Arcane Wonders Forum
Mage Wars => General Discussion => Topic started by: reinfire13 on September 11, 2012, 12:41:11 AM
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Hiya!
My cousin and I were lucky enough to pick up the game at GenCon. We played the Demo last year and this year and it was amazing, but the demo just barely breaks the surface I believe (cause of the sheer amounts of dept to the game, not the lack of enjoyment of the demos... those were great!). Anyway, we finally got a bunch of games in other the past week or so and I wanted to share our experiences.
Mage Wars is like a fine wine (btw I rarely drink and never wine so this is kinda funny...but to the point), the more you learn to appreciate it the more thats going to be revealed. New players could even miss read this game completely.
We have been playing board games and miniatures for close to 20 years and I must say that this game is very impressive. The first few games we found our selves getting frustrated with the cards the other player was using mostly because they seemed to always be way better for the mana or they did something extremely good for how much resources it took to maintain them. After playing a hand full of games we quickly realized that you can't come into the game with a mind set of a card game... but more of a miniature game with cards. This may be obvious to some, but its worth pointing out our initial reaction just in case you find your self in a discussion with a new player who may have similar thoughts but not knowing how to state them.
One thing we started doing is using some strategies and concepts we we use in our play styles for the game Warmachine. I believe this helped a lot (personal experiences may differ) but mostly it helped us appreciate the balance and/or value of a certain card when applied to the game with the thought process of a miniature skirmish game rather than a CCG. Another thing we quickly realized is the value of certain cards that seem weak at first. For example, in Magic the Gathering, you may have a red card that costs one red mana and just gives a creature Haste (it can attack the turn it comes into play). For experienced players this is a garbage card that just takes up a slot in your 60 card deck. Incantations in Mage Wars have similar "one shot" effects that may seem weak but in reality can change the flow of the battle. Not only do you have any card available to you on any turn (obviously you have to only select two) but this increases the value of weaker cards just because you can have them when you need them. I think its a really good thing to point out to newer players if they start to go down the path of card balancing.
Anyway, to wrap up, I believe this game is going to soar to the top with the heavy contenders and be something talked about for many many years. The potential for this is HUGE and so far everyone I have told or shown the game to get extremely interested and impressed. I can NOT wait for everyone I know to own this.
Very good job to the Mage Wars team! Sorry for the rambling lol
-Tim
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Thanks! Great insights into the game. I always explain it as more of a miniatures game with cards too.
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well said, i completely agree
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Awesome! Sounds like you've got it down! ;)
The movement aspect is easily overlooked, but can mean the difference between winning and losing.
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I agree as well, everyone that I've introduced to this to is interested in having a demo played with them... I can't wait for my copy ^^ and my local game shop has even been interested in me doing some demo games one night in their store for others that are interested ^^.
I am really looking forward to seeing how far this game can go.
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I would call it a tactical board game that uses cards.
If asked it plays more like a minis game than anything else.
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im not 100% sure i agree with that statement. i dont get the same feeling with MW as i do with a minis game. it doesnt feel like im playing a minis game with cards. i think thats because of the high level of card interactions (both your own, and interacting your opponents) that makes me feel more like im playing magic with a board. which oddly enough i almost created a ruleset to do that with magic cards lol
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Lets look at a few definitions.
Card game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card games played with traditional decks have formally standardized rules, but most are folk games whose rules vary by region, culture, and person.
Many games that are not generally placed in the family of card games do in fact use cards for some aspect of their gameplay. Similarly, some games that are placed in the card game genre involve a board. The distinction is that the gameplay of a card game primarily depends on the use of the cards by players (the board is simply a guide for scorekeeping or for card placement), while board games (the principal non-card game genre to use cards) generally focus on the players' positions on the board, and use the cards for some secondary purpose.
Board game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A board game is a game that involves counters or pieces moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games can be based on pure strategy, chance (e.g. rolling dice) or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve. Early board games represented a battle between two armies, and most current board games are still based on defeating opposing players in terms of counters, winning position or accrual of points (often expressed as in-game currency).
There are many different types and styles of board games. Their representation of real-life situations can range from having no inherent theme, as with checkers, to having a specific theme and narrative, as with Cluedo. Rules can range from the very simple, as in tic-tac-toe, to those describing a game universe in great detail, as in Dungeons & Dragons (although most of the latter are role-playing games where the board is secondary to the game, helping to visualize the game scenario).
The amount of time required to learn to play or master a game varies greatly from game to game. Learning time does not necessarily correlate with the number or complexity of rules; some games, such as chess or Go, have simple rulesets while possessing profound strategies.
TACTICAL
1
: of or relating to combat tactics: as
a (1) : of or occurring at the battlefront (2) : using or being weapons or forces employed at the battlefront
b of an air force : of, relating to, or designed for air attack in close support of friendly ground forces
2
a : of or relating to tactics: as (1) : of or relating to small-scale actions serving a larger purpose (2) : made or carried out with only a limited or immediate end in view
b : adroit in planning or maneuvering to accomplish a purpose
This is why I would say it is a Tactical Board game more than a card game. It is more of a small scale skirmish then a large scale battle.
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i was not arguing the definition. i was stating the feeling i get from playing the game. while there are many strategy elements, the game "feels" more like magic than it does a strategy game, and i believe that is because of the heavy card interactions. this was simply an opinion and i stand by it.
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I play so many games that I feel it is less like a card game and more like a board game with cards.
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i do too and usually i would agree with you. summoner wars for example i would call a board game with cards. but this just feels more like magic i suppose i dont know how else to describe it.
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To me the tactics in Magic are very different even though your goal is the same. Mage Wars at it core is basic a small scale DoaM (Dudes on a Map) game.
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well, i judge a games catagory by the feeling i get playing them. to me the classic DoaM game is risk. and this doesnt feel anything like playing risk to me.
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Think of it more as squad based combat vs large scales battles.
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i understand that but personaly squad based combat doesnt feel like a DoaM game. it feels like a miniatures game. i think we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this lol
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i understand that but personaly squad based combat doesnt feel like a DoaM game. it feels like a miniatures game. i think we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this lol
I completely agree :P
For those who do not know Klax and I met at Gencon. I this is nothing more than lively discussion between two people who know each other. It was supposed to be read in a sarcastic and joking manner. I guess it hard to get that from these posts if you do not know us. I am sorry if this was taken differently.
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definaely. i hope no one thought we were upset at eachother or anything.
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Klax I would say that MW at its core is a combination between Anachronism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anachronism_%28game%29) and games like MTG. I used to play Anachronism at a nation competitive level and Mage Wars just does duels better. You get the strategy of deck building and also the flow of a minis games. I think this is why it appeals to such a wide variety of people.
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that statement i would agree with although i have never played anachronism.
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Klax at this point lets see what other people think. We talked enough about this :P
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Myself and my friends have taken to calling Mage Wars "card game Total Annihilation". The building of structures followed by an assault on the enemy Mage (Commander) feels an awful lot like the 1990's RTS game. (the original - not Supreme Commander)
And binding Firestorm to a wand can kill a crapload of units like the commander's D-gun. =)
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very true ive tried the firestorm wand thing very nice. only downside is its not a quick cast so you have to stand still to fire. but then you can put teleport in a mage wand....... but that does get rather mana intensive lol
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very true ive tried the firestorm wand thing very nice. only downside is its not a quick cast so you have to stand still to fire. but then you can put teleport in a mage wand....... but that does get rather mana intensive lol
Your gonna love some of the new Zone spells we are working on. It would be nice for player to get some thing like a "Rain of Stone" :whistle: or possible a blizzard type spell.