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Recently after purchasing this game, I got a chance to sit down and play it for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease with which my wife and I were able to hop right into a game.

Our first game went relatively quick as we both tried to pursue treasures as our only goal. Shortly, my wife handily won the game within fifteen minutes.

Deciding that the board was too small, we used all four sections that are provided with the game and started again. This made the game much more interesting. Ultimately this game was a draw as we played for probably an hour, before it was bedtime.

The rules for this classic game are straightforward, although I would suggest picking up the online FAQ before starting a game. There are some parts that can be confusing. Be sure to have a pen and pencil handy so that you can write down any house rulings. In certain parts of this game, you will find yourself without a good rule and be forced to agree upon one at the time. Write it down and keep it with the box.

The game is packaged well, with an attractive cover, the art on which reminds me of some of the art from old Dragon magazines. The components inside are all made of quality material, except perhaps the cards. The cards are made of a heavy cardstock that bent too easily while I was shuffling them. Other than that, the rest of the packaging was extremely well done.

There are counters for most items in the game and markers for each player. A d4 is also included for random movement and player order. The four mapboards included with the game are printed on cardboard and are well done. Each one is different so that there is never a single "golden" path to another wizard's treasure.

The eight page rulebook has only one error that I could find (the board layouts), but otherwise explained the concepts and the rules of the game very well. We only referred to the rules once or twice during our games, and this was the first time playing this game for either of us.

The true beauty behind this game though is the cards and the strategy that comes with them. Each player is a wizard who is trying his hardest to capture the treasures of the other players, while at the same time guarding his own. To help each wizard out, there is a deck of 130 cards containing number cards, attack spells, neutral spells, counteraction spells, and items that each player gets to draw from.

The spells are usually well thought out, and tend to have effects that are easy to figure out. Occasionally there will be a card that is somewhat confusing (hence the FAQ above), but overall, they are well done.

As each player moves around the board trying to captures his opponent's treasure, spells are being hurled down hallways and the terrain is never very steady either. This makes for a wonderful, simple, easy to learn, but intriguing board game.

I highly recommend this game to any role-player. This game would be an entertaining diversion to your weekly gaming session, and for the price of $17.00 costs about as much as the next supplement for your favorite RPG.

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

Wiz-War Classic Edition
Author: Tom Jolly Category: Boardgame Company/Publisher: Chessex Manufacturing Cost: $17.00 Page count: n/a Playtest Review by Paul Franklin on 08/03/98. Genre tags: none	Recently after purchasing this game, I got a chance to sit down and play it for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease with which my wife and I were able to hop right into a game. Our first game went relatively quick as we both tried to pursue treasures as our only goal. Shortly, my wife handily won the game within fifteen minutes. Deciding that the board was too small, we used all four sections that are provided with the game and started again. This made the game much more interesting. Ultimately this game was a draw as we played for probably an hour, before it was bedtime. The rules for this classic game are straightforward, although I would suggest picking up the online FAQ before starting a game. There are some parts that can be confusing. Be sure to have a pen and pencil handy so that you can write down any house rulings. In certain parts of this game, you will find yourself without a good rule and be forced to agree upon one at the time. Write it down and keep it with the box. The game is packaged well, with an attractive cover, the art on which reminds me of some of the art from old Dragon magazines. The components inside are all made of quality material, except perhaps the cards. The cards are made of a heavy cardstock that bent too easily while I was shuffling them. Other than that, the rest of the packaging was extremely well done. There are counters for most items in the game and markers for each player. A d4 is also included for random movement and player order. The four mapboards included with the game are printed on cardboard and are well done. Each one is different so that there is never a single "golden" path to another wizard's treasure. The eight page rulebook has only one error that I could find (the board layouts), but otherwise explained the concepts and the rules of the game very well. We only referred to the rules once or twice during our games, and this was the first time playing this game for either of us. The true beauty behind this game though is the cards and the strategy that comes with them. Each player is a wizard who is trying his hardest to capture the treasures of the other players, while at the same time guarding his own. To help each wizard out, there is a deck of 130 cards containing number cards, attack spells, neutral spells, counteraction spells, and items that each player gets to draw from. The spells are usually well thought out, and tend to have effects that are easy to figure out. Occasionally there will be a card that is somewhat confusing (hence the FAQ above), but overall, they are well done. As each player moves around the board trying to captures his opponent's treasure, spells are being hurled down hallways and the terrain is never very steady either. This makes for a wonderful, simple, easy to learn, but intriguing board game. I highly recommend this game to any role-player. This game would be an entertaining diversion to your weekly gaming session, and for the price of $17.00 costs about as much as the next supplement for your favorite RPG. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

Wiz-War Classic Edition