Components

• 4 Sector Boards
• 4 Plastic Wizard Figures
• 4 Plastic Wizard Bases (1 in each player color)
• 5 Plastic Transformed Wizard Figures
• 4 Life Dials
• 1 Random Direction Overlay
• 139 Cardboard Pieces, including:
• 168 Magic Cards (24 per school)
• 1 Four-sided Die
• 4 Plastic Portal Stands
• Instructions

Object of the Game

Setup

1. Choose Wizards and Colors: Each player chooses one plastic wizard and randomly chooses one player color, carefully placing the figure in the base of the player's color. Each player then receives the sector board, life tracker, treasure markers, and hat tokens in his player color.

2. Build Game Board: All players collectively choose one side of the sector boards to play with, either new (side A) or classic (side B). Next, one player takes all the sector boards, making sure the side to be used this game is facedown.

   He shuffles the sector boards under the table, being sure to change their orientation as well, and then randomly builds the game board according to the number of players in the game. Finally, he flips the sector boards faceup and places the portals next to the game board as shown in the diagram.

3. Place Wizards and Treasures: Each player places his wizard figure in his home base square. Then, each player places one of his treasure markers on each of the two treasure start squares in his sector.

4. Prepare Magic Deck: One player takes all of the Magic cards from the White Cantrip school and sets them aside. Next, he returns all the card from the Black Cantrip school to the box. Then, the players (either as a group, by taking turns, or at random) select three other schools of magic and set the cards belonging to those schools aside as well.

   Shuffle all set aside cards into one deck. Return all remaining cards to the game box - they will not be used this game.

   Note: For the first game, it is recommended that players use the following schools of magic: White Cantrip, Alchemy, Elemental, and Mentalism.

5. Deal Starting Hand: Deal five cards from the Magic deck facedown to each player. This forms each player's hand of Magic cards. Players may look at their cards, but must keep them secret.

6. Prepare Tokens and Die: Separate the crack, energy, and stun tokens into piles and place them near the game board. Also, place the random direction overlay, the object markers, and the die near the game board.

7. Set Life Dials and Assign First Player: Each player sets his life tracker to "15". Choose one player to be the first player at random (or select the player with the longest hair, beard or otherwise).

Setup Diagram (Four-player Game)

1 Sector Board - 2 Wizard Figure - 3 Magic Deck - 4 Stun Tokens - 5 Crack Tokens - 6 Energy Tokens - 7 Starting Hand - 8 Hat Tokens - 9 Treasure Marker - 10 Portal - !(1) Life Tracker

Variable Player Setup

Game Play

In Wiz-War, players take turns, starting with the first player and continuing clockwise around the table. Each player completes his entire turn before the next player begins his turn.

Players continue taking turns around the table until one player wins the game. The player taking his turn is the active player.

Each player's turn consists of the following phases:

1. Time Passes: The player reduces the duration of each of his temporary spells by one turn, and he discards any expired spells.

2. Move and Cast: The player may move his wizard figure up to three squares (plus an optional speed boost), cast any number of neutral spells, and make one attack.

3. Discard and Draw: The player may discard any cards from his hand. Then, if he has fewer than seven cards in his hand, he may draw up to two cards from the Magic deck (not exceeding the hand limit of seven).

Each phase is detailed over the next few pages.

1. Time Passes Phase

During this phase, the active player performs the following steps in order:

1. Resolve Spell Effects: The active player resolves any "when time passes on your turn" effects on any spell he has in play.

2. Remove Energy: The active player removes one energy token from each of his maintained temporary spells, indicating that a turn of the spell's duration has elapsed. If the last energy token is removed from a temporary spell, the spell immediately ends and is discarded from play.

3. Remove Stun: If the active player has any stun tokens, he discards one of them and his wizard is stunned for the turn.

2. Move and Cast Phase

During this phase, the active player's wizard moves and casts spells. He may perform any of the actions from this list:

• Spend Movement Points (usually 3)
• Make One Attack (but not during the first turn)
• Play/Use Magic Cards

These actions can be taken in any order, and the player could choose to spend movement points to move a few squares, attack, and then spend movement points to move again, as long as he has enough movement to do so.

3. Discard and Draw Phase

During this phase, the active player may discard and draw cards according to the following steps:

1. Discard Cards: The active player may discard any number of cards from his hand. Discarding in this manner is normally done to make room in the player's hand to draw new cards.

2. Draw Cards: The active player may draw up to two cards so long as he never exceeds his maximum hand size (which is normally seven cards).

Once he has either drawn cards or declined to do so, the active player's turn immediately ends, and the player on his left becomes the new active player.

If the Magic deck runs out of cards, flip the discard pile facedown and shuffle it to create a new Magic deck.

If a player has more cards in his hand than his maximum hand size (as a result of casting a spell, killing a wizard, etc)., he must immediately discard down to his maximum hand size.

Playing Magic Cards

Over the course of the game, the player's wizards play a variety of Magic cards. There are five types of Magic cards: attack spell, counter spell, energy, item, and neutral spell.

Players must play Magic cards at the time the card allows (usually during the active player's turn) and at a legal target. The following sections explain the rules for playing Magic cards.

Types of Magic Cards

Players must play different types of Magic cards at different times, as described below.

Attack Spell

The active wizard may play one attack spell during his turn. Casting an attack spell counts as his one attack for the turn.

He may not attack with a weapon or punch an opponent in the same turn in which he played an attack spell.

Counter Spell

Counter spells are the only spells that may be played during another player's turn. Counter spells are cast as a response, and the counter spell's card indicates what action or spell to which the card must be played in response.

Energy

The active player may play any number of energy cards during a turn. An energy card may either be used to boost a wizard's movement during his turn, or it may be used along with a spell to boost that spell's effects.

Item

The active player may play any number of item cards during his turn. To play an item card, the player places it faceup in his play area. The item is now being carried by the player's wizard. The text on the item card indicates when the carried item can be used.

Neutral Spell

The active player may play any number of neutral spells during his turn.

Magic Card Targets

A Magic card must have a legal target in range in order to be used. The type of target on which a Magic card can be used is described in the effect section of the card, while the range is indicated by an icon to the right of the card's title.

Target Range

There are four range categories for Magic cards: caster, adjacent, within line of sight (LOS), and anywhere. These categories are explained below:

Target Range Icons

Target Types

The possible types of targets are as follows:

Line of Sight and Adjacency

The line of sight requirement (indicated by an ' in the upper-right corner of the card and abbreviated as <£>) means that a card can only be used if the caster can see the target. Line of sight is determined by tracing an imaginary line from the dot in the caster's square to the dot in the target's square.

If a wizard targets a wall, door, or corridor, he must have line of sight to the target itself (instead of its square). If the imaginary line is interrupted by any part of a wall (including a column), then line of sight is blocked and the Magic card cannot be used on that target.

Line of sight may be traced through objects, treasures, wizards, and creatures as long as their Magic card does not say that they "fill the entire square".

For a target to be adjacent, the caster must not only have clear line of sight to it, but he must also be in the same square or in a square next to the target. Squares cannot be diagonally adjacent. Only squares with a common shared borderline can be adjacent.

If casting a spell or checking line of sight through a portal or off the edge of the map using wraparound movement, the two connected squares are treated as directly adjacent.

Magic Card Duration

Magic cards last for different durations: instant, temporary, or permanent, as explained below.

Instant

The Magic card takes effect and is then discarded from play, along with any energy cards used with it. Attack cards usually have a duration of instant. Discarded Magic cards are placed faceup in a discard pile next to the Magic deck.

Temporary

The Magic card is placed face up in the player's play area and remains in play for a limited number of turns, usually equal to the spell's energy. To indicate this, place energy tokens on the spell's card equal to its energy (any energy cards used with the spell are then discarded).

During the Time Passes phase of the caster's turn, he removes one energy token from each of his temporary spells. After removing the last energy token from a temporary spell, immediately discard the spell.

The caster may end the spell at any time during his turn, at which point the spell is discarded from play. While the spell lasts, the caster must maintain it.

Permanent

The Magic card is placed faceup in the player's play area and remains in play for as long as the caster wants. The caster may end the spell or drop the item at any time during his turn, at which point the spell is discarded from play or the item is dropped. While the spell lasts, the caster must maintain it.

Maintaining Spells

While a temporary or permanent spell remains active, its caster must maintain the spell. To do so, the casting player simply leaves the card faceup in his play area. Maintained spells count against the caster's maximum hand size, so there is a practical limit to how many spells can be maintained at once.

Thus, if a player has six cards in hand and one maintained spell, he has a total of seven cards and is at his normal maximum hand size.

When a wizard casts a temporary spell, its duration is determined the moment it is cast. A player cannot extend the duration of a temporary spell after the spell has been cast.

The active player may end a maintained spell at any point during his turn, regardless of its duration. Some Magic cards can also end maintained spells. Once a maintained spell is ended, it is discarded from play.

Any effects from the spell immediately end, and any objects created by the spell (such as walls, etc). are discarded from play. Any hat token on the spell or object is returned to its owner's supply.

Boosting Spells

A spell effect often refers to the spell card's "energy". For instance, a spell might deal magical damage equal to its energy or last for a number of turns equal to its energy.

Normally, a spell's energy is "1". However, when a player casts a spell, he may also discard one energy card to fuel the spell, which replaces that spell's energy.

For instance, if a player casts a spell and plays a "5" energy card with it, the spell's energy is "5". The player takes energy tokens from the supply equal to the spell's energy and places them on the spell's card.

Objects

The term objects refer to all inanimate things in the labyrinth, except for treasures. Objects include walls, doors, stone blocks, and dropped items. Carried items are not objects and are not affected by spells that specifically target objects.

If a Magic card affects treasures, it specifically refers to treasures (instead of objects).

Mobile and Immobile Objects

Mobile objects may be picked up and moved, while immobile objects are fixed in place. Object markers for mobile objects are round, while object markers for immobile objects are square. In addition, objects printed on the board (such as walls or doors) are immobile. picking Up and

Picking Up and Dropping Objects

During his movement, a wizard may pick up a mobile object in his current square by spending 1 movement point. He may do this as often as he likes, provided that he has enough movement to do so.

The controlling player simply removes the object's marker from the board and places its card faceup in his play area to indicate that the object is now one of his carried items.

Carried items count toward a player's hand size. If a wizard picks up an object that would take the player above his maximum hand size, then he must first discard a card, end a maintained spell, or drop a carried item to make room for the object. A wizard can carry any number of items as long as his player does not exceed his maximum hand size.

Unless a Magic card specifically allows it, a wizard cannot forcibly take an item carried by another wizard.

A wizard may also drop any of his carried items into his current square at any time during his turn. To do so, he takes the object marker and places it in his current square; he then places its accompanying card faceup near the game board.

Any number of dropped objects may occupy the same square. Any wizard in the same square as a dropped object may pick it up as noted above.

Picking Up and Dropping Treasures

A wizard may pick up a treasure in his current square during his movement. Treasures are not considered carried items and do not take up space in a player's hand.

Instead, the player inserts the treasure marker into his wizard's base to show it is being carried. Picking up a treasure immediately ends the Move and Cast phase of the player's turn, and he immediately proceeds to his Discard and Draw phase.

A wizard may carry one of his own treasures if he wishes, including retrieving it from another wizard's home base square.

During his movement, a wizard may drop a carried treasure in his current square without spending a movement point. The player simply removes the treasure marker from his wizard's plastic base and places it flat in the square with the wizard.

Dropping an enemy treasure in a wizard's home base square earns that wizard 1 victory point (while the treasure remains in the square).

Damaging and Destroying Objects

The only objects that can be attacked and damaged are walls and doors. In addition, created objects and dropped objects can be attacked if specified on their Magic card. For every 3 damage dealt to an object, it suffers one crack.

Less than 3 damage from a single attack has no effect on an object, and excess damage less than the next increment of 3 is wasted. Thus, dealing 7 damage to an object would inflict two cracks to it, while dealing 9 damage would inflict three cracks. Players place crack tokens on walls, doors, and objects to indicate any cracks they have suffered.

Stone walls take five cracks to destroy. Doors take three cracks to destroy. Outer walls of the labyrinth, treasures, and objects whose Magic cards do not specify a crack limit are indestructible and cannot be damaged. Outer walls include any wall which, if moved through, would cause the player to leave the game board.

If a door or wall is destroyed, place a destroyed wall marker on that door or wall to indicate that it has been destroyed. If a door or wall is destroyed leaving a column not connected to any door or wall, then that column is destroyed as well.

Throwing Objects

An object can only be thrown if its corresponding Magic card specifically says that it can. If possible, a thrown object lands in the same square as its target.

If a barrier (such as a wall) is in the way, or if the target fills the entire square, the object lands in the square in front of the barrier or target after striking it. In other words, the object lands in the last square it passed through before striking the barrier or target.

Creating Objects and Playing Items

When a wizard casts a spell that creates an object, his player places the corresponding object token in the target square. The player may also need to place one of his hat tokens on the object token.

Objects that are created by a spell only last as long as the spell's duration. Once the spell ends, immediately remove the object from the game board and discard the spell.

When a wizard plays an item card, his player places the item card in his play area. The player's wizard is now considered to be using that item or has it available for use, depending on the item.

The item counts as one of the wizard's carried items and is permanent, meaning it can no longer be discarded, but can only be dropped.

Any number of dropped objects can occupy the same square. In addition, items can be played or dropped while in a wizard's home base square or in an occupied square. A square with a dropped object in it is not considered an empty square, so Magic cards that target empty squares cannot target such a square.

Changing the Map

Some spells alter the labyrinth itself. If sector boards are rotated or swapped with each other, portals remain where they are on the play area. They do not change position with the sector boards.

If a created wall is straddling the line between two sector boards when one or both of them move, the wall is destroyed. Alternatively, if a destroyed or damaged wall is straddling the line between two sector boards when one or both of them move, the wall is repaired and the damage marker is removed.

If a player adds a wall, destroys a wall, creates a thornbush, etc., he must take an appropriate marker representing this object and place it where the object was created (or destroyed).

When sector boards align with each other, some of them appear to have double walls (one wall from each sector board). Consider these a single wall.

The walls around the outer edge of the game board (i.e., any wall which, if moved through, would cause the player to leave the game board) are indestructible and impassable.

Spells cannot create objects in a player's home base square or in any square containing an object, treasure, or creature. Walls are created between squares rather than in them. For instance, players could not create a thornbush in the same square as a dagger or another thornbush. Nor could they create a Wall of Fire where a stone wall already exists.

Walls cannot be created diagonally; they must be cast on one line of a square.

End of the Game

Card Clarifications

This section provides an additional explanation of the effects of particular cards.

Featherweight: If the attack originates in your square, you choose which direction to move.

Wall of Earth: Wall of Earth is immune to damage, and it blocks both and movement. Thus, Slow Death would be canceled since it requires, Fireball would strike the wall and have no effect, and Lightning Bolt would reverse direction after hitting the wall.

Waterbolt: If the target is in your square, you choose which direction to knock it back. The target cannot be knocked back around a corner.

Around the Corner: See the diagram below for an example of using this spell.

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