulped. He still wasn't sure if he had what it took to follow in his father's footsteps to be a Warlord. He did not want to displease his people, but he was a runner at heart. He wasn't the most talented mage. What was he doing in Sortilege, a nation full of powerful mages?

He felt the urge to run away, far away, in the opposite direction of this imposing building.

No, he thought. I must run forward, not backward.

Hesitantly, the young man stepped inside the Tower of Battle.

He found himself in a lounge area, complete with comfy chairs and framed pictures on the walls. Behind the front desk was a tough-looking lady with her hair in a ponytail and some sort of crossbow slung over her shoulder. It looked rather lethal.

The sniper receptionist looked up from her paperwork as the front door loudly creaked shut behind the young man.

She quickly sized him up with a bored expression on her tough face, seeing how little armor he was wearing, how scrawny his arms were, and how skinny he was. The young man blushed from self-consciousness.

"You look lost," she said, simply. "If you're looking for the schools of Arcane, Nature, or Mind, I'm afraid I can't help you. Each school in our university is magically hidden from students of all the others, to prevent unecessary conflict. Your student handbook should have a map inside."

"Um," the young man started. "I know that."

"What?" asked the sniper receptionist, not quite sure she heard right. "Then why are you here? Are you saying that you're not lost?

"I'm not." he said, staring at the ground. "My name is Lee. I'm here to study the art of War."

The receptionist burst into laughter.

"What's so funny!?" Lee demanded, defensively.

"I never thought I'd see another one," said the receptionist. She calmed down and wiped a tear from her eye.

"A few words of advice: Someone like you has three possible outcomes here. Do you have any idea what they are?"

"Um, that I'll become a Warlord or a soldier...or flunk and get kicked out of the University?" Lee asked.

"Well yes," said the receptionist. "But that's not what I meant. Someone like you has three outcomes here. You could succeed beyond anyone's expectations. You could fail miserably and be the embarrassment of your people. Or, you could go halfway between the two options, and become a great magical sniper like me."

"And what do you mean when you say someone like me?" Lee asked, half-indignantly.

"Does it really need to be said?" the receptionist asked, pointedly. "You have weak arms and a thin body. That means that you will have to rely on your wit, focus, and leg strength, if you are ever to succeed here. Also, each year at Maegis University begins with a campus-wide battle tournament for the Freshmages, after which is the initiation ceremony."
She slammed her fist onto the counter, startling Lee, before she pointed at him. With a flash, Lee saw a number write itself onto his shirt: WAR-235671

"That is your tournament registration number," she said. "Your first five rounds will be held here with other War Freshmages. The best Freshmages will get to compete with Freshmages from other schools in our university. Your first match will begin soon. Go down the hallway on the right and climb the stairs to the first arena hall. Good luck!"

"Thank you," said Lee. He bowed before starting to jog towards his first match. Before he'd gotten very far though, he turned around and said loudly, "I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

"Izayoi!" she said.

"Thanks Izayoi!" Lee's voice echoed back, as he rushed to the staircase to the first floor Arena hall. In spite of his great fear, Lee was oddly excited. He had spent the last three years travelling the world, running and running without looking back, before he finally returned to his people as an adult. Was it all worthwhile? Soon, he would see. He had taken the first step on the road to his destiny. There was no turning back, even if he wanted to...

The price of tuition was too high for that.
--------------------



So what do you think? Reviews please!

Also, you can submit characters! Freshmages are Level 1 and have a maximum of 20 points in their spellbook, Sophomages are Level 2 and have 40 points max, and so on. Only Senior and Junior Mages have Mage abilities. When submitting a character, you should include:

--Their name
--Their Age
--Their gender (if they are transgendered, write the whole word label for their type of transgender, otherwise just put M or F)
--Their Level (1-4 for undergrads, 5-6 for Graduate students and teachers)
--Their physical appearance
--Their background story
--What type of Mage they are

The more information you fill in, the more I'll have to work with, the less likely I'll fill in the blanks of your character with something you don't like. But the less information you give, the more creativity I'll be able to use to flesh out their character. It's a win-win situation either way. 

In any case, don't expect all of the information you provide on your submitted characters to stay the same over the course of the story. Characters grow and change. That's why Freshmages have a limit of 20 spellbook points!

This story idea was inspired by a conversation I had about a possible Mage Wars RPG format.

I think I've said everything that I needed to. Post away!

How long do mage wars demos in apprentice mode normally take? I'm considering teaching some people how to play at the college I'm currently attending for a possible game day event.

I would like to know sometime today, since someone from student engagement is awaiting my response.

Thanks!

I'm hoping to start a Mage Wars community at the University that I will be attending in the fall. Will ambassador applications still be accepted in August, September or October? I'm hoping to eventually get enough people to join for unofficial organized play. However, I haven't bought the core set yet since I don't have anyone to play with in real life yet, and it's unlikely that I will be able to find anyone until school starts. I've been playing exclusively online so far, and will buy the core set in real life either before or shortly after the school year begins.

Thanks!

The Arena is usually rather static. It's just a blank generic ground/floor for the Mages to do battle on. Well, what if the Arena could do some more interesting things?



1. Unstable ground: During the Upkeep phase, zones can partially crumble away, leaving less room for corporeal objects. Zones can even disappear entirely. Don't worry, they'll come back. If a zone disappears with a mage standing on it, the Mage just moves one zone away right before it falls. Keep track of the zone-sizes using counters. (No Terrain/movement control spellbooks allowed, i.e. the Forcemaster. All cards with the "push" effect are banned.)





2. Death by Smashing!: The Arena has been lifted into the sky, and without the outer walls! The whole Arena has been enchanted so that no one can die while they are in the arena. Keyword being "in the arena". All melee attacks targeting a mage have the effect of pushing that mage 1 zone 2 zones, 3 zones, 4 zones, or 5 zones away in the direction of the attack depending on how much total damage the attacked Mage has by the end of the attack. Ranged attacks do the same thing, except they can only push a mage up to 3 zones away, also depending on how much damage the attacked Mage has total by the end of the attack. The Health stat is ignored for all Mages. If an effect says gain X life, your Mage loses X Damage instead.


If you have 3+ Damage you are pushed one zone away from the attacker in the opposite direction of the attack.
If you have 6+ Damage you are pushed 2 zones away from the attacker in the direction of the attack
And so on. Don't forget that Ranged attacks can only push an enemy Mage up to 3 zones away! Non-Mage Creatures are also pushed by attacks except they can only be pushed 1 zone away by a ranged attack and 2 zones away by a melee attack.

And of course, if you fall of the edge of the arena, you fall to your death.

Additional options: Both players have an infinite number of free action, no mana cost resurrections that you can only use on your Mage and don't exist in your spellbook. At the end of a time limit, whoever has used the most of these resurrections loses.
OR you can have a limited number of these special resurrections, but when you run out of them you lose.

(No Terrain/movement control spellbooks allowed, i.e. the Forcemaster. All cards with the "push" effect are banned. Inspired by the Super Smash bros Videogames)





3. LAVA ESCAPE!: The Mages start in the left corners of the Arena in relation to the player with first initiative (so for the player who gets initiative second, that wall is on their right). The Mages have been enchanted so that the force of gravity from the starting wall of the Arena has been amplified on them, and the force of gravity on them from the ground has been significantly nerfed. Now Mages are standing on the wall of the arena! But the lava level is rising, so you need to get your mage to "higher" ground to avoid being burned to death. All other objects in the arena have normal gravity, so they can pose as obstacles. Attacks and incantations have only a range of up to one zone "above" or "below" and up to 2 zones "forward" or "behind", in relation to the lava. Every 15 minutes of real time the lava level rises by 1 column of zones, completely destroying anything it covers. You win by either A) getting your mage to the exit on the other side of the arena before the enemy mage. The exit is now on the middle of the opposite wall of the arena. Passing through it before your enemy grants you victory. Or B) if the enemy Mage dies before you. Falling in the lava is an instant death. Corporeal walls can float on the lava but standing on a corporeal wall that deals passage attacks will cause a mage to take that attack when they first step on it.

Additionally, creatures cannot have the fast trait unless they also have the slow trait. Since the two traits cancel each other out, creatures cannot be fast.




4. Trapped in a Fish Tank (4 mage free-for-all!): All but the 4 corner zones have been completely submerged in water! All zones are now zone pillars, and are composed of 3 zonelettes, which are treated as separate zones, and rules about zones and zone movement work mostly the same way for zonelettes. However, enchantments that target a zone instead target the whole zone pillar rather than a single zonelette. Creatures cannot have flying. The 4 zone pillars that aren't completely submerged have their middle (lv1) zonelettes filled with air, and its Lv0 and Lv2 zonelettes are filled with water. Your Mage will sometimes need to enter one of these air pockets to refill their head bubble with oxygen. All non-mage creatures now have gills. Each mage can hold their breath for 3 rounds after they run out of oxygen. Each mage starts with 6 oxygen (max 6) and they lose 1 oxygen each upkeep phase while in water. If a mage is in a zonelette with air, that mage gains 2 oxygen instead. If it's too difficult to keep track of where everything is using height counters, use three boards: Lv0, Lv1 and Lv2. Don't forget that corresponding zones on different boards are in the same zone pillar i.e. the top right corner zone of all three boards are in the same zone pillar. Walls can also be cast on the border between two zones of different heights.







And that's all I've come up with for now. I haven't had the chance to test any of these variants yet, so feel free to edit the rules and banlists as you see fit. I would really like it if you posted what's worked and what hasn't for you when playing these variants. Have fun! 

Guide to the Applications of Forcemaster Newton's Laws of Motion

Attack

4 Forcehammer

Conjuration

1 Suppression Orb
4 Fog Bank

Creature

1 Invisible Stalker
4 Thoughtspore

Enchantment

2 Forcefield
2 Force Crush
4 Force Hold
6 Block
3 Cheetah Speed
3 Mongoose Agility
6 Nullify
6 Stumble

Equipment

1 Galvitar, Force Blade
1 Psi Orb
1 Dancing Scimitar

Incantation

4 Dissolve
4 Dispel
4 Seeking Dispel




Since I'm taking summer classes, I probably don't have time to test it online very frequently before I buy the sets I need. The only cards I need that aren't in Core or FM vs WL sets are the 6 Stumbles.

This build is essentially a Cat and Mouse strategy. First I surround myself with a couple of Fog Banks to keep them from targeting me or my zone within the first couple turns in the hopes of keeping them from destroying my first few enchantments on myself, so that I can get my strategy's momentum going. I also use have Nullify to help with this. After that I put Cheetah Speed and Mongoose Agility on myself. Once those are revealed, I can either start chasing the enemy mage right away, or I can summon Invisible Stalker or cast my Dancing Scimitar first. If the enemy mage is in range, I use Force Hold or Force Crush to trap him or her, set a stumble on so that he or she will be easier to catch if/when they escape, use a Dissolve to get rid of any troublesome equipment if necessary, and start attacking. My Invisible Stalker will either help me attack the mage, or take care of creatures and conjurations that threaten me, along with the help of my Thoughtspores' Force Hammers.

I protect myself using Block and later Forcefield, as well as the Dancing Scimitar and my Deflect ability.

So what do you think? How good is this spellbook? Do you think it might be ready for local level organized play? Since I have classes this summer, I won't be able to test it a ton, so I'm hoping that this list is ready to hold its own before I buy the sets I need for it, even if it doesn't excel or have the best chance of winning that it can get. That way it will be usable in a tournament, but I would still have room to test, tweak and improve it. Does anyone know when the next expansion is coming out so I can get Stumble?

Thanks!

Particularly:
1. How much would it cost to build a competitive spellbook? Can it be done with just the core set? If so, how long might it be viable to do so?
2. How much does the amount of money spent on Mage Wars products affect game outcomes between players of the same skill level? Of different skill levels?

I've looked everywhere, and I've yet to find an answer to these questions. It's kind of surprising to me, since I think these questions would be of great importance to many prospective players. If not being a collectible trading card game like MtG makes a real significant difference in the affordability of Mage Wars, I would hope that specific information about why and how that makes it more affordable, and to what extent it does so, would be more readily available.

I really want to get into Mage Wars, but I don't want to have to be restricted to playing the same way with the same people in a small playgroup over and over again. It's one of the reasons I quit playing MtG, the other reason being that it was too expensive. I think competitive play would give the variety that I'm looking for, but it won't be worth playing if it isn't affordable. I'm hoping to at least play at the local level, or in informal events at the university that I will begin attending in the fall. I don't think they have a Mage Wars club though, at least not at the moment, but I'm sure it is very likely that there are enough students there who would want to join one.

I'm really excited about Mage Wars, so any help in clarifying these matters would be very much appreciated!
Thanks!