Wiz War

How to Play the Wiz War Board Game

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Wiz War Instructions, Rules, and Strategy

If you’ve ever dreamed of punching Harry Potter in the face or roasting Ron Weasley with a lightning bolt, then you should learn how to play Wiz War. That’s because this “beer and pretzels” board game puts the players in the role of wizards and calls upon them to steal treasure from each other while simultaneously trying to commit hilarious acts of violence.

I enjoy the fluid nature of the game, as the cards allow players to cast spell and counter-spells until their heart’s content. It’s not uncommon to see a spell get cast, reversed, and then reversed again. It makes for exciting gameplay, and best of all it only take from 15 minutes to one hour to play.

This article will discuss some of the finer points for how to play Wiz War, as well as providing a few elements of strategy to incorporate into your next gaming session. If you’re a fan of games like Munchkin, then Wiz War is highly recommended.

Wiz War Instructions

The standard game of Wiz War comes with the following: a game board in four sections, a book of Wiz War instructions, a die numbered one through four, cardboard tokens, and a deck of 124 cards. Cards come in the following categories:

Magic Stones - These cards represent magical stones that bestow a special power on the wielder. While spells can only be discarded, the magic stone cards may also be dropped on the board and later picked up by other players.

Attack Cards - Spells used to attack the opposing players. Only one attack card can be used during a player’s turn. Keep in mind that no attacks may take place during the first round of the game.

Neutral Cards - These cards are considered non-offensive and non-defensive. You can cast as many neutral spells in a turn as you want.

Number Cards - A card with a number that enhances another card. If you play a fireball card and a 4 number card, the damage of the fireball will be increased by four. Number cards can also be used to increase the duration of a spell, or they can be used to add to your movement for the turn.

Counter-Action Cards - Used to defend against a spell. Counter-action cards can be used out of turn and are considered neutral (meaning more than one can be played).

Wiz War Rules

According to the Wiz War rules, the object of the game is to either kill off the other players or steal two treasure chests belonging to your opponents and carry them back to your home base. You can also be eliminated if both your treasure chests have been stolen by players and sit on their home base spaces.

The game board is assembled by taking the four sectors, placing them face-down, and allowing players to choose one as their home base. Put the sectors together and turn them over.

Each player places his piece in the center of the sector he selected, with the center square being the home base. In order to win the game, this is where two chests of treasure belonging to opposing players must be brought.

Each player begins the game with 15 hit points (this number may be increased during play) and seven cards from the deck. The remaining cards are placed face-down to form the draw pile. If a player’s hit points reach zero, then they are eliminated from the game.

Each player rolls the die, with the highest roll getting to go first. Play then proceeds clockwise.

At the beginning of a player’s turn, he has three movement points to spend. This number can be increased by playing a Number Card. During a player’s movement, they can cast spells, pick up an object, or perform a number of other actions. Picking up an object immediately ends the player’s turn, and only one attack can be made per turn. A player can never have more than seven cards in their hand, and gaining more than this number requires the player to immediately discard a number of cards to get down to the acceptable limit.

At the end of a player’s turn, they can draw cards to get back to the maximum number, and they may also choose to discard unwanted cards and draw replacements.

You can carry an unlimited amount of items, with the exception of treasure chests. Only one treasure chest may be carried at a time.

If you manage to kill an opposing player, you receive all the cards they had in their hand. However, the player will have to immediately discard enough to get down to the limit of seven.

A spell that’s cast without a Number Card has a strength of one. Because of this, it’s a good idea to keep a few number cards in reserve to power your attacks and other forms of spells.

Wiz War Strategy

While there are players who insist that they’ve managed to develop a sophisticated Wiz War strategy, I’ve found that the unbalanced nature of the game usually causes strategy to go right out the window from the opening turn. The cards held by some players will be vastly more powerful than those of their opponents, and this causes rapid shifts in gameplay. Then again, this unpredictability is part of Wiz War’s charm.

I’ve tried to put together a few examples of Wiz War strategy below, but keep in mind that it’s a beer-and-pretzels game. The objective is to have fun and kill as many opposing wizards as possible, not over-analyze the game to the point of exhaustion.

Make Alliances - If you’re playing with more than two players, it’s a good idea to make alliances. Sure, one of you is bound to break the alliance at some point and stab (or blast) the other in the back, but you’ll have less to worry about while the uneasy peace holds.

Auto Warp Attacks - During three-player games, Auto Warps allow you to exit one side of the board and enter another, and the same applies to attacks. Keep an eye out for opponents standing in front of an auto warp, as you may be able to attack them from the other side of the board with relative safety. For this same reason, try not to loiter in front of auto warps.

When All Else Fails, Punch - If you have no other option, don’t forget that you can move into a space with a rival wizard and punch them. Sure, it only does a single point of damage, but sometimes it’s so satisfying to serve up a knuckle sandwich to your opponents.

Getting New Cards - In addition to filling up your hand at the end of a turn, you can also discard unwanted cards and draw new ones. This is extremely helpful in trying to nab that devastating spell you’ve been searching for.

Linger Near Rivals - If two of the players have a history of going after one another with abandon, try lingering in their area without attacking either one. When they’ve whittled one another down, you can swoop in and finish off one or both of them.

If you’re looking to play a game that includes lots of luck, an absurd amount of comedy, and more dueling wizards than Hogwart’s, be sure to learn how to play Wiz War. The endless combination of cards will keep the game fresh, and fireballs, lightning bolts, and the dreaded Wizardblade will fulfill your most homicidal fantasies.