The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Wiz War has been around since the dawn of time. Well, 1985 anyway. In all that time it has never really achieved the notoriety it deserved. A game of "magical combat in a stone labyrinth," the premise of Wiz War is that each player is a wizard who is trying to steal his opponent's treasures while protecting his own. The first player to get two enemy treasures back to his home base wins. Beware, if both of your treasures are stolen, or you lose all of your life, you're out!

The rules are simple, allowing wizards to unleash a flurry of weird effects and sail right through them. The magic system consists of cards which represent various spells known to the wizards, such as Powerthrust, Pass Through Wall, and the dreaded Sudden Death. Spells can be Reversed, Amplified, Extended, and Reflected, provided you have the right cards! As a spell is cast, it is discarded, and two new cards can be drawn at the start of each turn. The spells themselves have designations such as "attack" or "neutral", which govern when and how often one can use them. Anyone familiar with Magic should pick up on this quite readily, others might take a bit longer.

Also included in the deck of cards are numbers. These numbers can be used to make point-based spells more powerful or last longer, or they can be discarded for a boost in movement. Along with spells and numbers, there are various items ranging from the Knife to the popular Large Rock, and magic items like the Soulstone, or the much sought after Speedstone.

Where Wiz War has most of its flaws is in the graphics department. Simple drawings mark out the game board and various chits that come with the game, representing the Wizards and dropped items. The cards themselves are on the worst type of cardstock, making them extremely flimsy. The other problem with Wiz War is play balance. Some cards obviously more powerful than others, and with fewer players, one or two lucky draws can spell the end of the game.

Minor issues aside, Wiz War has brought hours of entertainment to my gaming group over the years, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The issue of play balance is slightly nit-picky, as there are so many cards, the possibility of a "God Hand" are slim. If you like freewheeling multi-player action, combined with an elegant rules system, Wiz War is the game for you.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Wiz War
Author: Tom Jolly Category: Board Game Company/Publisher: Chessex Line: n/a Cost: $17.00 Playtest Review by Jonathan Witt on 06/11/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	Wiz War has been around since the dawn of time. Well, 1985 anyway. In all that time it has never really achieved the notoriety it deserved. A game of "magical combat in a stone labyrinth," the premise of Wiz War is that each player is a wizard who is trying to steal his opponent's treasures while protecting his own. The first player to get two enemy treasures back to his home base wins. Beware, if both of your treasures are stolen, or you lose all of your life, you're out! The rules are simple, allowing wizards to unleash a flurry of weird effects and sail right through them. The magic system consists of cards which represent various spells known to the wizards, such as Powerthrust, Pass Through Wall, and the dreaded Sudden Death. Spells can be Reversed, Amplified, Extended, and Reflected, provided you have the right cards! As a spell is cast, it is discarded, and two new cards can be drawn at the start of each turn. The spells themselves have designations such as "attack" or "neutral", which govern when and how often one can use them. Anyone familiar with Magic should pick up on this quite readily, others might take a bit longer. Also included in the deck of cards are numbers. These numbers can be used to make point-based spells more powerful or last longer, or they can be discarded for a boost in movement. Along with spells and numbers, there are various items ranging from the Knife to the popular Large Rock, and magic items like the Soulstone, or the much sought after Speedstone. Where Wiz War has most of its flaws is in the graphics department. Simple drawings mark out the game board and various chits that come with the game, representing the Wizards and dropped items. The cards themselves are on the worst type of cardstock, making them extremely flimsy. The other problem with Wiz War is play balance. Some cards obviously more powerful than others, and with fewer players, one or two lucky draws can spell the end of the game. Minor issues aside, Wiz War has brought hours of entertainment to my gaming group over the years, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The issue of play balance is slightly nit-picky, as there are so many cards, the possibility of a "God Hand" are slim. If you like freewheeling multi-player action, combined with an elegant rules system, Wiz War is the game for you. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)