RPGnet : The Inside Scoop on Gaming

As with my earlier review of Compact Warrior, this review is based on reading and thinking about the rules, and creating a few characters; I have yet to actually playtest the game.

Compact Sorcerer is the magical supplement to Microtactix' Compact Combat, a wargame system for man-to-man medieval fantasy combat. A supplement it very much is; the rules from Compact Warrior are not repeated here, and are necessary in order to use this game. This is a good thing, for it allows the page count and price to stay down will still giving magic the attention it deserves. Even if you only want to play sorcerous duels, without any pesky swordsmen or the like, you will still get your money's worth out of the basic rules in Compact Warrior. With the addition of Compact Sorcerer, you can create characters who fight with magic. Using both, you can even create jacks of all trade, who have a little training in weapons and a little training in magic.

The magic system in Compact Sorcerer is straightforward, but also elegant and flexible. Though simple, it is by no means watered down. Some might complain that the spell system is too deterministic and mechanistic. However, I would point out that a vague, narratively flexible, "sense-of-wonder" magic system can only work in a roleplaying game where there is a game master or a referee to impartially (we hope) interpret the effects of magic. In a board game of combat, where there may be no game master or referee, a deterministic magic system with well-defined rules that both players agree upon is a good thing.

Despite the fact that the magic system is well defined, the very nature of magic requires that there be more trust between two players of a Compact Warrior game using the supplementary rules of Compact Sorcerer than would be necessary in a game just using the basic rules of Compact Warrior. Although many spells are magical smitings (fireballs, lightning strikes, and so forth), and relatively straightforward, there are also spells such as invisibility and illusions where the casting player has knowledge about what is where on the game board that his opponent might not have. In the cases of those spells, it is incumbent upon the casting player to write down what is really going on - where his invisible characters are, which is an illusion, etc., and to reveal that information when his opponent would reasonably know it. This does open up some easy cheating avenues for those who would abuse the system. However, personally, I do not consider this a drawback of Compact Sorcerer. I prefer a system that assumes mature players that won't take unfair advantage the required trust, thereby allowing a greater variety and flexibility of magic.

Because this is a supplement to a game of personal combat, not a supplement to a roleplaying games, most of the spells presented in Compact Sorcerer are spells that would be useful in combat. However, there is no reason why the very same magic system couldn't support spells that would be useful in roleplaying contexts. My only concern along these lines is that some spells that might be relatively simple in a roleplaying context are made difficult for purposes of balance in a board game of personal combat. For example, a short distance teleport, potentially a huge tactical advantage in a board game of combat, is rightfully made a difficult spell. In a roleplaying campaign, if a short distance teleport is that difficult, longer distance spells may become nigh impossible. It is entirely possible that the folks at Microtactix already have considered this, and that they will address it when they release their Simply Roleplaying line of roleplaying games that are purported to be compatible with Compact Combat.

The magic system is well integrated with the standard combat rules of Compact Warrior. The addition of magic to Compact Warrior games should be seamless and painless. The magic system appears to be well balanced with the rules for warriors. The more powerful spells are more costly and more difficult to successfully cast. However, a typical sorcerer has enough reserves of magic energy such that he ought to be able to contribute more moderate spells throughout a combat. Although I have yet to verify this in playtest, it appears that Compact Sorcerer has struck a nice balance between wizards being too powerful on the battlefield, and wizards becoming useless after blowing off the few spells they have energy to cast.

The style and presentation of Compact Sorcerer is almost identical to that of Compact Warrior. It is not slick, and appears to be desktop published, but it is cleanly written and readably typeset. The black and white line art, on the covers and on the included card stock stand-up figures and spell cards, is good, though not superb.

Because I reviewed Compact Warrior elsewhere, I will not consider its merits and/or flaws in rating this product. Given the basic rules of Compact Warrior, Compact Sorcerer is very nearly the perfect sorcerous expansion. It is difficult to imagine another set of rules for magic that would both fit seamlessly into the rules of Compact Warrior, capturing its style, and at the same time give enough attention to magicians to allow them to be more than merely somebody who shoots interestingly named missiles.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Compact Sorcerer
Author: Greg Poehlein & Guy McLimore Category: wargame supplement Company/Publisher: Microtactix Line: Compact Combat Cost: $8.95 Page count: 24 SKU: CC-1002 Capsule Review by R. Knop on 07/08/99. Genre tags: Fantasy	As with my earlier review of Compact Warrior, this review is based on reading and thinking about the rules, and creating a few characters; I have yet to actually playtest the game. Compact Sorcerer is the magical supplement to Microtactix' Compact Combat, a wargame system for man-to-man medieval fantasy combat. A supplement it very much is; the rules from Compact Warrior are not repeated here, and are necessary in order to use this game. This is a good thing, for it allows the page count and price to stay down will still giving magic the attention it deserves. Even if you only want to play sorcerous duels, without any pesky swordsmen or the like, you will still get your money's worth out of the basic rules in Compact Warrior. With the addition of Compact Sorcerer, you can create characters who fight with magic. Using both, you can even create jacks of all trade, who have a little training in weapons and a little training in magic. The magic system in Compact Sorcerer is straightforward, but also elegant and flexible. Though simple, it is by no means watered down. Some might complain that the spell system is too deterministic and mechanistic. However, I would point out that a vague, narratively flexible, "sense-of-wonder" magic system can only work in a roleplaying game where there is a game master or a referee to impartially (we hope) interpret the effects of magic. In a board game of combat, where there may be no game master or referee, a deterministic magic system with well-defined rules that both players agree upon is a good thing. Despite the fact that the magic system is well defined, the very nature of magic requires that there be more trust between two players of a Compact Warrior game using the supplementary rules of Compact Sorcerer than would be necessary in a game just using the basic rules of Compact Warrior. Although many spells are magical smitings (fireballs, lightning strikes, and so forth), and relatively straightforward, there are also spells such as invisibility and illusions where the casting player has knowledge about what is where on the game board that his opponent might not have. In the cases of those spells, it is incumbent upon the casting player to write down what is really going on - where his invisible characters are, which is an illusion, etc., and to reveal that information when his opponent would reasonably know it. This does open up some easy cheating avenues for those who would abuse the system. However, personally, I do not consider this a drawback of Compact Sorcerer. I prefer a system that assumes mature players that won't take unfair advantage the required trust, thereby allowing a greater variety and flexibility of magic. Because this is a supplement to a game of personal combat, not a supplement to a roleplaying games, most of the spells presented in Compact Sorcerer are spells that would be useful in combat. However, there is no reason why the very same magic system couldn't support spells that would be useful in roleplaying contexts. My only concern along these lines is that some spells that might be relatively simple in a roleplaying context are made difficult for purposes of balance in a board game of personal combat. For example, a short distance teleport, potentially a huge tactical advantage in a board game of combat, is rightfully made a difficult spell. In a roleplaying campaign, if a short distance teleport is that difficult, longer distance spells may become nigh impossible. It is entirely possible that the folks at Microtactix already have considered this, and that they will address it when they release their Simply Roleplaying line of roleplaying games that are purported to be compatible with Compact Combat. The magic system is well integrated with the standard combat rules of Compact Warrior. The addition of magic to Compact Warrior games should be seamless and painless. The magic system appears to be well balanced with the rules for warriors. The more powerful spells are more costly and more difficult to successfully cast. However, a typical sorcerer has enough reserves of magic energy such that he ought to be able to contribute more moderate spells throughout a combat. Although I have yet to verify this in playtest, it appears that Compact Sorcerer has struck a nice balance between wizards being too powerful on the battlefield, and wizards becoming useless after blowing off the few spells they have energy to cast. The style and presentation of Compact Sorcerer is almost identical to that of Compact Warrior. It is not slick, and appears to be desktop published, but it is cleanly written and readably typeset. The black and white line art, on the covers and on the included card stock stand-up figures and spell cards, is good, though not superb. Because I reviewed Compact Warrior elsewhere, I will not consider its merits and/or flaws in rating this product. Given the basic rules of Compact Warrior, Compact Sorcerer is very nearly the perfect sorcerous expansion. It is difficult to imagine another set of rules for magic that would both fit seamlessly into the rules of Compact Warrior, capturing its style, and at the same time give enough attention to magicians to allow them to be more than merely somebody who shoots interestingly named missiles. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)