What's up, new guy? Or old guy, or maybe you are new to Mage Wars, but you are up in Age. Or you are a young dude who's an old hand at Mage Wars. Or you maybe just want me to get on with what ever it is that I have to say. So I will.
You've started playing. You and a friend built these apprentice spellbooks, and now you are ready to dive in. You play a game, cool beans. You like the game, even cooler beans. And now you want to do that full game thing you've been hearing about. Those taboo ability cards, conjurations, man. The world is your oyster. And Mage Wars is the pearl.
I'm here to tell you you're doing it wrong.
Well, maybe not. Who am I to tell you how to play your purchased game with your own hard owned dough? I'm nobody, just a duder. But I can offer you a few nuggers of wisdom I've picked up along my way of Mage Wars. and the nugger that I'm offering you today? Play the absolute poop out your apprentice books. Seriously. Those full books that come with the game are great and all, but you will be overwhelmed. There are some very basic strategies in Mage Wars that the Apprentice books teach you very well. A few examples:
Going for the opponent's face. So many games have I seen in which the mages are just kind of sitting there, building up forces to take each other on. And then they take those forces and fight each others creatures, for sure making this epic battle of attrition. But just like chess, you don't win based on the number of pieces you take. You win based on taking the king, or in this case, the mage. Going straight to the full game too early, you see all these awesome creatures and you're like, woah. And then you're like woah. And then you're like, woahhhh. Your creative little brain starts thinking up ways to use these creatures, which isn't bad at all! But it's not the best way to grok the game.
Positioning. If there is one thing that's easy to screw up in Mage Wars, it's positioning. Knowing where to place your pieces and when is a critical part to winning the game. The shortened size of the arena allows much more forgiveness in this sense, as you are able to readjust without losing too much tempo. Picking up on when you need to move, and what you need to move, seem almost arbitrary when you first get to the full game. You've got all this space and all this time, why not just move wherever? You'll find yourself backtracking, losing tempo, and ultimately, the game.
Reading the opponent. This is the hardest, most frustrating aspect for new players, and for good reason. There are a metric s word TON of cards in the game. How am I supposed to know what two you picked, and when? I remember when I first started playing, that aspect was so overwhelming, i ended up just ignoring it. That's right, I ignored it completely. This vital, and one of the most fun parts of Mage Wars, and I was missing out! Playing out with the apprentice books a good number of times will teach you what basic cards the opponent will play in a given situation. The apprentice game gives you basic tools, not only so that you can learn the mechanics, but you can also begin to read what the opponent is doing. Put this way, if you can accurately read what the opponent is doing every turn, you will win the game with about a 95 percent chance, the other 5 being cards you don't have in your book and statistically bad rolls. I think of the Apprentice game a lot like I think of chess. You know what the opponent is bringing to the table, you just have to read when he is going to do what, and counteract that. Don't worry, my friend, you can do it.
And these are just a few examples of what you can learn when you play the most basic form of Mage Wars.
Now we get to the crazy part.
Been playing Mage wars a while?
Build those Apprentice books again.
Play the basic game.
Seriously. You will learn a lot more than you think. You may not learn any fancy new combos or crack the code on how to win 100 percent of the time, every time. But you will break bad habits. You will start to build a solid foundation with which to pile onto your knowledge. It's a great tool for growth....
and it's becoming my favorite way to play. Seriously. I know every card in my opponent's book, and he knows every card in mine. It's like a preconstructed format from the old TCG days, but better IMHO. The game gains a strategic depth that I had almost forgot existed. And I started learning again. Building books are a wonderful way to play Mage Wars, but if you aren't careful, that is ALL you will do. You won't play, you will build. And build. And build. Theory starts to replace practicality, and your books, in turn, will get worse. This isn't always true, of course, but for me, at least, this was how it worked. Going back to the apprentice books allowed me to focus purely on gameplay. I didn't have to worry about what I did or didn't put into the book. Instead, I could focus on what i was going to play. And I absolutely love it. Maybe you will, too.
So, be it a sapling or a great ole Oak, or spruce, or whatever tree you think you are, try it out. Stick with the apprentice books. Give it 10 plays. I guarantee you will learn something new.
