Gateway Table Top Games: Wiz-War: The Game of Magical Mayhem! Circa 1983

Board Game Gab's Classic Corner Spotlight

History

The game you've never heard of. This classic table top game was published nearly 20 years ago and had been out of circulation for nearly 15. Published by Chessex and created by Tom Jolly, Wiz-War is an intriguing, action packed table top thrill. Jolly called it a "beer & pretzels"  game and actually introduced it to Richard Garfield, inspiring him to create the best selling Magic: The Gathering franchise.

Basic Premise 

Players engage in protecting their treasures within a labyrinth on the board while casting traps and spells to attempt to steal opponent's treasures or destroy them. Spells are drawn from a deck and range from direct attacks to conjuring walls and teleports. The combination of being able to randomize the labyrinth layout and wide range of cards create a series of intense battles for victory.

My Experience With Wiz-War

Being a novice table top gamer, you can imagine the look on my face in 2006 when my roommate Dan pulled this archaic looking game from under the coffee table and asked if I wanted to play. I did not reply and his answer to that was, "Learn to play this game my friend, and I guarantee you'll be hooked." I looked at the tattered box then back at Dan; my skepticism did not waiver.

We setup for a game and if the breadth of your table top experience is passing go and collecting $200, it can be a bit confusing. Attack only when you have line of sight, counter spells only work in certain situations, when you should or should not summon a blockade are all part of the strategies you'll find in Wiz-War. But Dan was right, after a few games, you understand the rules and the battles become more intense. The race to the treasure, the chase of a thief in your midst. The games would last a little over an hour. When we played with 3 or 4 players, the alliances and betrayals become comical and it's definitely a game that goes with beer. I'd have to admit that now, 7 years later I still have good memories of Wiz-War.

Up until a few years ago, you'd need a friend whose dad was a geek in the 80's to find a set to play. There has even been a small community that create boards from wood and cut their own cards but now it's been revived by Fantasy Flight Games.

Revival

Fantasy Flight Games updated this classic game in 2012, a refresh of everything from board to pieces to graphics. The company worked directly with Tom Jolly to enhance the game play, modernize it and give it a faster pace. The new layout and pieces look much better than the cardboard cutout wizards of yesteryear.

It's great to see small independent game makers reach people even after 20 years of obscurity. Those that had the joy of playing it through the 80's have a strong affinity for it. Check out this "live action wiz-war" photo I found below while researching this post. I imagine Tom Jolly working passionately on Wiz-War back in 1983 and thinking on it every so often since it'd fallen out of circulation. To see it reinvented so vibrantly for a new generation must be rewarding and now I can get a copy myself! See you in battle!