Game: Wizard

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Herr Niemand — 2005-11-26T14:10:32+00:00

Thread: Review of Wizard (Metagaming Microgame 6, 1978)

mistermarino — 2005-07-23T09:26:27+00:00

DESCRIPTION

Wizard (Metagaming Microgame 6, 1978) expands Melee (Microgame 3) to allow man-to-man magical combat. Two or more players create wizards and join battle in arenas or tunnels. The game stands alone or as a companion to Melee.

The first edition components of this Steve Jackson design include a 32-page rule booklet (with eight pages of spells and modifiers), a 12" by 14" hex map and two counter sheets. Later editions contained only one counter sheet. This was actually a "deluxe" product: Other Microgames had 24-page rules, smaller maps, one counter sheet and sold for a dollar less.

Metagaming released Advanced Wizard (1980) in a magazine format, but it did not stand alone. With Advanced Melee and The Fantasy Trip: In the Labyrinth it formed a core of rules for fantasy campaigning. RPG devotees will recognize The Fantasy Trip as the embryo from which Mr. Jackson's GURPS would develop.

RULES (First Edition)

Melee requires only strength (ST) and dexterity (DX) to portray fantasy combat with blades and bows. Wizard adds a new attribute, intelligence (IQ).

IQ governs the number and complexity of known spells. A mage with IQ 10 knows 10 incantations from a list of spells requiring IQ 10 or less. Difficulty ranges from IQ 8 (simple, like Image and Magic Fist) to IQ 16 (hard and nasty, like Summon Dragon and Death Spell.)

Wizards expend ST to cast and maintain spells. Many take effect instantaneously and then dissipate. Others last a number of turns or cost a number of ST points per turn to maintain. An unsuccessful spellcasting attempt costs 1 ST.

As in Melee, DX determines the chance to hit (in this case, cast a spell). A wizard must roll adjusted DX or less on three six-sided dice. Range, injuries and defensive spells are among the factors that adjust DX.

A human wizard (or fighter created for play with Wizard) starts with ST 8, DX 8, IQ 8 and 8 points to distribute freely. Elves, hobbits, dwarves and other races begin with slightly different point values.

The heart of the game (since Melee established character creation and combat) is the spell table. This features more than 60 diverse and well-chosen incantations in four categories.

Missile spells (Magic Fist, Fireball and Lightning) strike from long range and do damage proportional to the ST points a mage spends.

Thrown spells affect creatures and objects but do not cause damage. They have steep range penalties (-1 DX for each hex to target.) Almost half of all spells (and many of the more interesting ones) fall in this category, including Iron Flesh, Flight, Control Person and Invisibility.

Creation spells conjure creatures, warriors and objects. Images appear real but vanish when touched or disbelieved (dispelled by a three-dice roll versus IQ). Illusions cause and suffer damage and can be killed, destroyed or disbelieved. Summoned creatures are real and obey a summoner's commands.

Special spells don't fit neatly in other categories. They include Reveal Magic, Dazzle and Teleport.

Wizard adds one stage to the turn sequence. After rolling for initiative in stage 1, players expend ST to renew spells or allow them to expire in stage 2. Play then proceeds as per Melee rules.

GAME PLAY

Game play shines because it is fast-paced and full of meaningful choices. To Melee's furious hacking and slashing, Wizard adds magical mayhem. The spell table alone demonstrates how thoroughly the designer and playtesters did their jobs. It features just enough spells to provide satisfying and manageable variety. It allows a full range of tactics, from frontal assault to stealthy maneuver, from pinpoint strike to all-out defense.

A wizard may announce "secret protection" and roll for success. The spell need not be revealed until an opponent is affected by it or casts Reveal Magic. A wizard also may announce "secret protection" to mislead by pretending to cast a spell or casting one with no visible effect.

This deception adds real suspense for players wondering if an opponent has magic armor, is protected by a Reverse Missile spell that makes missile attacks bounce back at the attacker or is merely bluffing.

Wizards rarely close ranks to fight with staves, so introducing fighters adds movement and deepens play. Battles between parties of two wizards and two warriors create tension and force decisions. Attack the guy with the lightning bolt fetish or the angry fellow bearing down with an ax? The Elf with the longbow or the mage who just went invisible?

Duels between two powerful wizards, each with a beginner for an apprentice, provide reliable entertainment, as do death matches between a wizard/fighter duo and assorted beasts. Mass combat works on larger hex maps or commercially available battlemats. Solo play is rewarding and also a great way to learn the rules and experiment with spells.

Movement and combat rules quickly become second nature. That means less look-up and more fun. Experienced players should be able to create characters and fight a battle in 20-30 minutes.

CRITICISM

The game suffers from one notable glitch. Intelligent players quickly discern that a first-turn missile spell attack by an experienced wizard (or a high-DX beginner) usually ends a duel immediately. Though "realistic", this is not much fun. "Secret protection" plus the optional but highly recommended Courtesy Rule (a wizard's first action may not be a missile spell) mitigate this.

Other criticisms seem trivial in light of the exceptional overall quality. Rolling for initiative still feels clumsy, especially when higher-DX wizards roll poorly. The Reverse Missile spell can force replaying part of a turn, which is inconsistent with the instantaneous effect of all other actions. Range penalties on thrown spells limit their usefulness against enemies not at or near point-blank range. If one wizard uses invisibility, the game slows considerably. If two use it, the game becomes virtually unplayable.

Note that Wizard addresses the mini-maxing problem (construction of so-called optimal characters), one of the criticisms of Melee, in a most entertaining way. The none-too-bright ST 12, DX 12, IQ 8 fighter, the most efficient Melee character, will struggle to disbelieve images and illusions and is perfect prey for a mage with a Control Person spell. Such a warrior can be deadly to his own side if taken over, even briefly.

See my review of Melee for comments on general criticisms of the movement, combat and character mechanisms of the game system.

CONCLUSION

Wizard retains the virtues of Melee (easy to learn, quick to play, perfect balance of realism and playability) and adds value (excellent magic rules, well-conceived spell set). And it does all this without mucking up the system with excessive revisions and optional rules. The games mesh seamlessly, and Mr. Jackson wisely chose not to make the perfect the enemy of the near-perfect.

Wizard should appeal to gamers who like fantasy/magic themes, man-to-man combat and light, tactical wargames. Likewise, it should appeal to gamers who demand simplicity and elegance combined with fast play. It should appeal to gamers who enjoy character creation but not full-blown role-playing. Finally, it should appeal to gamers looking for more opportunities to break out the miniatures.

With top marks for innovation, balance and replayability--plus the often overlooked advantage of portability--Wizard arguably delivers as much fun per dollar as any game before or since. Mated with Melee, Wizard arguably demonstrates that arguably is not a strong enough word in the previous sentence.

Thread: Excellent but...

aramis — 2005-05-14T01:47:21+00:00

Wizard, at least the third edition (which I have) is a wonderful wizard duel game.

Advanced wizard expands he tactical options and spells (through IQ 25!), including some really NASTY spells... as well as including all those campaign oriented spells.

The game is fully compatible with Melee, and incorporates many of the rules already.

Basics: it uses 3 attributes (Str, Dex and IQ) which are raisable, and one non-raisable (MA). Spells known are limited to a number totalling the wizard's IQ. All spells have a required IQ, and some have required Dex or St. Spells cost hits to cast; casting a spell is a self-damaging proposition, so make it count! Starting hits are equal to St...

You thus wind up with all three stats being essential for wizards.

MA is racially determined. (Humans 10, Elves 12, etc.)

Each turn, in descending dex order, characters act.

Spells require a successful IQ roll to cast, and if targeted, a dex roll to target.

The game plays well, and some of the best spells are summonings; they produce far more damage per St point spent and also force the opponent to choose betweeen your wizard or the sumoned critter.

The Illusion and Invisibility rules almost require a referee.

Adding in Melee widens drastically the tactical options for non-wizard figures, including summoned beings.

Using TFT, one also can have warrior wizards: fewer spells, but also able to wields swords or other weapons.

These rules are essentially the same as used in Dragons of Underearth; a tactical module incorporating Wizard, Melee, and the Talent system from In the Labyrinth.

Wizard is also designed so that it can easily be adapted to other FRP's; Tunnels and Trolls comes to mind as a great fit. (D&D less so, since the inherent magic system is so drastically different, but it can be done... assume St for casting equal to level+St, and IQ for learing spells is equal to Int+Level).

The biggest problem is that the system, as written, suffers from "Buff Wizard Syndrome":
Experienced wizards will tend to be greatly strong. When ITL is integrated, leaning the sword talent costs 4 spell slots, it's well worth it; the Veteran talent (1 point of armor) costs a wizard another 4 slots; if you have the IQ, a good choice as well, since it does affect magical damages. An experienced wizard of St 20 Dx20 Iq20 is not unheard of; if he's got the swords talent, he can wield a bastard sword 1 handed for good effect, AND back it up with spells, too.

The games flaws, however, are made up for with clear and concise rules, and a well thought out game system.

TFT, or The Fantasy Trip expands Wizard and Melee into a full role playing game, with an excellent setting concept, simple rules, and better experience system. It also adds a half dozen races to the 4 in Wizard and Melee.

Wizard is also sufficient to play many of the microquests, but I would recommend finding Melee as well.

Howard Thompson seems to have completely forgotten about this system; If he were to rerelease it as a PDF set, at a small price, say $2 for Wizard or Melee, and $4 per book for the others, they would surely find a new and enthusiastic audience.

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The Maverick — 2005-02-21T03:21:38+00:00

Early editions included two counter sheets, one red and one blue

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The Maverick — 2005-02-21T03:21:38+00:00

Boxed edition

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The Maverick — 2005-02-21T03:21:37+00:00

Bagged edition, later cover art

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The Maverick — 2005-02-21T03:20:46+00:00

Early bagged edition, back cover

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The Maverick — 2005-02-21T03:20:45+00:00

Bagged edition, early cover art (better quality scan)

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artfuldodge2 — 2004-11-19T13:26:07+00:00

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JBMallus — 2002-08-21T12:51:16+00:00

First edition

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lowy — 2002-08-21T06:36:36+00:00

Large blue dragon at right, small red dragon at top left

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wtrollkin2000 — 2002-08-14T11:50:28+00:00