Mage Knight Board Game

Mage Knight Board Game is a cooperative board game for 1 to 4 players designed by Vlaada Chvátil and released in November 2011.[1] It is based on the related collectable miniatures game, Mage Knight. It has been rated as one of the top single player board games.[2]

This article is about the Mage Knight Board Game. For the collectible miniatures series, see Mage Knight.
Mage Knight Board Game
DesignersVlaada Chvátil
IllustratorsJ. Lonnee, Chris Raimo, Milan Vavroň
PublishersWizKids
Players1–4
Playing time60–240 minutes (per scenario)
Age range14+
SkillsStrategy, Tactics, Logic

Gameplay
An example of Mage Knight Board game being played

In the Mage Knight Board Game a player controls one of four Mage Knights, exploring the Mage Knight universe and fighting against powerful enemies. Players choose between a number of scenarios to play with each scenario having a particular objective to meet, such as conquering cities, controlling land areas, investigating mysteries, etc.. Players create the gameboard using tiles as described within the scenario documentation.[3]

Each character has a 16 cards deck used for actions and movement. Players start with drawing 5 cards from the deck and as characters level up, more cards are drawn. The map is slowly revealed as players move on the board. Enemies are placed on the map as the board is revealed. The game time is tracked using rounds utilizing a Day/Night mechanic. When a players deck is empty at the start of their turn, the round will end and advance to the next Day/Night cycle.[3] The game continues until a predetermined number of game days have elapsed, at which point the game ends. If the objective has been met, as described within the scenario, the players win. If the objective has not been met, the players lose.[4]

Characters
  • Arythea: The Blood Cultist
  • Goldyx: The Winged Green Lizard
  • Norowas: An Elven Leader
  • Tovak Wyrmstalker: A Knight
  • Braevelar: A Druid (Shades of Tezla Expansion)
  • Wolfhawk A Solitary Warrior (Lost Legion Expansion)
  • Krang: A trollish chieftain/shaman (Krang Character Expansion)

Expansions and Re-releases

Three distinct expansions released for Mage Knight:

  1. Mage Knight Board Game: The Lost Legion was released in December 2012.[5]
  2. Mage Knight Board Game: Krang Character was released in 2013[6]
  3. Mage Knight Board Game: Shades of Tezla was released in July 2015[7]

Mage Knight Board Game: Ultimate Edition was released in December 2018 by WizKids. The Ultimate Edition included the base game along with all of three previously released expansions.[8] Mage Knight: Dual Color Card Expansion was released in 2019 and included cards that were previously only contained within the Ultimate Edition.[9][10]

In July 2016, the Star Trek: Frontiers board game was released utilizing gameplay and systems from Mage Knight Board Game.[11][12]

Critical reception

The overall reception of the board game was positive. Entropymag says that the game "stand(s) apart from even the best sandboxes found in electronic games."[13] TechRaptor rated it a 10.0 and described it as "one of the best, if not the best, solo game on the market."[14] Board Games Land similarly mentioned that it "holds the crown as the best solo board game"[15] and The Thoughtful Gamer said "you know it’s going to be difficult, but in the end it’s going to be a rewarding experience."[16]

Within the first month of the game's release it was sold out due to an overwhelming response, prompting a second release.[17]

Awards and honors
  1. 2011 Nominee for Dice Tower's Best Game of the Year Award for [18]
  2. 2012 International Gamers Awards: Nominee in the General Strategy category[19]
  3. 2012 Golden Geek Award for Most Thematic Board Game from Board Game Geek.[20]
  4. 2013 Origins Awards Best Board Game Nominee[21]
  5. 2012 Spiel der Spiele Hit für Experten Recommended[22]
  6. 2012 Golden Geek Most Innovative Board Game Nominee[23]

In 2019, Mage Knight Board Game was inducted into the Origins Award Hall of Fame.[24]

References
  1. WizKids (2014-12-23). "Mage Knight | WizKids". WizKids | Dedicated to creating games driven by imagination. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  2. Campbell, Byron Alexander. "Session Report: Mage Knight Board Game and the Sandbox". Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  3. Biewer, Brian (2019-08-23). "Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition Review". Board Game Quest. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  4. "Mage Knight Ultimate Edition Rulebook" (PDF). Wizkids. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  5. "Announcing the first expansion to the critically acclaimed Mage Knight Board Game – the Lost Legion! : WizKids Games". Archived from the original on 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  6. "Mage Knight Board Game: Krang Character Expansion". BoardGameGeek. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  7. "Mage Knight: Shades of Tezla". WizKids. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  8. "Mage Knight Ultimate Edition". WizKids. 26 February 2018. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  9. "Mage Knight: Dual Color Cards Expansion | Dice Tower News". www.dicetowernews.com. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  10. WizKids (2019-04-08). "Upgrade Your Adventure with Mage Knight: Dual Color Cards Expansion —Available Now! | WizKids". WizKids | Dedicated to creating games driven by imagination. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  11. "Star Trek: Frontiers Board Game – Coming Soon from WizKids". Red Raccoon Games. 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  12. WizKids (2015-08-14). "Star Trek Frontiers | WizKids". WizKids | Dedicated to creating games driven by imagination. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  13. Campbell, Byron Alexander. "Session Report: Mage Knight Board Game and the Sandbox". Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  14. "Mage Knight Board Game Review - So Good Solo!". techraptor.net. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  15. "Best Solo Board Games 2018 - Top 10 Revealed". Board Games Land. 2018-10-07. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  16. "Mage Knight Review - The Thoughtful Gamer". 2017-07-23. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  17. "Mage Knight Board Game is Sold Out". Tabletop Gaming News. Archived from the original on 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  18. "Quarriors, Mage Knight and Star Trek: Fleet Captains nominated for the Dice Tower's 2011 Best Games of the Year : WizKids Games". Archived from the original on 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  19. "2012 Nominees: International Gamers Awards". Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-09-30.
  20. "2012 Golden Geek Best Thematic Board Game Winner | Board Game Honor | BoardGameGeek". Archived from the original on 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  21. "2013 Origins Awards Nominations Announced!". Theology of Games. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  22. "Österreichischer Spielepreis 2012" (PDF). www.spielepreis.at. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  23. "2012 Golden Geek Most Innovative Board Game Nominee | Board Game Honor | BoardGameGeek". boardgamegeek.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
  24. "45th Annual Origins Awards Recap!". Origins Game Fair. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
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