Fun Times with Adam: Throne Magic, part 2 WRITTEN BY Adam M

Hello PucaTraders -- I am back again today to finish up my series on Throne Magic!

Last time I discussed the basic rules of a multiplayer variant called Throne Magic, where you and four friends have to discover who is your ally and who is your enemy as you vie for control of the Throne. Hopefully in the past two weeks you've had time to explore this variant, because today I'll be talking about two expansions that add more fun to the game.

The first expansion adds six new roles to the roster that will allow you to play with more friends and challenge players to think more critically. After you have mastered the first expansion and fully understand how these new roles change the dynamics of the game, you can explore the second expansion called "The Old Throne." This expansion is designed to keep games with more than six players moving quickly, by giving every player the opportunity to take a risk and reveal their role in exchange for a powerful ability. Before I get into any of that, let me do a refresher on how the Roles and Thrones work.

Expansion I: Many Paths to Victory

Here is the first expansion. I'll start off by showing you the roles available in addition to the starting ones discussed in the last article.

With this first expansion, neutral roles are added to your available roster with unique win conditions. Including these roles means that forming allies is no longer straightforward, and the order in which you eliminate your opponents matters. Before I highlight a few notes about using these roles, you'll want to reference my first article to compare them side by side with the original roles.

The Main Four - It is recommended that every game of Throne Magic always include The King, King's Bannerman, The Usurper, and Usurper's Bannerman, to ensure the core gameplay of Throne Magic stays intact. The expanded roles are best used in the 5th-10th player spot.

- It is recommended that every game of Throne Magic always include The King, King's Bannerman, The Usurper, and Usurper's Bannerman, to ensure the core gameplay of Throne Magic stays intact. The expanded roles are best used in the 5th-10th player spot. Public vs Private Information - When your playgroup chooses to include these extra roles, it is important to show all players which roles are going to be included before the game starts. All unused and eliminated roles should be left face up on the table so that players are aware which roles they still need to eliminate in order to win.

- When your playgroup chooses to include these extra roles, it is important to show all players which roles are going to be included before the game starts. All unused and eliminated roles should be left face up on the table so that players are aware which roles they still need to eliminate in order to win. Faceless Man & Jester - These roles are the exception to the above rule. If you wish to use either role, randomly and secretly add one to the available pool of roles, while keeping the unused role hidden until the game is over. These roles should never be used in the same game, but I'll discuss that later.

- These roles are the exception to the above rule. If you wish to use either role, randomly and secretly add one to the available pool of roles, while keeping the unused role hidden until the game is over. These roles should never be used in the same game, but I'll discuss that later. Winning & Losing - It is now possible to lose without being eliminated. For instance, if you were the Vengeant and the only players left were the Reaver, the King, and the Dragon. Killing the Dragon would result in a victory for the King and the Reaver, but a loss for you. If you managed to kill the King first, then the Dragon, both you and the Reaver would share a victory.

When you use this expansion, choosing the right combination of roles changes how the game will play out. The Wizard can bide their time until a winning faction arises, whereas the Vengeant will turn the game into a slugfest as they race to win the game and retake the Throne. Personally, my playgroup loves the combination of the Faceless Man or the Jester, because it turns the first kill of the game into a truly epic moment. You need to think very carefully before eliminating a player, because a wrong choice could spell the end of the game or the resurgence of a fallen enemy.

If you do want to use this combination, make sure you only include the Faceless Man or the Jester. To do this properly, first announce that you will be using the Faceless Man and Jester combination. Without looking, place one of the two roles face down into the pool of available roles and hide the other until the game is over. The only person who should know which role was included should be the person to whom it is assigned. I will also clarify that the Jester can only win by dying first; even if they are the last player standing the game is a draw. This honestly makes the Jester a surprisingly fun role to play, because you have license to be an agent of chaos with no allegiance and nothing to lose, if you aren't the first player eliminated.

However, it is not impossible to win as the Jester. One time when I was the King, my friend aggressively attacked me down to 3 life and had a Bump in the Night in their graveyard. As I discussed in my first article, this is a great strategy for the Usurper, who can safely try to eliminate the King quickly. I still remember how hard he laughed when I attacked him for lethal with the help of my Bannerman, only to discover he was the Jester and the game was over.

Whichever expanded roles you choose to include, you will find yourself guessing who will win until the very last kill, and begging to play again. Once you have mastered each of the new roles, you can explore the second expansion, "The Old Throne." If you prefer the bloody escapades of the Hound to the political cunning of Little Finger, than this action driven variant might speak to you.

Expansion II: The Old Throne

As you'll notice, the Old Throne has no abilities of its own, but that is not the only change you will find in this expansion. The Old Throne flips the basic concept of keeping your role a secret on its head by giving every player the opportunity to reveal their role in exchange for a powerful ability.

In this expansion, you play a normal game of Throne Magic with the Old Throne as your Throne. Each player's role comes with a "Revelation" that helps them win the game in exchange for revealing their role -- along with five Decrees that can only be used by the owner of the Throne. Like in Planechase, these Revelations and Decrees are shuffled into a deck with the top card always revealed. You are only allowed to activate your ability and reveal your role if your Revelation is on top, which begs the important question. When your card is turned face up, do you reveal yourself immediately or do you wait for a more opportune moment later? Answering this question is often the key to conquering the Old Throne.

The Throne's Decrees

The Revelations

The Old Throne Rules

For each Role that is chosen, place its corresponding Revelation Card face down in a pile along with the five Decrees to create the Old Throne Deck.

The Old Throne Deck becomes active prior to the start of the fifth turn, when you reveal its top card. As long as this card is revealed, its corresponding player may activate it by revealing their role during any End Step. Decrees may only be activated by the controller of the Throne.

When the Revelation Deck becomes active, it receives its own turn, which takes place at the top of the turn order. This turn includes an upkeep, reveal, and end step.

Upkeep

If a Player's Revelation card has been activated since the last Old Throne upkeep, remove it from the game. If a Throne's Decree card has been activated since the last upkeep, place it in the discard pile. If the top card has not been activated since the last upkeep, place it in the discard pile. If an unrevealed player has been removed from the game since the last upkeep, remove their Revelation from the deck and shuffle the Old Throne Deck. If there are no cards in the Old Throne Deck or the Throne has changed possession since the last Old Throne upkeep, shuffle all cards in the discard pile back into the Old Throne Deck.

Reveal

Reveal the next card in the Revelation Deck.

End

Players have their first opportunity to activate the revealed card before normal play resumes.

* If you are playing with the Faceless Man and Jester combination, always include the Jester's Revelation. If the Faceless Man is revealed instead of the Jester, remove the Jester's Revelation from the deck during the next upkeep and shuffle the deck.

Final Thoughts

The Old Throne expansion makes Throne Magic more fun but also more complicated, which is why I would implore you to thoroughly read the rules and message me with any questions before trying it out. Once you get the hang of the Old Throne, you'll see that the inclusion of Revelations make the game more exciting, and keep the action moving when you have more than six players.

My playgroup loved Throne Magic so much we've continued playing and tweaking it for over five years. This game has a lot to offer the Johnnys and Timmys in all of us, but even more excitingly, there is still plenty room to design new roles, better thrones, and more diabolical expansions to keep the game fresh and fun for years. Hopefully this journey into the world of Throne Magic has prepared you for the task of rooting out the plots of you enemies and conquering the Throne.

______________________

Last time I asked about your favorite multiplayer cards. I got several great answers, including old standbys like Blasphemous Act and Blind Obedience alongside ones that your friends won't see coming like Repay in Kind and Timesifter. In my next article, I'll be discussing something fun to do in between rounds. Let me know in a message or the comments what you normally do when you're waiting for the next round to start. Do you try to make trades or study your sideboard? Until then, I wish you luck as you attempt to conquer the Throne, and I hope you continue to have more fun times!

Discuss this article on Reddit at: https://www.reddit.com/r/PucaTrade/comments/4qrxi8/article_fun_times_with_adam_throne_magic_part_2/

Adam Melfa is a casual player from Baltimore, MD, who loves limited and has a passion for finding new ways to enjoy the game. With the help of PucaTrade, he has slowly transformed his Magic collection into a more powerful cube. When he is not playing Magic, he is normally at heavy metal concerts, playing ultimate frisbee, or chopping wood.