Attacking to remove sleep

[Koy]

An Archmage may make it in time for Christmas this year - we'll see. He is powerful enough to take on 3 other Mages at one time.

A dungeon adventure mode where 3-4 Mages work together against the game, with multiple scenarios.

I am going to assume I'm in the minority on this one, however these two items fill me with concern.  A mage powerful enough to fight 3 others?  What?  How does this possibly sound like a good idea?  And 3-4 mages playing "PVE" with scenarios?  I am 100% confused how either of those fit into this marvelous customizable game of dueling mages I have grown to love in the last couple months.  

The first sounds similar to a variant of MtG: Duel of the Planeswalkers Archenemy mode to me off the cuff, and I ... well ... hated that.  I can't see wanting to play either side of that in a tabletop setting.  And the second sounds like Mage Knight, only ... I have Mage Knight for that style of play.

I dunno, I'm sure I'm likely the minority (or hell, the lone dissenting voice) but that post did the absolute opposite of exciting me.  I am worried.  

Yes, you may commence the stoning now.  *ducks*

[Tacullu64]

There is no stoning necessary. The good news for you is this does not change the game you've come the love. It opens up new options for those that already play and possibly entices some of those that don't into giving the game a try. As time goes by and we get more information if you still decide you don't like these new additions you can forgo them and continue playing the variants you like.

[Arcanus]

We have playtested an archmage in the past, and it is a wonderful occasional alternative to the core game.  One player will take on 3 of his pals, and trust me - it is a blast to try and take that arch mage down!

None of these other scenarios will diminish or alter the core game. Mage Wars will always remain primarily a game of 2 dueling mages.

[DarthDadaD20]

Thats funny, moments ago I started a thread saying that I hope the Archmage has some sort of archenemy type deck! :blink:  If you were (or are) a Mtg player,you would know that all the different games they put out (archenemy,planechase, Commander) has had little to no effect on there "main" game play while establishing there own little niche in the community. Other games have done this to and again little to no effect on the main game. If anything it can bring more players into it.

Arcanus: I did send you a PM, and thank you!

[Simplify]

May I introduce a word of caution here, streamlining is a good thing in general, but not without danger. When you are streamlining you do it with good intentions, attracting new players, make the game shorter etc but it also take away from the game, a loss that may seem minor but that can turn out to be a bigger deal than expected. You have to be careful not to oversimplify the game. 18 months ago I was playing WOW tcg,another great game, I was part of a group of 20 people or so, when the designers of the game, seeking a larger audience, proceeded to  eliminate certain mechanics, change the functionality of others, erase or modify keywords to the point where they water down the game so much that 75% of our group stop playing, including me. So please, be very careful, don't take your veterans players for granted, loosing touch with your fan base can happen quickly and irremediably.

[jcox2820]

PVE especially sounds interesting, as does Archmage, provided that it will be easy to use them as a diversion from the normal game with the stuff we will already own.

[Arcanus]

Understood. Thanks for the word of caution.

The game you are playing now is as simplified as it is going to get.  All of the simplification has already taken place.  At this point we will just be adding new types of spells, mages, and mechanics, but slowly, and carefully.

We very much listen to the players, and plan to continue that. We read every post, make notes, ask questions of the players, and hold polls from time to time on tough choices. Some good examples of fan-driven choices: The Core spell Tomes, both 1 and 2, were developed by player demand.  The number of copies of spells in the Forcemaster vs. Warlord were picked based on player feedback.  

While we won't compromise certain core parts of the game, there is still a lot of room for input and we want this to be the game players want to play, and truly appreciate the comments and suggestions!

[Simplify]

Those are words of ecstasy    :cheer:

[Sausageman]

Understood. Thanks for the word of caution.

The game you are playing now is as simplified as it is going to get.  All of the simplification has already taken place.  At this point we will just be adding new types of spells, mages, and mechanics, but slowly, and carefully.

We very much listen to the players, and plan to continue that. We read every post, make notes, ask questions of the players, and hold polls from time to time on tough choices. Some good examples of fan-driven choices: The Core spell Tomes, both 1 and 2, were developed by player demand.  The number of copies of spells in the Forcemaster vs. Warlord were picked based on player feedback.  

While we won't compromise certain core parts of the game, there is still a lot of room for input and we want this to be the game players want to play, and truly appreciate the comments and suggestions!

Well, the mere fact that you are here, engaging with us and answering questions puts you above and beyond many, many games/companies I have seen in the past...  

The one thing I hope never, EVER to see if a background/layout change on the cards.  Many ccgs have done it in the past, and it just causes a complete mess.  The look incompatible with each other, and ugly when used in conjuction with older cards.  Please promise me you'll never do this  

Can I just throw my name in the hat to say I'm more than happy to help out in any way I can with anything (I have pretty extensive experience in many games - I play them a lot .  Also, I'm UK based and, if able, I'm happy to try to build a presence up this side of the pond...

[Arcanus]

Ha!  Thanks Sausageman!

Send me a private email with your email address sir!

[N0rdicNinja]

[spoiler]Thank you DarthDadaD20.  

Mage Wars is truly a labor of love.  We made the game to satisfy our own need/desire to play a realistic Mage combat game. I have 3 older sons and we worked on it together.  After we had about 20 college age guys hooked and playing regularly, we knew we had something we should bring to market.

Understood Sausageman! Trust me, all the playtesters, like Heatstryke above, are always pushing to remove excess mechanics, and keep the game streamlined.

We've been working on Mage Wars for over 5 years, and we have a lot of great stuff planned.  We will be careful to not overwhelm too much at once, keeping new mechanics to a minimum.  Here are a few tidbits of things to come:

We will have SWARM creatures (like swarms of bees, ants, and plague rats), which are interesting because when you attack them it only kills one creature in the swarm.  SO they are very tough, except vs. zone attacks which are devastating.

The Illusionist uses face-down markers to track his creatures.  Are they real or Illusionary? Her stronger illusions can fight and behave like a real creature.  Should you waste a turn disbelieving the illusion? Her weaker Illusions just disappear the instant they take damage, but still provide a great decoy.

Some of the Necromancer's creatures feed off the dead, hatching new creatures inside the corpse, or turning them into Undead as well.

The upcoming Paladin has a suit of armor. The individual pieces are great, but it gains extra powers once he has the full suit in place.  And yes, it is extra hard to destroy once its in place. He is an amazing front line fighter.

An Archmage may make it in time for Christmas this year - we'll see. He is powerful enough to take on 3 other Mages at one time.

A dungeon adventure mode where 3-4 Mages work together against the game, with multiple scenarios.

Thanks again for the wonderful support![/spoiler]

Holy crap, Info dump overload...

Many thanks for the insight, this is the kind of stuff to get excited over! =)