Game: Wicked Witches Way

Image

tommih — 2008-11-23T12:59:22+00:00

Humorous background stories of the six witches (collected from the rulebook).

Image

tommih — 2008-11-23T11:02:30+00:00

Everything that comes in the English edition box (incl. board with revised numbering).

Thread: Re: symbols rubbing off dice

steveoliverc — 2008-11-22T22:45:20+00:00

I have the US version, and I've had to apply about half a dozen of the stickers.

Image

tommih — 2008-11-22T22:20:42+00:00

Hi-res image of the spell card backs

Image

tommih — 2008-11-22T22:19:38+00:00

"Black magic" card back in detail

Image

tommih — 2008-11-22T22:19:00+00:00

Unpunched witch tilesheet

Image

tommih — 2008-11-22T22:18:15+00:00

The rulebook

Image

Suzy Sparrow — 2008-11-16T12:25:27+00:00

Game play, Polish edition

Image

Suzy Sparrow — 2008-11-16T12:23:20+00:00

Polish edition game pieces

Thread: Re: symbols rubbing off dice

Trump — 2008-11-11T14:38:01+00:00

I have the US version. It came with stickers you could put on the dice if you wanted to. I've never needed them.

Thread: symbols rubbing off dice

kuhflecken — 2008-11-11T08:48:12+00:00

Is the problem of the symbols rubbing off the dice a problem with all editions of this game or just the US release?

Thanks

Thread: Re: Doubts about the end of the game and the one who shuts the cover.

Cinnibar — 2008-10-27T02:48:11+00:00

Another option might be to expand the Leader's Curse to nullify one-card formulas unless perfect.

Image

wiewioora — 2008-10-16T10:43:00+00:00

Image

wiewioora — 2008-10-16T10:22:33+00:00

Thread: Re: Doubts about the end of the game and the one who shuts the cover.

Trump — 2008-09-16T01:57:49+00:00

rmcorrea wrote:
For the player strategy, we decide to make a house rule that says that the one who shuts the book has to present a perfect formula to move or else he does not move with a half valid formula or go backwards 2 spaces if something on the formula is wrong.

You might want to rethink that. You're really making the game easy if nobody can close the book until they're ready to go for a perfect formula.

Thread: Re: Doubts about the end of the game and the one who shuts the cover.

rmcorrea — 2008-09-13T21:46:01+00:00

Thank you Paul. Thats make the end of the game very exciting!

For the player strategy, we decide to make a house rule that says that the one who shuts the book has to present a perfect formula to move or else he does not move with a half valid formula or go backwards 2 spaces if something on the formula is wrong.

Thread: Re: Doubts about the end of the game and the one who shuts the cover.

Trump — 2008-09-12T22:47:53+00:00

rmcorrea wrote:
2. A person who shuts the book cover with a half valid formula has the right to move your witch or can we consider that if the formula for the one who shuts the cover is not completely perfect he will fly 2 space backwards? Cause in our game session, someone who was the leader, was shutting the cover all the time and presenting just one valid card (or fot the orange , or for the black formula) and moving just one space all the time.(Maybe here a I could have misunderstood some rules: if you have a four simbols formula, and you show just two valid cards of that formula, but you missed the other two, you can move your witch 2 spaces right? And with one valid card, you move one space.)

While legal, it's not very fun. We've had that problem before. Our solution is that the same person can't shut the book twice in a row.

Thread: Re: Doubts about the end of the game and the one who shuts the cover.

paulmond — 2008-09-12T17:13:12+00:00

Hello! My family and I really enjoy this game a lot, too.

1. In the english rulebook, at the bottom of page 4 and continuing at the top of page 5, it says "Each player, starting with the one that closed the box, then continuing in the order of their position in the race, will reveal his formula and will apply its effects."

So, the one who closed the lid gets the chance to move first, even if he is wrong and doesn't get to actually move at all. The next person to move their witch is the one who is in second place on the scoring track, and so on.

2. In the english rulebook, in the middle-right column of page 5, it says "If the formula written by the player who closes the flap is invalid, he moves back 2 spaces."

So, yes, you were doing that whole part correctly. The leader in your game was completely legal (I doubt, though, that he could win consistently with that strategy.) Remember that even one wrong symbol (wrong color or invalid symbol) ruins the entire spell.

Thread: Doubts about the end of the game and the one who shuts the cover.

rmcorrea — 2008-09-12T14:33:23+00:00

First of all I had a great time playing this game and I want to congratulate the autors for the design of the cards and the game box, they are awesome!

I have two doubts:

1. At the end of the game, for example, if three witches cross the finish line at the same time, who gets the 25, 24 and 23 points? The rules dont teel us about a order to play, so i realized that the first witch to cross the line was that one that was closer to it before the last dice throws. Is it right? Or maybe the one who shuts the book cover and get a perfect formula has the chance to move your witch first?

2. A person who shuts the book cover with a half valid formula has the right to move your witch or can we consider that if the formula for the one who shuts the cover is not completely perfect he will fly 2 space backwards? Cause in our game session, someone who was the leader, was shutting the cover all the time and presenting just one valid card (or fot the orange , or for the black formula) and moving just one space all the time.(Maybe here a I could have misunderstood some rules: if you have a four simbols formula, and you show just two valid cards of that formula, but you missed the other two, you can move your witch 2 spaces right? And with one valid card, you move one space.)

Thread: Re: I like the red witch ...

merb101 — 2008-08-26T16:33:53+00:00

sevorges wrote:
I love this game but find there is a big difference in people's abilities to see the symbols, eliminate the duplicates, and then remember them when the lid is closed. The gulf between those that can visualise this and those that can't just makes the game no fun for the latter group. I've found the same issue with jungle speed where some players never get the confidence to fully participate, as they make mistakes, and end up just not wanting to play. This is not a problem in the game design, as Wicked Witches Way neatly adds gameplay (as mentioned being 2nd is best) to a matching/memory/dexterity game, but in the wiring of individual's brains. Or maybe it is just that my gaming group plays too many Euros and that has turned us into careful calculators that cannot shift into speedy shape matchers.

I would agree with you, and I probably fall into that latter camp, but I can get better with practice. It can be challenging to keep everything straight in your head, but I think the game easily can be scaled by using fewer dice or altering a few simple rules for people to get more adjusted to the speed and demands of the game.

ME

Thread: Re: I like the red witch ...

sevorges — 2008-08-26T00:26:07+00:00

I love this game but find there is a big difference in people's abilities to see the symbols, eliminate the duplicates, and then remember them when the lid is closed. The gulf between those that can visualise this and those that can't just makes the game no fun for the latter group. I've found the same issue with jungle speed where some players never get the confidence to fully participate, as they make mistakes, and end up just not wanting to play. This is not a problem in the game design, as Wicked Witches Way neatly adds gameplay (as mentioned being 2nd is best) to a matching/memory/dexterity game, but in the wiring of individual's brains. Or maybe it is just that my gaming group plays too many Euros and that has turned us into careful calculators that cannot shift into speedy shape matchers.

Thread: I like the red witch ...

merb101 — 2008-08-25T15:26:05+00:00

"Wicked Witches Way"
Age: 8 +
Players: 2-6
Time: 30 minutes
Cost: $29.99

"Wicked Witches Way" a fun, beautiful racing game

By MICHAEL ERB
www.newsandsentinel.com

"Wicked Witches Way" by Asmodee Editions is a racing game with a twist. The players take on the roles of witches taking part in an annual race to show off their broom flying skills. The goal is to not only reach the finish line first, but to end the race with as many points as possible by performing tricks along the way.

The game box plays a double role in "Witches," and the first thing you'll notice about the game is the very cool and high-quality components. The box is shaped like a spell book, complete with a latch and two inner chambers, separated by a cardboard flap that can be flipped to cover the different sections. Every inch of the box is covered with colorful glossy artwork, and when you put it on your shelf, from a distance, it really looks like a book.

There is a gameboard that shows the race route through a the countryside surrounding a small village. Each point along the route is marked with a number, with 22 spaces that must be moved through to win the game. There even are a couple of negative spaces that take you behind the starting line, and we'll touch on those more in a minute.

There are six witches, each with a cardboard piece to represent her, and though there are no special powers based on which one you pick, there is a little story with each presented in the rulebook, and players quickly will drift toward choosing favorite character.

The main part of the game consists of nine wooden dice. Each has a collection of arcane symbols, from lightning bolts to skulls to spider webs to stars, and the symbols come in both black and orange on each die. The game begins when a player rolls the nine dice into one side of the book. All of the players quickly look, trying to memorize the symbols for one of the two colors.
You can close the flap at any time, and once closed the players place face down spell cards with the symbols on the dice, trying to complete the magical formula that will allow them to move forward.

There is a trick: Any symbols that show up in both black and orange are removed, so you can only pick symbols of one color that have not been duplicated. You move a number of spaces according to how accurate your spell is, with increasing penalties for wrong or incomplete spells, and even worse if you were the one who closed the flap and then screwed up. Hence the chance of moving backwards at the start of the race.

If you complete an orange formula, you advance two additional spaces.
If you successfully complete a black formula, you draw a number of cards equal to the parts of the formula (i.e. three symbols would get you three cards). Those cards can be either spell cards (which often allows you to attack or hinder other witches) or acrobatics cards, which can be played to score extra points at the end of the game.

There is another twist as well: The witch in the lead always gets "cursed" by the other witches. This means you don't get the bonus for a perfect formula if you are in the lead. The real idea behind the game is to always be the person just behind the leader, and then swoop ahead at the end of the race to win. Easier said than done.

The game is a lot of fun, and pretty challenging. To play with younger children I would recommend eliminating the duplicate symbol rule, or even roll fewer dice, but though the game can be tough, its not impossible, and you will quickly get used to picking out the symbols.

There have been some complaints about symbols on the dice being difficult to see, especially the orange which don't always stand out on the wood die. Asmodee has included in the box symbol stickers with orange and black on white that can be applied to the dice to make them easier to read.

I love this game. It's light enough to teach quickly to people, but complex enough to keep them coming back. It's also a very fun and cool theme, and the artwork is beautiful. I really can't say enough good things about this game.

For more information on "Wicked Witches Way" and other Asmodee products, visit www.asmodee-us.com. For more game reviews and discussion, visit my blog at http://merb101.livejournal.com.

Thread: Re: "Decree" & Expert Pilot

drbsgold — 2008-06-08T23:28:48+00:00

The English translation from the French just says to give the card user the extra ten seconds. You are correct. And expert couldn't play the card.

You could penalized the leading cursed Witch with the five second rule.
Or just ignore it.

No effect on the game, whatsoever.

Barry

Thread: "Decree" & Expert Pilot

Yollege — 2008-06-08T15:49:19+00:00

I haven't played the game yet, so I am probably missing something, but after reading the rules twice, there is something confusing me...

The description for the "Decree" card says that you get to look at the dice for 10 more seconds, and a Expert Pilot gets to look for 5.

But doesn't being an Expert Pilot prevent you from getting any cards? The rules say that the Expert pilot doesn't get the bonus from a perfect formula, so unless I am misunderstanding something, they have no way to acquire this (or any) card...

I am using the English rules. Thanks for any help on this...

Thread: Re: Grammar Error in Title?

clearclaw — 2008-05-19T06:34:10+00:00

Stephenson's Rocket was originally published without the apostrophe.

Thread: Re: Grammar Error in Title?

GROGnads — 2008-05-19T06:30:46+00:00

"Wicket Which's Whey"?

Thread: Grammar Error in Title?

bjhendricks — 2008-05-19T06:13:59+00:00

Wicked Witches Way sounds like the name of a street. Is that what was intended? But who names a street with a plural? (Elms Street, Oaks Avenue, Marigolds Way) To me it seems like it should have been titled Wicked Witch Way if it was supposed to be a street name.

Otherwise, it should be Wicked Witch's Way (singular possessive) or Wicked Witches' Way (plural possessive).

Just saying

Thread: Re: Hot Witches Good; Ugly Witches Bad

Hendal — 2008-05-05T11:43:21+00:00

Never heard of this one, but if there is a hot witch, it might be worth looking into .

Thanks for sharing,

Game On'

Thread: Re: Hot Witches Good; Ugly Witches Bad

bvongunten — 2008-05-05T10:46:50+00:00

Great review!

But you made me realize that the witch down in the center of the front cover actually is a female!!

I won't touch that game for some time!

Greetings from Switzerland,

Bernhard

Thread: Hot Witches Good; Ugly Witches Bad

VixenTorGames — 2008-05-05T05:17:48+00:00

I don't understand why all witches can't be hot. I know, tradition gives them warty noses and stringy hair and bad crotch hygiene, but I want them all to wear fishnets and plunging necklines and saucy little pointed hats. When I see a witch, I want to be all 'hubba hubba, she can cast a spell on me anytime!'

There's only one hot witch in Wicked Witches Way. Worse, there are no dude witches (I think the correct term is 'warlock,' but I don't care, because there are none of those, either). There are five broom-mounted witches having a race, and one is a hottie in a red dress, three are gross old hags, and the last one is actually one crazy old bird who got turned into four different, hideous goblins.

Now, in all fairness, that witch in the red is pretty smokin'. She doesn't get an advantage, or anything, except maybe she would be better at seduction. But this is a broom race, not a beauty contest, and just like everyone else, she has to power her flying broom with magic spells, not curvy legs and a great ass.

Wicked Witches Way is a competition pitting these five witches (or however many players there are) against each other in a broom-flying race. To power those brooms, the witches have to whip up spells. It doesn't hurt if they do a little fancy flying, too - the judges love to see you do a barrel roll on a broom.

So every turn, the witches collectively take a peek at the magic book, to see what elements they can use to bust out those flying spells. The book is represented by nine wooden dice, each with different red or orange spell pictures on them. One player rolls the dice into the box and then lets everyone have a look. Witches have to memorize the pictures in a hurry, because when one person thinks he can build a formula, he slams the box closed and everyone has to play cards to show how well they remembered the various components in the box.

This is actually trickier than it sounds, too - your formula can't have both orange and black symbols, and if there are symbols that appear in both colors, they're not allowed. You have to build your formula in your head before that box closes, and it's not hard to make mistakes. Mistakes mean your witch falls off her broom. Since there's only one attractive witch, the odds are a little scary that you might get a glimpse of some really heinous varicose veins as the old bag takes a digger.

Getting a few elements right lets you move forward, but a perfect formula lets you either draw a magic card or jump ahead a couple extra spaces. Those magic cards are the real spoilers, too - they let you get more time looking at the dice, or make two formulae, or move the lead player backward, or lots of other stuff. You can also use the cards to do aerial maneuvers, which the judges think are great. I would only think they are great if the witch doing them is the hot one - would you want to see Beatrice Arthur in Olympic figure skating? Not any more than I want to see a geriatric witch flip upside down while wearing a dress and riding a broom, thanks.

Crossing the finish line first gives you a good shot at the win, but it's not a sure thing. That prune-faced old bag behind you might have a few tricks up her sleeve, and if she's pulled off some aerial acrobatics without making the judges hurl, they might just give her the win. Then all you'll have left to do is go home and soak your bunions. Unless you're the hot witch, and then you've probably got a date.

Quick aside - the box for Wicked Witches Way is about the coolest you'll ever see. It opens up like a book, and half of it is a box for rolling the dice. The dice are sweet, the board is cool, the little witch standups are hilariously illustrated, and the cards are great. The whole package is just plain fun.

Wicked Witches Way is one of my favorite games from Asmodee US. My family breaks it out and plays all the time. My wife always picks the hot witch, and that's fine by me, because then I choose the freak goblin witch so I don't get stuck with the one with really frightening nose hair and boobs that hang down to her navel. It's basically a memory game, but one that requires some strategy, some attention, and the desire to completely hose your friends.

But I don't know about those ugly witches. There ought to be a law that says that if you're so dangerous you could turn me into a toad, you have to be hot to make it worth my time.

Summary

Pros:
Great dice-based memory game
Incredibly cool box
Brilliantly illustrated
Easy to learn and teach

Cons:
Ugly witches in dresses have no business flipping upside down

Thread: Re: Cards, terrible idea?

gameguythinks — 2008-04-27T06:39:17+00:00

I just played this with some friends and one of them liked the game but didn't like the cards. There doesn't seem to be a restriction on how many of the cards you can play and a player used a few of them at the end to win the game.

I didn't have an issue with it. I think the cards are fine for this type of game. It seems to me you are much better off avoiding the curse and collecting the cards to use near the end.

Thread: Re: Gitty Geisterhand (Ghosthand) Mini expansion Nürnberg 2008

Hieken — 2008-03-06T08:33:09+00:00

Thank you very much, Bruno. It is an honour for me to hear those words!

Thread: Re: [Review] Wicked Witches Way

hlopez — 2008-02-21T22:52:39+00:00

Thanks Tom for another great review. I was looking into getting this game for the kids and this review really helped.

Thread: Re: Gitty Geisterhand (Ghosthand) Mini expansion Nürnberg 2008

Bruno des Montagnes — 2008-02-18T13:47:07+00:00

i just can confirm that serge & me liked so much guido's idea, that we had some regrets not havink think earlier to this possibility for the curse for the leader

thank you very much, guido !

Thread: Re: Gitty Geisterhand (Ghosthand) Mini expansion Nürnberg 2008

Hieken — 2008-02-14T14:34:50+00:00

It's a small expansion for experienced players so they have to race against a NPC-witch, who gives players on the same space a small handicap. We experienced no slow-down.

I invented this little promo tile with Bruno Cathala who liked the idea very much!

Thread: Re: Gitty Geisterhand (Ghosthand) Mini expansion Nürnberg 20

steveoliverc — 2008-02-12T18:09:33+00:00

Thanks for the info! Sounds interesting. I wonder if it slows the game down a little too much, though?

Thread: Gitty Geisterhand (Ghosthand) Mini expansion Nürnberg 2008

dr.morton — 2008-02-12T12:12:31+00:00

With "Flinke Feger" being one of my families favourite over the last months it is nice to have something new.
Although the Pro Ludo booth in Nürnberg looked bleak according to a friend with Gitty Geisterhand they had at least a memorable giveaway.
I put a photo in the photo section what the mini expansion looks like.

Gitty is a neutral black witch which races together with the rest of the pack. She always moves as many spaces as the black dices show. She does not get any cards.
Gitty puts a curse on any player she encounters:
Every player sharing the same space as Gitty at turn start have two cards randomly drawn from their hand for this turn (meaning the regular small cards not the spell cards you'll get when getting the black dice right). Ouch.
This effect is not working at the game start of course.

Here is a variation for veteran players I have added to Gitty:
If Gitty is the first witch to cross the finishing line, all players loose regardless of their point value.

Thread: A game with my 2 pre-teen girls

jadzianess — 2008-01-31T01:12:43+00:00

I received Wicked Witches Way a few days ago, and I played the learning round with my 2 girls that day. Tonight, my oldest asked several times if we could play it. How could one not agree? The game plays faster and funner once you know what you are doing. My youngest is 7 and we give her a handicap of allowing her to look at the rolled dice for about 7 seconds before my 12 year old and I take a peek. The 7 year old took the early lead, but all that memorizing spells must have worn her brain out as she started to falter and I caught up with her. We shared the curse coin for numerous turns while the older one managed to collect a few magic cards. She seemed happy with her cards, so that didn't bode well for us. Eventually I took a small lead and never got any cards to help my score. Finally we all landed together on the last space before the finish line. I crossed first for 25 pts, 12 year old got 24 points and the brain weary 7 year old got her 23 pts. But with 4 bonus points, my 12 year old took the game.
I was wondering if that was right, and I rechecked the rules, and noticed that we did play the cards slightly wrong. She still won correctly, but we have to play it right the next time. Whenever a player got all the black card potions right, we only had them pick one card, instead they are supposed to pick as many cards as were in the black potion, and then just choose one. We also forgot to penalize the player who flipped the box closed and then subsequently got the potion wrong. That might have moved one of us back a few spaces during the game.
Still, they do like the game, and the 7 year old blessedly doesn't get upset when she loses. The 12 year old always rates a game better when she can win at it. Game lasted about 15 minutes. We also just got Shear Panic and that is a good game for them also.

Thread: First plays with my wicked daughter.

hseldon — 2008-01-24T00:49:58+00:00

So our good gaming friend gave this to our family for Christmas. Thanks Csigs! We have been busy playing some other games that my three year old could play so we had to wait for her to be elsewhere so we could give this a try. Here is how it went and how I modified the rules as we went along.

We read the rules together and had some difficulty with how you make formulas for your brooms, but figure'd we would solve that mystery while playing. We chose our witches, sorted our cards and openend up the dice bag. 9 dice are hard to throw for little hands, so I did most of it at first. We threw a few practice rolls and tried making formulas. Simone seemed to have the general idea, so the race was on!

First race: I started out realizing that matching the dice was going to be tough for my little witch. She was able to match her cards to dice, but she could not remember why it was important to split up the orange and black figures. So we ignored that for the next two rolls. I had her just determine which figures on the dice would become forbidden and which ones were valid. I had to keep by the full rules for my formulas and I walked her through my decisions. Once she started to see which dice were forbidden, she started closing the box pretty quick and making valid formulas of one or two cards. This is good!
On the next turns I introduced the bonuses assigned with orange and black formulas. She liked getting the cards but needed my help with deciding which one to keep. On the next turn she got a card that moved me backwards and she figured out that one quickly!
By this time we were close to to the end of the race and I was a bit ahead. She was having some troubles seeing the difference between forbidden and invalid dice figures but we were talking through which dice to keep and which were going to be forbidden and both making the same mistakes at time. I finished the race, but we did not count points for this game as neither of us had cards that would do anything about that.

Second race: This time we atarted out a little faster with both of us making 2-3 card formulas quickly. I introduced the curse token and it stayed with me the whole game. She started rolling some of the dice with me and the next couple of turns she was able to remember not only which dice were forbidden but which ones would be invalid as well. I tried not to take a huge lead and coached her through trying to make bigger formulas and getting the bonuses. She snagged a couple of orange bonuses on the next few rolls which kept her pretty close with me. She got a couple of cards that allowed her to fix her formulas after she played them and she liked that. She did better this round and with me playing slower and some point cards she wound up within a couple of points of me. She enjoyed the races and talked about them and how she played. She liked flipping the box closed before I was ready, but it would typically cost her moves so she quit that.

So she wants to play again and I think as we get some more playtime under our belts, like any game, it will get easier to do. She was not sore about losing and said it didn't matter as it was a learning game for both of us.

Thread: Re: How well do the dice stickers stay on?

steveoliverc — 2008-01-13T10:46:31+00:00

I've put on 10 or so of them and they've held up to several games so far with no signs of peeling.

Thread: Re: How well do the dice stickers stay on?

paulmond — 2008-01-12T23:34:31+00:00

We haven't seen the need for the stickers yet, but I think you may be able to test them out by cutting off a corner or other useless part of the sticker sheet and sticking that to something.

We all really dig this game at my house.

May you and yours be blessed by the all-funky FSM.

Thread: How well do the dice stickers stay on?

EvilTimmy — 2008-01-12T22:41:32+00:00

I haven't applied mine yet and would like to know how well they hold up before I do. Has anyone had to resort to alternative or supplemental adhesive?

Thread: Re: First player rolls ...or last player rolls?

Hieken — 2007-12-04T14:51:11+00:00

Yes, the last player rolls the dice.
I think this is because WWW is a family game and so a kid which is at the last position may at least roll the dice - as I have experienced, they love to do so.

Thread: Re: Interpreting One's Position In The Game

apecage — 2007-11-06T17:19:01+00:00

Thanks so much, Bruno!

Thread: Re: Interpreting One's Position In The Game

Bruno des Montagnes — 2007-11-06T16:52:41+00:00

hello !!

official answer is you have to consider positions as logic would dictate (that means according to your golf example..)..

adel verpfichtet is not THE reference !!!
lol

hoping you'll have fun..
Bruno

Thread: Re: Cards, terrible idea?

NZRPGR — 2007-11-04T23:02:39+00:00

Rappak wrote:
Right... so deny the black cards. Signs that it is broken. It still doesn't go around the fact that the cards themselves are not balanced.i think that when he said shut the book quickly to deny the black cards, he meant if you find the cards a threat then close the book quickly in an attempt to deny the cards to your opponents.

Thread: Interpreting One's Position In The Game

apecage — 2007-11-03T17:18:09+00:00

We played the other night (me for the first time)and I got the Vent arrière (Back wind)card rather early on.
The rules say:
"Advance the number of spaces equal to your position in the course.
Example: If you’re in third place, advance three spaces."

But how to interpret....
In a golf tournament, if three people are tied for the lead, the next person's in fourth place (as logic would dictate).
In Adel Verpflichtet (Hoity Toity), if memory serves, the same person would be considered to be in second place.

So, not wanting to give away my secret plans, I waited for them to break the tie. But the same thing happened again and again. We were getting close to games end so I finally just put my dilemma on the table.
We talked it out and decided that, in the absence of clarification in the written rules, to use the 'golf' example.

But I still wonder the intent of the designers. Anyone?

Thread: Re: First player rolls ...or last player rolls?

StormKnight — 2007-10-17T20:48:28+00:00

For the record, the English rules say the last player rolls to. I'm not sure if that was in question or not.

I think being the one to roll is helpful. Its easy to get sidetracked and miss a few seconds at the start of the roll, if you are chatting, or glancing at the board, or reaching over to steal your opponent's munchies while she's focused on the game. If you are the one rolling, you are focused on the roll and know exactly when its hitting the box.

Thread: First player rolls ...or last player rolls?

Innovan — 2007-10-17T19:57:05+00:00

Both Tom Vassel's review and a google translate of the italian rule "Il giocatore in ultima posizione nella plancia" says the last player rolls the dice, not the first player.

Is it an advantage or a disadvantage to be the one who rolls in a memory game? Any ideas which way it should be?

Thread: [Review] Wicked Witches Way

TomVasel — 2007-10-03T14:12:59+00:00

Wicked Witches Way (Asmodee, 2007 - Bruno Cathala and Serge Laget) is one of the coolest produced games I've come across. The box is shaped like a book and even opens like a volume, sitting on the shelf, ready to be pulled out. The book shape also comes into play with the mechanics of the game, as well as the theme. I'm not a big fan of the theme, but it is more unique (although another witch racing game, Techno Witches, was recently released.)

Wicked Witches Way (WWW) is a game that mixes speed and thinking, causing players to quickly evaluate symbols rolled on dice. It is the sort of game that will have a strong reaction from people, likely based on how well they do at the game. Some folks can't stand speed games, and WWW may likely drive them crazy. However, WWW does have some aspects that allow players to hinder someone who tends to be faster at these sorts of games. I found it a decent game and think anyone who likes fast brain burners along with memorization elements should look into it.

Nine dice are included with the game - each having six symbols on their faces. There are nine different symbols, each with an associated "magic" word, and are printed on the faces in either orange or black. In total, there are six of each symbol throughout the dice and three of each color. A board is placed, showing a racing track, with all of the players taking their witch token and placing it on the "1" space of the track. Players then take the nine cards that match their color (the cards match the nine symbols on the dice). A curse token and a deck of "black magic" cards are placed near the board. The box for the game is opened, which has a flap in the middle that can close down on either side. The nine dice are placed in the box, and the first round is ready to begin.

The player currently in last place (random if tied) takes the nine dice and rolls them into the box. All players then look at the dice, trying to memorize the symbols. When one player thinks they can remember, they shut the book by closing the flap. At this point, each player chooses cards from their pile, making a magic formula. When everyone has done this, the dice are revealed, along with the players' formulas.

All dice are grouped together by symbol, regardless of color. If a group of symbols has both colors, then those dice are eliminated. Of all other groups, only one die is kept, and then the black and orange dice are grouped together. A player's cards must match either the orange or black formulas. If a player's formula matches all the symbols in one of the two formulas, they move one space for each of the cards they played. Plus, for an orange formula, they get two additional spaces, and for a black formula, they draw black magic cards equal to the formula, keeping one and discarding the others. If a player has cards that match a formula but not the entire formula, they simply move spaces equal to the number of cards played. If a player plays a symbol that is not in the formula, then they "fall off their broom", not moving at all that round. If the player who closes the box flap messes up, they actually go back two spaces (there is a "-2" space on the track).

After all players have moved (or not), the "curse" token is placed on the space where the leading racer(s) is. This cancels any bonus they might get from having a "perfect" formula on future turns.

Black magic cards have a variety of uses. Some of them will give the player more victory points at the end of the game (one to three). Others have a variety of effects:
- Double Play: Allows a player to write two formulas.
- Tailwind: Allows a player to advance the number of spaces equal to their position in the race.
- Hex: Move the lead player back three spaces.
- Decree: Gives a player ten more seconds to look at the dice before writing their own formula.
- Blocking: Play after moving, no other player can pass you this turn.
- And more!

The game continues until one or more of the witches cross the finish line. The first player to cross the line gets twenty-five points, the second twenty-four, etc. If a player doesn't finish on that turn, they get points equal to the space they are on (1 to 22). Players then add any points that they got from black magic cards, and the player with the most is the winner!

Some comments on the game…

1.) Components: As I stated in the introduction, the box is fabulous; I wish more games were like this, so I could have a whole row of "books" on my shelf. The only problem with it is that when opening, it's pretty easy for everything to fall out, so stuff must be bagged. The cards are of good quality - all with cartoonist artwork on them. (Some of it is rather ridiculous.) The tokens are cardboard stand-ups of the witches and move on the nicely designed board. The main feature of the game is the dice, and they are very easy to see - nice wooden dice with the symbols imprinted on them. The game comes with a sheet of stickers to stick on the dice if a player has a hard time seeing the sides. I didn't have a problem; but I used the stickers anyway, as they were brighter and easier to see. The whole package is high, high quality.

2.) Rules: I found the rulebook, all seven pages of it, to be very helpful and easy to understand. The rules are simple, and there is even an example of play - complete with illustrations that help even more, although I found the rules themselves to be fine. There is an explanation for the black magic cards, and lots of pictures, etc. Teaching the game is simple; I merely play through an example rolling of the dice, and people pick it up almost immediately.

3.) Memory: The game relies on a player's memory, as they attempt to scan the dice quickly and remember the symbols on them. The nine symbols are certainly different, although you would be surprised at how easy it is to mix them up. For example, one symbol is a spider, and the other a spider web. When I see the symbols, I impress "spider" upon my memory, then I can't remember if I meant web or not. Another symbol has a lightning bolt, with another symbol having a lighting bolt IN a cloud. Add this to the fact that there are several colors, and it isn't as easy to remember as you might think. Sometimes I simply found one or two shapes and memorized them fiercely, just so that I would get a few spots in the race, rather than making a mistake and going no where.

4.) Speed: Memory is one thing; but when combined with speed, a game can get quite frantic. You'll be sitting there, attempting to memorize a few symbols, when WHAM! - someone slams the lid shut. It can get irritating, especially if you are someone who likes to take a little bit of time to think. I've played in one round, near the end of a game, where I simply slammed the lid shut right away - then picked one symbol, hoping I was right. I thought that this way I could stop the others and cross the finish line. In my case, it was a disaster, but either way - this sort of thing is going to appeal to some, and appall others.

5.) Theme: The theme, despite the name, is really about silly witches racing around on broomsticks and has nothing to do with "real" witches - for those who dislike this. The dice mechanic sort of fits in the theme, but the actual moving around the track feels like a race - thanks to the black magic cards.

6.) Leader: If one person is excellent at this type of game, they will likely do very well. Some people will be able to sort out all the dice in their head in the amount of time I'm still starting to look in the box. Fortunately, the game uses the "curse" token and the black magic cards to help keep a runaway leader in check. Yes, a good player will still likely win, but this keeps it closer and helps keep the rage of a slower person in check. Also, I like the fact that someone may cross the line first and still possibly lose, if a runner up is hoarding point cards.

7.) Fun Factor: For me, I can take or leave speed games, but this one is a bit more enjoyable than the rest. I can play it once and be satisfied for a good while, but I have fun when doing it. The fact that a player can choose which formula to copy keeps the game interesting, and the black magic cards add a bit of strategy. Yes, when you boil right down to it, it's speed + memory. And folks who like neither will likely dislike the game.

Wicked Witches Way will have a very few who don't like the theme, more who don't like the memory aspects, and even more who hate the speed. However, that does not exclude everyone; and I've seen the game get a high reaction of enjoyment, especially from the younger set. The components are gorgeous, the act of shutting the lid is fun to do, and it can really broil one's mind. Perhaps not the best speed game I've ever played, it's certainly a good one and will appeal to fans of that genre.

Tom Vasel
"Real men play board games"
www.thedicetower.com

Thread: Re: Cards, terrible idea?

eisenphx — 2007-10-02T21:40:15+00:00

I have played a couple of games of WWW with a multitute of different players and not once did a player win just because of the cards. The cards balance the game out and make a more than just a "who has the quickest perception" game. All cards are usefull, how useful depends of what the player does with them and when s/he uses them.

Thread: Re: Cards, terrible idea?

qzhdad — 2007-10-02T19:23:02+00:00

Rappak wrote:
I was playing last night and it does feel like the black cards are horribly balanced. The point cards are too good other cards like the magnetic attraction is horrible. Does anyone else feel this way and have any fixes to it?

I agre with your first sentence as written, but probably disagree with teh horribly if you mean unbalanced. There are certainly some cards that are better than others in some situations, but most of them are decent in some situations if not all. In general, I think the black cards average are about as useful as the two space reward for the orange(non-black color) dice complete spell.

If you don't like the variablility of the black cards go for the other cards. I love the game for what it is. I wouldn't pull it out to play with a bunch of hardcore gamers, but my family and friends have enjoyed it.

Thread: Re: Cards, terrible idea?

tonyfung1205 — 2007-10-02T19:01:22+00:00

Not a feeling of unbalanced.

Conversely, the cards currently included are pretty appropriate and necessary to make it a good multiplayer game more than a simple headless reaction game.

The fix isn't going to the cards. More extreme (less forgiving) tactics are the fixes, like those suggested by Star above.

Thread: Re: Cards, terrible idea?

Rappak — 2007-10-02T16:49:38+00:00

Right... so deny the black cards. Signs that it is broken. It still doesn't go around the fact that the cards themselves are not balanced.

Thread: Re: Cards, terrible idea?

Starsunsky — 2007-10-02T16:38:19+00:00

I don't think the black cards are unbalanced. WWW is always fun for me and never bugs me.

It's the purpose of the cards to assist players catching the leader; otherwise, it will become an ordinary reaction game and the fastest thinker usually win.

If you need, The fixes can be:
1. Try to collect as many black cards as possible.
2. Always make the maximum formula to lead the way to goal; therefore, other players can't even win with bonus nor they can drag you.
3. Deny other collecting black cards by closing the box real fast.

Thread: Cards, terrible idea?

Rappak — 2007-10-02T14:13:32+00:00

I was playing last night and it does feel like the black cards are horribly balanced. The point cards are too good other cards like the magnetic attraction is horrible. Does anyone else feel this way and have any fixes to it?

Thread: Re: the curse?

walk_softly — 2007-08-27T21:31:58+00:00

I figured that is what I would have to do. Thank-you for the advice. I have played this with 2 only once and I don't think that I would do it again.

Thread: Re: the curse?

rhox — 2007-08-26T18:27:41+00:00

.Ah...! the dreaded curse token, yes I am afraid the curse token stays with the lead player, if you want to drop a place or two reveal invalid spell symbols when you flip the lid, this will result in you moving backwards, so during a game it is possible to switch the lead quite often allowing you to grab a card or two although playable with two players I find the more players the better. nice game all the same.

Thread: the curse?

walk_softly — 2007-08-26T17:47:33+00:00

I don't think that we are playing this game right. Every time I moved I was in the lead (ususally by one space) and thus took the curse marker, therefore I did not get a single bonus the entire game and lost to my husband who had VP cards. Even when I tried to suck my husband managed to stay behind me. Is that the way the curse works?

Thread: Re: How do I fix this? (components)

elmonty — 2007-07-10T02:43:57+00:00

You don't really need to play in both sides of the box. Just use one side all the time.