you have to remember the hand of bim shalla is insanely cheap for the priestess to put in her deck.  i would put 6 in the deck just to replace some as they got destroyed.  actually i have been playing this deck for a month or so and i like it fairly well.

with the temple, regardless of the modifiers, there is the same chance to stun (2 out of 12 spots, or a 1 in 6 chance.)  so no matter how many temples or wether your opponent has light -2, the chance of stunning is still 1/6.  the chance of dazeing will go up or down though.

you are assuming that the act of flying grants the greater speed necessary, which indeed in some cases it seems too.  however since most melee actions are quick and most ranged actions are full perhaps that has something to do with it...  just speculating.

agreed flame -2 (or flame +2) do add to the D12 roll.  however Melee +1 does not add to the D12 roll.

also i had a message from someone about making custom action markers out of wood and it says thier account is deleted so i dont know who to reply too.  also its still having my do the  captcha

lol the video tape thing would be interesting except maybe only for the last round or two of a tourny and if someone cheats they forefit.  maybe just have judges available whos job it is to verify if an enchantment is mandatory or not.  that might be the simplest without altering the rules or balance.

exactly the extra spellbooks would be better placed in the 4 player expansion.

i would just like to chime in here.  i understand your view nihil and i respect your opinion.

however i disagree with some aspects, let me explain.

you are quite correct that the mages are unique based on life total, channeling, schools abilities, and maybe eventually spellbook points.

you are also correct that having mage X only cards does somewhat limit creativity and freedom in spellbook design.

before i go into my explination i would like to say i started gameing as a role player and have branched out into miniature games and finally board games.  i still enjoy all types of games and have quite a variety of games really love to play.

what kind of game is mage wars?  this game is trying to be immersive. one of the core concepts is "what if magic were real?"  there is a strong role playing element to the background and that infuses itself in the rules.  i myself have asked questions of the designers for things i felt were not quite thematic although perfectly legal by the rules and the responce was wow your right, we will errata that and fix the wording on the rules.  i think this is a change from what most people are use too.  the game is centered around realism and balance, and everything else is secondary.

so why do i feel mage X cards are appropriate for this type of game?  they further define each mage and thier abilities.  almost like defining a character for a role playing game.  its not just about a list of abilities its about theme.  let me give some examples.

1) Drain Life.  the spell isnt just about damaging your opponent and healing yourself.  you are sucking out the life essence of your opponent, possibly a piece of thier soul.  to most people the very thought is abhorent.   no wizard, priestess or beastmaster would ever consider such an act.  however the warlock...  and might i add, anyone trained in the dark arts has made sacrifices, both personal and of unwilling victems that the though of draining someone is mearly a means to an end.  that is why drain life is dark mage only.

2) gate to voltari.  many have tried to study and tap into the plane of Voltari, but few have spent the countless years of study that the wizards of sortilage have gone through.  they understand Voltari like no other.  forming such a portal is the crowning achievement of thier order, allowing even greater opertunity for study.

those are just 2 examples.  its not about limiting your options, although it does that somewhat.  its about further defining a mage in ways that you couldnt do on just a stat card.

sorry i have to run.  i will wait for responces and try to comment more tomorrow have to run to work!