Game: Mystic Wood

Thread: deizens

mrsdanvers — 2008-09-29T21:20:18+00:00

Hi,
This may seem cheeky but could anyone supply me with a list of deizens and spell cards and thier effects? oh and the special areas for wood cards.
I know its effort (i've done it for a friend for castle before) but would be greatly appriciated. I had the game when i was younger but my dad sent it to charity shop saying itd be easy enough to get again, how wrong he was! I'm trying to make it now for my fiancee.
Any help greatly appriciated.
Mickey

Thread: Re: Variant Knights?

tovilovaN — 2008-06-30T13:18:19+00:00

I described some of ours in some thread about the extension kit.

Thread: Re: Game contents?

tovilovaN — 2008-05-16T15:19:08+00:00

on this page:

http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/underworld/board/151/mwood.htm

it says there are 220 wooden foodstuff cubes that I've never see nor heard of.. Anybody who knows what these are?

Thread: Re: Trapped!

TigerTailz — 2008-04-21T11:47:15+00:00

Think of it as being lost in the woods.

Thread: Re: Trapped!

teejay — 2008-04-20T16:42:33+00:00

I just picked this game up and was going over the rules last night. You're right, there is note about this situation.

"It may happen that a Knight becomes isolated in part of the Wood, unable to explore new territory or to do anything towards fulfiling his Quest. When this happens he must simply wait for help from the Arch Mage, Mystic Horn, Mystic Fog, Elf, or another Knight who has the Wand. If all players become isolated and there is no hope for relief, start a new game."

Thread: Trapped!

pimlottc — 2008-04-20T14:17:17+00:00

What happens when a player gets stuck in a tile with has no exits (i.e. the adjoining rooms have dead ends)?

This came up in a game last night, when the arch-mage teleported (to glade with the enchantress, no less). Eventually we just decided to turn the tile around, which provided an exit in this case.

I seem to remember there being some contingency for this in the original rules, but I no longer have a copy of them, and none of the rule summaries here seem to address the issue.

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Dathkadan — 2008-03-31T08:02:08+00:00

Custom-made tiles

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Dathkadan — 2008-03-31T08:01:22+00:00

Custom-made tiles

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Dathkadan — 2008-03-31T08:00:49+00:00

Custom-made tiles

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Dathkadan — 2008-03-31T07:59:58+00:00

Custom-made tiles

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Dathkadan — 2008-03-31T07:59:04+00:00

All custom tiles for Mystic Wood

Thread: Re: Mystic Wood - Ariel Edition : components list wanted

Doniphann — 2008-03-21T02:41:52+00:00

Yes, there are 5 knights available for play. The game only has 4 pawns, since the game is designed for 2-4 players. In the rules under Peparing for Play, it says you roll dice to see who has 1st choice of (the 5) knights. Any unused knights are set aside. I have 40 small cards (which match the bottom list above), with 5 knights and three blanks..... So either he is missing a knight, or mis counted as he also has 40 small cards with three blanks and I doubt he has an extra of one and missing the other.....

Thread: Re: The Archetypical Definition Of Adventure Game

DSHStratRat2 — 2008-03-20T20:46:14+00:00

dkuznick wrote:

Hmm, is that the AH version?

Maybe, since the stuff you listed for the Ariel version shoots so many holes in my story. It's been too long, so I have no idea who published the version we were playing. We're talking about 20 years ago here.

In the Ariel version, all board cards are face down at the beginning (except the Gates and the Tower), and you reveal as you walk around. Not all board cards get encounter cards, plus the Cave only gets one; the Palace is the place with two cards. And the Druid is who needs to be met to give you the Golden Bough (in essence he turns into the Golden Bough) to get into the Cave; no second card needed.

The Arch-Mage can be used to teleport you inside the Cave without the Golden Bough.

Funny story anyway. :-)

Maybe it was the Druid card that was in the cave, and the guy couldn't get to the Arch-Mage for some reason; I just know that we had accidentally set it up so that it was impossible for him to win...

Thread: Re: Does George need to leave to win?

dkuznick — 2008-03-20T18:01:43+00:00

Oops, Pete answered this exact question: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/19345.

Yes, you always need to leave to win, unless you are the King.

Thread: Re: The Archetypical Definition Of Adventure Game

dkuznick — 2008-03-20T17:58:38+00:00

DSHStratRat2 wrote:
He was hosed from the get-go because of dumb luck. When we randomly set up the board pieces with the cards on them, two things ended up getting placed inside the cave: the wand this poor slob had to collect in order to win...and the special rod that was required in order to gain entrance to the cave. There was no other way to get into that stupid cave, but the random game setup made it possible to accidentally "lock the keys inside the car."

Hmm, is that the AH version? In the Ariel version, all board cards are face down at the beginning (except the Gates and the Tower), and you reveal as you walk around. Not all board cards get encounter cards, plus the Cave only gets one; the Palace is the place with two cards. And the Druid is who needs to be met to give you the Golden Bough (in essence he turns into the Golden Bough) to get into the Cave; no second card needed.

The Arch-Mage can be used to teleport you inside the Cave without the Golden Bough.

Funny story anyway. :-)

Thread: Does George need to leave to win?

dkuznick — 2008-03-20T17:51:22+00:00

I have the original Ariel edition. On George's card it simply says his quest is to defeat the Dragon. Yet in the rules it says that the game can only be won once someone leaves the wood, or fulfills the King alternate victory.

I guess the same question would then be applicable to Guyon; does he need to leave to win?

Thread: Re: Mystic Wood - Ariel Edition : components list wanted

dkuznick — 2008-03-18T22:30:03+00:00

Wait, aren't there 5 Knights? Roland, George, Guyon, Britomart, Perceval.

Thread: Re: Mystic Wood - Ariel Edition : components list wanted

Doniphann — 2008-01-24T05:30:39+00:00

Granted, 2.5 years later, but I have the exact components you do, and my game has not been played. If you look at the two lists in your post, they are the same (knights=characters).I think you are good to go (assuming you also have a rulebook)

Thread: Game with the wife and the 6 year-old

rjburns3 — 2008-01-22T03:04:40+00:00

Brought out Mystic Wood for a spin with J, who's now 6 years old and probably ready for some more decisions in games. J was George, Lisa was Britomart (no surprise), I took Roland, who is nicely balanced with 2 Strength and 2 Prowess.

The early going was marked by strange transportation events. On the very first turn, Britomart encountered the Magician and befriended him, which made for a big Storm - at the Earthly Gate, keeping us stuck at the start while Brit did some more exploring. Once we were free, I went north and found the Fountain. I elected not to drink. George and Brit both came by to drink - and both ended up at the Earthly Gate again! Then Brit went over to the last 'unexplored' space next to the Earthly Gate and found the Arch-Mage. He transported her over to the other side of the forest, George went up to hit the Fountain again and got dropped outside the tower. So I had the Earthly wood to myself, and had my only good break of the game. First I found the Child, two steps away from his drop-off point (it just says bring him to the Earthly Gate. Must be some Kid Lost-and-Found there). Then I found the Rogue, and got the Key. From here, I played like an idiot.

Near the tower, all of us found the objects of our quest. Brit and Roland (me) both tried to impress the Prince and found ourselves in the Tower for our trouble. George found the Dragon (on the Island) and got sent to the Tower too. I promptly forgot I had the Key, which was quite unnecessarily stupid. Upon eventual release, George killed his Dragon, but Brit got bounced to the Tower again (after receiving a second drubbing from the Prince). So did I (forget why). George, on his way to the Enchanted Gate (and victory, while Brit and I squabbled in the tower, me with Key safely forgotten in the back pocket) then hit Mystic something-or-other, the one that transports your objects. I look at my objects - there's the bloomin' Key!?!? So we figure that it probably gets transported outside the Tower (seeing as it's the center of the world or something). Brit gets out, picks up the Key, then finally impresses Prince-boy. I get out and fight Brit, and decide to take the Key from her (and I wouldn't get the chance to use it again). Dumb! I should have pulled Prince-boy away from her, even if he drubbed me, he's not hers anymore. Dumb, dumb!

George is two spaces away from victory and hits the Mystic whatchamadooger that transports all the Knights. Great! That sends him to two spaces from the Earthly Gate - and Brit to the Fountain. What normally would be a big setback for my opponents would soon be nullified by the transportation genies hanging out by the Earthly Gate, however. I get sent to some stupid space further from the thoroughly unimpressed Princess.

Brit drinks from the Fountain and goes to the Enchanted Gate. I move. George goes to the Arch-Mage, befriends the guy, and gets plunked down at the Enchanted Gate. Fickle, fickle dice! I can't get 5s or 6s to save my life. No wait, I did once, to get the Key. Fat lot of good that did my idiot self. Brit wins, with George right behind. Who knows how long it would have taken me to muster up the charisma to impress that fussy Princess! Can't say as I blame her.

Thread: Re: Easy fix to reduce chaos

rjburns3 — 2008-01-22T02:37:04+00:00

Yes, I'm the kind of dummy who responds to his own post. But several years later, I've come to a different conclusion regarding 'quest objects' (Dragon for George, Prince for Britomart, etc.). Just shuffle the deck as usual. Finding the Dragon early only gives you the advantage of knowing where he is; finding him late means you're probably strong enough to beat him (having vanquished Saracens, killed wild boars, etc.).

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The Warp — 2007-11-28T22:33:44+00:00

Denizen cards

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The Warp — 2007-11-28T22:33:23+00:00

Knight cards

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The Warp — 2007-11-28T22:32:55+00:00

Sacred Grove space

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The Warp — 2007-11-28T22:32:18+00:00

Earthly Gate space

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patrel — 2007-09-01T19:09:46+00:00

Mystic Wood - AH boxfront

Thread: Re: The Archetypical Definition Of Adventure Game

falloutfan — 2007-08-11T19:06:06+00:00

DSHStratRat2 wrote:
Naturally, it was our particularly unlucky Mystic Wood Hater who was running that completely hosed character at the time. He spent that whole game wandering around the board, looking for that frickin' wand he needed. Only after we had all eliminated every other possibility--and someone else had won the game--that we let our poor victim flip those cave cards to see what the hell was in there all game long.

I won't swear to it because it was so long ago, but I think that was the last game of Mystic Wood we ever played. A grand time was had by all...

Absolutely classic. The chaos factor at its best.

Respectfully

Falloutfan

Thread: Re: The Archetypical Definition Of Adventure Game

MontyCircus — 2007-08-11T15:55:29+00:00

That cave-wand anecdote is hilarious

Thread: Re: The Archetypical Definition Of Adventure Game

Geosphere — 2007-07-24T14:10:35+00:00

It really does lead to some stupid situations, but its too much mindless fun to care.

Thread: Re: The Archetypical Definition Of Adventure Game

DSHStratRat2 — 2007-06-08T10:44:52+00:00

Your review is absolutely correct from top to bottom, sir, including the part about how this stinkin' game was a hoot to play.

I owned it about 25 years ago, and my friends and I beat the poor thing to death from playing it so much. We had one guy in the group who hated it because he had no luck at all while playing it, but he kept playing it with us anyway. Never underestimate your god-given right to bitch all the way through a game!

Our most hilarious session involved the character (I forget his name--Sir Godfrey? Sir Gawain, perhaps?) whose victory condition required him to get a particular artifact from the board and then take it to the cave. I think it was a wand he had to pick up before he could win.

He was hosed from the get-go because of dumb luck. When we randomly set up the board pieces with the cards on them, two things ended up getting placed inside the cave: the wand this poor slob had to collect in order to win...and the special rod that was required in order to gain entrance to the cave. There was no other way to get into that stupid cave, but the random game setup made it possible to accidentally "lock the keys inside the car."

Naturally, it was our particularly unlucky Mystic Wood Hater who was running that completely hosed character at the time. He spent that whole game wandering around the board, looking for that frickin' wand he needed. Only after we had all eliminated every other possibility--and someone else had won the game--that we let our poor victim flip those cave cards to see what the hell was in there all game long.

I won't swear to it because it was so long ago, but I think that was the last game of Mystic Wood we ever played. A grand time was had by all...

Thread: The Archetypical Definition Of Adventure Game

Geosphere — 2007-06-07T13:34:53+00:00

I have no doubt that the prototype of Mystic Wood was created with a pack of index cards. The oversized map cards appear to be postcards in the production model. Full color on one side, blank on the other, even though it would proably have served the game better to have some mark on the back denoting card type. It also would have been better if they were a bit smaller

The 'adventure deck' was perfed and had to be punched by the user. One side in green line art with the Mystic Wood logo, the other side with purple line art of uneven and somewhat dubious quality.

Mystic Wood is an archetypical adventure game. It would be difficult indeed to find a game of this genre 30 years later that doesn't borrow heavily from Mystic Wood. Even if the present designers never played or even heard of Mystic Wood - this is an adventure game stripped down to the bare essentials.

The die is a standard and extraordinarily boring D6. No fancy pearlescent, no strange symbols, no shape beyond a simple cube.

The pawns are similar to those found in a game of Sorry, only of a much, much lower quality.

It looks and feels like a self published game. And yet this was by Avalon Hill.

Each player controls a character with three notable stats. One is their victory condition. These are woefully unbalanced. However, in a game where luck is as much a player as any of the humans, this really isn't much of a concern. Each character also has 2 numbers, which boil down to the most primitive form of character stats possible. One is essentially Combat Strength and the other is pretty much Everything Else and referred to by the nebulous word "Prowess".

Play is simplistic. Move a pawn and flip over the card you just 'explored' revealing a piece of the Mystic Wood - either a clearing or a ... well, really it's a corridor. Never mind that forests don't have corridors - deal with it. There's a it of fluff color in that half the board is "enchanted" and half is not, but it has no use in play at all, other than denoting a dividing line in the board used for certain cards. You flip over an Adventure card and find anything from a quest object to a friend to a minor monster to a huge dragon.

You roll the die and add your modifiers - you have a 2 strength, a 1 point helmet and a 3 on the die is 6. The enemy had a 1 strength and rolled a 2 for a total of 3, you win. Take that card and rotate it so you gain some experience (like an additional point of rowess, even though you used strength to beat it) and get some interesting title like "Boar Slayer".

Continue until you complete your victory condition.

Is it simplistic? Yes.

Is it unbalanced? Yes.

Is it random? Yes.

Is it fun? If the above three statements do not bother you, yes.

Will you find elements of this game carried through and polished to better effect in other games like Talisman, Runebound, Descent, Dungeon Quest, Return Of The Heroes, Dungeoneer and pretty much anything else that might be termed a Dungeon Crawl or Adventure game?

Without a doubt.

This is the base of the adventure game. The fat and fluff, the chrome and fiddly is stripped away to reveal this skeletal distillation of all things adventure game. There is no tactical combat and absolutely minimal choices to make during play. You can attack other players to set them back, but death is little more than an annoyance in this game, and a speed bump on the way to victory.

The game does have some undefinable simplistic charm to it, chromeless as it may be. There are a thousand ways to improve it. And those improvements are out there on the market today with better mapping, better components, better balance, more character control, less randomness... Pretty much everything has been done better by now.

But for a raw, no frills adventure game with a very short play time (never up to an hour), if you don't mind the lack of polih, here it is. The most stripped down adventure game of all time.

I'm sure Mystic Wood borrowed from prior games. Indeed, the same designer had previously released Sorceror's Cave which is a similar game underground, but that had additional uneeded elements like levels in a dungeon and item weight. Mystic wood strips the formula further.

Again, it may not have been the first. But it is the most base.

Plato went through great lengths trying to define the essence of an object - like what makes a table a table. What is "Tableness"...

Mystic Wood is the essence of the modern Adventure Game, the protoplasm which all others have come from. And it deserves to played for that if not the quick fun it provides.

Thread: Re: Variant Knights?

Rick McKown — 2006-10-14T04:08:10+00:00

Hello,

Twenty-odd years ago I played Mystic Wood a lot with my older daughter, who was then just starting elementary school, and in those days she was much into unicorns, so, using the photocopier and limited drawing skill, I created a unicorn denizen (never heard of the Expansion Kit back then) and a variant Britomart whose quest was to find the unicorn (rather than the Prince). This really pleased my daughter, who usually played the new character, and the game mechanics are simple enough to allow such. Mystic Wood is a great family game, and even after all these years it will occasionally get hauled out (and both daughters are now well into their 20's). The only bigger hit is "Tales of the Arabian Night"!

Thread: Variant Knights?

Dreadnaut — 2006-09-06T00:29:58+00:00

Hello,

Has anyone ever designed alternate knights for use with the base Mystic Wood game? I know that the extension includes a couple, but because the extension is so expensive, this is not really an option for me. So, in sum, have you designed alternates? And, if so, would you mind sharing?

Thanks,

Tom

Thread: Re: Rulebook needed

rf700 — 2006-07-30T17:28:25+00:00

Cool!! Thanks for the help. Sending Email address in a separate message.

Thread: Re: Avalon Hill version 1980

EvilTimmy — 2006-07-25T16:02:27+00:00

Great Dane wrote:
EvilTimmy wrote:
Any reason why you wouldn't post it here on BGG? There seem to have been a good number of requests for this and the game is out of print.
Absolutely!
It is not mine to post!
The guidelines for uploading files to the Geek state:
Please make sure that you have the rights/permission to upload the file

and I have neither the right nor the permission.

Now, I don't have the right to distribute the rules either. But that is purely my own responsbility. I see no reason to bring Aldie or Derk into trouble by breaking the rule above - not that I believe it would be approved anyway...

Curious. Then how did all the other AH rule scans get here? e.g. Dune, Gunslinger, et al

Thread: Re: Avalon Hill version 1980

Great Dane — 2006-07-25T15:52:49+00:00

EvilTimmy wrote:
Any reason why you wouldn't post it here on BGG? There seem to have been a good number of requests for this and the game is out of print.

Absolutely!
It is not mine to post!
The guidelines for uploading files to the Geek state:
Please make sure that you have the rights/permission to upload the file

and I have neither the right nor the permission.

Now, I don't have the right to distribute the rules either. But that is purely my own responsbility. I see no reason to bring Aldie or Derk into trouble by breaking the rule above - not that I believe it would be approved anyway...

Thread: Re: Avalon Hill version 1980

EvilTimmy — 2006-07-25T15:17:45+00:00

Great Dane wrote:
There is no version 1980 from Avalon Hill. They first published it in 1982/1983 (rules are marked 12/1982).

But if you can do with scan of my old rules, which has lot of small scribles and underscores, you are welcome.

I can mail you a PDF-scan if you give an adress which can recieve attachments (835 kb).
Any reason why you wouldn't post it here on BGG? There seem to have been a good number of requests for this and the game is out of print.

Thread: Re: Rulebook needed

Great Dane — 2006-07-25T08:13:04+00:00

I made a PDF-version of the AH version just a few weeks ago.
see thread: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/67809

I can send you the file if you give me an adress that will accept file attachments.

Thread: Rulebook needed

rf700 — 2006-07-25T02:36:46+00:00

Cleaning out the garage and found my game. Seems to have all the contents except the original rulebook. My 7-year-old son really wants to play.

Anyone have a .PDF version?

Thread: Second and third plays

maka — 2006-07-19T23:38:27+00:00

I recently got this game on eBay. Today we played a couple of games and had fun, although the first game was surprisingly short. If a player gets lucky he can win the game in the first few turns...

The first game I chose George (quest:to slay the dragon) and my gf choose Britomart (quest:find the prince). We started exploring and at the first clearing I found the mystic wind.

We were transported to the other side of the forest where Britomart found the Dragon (which she didn't face). I went for it and was defeated, but on my way back from the tower, managed to get the ring, for an extra strength point. One lucky roll later I had managed to kill the Dragon which was near the Enchanted gate, so even though my gf found the prince, I managed to exit the wood first.

The second game we choose randomly but I got George again. My gf got Guyon (quest: enter the cave and stay for one turn). This time the game was longer. We spent a long time exploring the woods and killing some creatures. I managed to get the lance and the horse, plus a couple of allies. Still, I risked encountering the Enchantress and spent a couple of turns in her clutches... My gf was desperately trying to find the cave, when I finally found the dragon. It was easily dispatched this time, as I had an strength of 10 against his strength of 6.

After the game we turned the 4-5 tiles that were left face down and the last one was the cave. Also I looked at the deck and the last card was the golden bough (that is needed to enter the cave) so that was a very unlucky game for her. But still she had fun...

So, this game is almost totally luck based and still it is a fun experience, roaming the forest and encountering its creatures. I find the mechanic of the "transportation" very clever, and it gives the creatures a life of their own, reacting to the knight in their own way.

The only problem is that sometimes the card a player needs to win is at the top of the deck and the one another player needs is at the bottom, and it can be frustrating sometimes...

Thread: Re: Avalon Hill version 1980

Great Dane — 2006-06-02T08:34:16+00:00

There is no version 1980 from Avalon Hill. They first published it in 1982/1983 (rules are marked 12/1982).

But if you can do with scan of my old rules, which has lot of small scribles and underscores, you are welcome.

I can mail you a PDF-scan if you give an adress which can recieve attachments (835 kb).

Thread: Re: Game contents?

mtgjudge — 2005-09-18T18:12:19+00:00

Thank you!

Thread: Re: Game contents?

TigerTailz — 2005-08-31T02:39:14+00:00

2 Six sided Dice, 4 Tokens, 45 Map cards for the playing area (21 each pink tone and blue tone 1 Enchanted Gate, 1 Earthy gate and 1 Tower) and 40 role cards (5 knights, 3 spells, 3 blank 29 Denizens (all others) and a Rulebook)

Steve

Thread: Game contents?

mtgjudge — 2005-08-30T12:06:20+00:00

Anyone have an inventory list I can compare to my used game?

Thanks in advance!

Thread: Differences Between Editions?

Kevin Rohrer — 2005-08-06T21:55:45+00:00

What are the differences and is the expansion compatible w/ all three editions?

Thread: Avalon Hill version 1980

p_w_hudson — 2005-06-11T16:55:54+00:00

I am in dire need of a copy of the rules for the Avalon Hill version from 1980. I aquired a copy of the game in the original box with all the boards and cards but no rules! My memory of the rules is not good enough to play by (since I haven't playe it in almost 20 years.)

Can anyone help me with this please? Point me in a direction where to find them or send a copy if you have it.

Thanks much

Thread: Mystic Wood - Ariel Edition : components list wanted

gnomehome — 2005-05-29T07:39:36+00:00

I recently acquired a copy of Mystic Wood (Ariel Edition)

It contained the following :

4 pawns
2 dice
45 area cards
4 cards with 'The mystic Wood' backing (Knights)
33 cards (items and encounters)
3 blank cards with same backin

Is this complete or am I missing some things ?

thank you

From a fellow Geek i got the following info :

A complete copy of MYSTIC WOOD should contains:

45 large area cards
40 little white cards with characters, items, etc ... (37 + 3 blank cards actually)
4 colored pawns
2 six dice
1 rulebook

Have fun!

Roberto

Thread: User Review

pinlighter — 2005-04-25T21:01:13+00:00

I first played this game a long time ago, and only vaguely remembered it, but I did remember how much I enjoyed it. Now my kids are old enough to appreciate such things (12 and 13) and I picked up an old copy from eBay on a venture.

Playing it again with them was a lot of fun. The big pluses are that the game dynamic mimics the real experience of wandering around an unknown area discovering things; that it's at about the right level of complexity for an easy one-hour session; and that the various players and NPCs interact in creative and interesting ways.

Beyond that, I think it gains a lot from being well based in the rich heritage of European Medaeval literature and fantasy. If you've read Spencer (I have) it's exactly like this.

Negatives - it's out of print!!! I really wish this could be reissued in a new and expanded set.

If it is I'd suggest some work to clarify the rules, and I'd also like to see a larger wood and ten or twenty blank cards of various sorts included so that players can add their own denizens, locations and/or knights to their personal mix.

Thread: User Review

nightsky — 2005-01-11T15:05:43+00:00

Welcome, fellow knight. This is a game where your fate can be as varied as being slain by a hidious boar, or rescuing the princess and escaping to the great beyond.

This is a fun, usually quick (about 1 hour) game involving 2 or more players. Players can choose among several different knights (or knightesses ?) to be. Each of them have different ways to win the game and different abilities with which to fight the baddies in the wood and confront the challenges. Strength and prowess are the abilities of the knights.

The coolest thing about the game is the fact that most of the board (everything except the starting space, the tower, which is the center point and the enchanted gate which is the space most knights need to get to after they have completed their quests in) changes every game and is not known until a knights enters it.

Cards are also drawn as the knights enter the spaces and these can range from good items that can help the knights or evil monsters intent on your destruction. Knights get stronger (in theory) throughout the game and thus prepare for their final quest which could not be completed at first. Knigts can also fight each other to steal the others items.

Overall, this is a good game, that does not take much to get into. The instructions are fairly easy to pick up and read. Give this one a try if you can find it.

Happy questing!

Thread: Re:Session Report

SkookumPete — 2005-01-03T06:53:41+00:00

Dirty Harry (#74175),

Presuming you are not pulling our leg, "does your bidding" means that it does what you tell it to do, i.e. it goes to the area of your choice.

Thread: Re:Session Report

Dirty Harry — 2005-01-02T00:04:50+00:00

what does the Illusion card do? It does say bidding for you what does this mean as there is no mention of bidding that I can see?
Thanx!

Thread: Re:A few questions for SkookumPete...

Sin Man — 2004-10-23T21:27:55+00:00

Gialmere (#49725),

Funny, the cover art is WHY I bought the game when I was a kid. Loved it. Turned out to be an awesome game, too.

Thread: User Review

Chris Morriss — 2004-10-21T16:02:52+00:00

Mystic Wood is an exploration/adventure game where players are knights who set forth into the forest that lies between earth and heaven to fulfill particular quests.

The wood is represented by 45 tiles spread out face down in a 9x5 grid. The wood is split into 2 halves - the earthly wood and the enchanted wood, with a tower seperating the two. Players enter the wood at the bottom of the earthly wood half, via the earthly gate. As the players move through and explore the wood, the tiles are revealed and encounter cards are drawn. These cards may help or hinder the players.

Knights have 2 characteristics and a specific quest. Numbers on the knight cards represent strength and prowess (for example, Knight Roland has strength 2 and Prowess 2 at the start of the game). Strength is normally used for physical fighting and prowess in magical fighting, although sometimes both are used together. This is a nice touch as players are forced to develop 'well-rounded' knights. These two characteristics can be improved as the game progresses by finding useful items, befriending allies and vanquishing foes as cards from the encounter deck are revealed. Quests are the goals of the knights (for example, Knight Roland's quest is to find the princess and lead her out of the wood).

When encountering an object/creature/person, a knight may decide to be aggressive or more friendly. This has different consequences depending on what/who is encountered. Combat is straightforward - roll a D6 and add the relevant statistic + any bonuses to get a combat total. Whoever has the highest total is the victor. A knight who loses in combat is sent to the tower which must be escaped from if the quest is to continue. If knights are on the same forest tile at the same time, they may challenge each other to combat. In this case, the winner can send the loser to the tower or steal an object/ally from them!

The game ends when a knight has fulfilled a quest or has become King in the castle (takes a lot of fighting to do this).

Mystic Wood was designed in 1980 and is thus one of the first fantasy-exploration-adventure-character advancement-combat games. It is a piece of gaming history and the maze of a wood that is revealed as you go adds a lot to the feel of the game. The variable initial tile layout and a large variety of encounter cards means that no 2 games will be alike. A recommended family game.

Thread: Re:A few questions for SkookumPete...

SkookumPete — 2004-08-17T19:01:21+00:00

Sorry, it appears my response got mangled when I clicked Submit.

===1) Would you consider writing a short article on the history of the game?===

See the file caveandwood.doc on this page.

===2) Which version of the game do you like the best, and why?===

The various editions are essentially identical.

===3) What do you think of the box art on the AH version of the game? I like the way George is depicted but that "dragon" looks more like a dinosaur to me.===

If you think that's bad, take a look at the first British edition.

===4) How did you feel when (the old) AH bought the game?===

AH licensed the American rights. They did not alter the game.

===5) I don't have the expansion, in fact I didn't know there was one 'till I saw it here at BGG. Do you know any sources that still carry it, or am I stuck keeping my eyes peeled on ebay?===

Can't help you on this one.

===6) Are there any future plans for the game==

Nothing definite. If the game is reissued, some changes will be made.

Thread: Re:A few questions for SkookumPete...

SkookumPete — 2004-08-17T18:57:07+00:00

Gialmere (#49725),

>>>1) Would you consider writing a short article on the history of the game? >2) Which version of the game do you like the best, and why? >3) What do you think of the box art on the AH version of the game? I like the way George is depicted but that "dragon" looks more like a dinosaur to me. >4) How did you feel when (the old) AH bought the game? >5) I don't have the expansion, in fact I didn't know there was one 'till I saw it here at BGG. Do you know any sources that still carry it, or am I stuck keeping my eyes peeled on ebay? >6) Are there any future plans for the game<<

Nothing definite. If the game is reissued, a few changes will be made.

Thanks for your interest.

Thread: A few questions for SkookumPete...

Gialmere — 2004-08-17T17:01:21+00:00

1) Would you consider writing a short article on the history of the game?

2) Which version of the game do you like the best, and why?

3) What do you think of the box art on the AH version of the game? I like the way George is depicted but that "dragon" looks more like a dinosaur to me.

4) How did you feel when (the old) AH bought the game? On one hand I've heard that they treated designers like serfs - it's an AH game FIRST... and "designed by so-and-so" coming in a distant second. On the other hand, it was one of the few companies that had designer notes in the rules that gave insight into both the designers inspiration for, and his/her intention with the game. I don't know if you wrote "The Literary Background" in the AH version, but it certainly enhances the game's atmosphere.

5) I don't have the expansion, in fact I didn't know there was one 'till I saw it here at BGG. Do you know any sources that still carry it, or am I stuck keeping my eyes peeled on ebay?

6) Are there any future plans for the game - future releases, future expansions, a deluxe version (with expansion), or has this game been put out to pasture for good?

Thread: Reo you capture the horse when it lands on the island?

SkookumPete — 2004-06-09T14:57:15+00:00

jerosa (#39137),
On reconsidering, I'm inclined to say that yes, the Horse runs into the Cave or onto the Island, and can be captured automatically in either of those places. This makes it a bit easier to catch him and makes the rules more consistent: all denizens who go to either of these areas go to the "inner" part of the area.

Thread: Re:Session Report

Kenyon — 2004-06-08T23:43:32+00:00

SkookumPete (#39264),

I agree - I think if there are valid paths leading off the tile (even though it's the island or cave) the horse will run.

Thread: Re:Session Report

SkookumPete — 2004-06-08T22:19:39+00:00

alfonzos (#39243),

I don't know if I'd ever given this any thought in the past, but it seems to me the Horse can swim faster than you can, so it escapes from the Island (provided there is a path). And I don't think he would actually run inside the Cave. However, I wouldn't care to be dogmatic on either of these points.

Thread: Re:Session Report

alfonzos — 2004-06-08T20:14:09+00:00

You did the proper action: the horse is yours.

The card says, "runs... if possible; otherwise befriends." The horse could not run off the island so it is yours for the taking.

As for the number of odd situations: odd situations are the reason why we play fantasy games!

>>My reply to "The game appears endless in its odd situations that appear - this game was no different. This time the Horse ended up on the Island. Since I was after the horse, I naturally decided that since there was no path for the horse to run, the horse was caught.

Any other thoughts?"

Thread: Session Report

jerosa — 2004-06-08T19:04:28+00:00

Two of us old guys played a round of Mystic Wood (Avalon Hill Edition) as our last game of week of vacation gaming. Britomart ran away with the Prince before George could even slay the Ox - let alone the Dragon. Two players can be interesting - you certainly do pile up the goodies.

The game appears endless in its odd situations that appear - this game was no different. This time the Horse ended up on the Island. Since I was after the horse, I naturally decided that since there was no path for the horse to run, the horse was caught.

Any other thoughts?