Modes of play (Academy, Domination, Arena)

[bigfatchef]

I did not speak bad about academy.

"Without strategic movement it completely loses what mage wars is all about."

Huh?

I see movement and aerial decisions as an important part of the arena game. Academy doesn't have those. That is a matter of fact, not bad talk, or?

[Sailor Vulcan]

I did not speak bad about academy.

"Without strategic movement it completely loses what mage wars is all about."

Huh?

I see movement and aerial decisions as an important part of the arena game. Academy doesn't have those. That is a matter of fact, not bad talk, or?

Now it seems like you're changing what you're saying. What you said originally was "Without strategic movement it completely loses what mage wars is all about."

And in the context you said that in it was quite evident that you were citing the loss of what "Mage Wars is all about" as a reason not to play Academy.

It's fine if you prefer Arena to Academy, and it's fine if you prefer Arena because of the movement. Even outside of Mage Wars some people are more into minis games than card games, so it's completely normal that some people will prefer Arena, just as it's completely normal that some people might prefer Academy--and not JUST because they don't have the  time, skill or dedication for Arena. Both Academy and Arena are very good games.

But, no offense, none of that is what you actually said originally.

Btw, the lack of movement changes the gameplay so much that saying that Arena is better than Academy because it has movement is like saying oranges are better than apples because they're just as sweet as apples and they're also tangy--a quality which apples don't possess.

[jhaelen]

"Without strategic movement it completely loses what mage wars is all about."Huh?

Well, that's at least half-true. Imho, there's two things that Mage Wars is about:
- the board, i.e. the spatial element.
- no random hand of cards.

The question is: Is it still Mage Wars if one of these two elements is missing? For me, the answer is no.

[Sailor Vulcan]

"Without strategic movement it completely loses what mage wars is all about."Huh?

Well, that's at least half-true. Imho, there's two things that Mage Wars is about:
- the board, i.e. the spatial element.
- no random hand of cards.

The question is: Is it still Mage Wars if one of these two elements is missing? For me, the answer is no.

And what exactly do you mean by the phrase "still Mage Wars"?

I've actually played both Arena and Academy, and I can assure you that while Academy is not similar enough to Arena to be an alternate variant of it, neither is it different enough to be a completely separate game.

[Kelanen]

I agree - Academy is not Mage Wars, and I agree that planning from a spellbook and teh spatial elements of a board are the two defining features.

Academy is a game that uses a subset pool of Mage Wars cards. It's Not Mage Wars, and it's not a variant of Mage Wars. I don't like Domination much, but it is Mage Wars still.

[Sailor Vulcan]

Okay, that sounds like a pretty reasonable declaration in theory, but it doesn't hold up in practice. How many of you have actually played a full game of Academy not counting the demo?


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[Kelanen]

I've played. It doesn't feel like MW, and it's a poor game.

[Sailor Vulcan]

I've played. It doesn't feel like MW, and it's a poor game.

And how many times did you play preconstructed before using custom decks?

And did you try it with quick cast phases? I'm still not entirely certain whether the game needs quickcast phases to be balanced or if most people are just taking the wrong approach to the setup rounds, but either way the apparent problem goes away when you use quickcast phases.

[DaveW]

I am an Arena-only player. I tried Academy in the playtest stage and didn't like it a bit. I read through the Academy rules when I bought it (for the spells only), and that confirmed that I didn't want to play it. I wish the cards would have been available as a card-only expansion. I don't ever see any use for anything else in the box except the miniature dice (which I really like having).

I don't think that I'll ever purchase Domination (or Battlegrounds, or whatever it might be called). I don't want to spend more money on other things that I'll never use, especially if half of the spells included aren't very useful in Arena. I guess that will make things like Astral Anchor "more valuable" cards to own, since those who are like me that don't own this particular MW off-shoot will have them.

When I teach others Arena, I use the half arena and teaching books idea that was in the "teach others" file. That has worked extremely well.

I guess that I just prefer games that are more complex.

What in the world is "top-decking"? (I am guessing some kind of MtG thing, which I also don't play.)

[Laddinfance]

Top Decking is where you're hoping to get a particular card through the total random chance of the draw. Often times it is also without extra card draw. Effectively it's trying to get the perfect pick off the top card of your deck, hence top decking.

Alternatively, it is when you are out of cards in your hand and you're hoping to not draw "dead" cards.

[silverclawgrizzly]

I enjoy all three modes of play myself. I'm a better Arena player than I am Domination, but I expect I'll get better now that more of my play group is buying copies. I enjoy Academy for what it is: a simpler, faster version of Mage Wars. I've got a book built for Academy and I'm happy to throw down when ever.

[NerdGuy]

My favorite mode is still good old Arena. The tactile movement the game provides is a big plus in my book and part of what initially drew me in. I like Domination in spurts it seems; I enjoy the different mindset it requires and the alternate win condition. However my playgroup(which might be too tiny to consider it a playgroup) usually just attacks the opponent anyways so Domination loses a bit of what makes it different.

Academy isn't bad. I think once the next round comes out it might get better; I like sitting around and building spellbooks for fun and there just aren't that many options at the moment. If I could get a few more people on board it would rise in my eyes; I just rarely get to play two player games any more and when I do if I'm playing Mage Wars I grab Arena.

[iNano78]

While looking for something else, I found this article on the history of Domination mode - and how at one time, it nearly became the default way to play Mage Wars.  Oh, for the days when you had to control the zone to hold down an orb, when flying creatures couldn't control a zone, when there was no such thing as the guard action, and when Sslaks were called Ssslaaks.   

http://www.arcanewonders.com/arcane-wonders/the-designers-desk