WizKids Mage Knight Board Game (Standard Edition)

Many of those who pick up the Mage Knight board game will fondly remember the collectible miniatures game, also from WizKids. I know I did (although those memories are tainted by the downward slide into overpowered madness that marked the middle years of the game's history). For what it's worth, the Mage Knight Board Game has nothing in common with the miniatures game, aside from the name and a few select references.For how different this game is from the roots that spawned it, I must start the review by saying this: the Mage Knight Board Game is excellent. Not mediocre, or just good, but excellent. And for a game that's part randomized-tile exploration, part deck-building, part-dice rolling, part fantasy combat sim, that's an amazing accomplishment.For starters, let's look at the quality of the components. Regular board game enthusiasts will understand when I say that they are at the level of Fantasy Flight Games, and even better in many respects. The tiles used to create the game board are on solid card stock, but thin enough that they don't require too much vertical space to store (a problem I had with the tiles included in the D&D adventure games, such as Castle Ravenloft). The four plastic miniatures representing the players are pre-painted, as well as four "city" miniatures that incorporate the click-wheel design that featured so prominently in the miniatures game long ago. A very interesting, but superior, choice was to use a noticeably different playing card stock from what has typically been used for deck-building games. The cards are very flexible, but don't show signs of wear-and-tear as easily as traditional card stock (at least in my experience, I have read contrary opinions from other reviewers), like cards from Magic the Gathering. Serious gamers will likely still default to card sleeves, but to be honest the card stock is flexible and sturdy enough that it doesn't require sleeves to the extent that most other games do (basically, unless you plan for very heavy use of the game, I don't think card sleeves are necessary). The multitude of cardboard tokens are also on good cardboard with attractive, distinctive images on both sides that help illuminate their use during the game. The plastic insert included with the game holds all the components snugly, perhaps a little too snugly in the case of the cards (not enough space is available to definitively separate the types of cards, which is my one complaint on the components).So the components hold up to the standard of quality (excellence) that I set at the beginning of the review, but what about the game itself? If anything, the game system is far superior to the plastic and cardboard products within the game itself, and would be worth purchasing even if the components were of lesser quality.What sets the game apart from many others is how seamlessly and beautifully the separate systems interact with one another. Approaching the game, you will see many different systems: a combat system, deck-building system, and exploration system. The common points of intersection are the board, which is developed by interchangeable tiles that are "explored" during the game and on which monsters are placed, and the player's "deed" deck, the cards from which are used to fight, recruit allies, move, cast spells, etc. The ultimate goal of the game depends on the scenario, but typically the goal is to acquire the most "fame" (victory points). You gain fame by defeating monsters and conquering cities. Additional fame is awarded at the end of the game for certain accomplishments. With that in mind, how do we go about getting as much fame as possible?Since defeating monsters and assaulting cities is the mechanism by which fame is acquired, players need to maximize their ability to complete these two tasks. The game divides the mechanisms by which to accomplish this into "move, influence and [combat actions]." Movement allows you to get where you need to go (with different terrain types dictating the number of movement points required to move to a desired area). Influence allows you to buy units/spells/abilities (all in the form of cards) that will give you increased move/influence/combat ability in subsequent turns. Combat actions are divided into attack/block types, with a multitude of variations that make combat into a mini-puzzle that rewards thought (and without which makes the determination of the combat's true victor highly improbable). The deed deck is the source of your ability to do all these things (plus your units, which are separate), from which you draw cards that give you movement/influence/combat points to spend each turn. To further complicate matters, the game is at an even higher level divided into day/night rounds. So within a round there are multiple turns, and each player takes turns playing their turn, etc. The great thing about all these seemingly mundane (at least from my description) actions is that they take place in an evolving fantasy world (evolving based on how you explore it). You will find monasteries, mage towers, mines, magical sites, ruins, keeps, cities, and more as you explore the world and seek to strengthen your character. The excitement of turning over a tile to see what options I've just uncovered is still a major part of the game, and a major reason why I continue to play this night after night, and will choose to play it over computer games (my typical after-work "decompressant").From the previous description you can already tell that the sheer number of rules and exceptions to those rules becomes an issue when you start playing. This is compounded by the use of two rulebooks, one a walkthrough book designed to get you started, the other the official rulebook (but designed so differently that you will have difficulty clarifying rules when you have a question - this is my main issue with the game, actually). Luckily, the game is simple enough at its core that after just a couple of games you should have the hang of it. What's more, is that once you begin to play the game, you also understand the interactions between the systems and how beautifully cohesive it is. The game experience is truly wonderful, being described by some as solving a puzzle each turn. And, as the use of the word "maximize" in the preceding paragraph should have tipped you off that in many ways it is a puzzle. You are solving the problem of how to maximize the acquisition of fame with a randomized hand of cards. But that probably makes the game sound too much like work, which it most certainly is not. The game is awesome - the systems, once understood, make it well worth the effort to go through the steep learning curve for the first couple of games, and even more impressively, the game is a blast to play both solitaire as well as 2-player. My conclusion? If you like Fantasy-themed games, board games in general, computer RPGs, or are just a straight-up nerd like me, buy this game.

People do not like this game because it is really hard to learn and is very complicated. To those people I say go play Chutes and Ladders. This game is not for the faint of heart. My record time completing the beginner campaign with new players is 4 hours, including setup and cleanup. Mind you, its a half of a normal campaign. But if you play with people that know how to play, it goes much much faster. Just like Catan or any complicated strategy game, what takes so long is having to explain the rules, consult the rulebook, and figure out what to do on your turn. I believe this game is designed VERY well, has excellent balancing (not perfect, I still think Goldyx flying ability is kind of OP), and is incredibly exciting for anyone that loves involved board games and/or RPGs. Its a board game RPG Deckbuilder for God's sake, AND YOU CAN PLAY SOLO! AND ITS REALLY FUN! #ForeveraloneI recommend to anyone that is learning or wants to get better (or play with friends) to try out Vassal. You can download it for free and play it extremely fast (minimum 2 monitors is required for a playable experience). It is a very good way to familiarize yourself with how the game works. Playing solo is basically like playing an rpg video game.I understand that its a complicated game, but people that are buying it and reviewing it... I mean I think its kind of something they should have known before agreeing to play / purchase it. ITS A BOARD GAME RPG! WITH DRAGONS, SPELLS, ARTIFACTS, CITIES, MONSTER DENS, DUNGEONS, RUINS, MANA CRYSTALS, AND MUCH MORE COOL STUFF! YOU CAN PLUNDER VILLAGES, BURN DOWN MONASTERIES! THERES REPUTATION AND EVEN PVP (which i have yet to try out).Basically its just a really cool game. After you play your first, you will have felt like you ran a mental marathon. Is it worth it? Depends on what you like and what you are into. For instance: My friends would LOVE playing this game called Twilight Imperium. It was incredibly involved and complex, had the strategy card thing like in this game, and had all these little spaceship tokens with different races and seemed really really fun. After playing a game or two, I quickly realized that the entire game revolved around taking one specific strategy card, which gives you victory points. Thats it. All the strategy and building giant fleets of spaceships was just a pointless endeavor, because the only way you really won was by taking that card whenever you could. If you did not take that card and receive the two victory points, you basically were handing the game over to someone else or at least making it way easier for them to win. This game is totally not like that, every decision you make can either increase your chances of winning or put you further behind. You can take risks which can pay off or hurt you, but I have yet to play a game where I totally ruin my chances because of bad luck or bad judgement. There is always a chance to recover and come back.So if you are a fan of Chutes and ladders, do not buy this game.If the idea of a board game which combines Dominion, Catan (hexes), RPG, and Twilight imperium (or BSG, strategy cards turn order), then definitely give this a shot. If you are learning by yourself, be prepared for a lot of reading of the manual.