The Mage Knight Saga: A Guide to the Epic Board Game

Mage Knight is a masterpiece of board game design, an epic adventure that combines
deck-building, exploration, and fantasy-themed combat into a sprawling sandbox. It’s a game of
strategic depth and tactical freedom, allowing you to explore a world, conquer cities, and level
up your hero. While its reputation for complexity might seem intimidating, the core mechanics
are manageable once you understand the turn-by-turn flow. This guide will demystify the game,
breaking down its essential elements to get you started on your quest.

The Objective: Glory and Fame

Mage Knight is not a simple dungeon crawl; it’s a race to become the most legendary hero. Your
goal is to accumulate the most “Fame” (victory points) by the end of the game. Fame is earned
through a variety of actions, most notably by defeating powerful enemies, conquering cities, and
discovering valuable artifacts. The game is played over a set number of rounds, which are
determined by the chosen scenario.

What You'll Need to Play

Before you embark on your journey, you’ll need to set up the game. This involves:
●​ The Game Board: A series of modular hex tiles that form the world you'll explore.
●​ Hero Figures and Boards: One for each player, representing your character and their
stats.
●​ Decks of Cards: The core of the game. This includes the main deck of Action cards,
Advanced Action cards, Wound cards, and a variety of other decks for spells, units, and
artifacts.
●​ Mana Crystals and Dice: Mana is the game's currency for activating powerful effects.
●​ Enemy, Site, and Fame Tokens: Used to populate the map and track your progress.

The Turn-Based Flow

A game of Mage Knight is broken down into a series of Rounds, which alternate between Day
and Night. Each round is comprised of a series of Player Turns. The game's turn structure is as
follows:
1.​ Start of Round: The Day/Night board is flipped, the "source" of mana is refreshed by
rolling the mana dice, and players' Tactic cards are revealed.
2.​ Player Turn: Each player takes a turn in order. A turn consists of playing cards from your
hand to perform actions.
3.​ End of Round: When all players have run out of cards, the round ends. Players refresh
their hands, and the next round begins.

The Core Mechanic: Playing Cards for Actions

The central engine of Mage Knight is its deck-building system. At the start of your turn, you draw
a hand of cards from your personal deck. These cards are your actions. Every card has a basic
effect on the top and an enhanced effect on the bottom. To activate the enhanced effect, you
typically need to "pay" for it by spending mana.
Your hand of cards is a resource. You must spend cards to perform any action, including:
●​ Movement: A card's basic movement value lets you move a certain number of spaces.
This can be modified by the terrain you're moving into (e.g., mountains cost more to move
into than plains).
●​ Influence: Used to interact with villages and to hire units. Your Influence value is a
measure of your charisma and can be boosted by playing cards.
●​ Combat: Cards provide attack, block, and healing values. To defeat an enemy, you must
play enough cards to meet or exceed their attack value and block their damage.

The Combat System: A Strategic Puzzle

Combat in Mage Knight is not a simple dice-rolling affair. It’s a tactical puzzle where you must
carefully manage your hand of cards to defeat enemies without taking too many wounds.
1.​ Encounter: When you move into a hex with an enemy, you stop and initiate combat.
2.​ Declare Actions: You and your opponent(s) must decide which enemies to attack and
what cards you'll use.
3.​ Enemy Reveal: You flip the enemy tokens to reveal their stats, including their armor,
attack, and special abilities. Some enemies might have special abilities like "swiftness" or
"rampage" that can change the order of combat.
4.​ Resolve Attacks: You must play enough cards to block all incoming damage from the
enemies you're fighting. If you don't block all the damage, you take a wound card for each
point of unblocked damage. Wounds are useless cards that clutter your hand and make
future turns more difficult.
5.​ Defeat Enemies: You must then play enough cards to deal damage equal to the enemies'
armor. If you successfully defeat an enemy, you gain Fame and often Reputation, which
can help you hire more units in the future.

Mana and Resources: The Key to Power

Mana is the fuel that powers your most potent actions. Each round, you roll mana dice to create
a "mana source" that all players can use. Mana comes in five colors, each corresponding to an
element:
●​ Green: Used for movement and nature-based spells.
●​ Blue: Used for magical spells and influence.
●​ Red: Used for fire attacks.
●​ White: Used for ice attacks and blocking.
●​ Gold: A wild mana that can be used as any color.
●​ Black: A wild mana that can also be used as any color, but often has different effects.
You can also gain mana crystals, which you can save from turn to turn in your inventory. These
crystals are essential for long-term strategic planning.

Exploration and City Conquering

A large part of Mage Knight is exploring the world and revealing new hexes. As you explore, you
will encounter various locations:
●​ Villages: Where you can hire new units.
●​ Mage Towers: Where you can learn new spells.
●​ Monasteries: Where you can recruit new units or heal.
 ●​ Keeps and Fortresses: Heavily defended locations that offer big rewards for conquering.
●​ Cities: The ultimate prize, heavily fortified locations that you must conquer to win certain
scenarios.

The Solo Experience

Mage Knight is perhaps best known for its incredible solo play. The game's design, with a
"dummy" player that manages the end-of-round sequence, makes it a compelling and
challenging solo experience. You'll spend hours engrossed in a strategic puzzle of card
management and tactical decision-making, trying to optimize your turns to defeat enemies and
explore the world efficiently.

Final Thoughts for New Players

Mage Knight can be overwhelming at first. The best way to learn is to play through the
walkthrough scenario provided in the rulebook. It is a guided, step-by-step introduction to the
game's core mechanics. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and consult the rulebook often. Once
the game's rhythm clicks, you'll be hooked on the satisfying loop of building your deck, exploring
the world, and becoming the Mage Knight you were meant to be.