Introduction

This article summarizes an example (fictitious) game of Mystery Wizard, showcasing the flow of the game from beginning to end and the various strategies that players can take. In a game of Mystery Wizard, players first take their choice of one of the several unique Wizards, each with their own special spells and abilities. The game takes place on a circular island, with each of the players starting on the edge of the island inside their villages. Scattered around the board are landmarks and regions where the wizards can complete quests and earn powerful spells and equipment, and in the center of the board lies the Tower, which contains two Mysteries. The first Wizard to retrieve both Mysteries from the Tower back to their village wins. But, given you’re competing with several other wizards, each with plenty of enchanted equipment and spell scrolls, this is easier said than done! Our players, John, Laura, and Isaac begin the game by choosing their wizards, and then the game begins!

Early Game

John has decided to play Zephyrion the Windzard this game, so he knows that right off the bat his strengths are going to be fairly straight forward: he has a nearly unmatched ability to push other characters around the board and a long range damage spell. John looks at what his opponents are playing and discovers that Laura is playing Guy the Bear, while Issac has chosen Sandra the Sand-Witch. John thinks he can use his wind gusts to keep the bear at bay and his powers of flight to dodge any early sand-traps that Issac sends his way, so he decides he’s going to make an early break for the mysteries in the tower.

Both John and Laura dart towards the center of the map on their first move, while Issac heads to the desert to attempt a nearby quest. Issac doesn’t succeed in finding any buried treasure, but he uses the rest of his turn to whistle up a sand dune on the far edge of the map in the marsh… a strange choice. On the next turn, Laura takes a moment to send her porcine companion out on an adventure to the woods before stopping at a nearby temple to gather her magical energy and ready her spells. John also heads to the temple so that his defenses will be ready, but then he moves on, gaining a decisive lead in the race to the tower. Issac continues wandering in the desert, finally finding his buried treasure.

In the next round John reaches the tower and grabs one of the mysteries contained within. This is a risky move because now John is target for the other players while he is out of action and overextended in the center of the map. Laura decides to take advantage of John’s weakness and uses her “Bear Rush” ability to damage John and claim mysteries of her own. Unfortunately for Laura, John has one last trick up his sleeve. He uses an instantaneous blast of wind to shove Laura out of range so he will be safe from her grasping claws. Meanwhile Laura’s pig companion is headed slowly towards the bay, where a sunken wreck holds a powerful piece of magical equipment. Issac is finally done wandering the desert, so he spends his turn creating more sand dunes around the map in seemingly random locations; the others wonder what he’s playing at.

Mid Game

Laura is chasing after Issac. He’s carrying mysteries and headed back to his village with Laura hot on his heels. Issac is frantically creating barriers of sand to slow his pursuer, hoping to hold her off just long enough to arrive safe at home. Laura has discovered several pieces of magical equipment which make her a fearsome foe to avoid. In addition to piece of magical apparel that has increased her damage and turned her claws into one-hit killing machines, Laura has had her companion dig up an arcane device that rewards her with extra time to act every time she slays one of her foes, as well as some kind of scroll containing a ritual with secret effects. Issac throws up a final wall of sand but it’s not enough; Laura throws her oinking friend over Issac’s head so it lands in his path and cuts him off. Soon, Laura pounces with her claws and puts an end to Issac’s ill-fated expedition, claiming his mysteries for herself.

Meanwhile, John has tried to use the conflict to sneak in and grab a second pair of mysteries. He knows that his defenses are down and he’s not prepared to face off against either Issac or Laura in a fair fight, but John has always favored daring play over fighting fair. He gambles that Laura’s abilities will be too exhausted from fighting Issac to prevent him from making a break for home. Unfortunately, John has already entered the tower and Laura reveals her secret ritual: it is “untap dancing”, a restorative spell that will let her recharge her magic immediately. Using her thaumaturgically sharpened claws and the sorcerous speed granted by her equipment, Laura dashes back to the tower to make sure John’s gamble doesn’t pay off.

Issac, meanwhile, has respawned at his village. His stores of magical scrolls have been depleted and his spells are all exhausted. Without even a single mystery, it seems that Issac may be running out of options. However, there are more than a few sand dunes still lying around, and Issac has a gleam in his eye that says it’s too early to count him out.

Late Game

The board is choked with sand dunes. Issac still hasn’t scored a single mystery, but by now the other two players are having a hard time just getting around the map. Both John and Laura have scored one mystery and both see victory just ahead of them. John has continued to play aggressively, and currently holds mysteries, but Laura, decked out in even more equipment and a backpack full of high powered scrolls, stands in between John and victory. In the moment of truth John dodges out of the way of Laura’s first volley, using a fast teleport to side step her charge, before flying over a nearby dune and alighting frighteningly close to home. Laura’s not done yet, however, and she uses an ancient scroll she found in the haunted forest. A bolt of lightening fries John down to a pair of boots, and the mysteries are left lying on the ground in the marsh for Laura to grab as soon as her next turn begins.

She never gets that chance. Issac decides to put his master plan in motion as he detonates the sand dune he’s currently standing on, sending him sailing to another nearby, then another, and then another. John and Laura realize what’s happening, but it is too late to do anything about it. Issac is dashing around the outside of the map on a chain of exploding sand dunes that he’s been quietly building since the beginning of the game. He crashes through the marsh as the dune that he set up on the very first turn sends him to the mysteries that John left behind, then onward, continuing his vast circuit until he deposits them safely at home. Issac is still not done however, There are only a few sand dunes left but they are enough to carry him to the tower for another set of mysteries and nearly back to his village. With a last, uncontested, action, Issac steps over the threshold of his village and wins the game in a shocking come back.

Strategy Analysis

John: John decided to use Zephyrion’s mobility and board control to play an aggressive game based on opportunity and improvisation. It might have worked for him, but he didn’t do enough to stop Laura from becoming so powerful she could easily shut him down by the mid-game. If John had wanted to keep his aggressive streak going longer he might have used a number of tactics to de-fang his chief adversary. First of all, John could have used his damage abilities to target the pig more often, slowing Laura’s power-creep and forcing her to waste time on questing herself rather than sending her helper to do it. If John was feeling really bold, he might have even considered helping out Issac with a strategic push out of the way when Laura was charging him: if Issac had been a more obvious threat Laura would have had to divide her attention between two opponents rather than one.

Laura: Laura decided to focus on doing as many quests as possible for as long as possible to build her bear into an unstoppable force. This might have worked, but in her efforts to build her own power she forgot to keep an eye what Issac was doing. Christopher the Pig is good not only for sniffing out treasure, but also for clearing fields of dunes. If Laura had guessed at Issac’s master plan she could have undermined it before it was too late. Once Laura had enough equipment and spells to feel comfortable she probably should have shifted focus to other priorities.

Issac: Issac decided to play to his wizards strengths and work on a long term strategy that wouldn’t become apparent until it was already too late. This strategy paid off this time, but it was certainly a gamble. If John or Laura had caught on to what he was doing they could have messed up his dune system faster than he could repair it. If Issac had focused on gaining some more tactical victories and early momentum he probably could have brought his big win together even sooner, and without the risk that one of his opponents would see through him and unravel his plan.

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