Next, in the box are the pre-painted miniatures! I really enjoy painting miniatures, but I’m slower than molasses when it comes to painting them. My 40k army is still only half-finished after years. Not only are they pre-painted, but they’re actually painted very well. There are clearly some that look better, but they look excellent. That’s not a whole lot of fluff, but you’ll have plenty of time to wander around and get used to the basic mechanics and map tile locations.

Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition contains the base game, The Lost Legion, Shades of Tezla, and Krang Character expansions, comprehensive integrated rules text, five new cards, and miniatures with alternate paint jobs. There is a lot going on in Mage Knight. You’re not going to know everything on your first or even your second playthrough. You will, however, have a ton of fun playing and learning the game.

Great value in one box. The base game alone you could play for a year and not get bored. The Ultimate Edition comes with 3 expansions. Mage Knight is one of the definitive action/adventure fantasy board games on the market today. The decision to switch gears and convert a collectible miniatures game into a single box board game is a bold move but it’s worked well for Wiz Kids. Most cards in the game will use this mechanic. Match up the colors with mana and you’ll get a better ability. You won’t always have access to the right colors of mana and it can shift rapidly throughout the round. Wound Cards

Players progress through the game by achieving objectives, gaining Fame, and increasing their Reputation. The game's victory conditions are determined by the chosen scenario. For example, players might need to conquer cities or defeat a certain number of enemies. Once the victory conditions are met, the game ends, and the player with the highest Fame is declared the winner. Activate special abilities: Utilize your Mage Knight's unique abilities, as described on their Hero card. Disclaimer: The above "How to Play" guide is intended to provide a general overview of the game Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition. While we strive to ensure accuracy, some details may not be entirely accurate or may not cover all aspects of the game. We recommend referring to the official rulebook for complete and accurate information on how to play. In a game this heavy there’s always going to be a lot of questions, and just as I’m not going to be able to cover all of the rules in this article (I went over the bare minimum to give you an idea of what you’re getting into) there’s still a lot of questions. WizKids did put out an FAQ, and as I probably mentioned a thousand times now, the Ultimate Edition rulebooks are very well-written.Speaking of the cards you may notice a lot of colors and 2 separate card effects. Each card will have a mana affinity (color) and 2 separate abilities. The ability on top is the generic ability. You will always be able to use this ability. The lower ability can be used only if you spend mana to enhance the card. Throughout the game you’ll have access to mana or magic crystals, and if you spend one that matches the color of the card you can use the enhanced (lower) ability on the card.

Hurting slightly, I pressed on and came across a dungeon. My scouts wouldn’t be able to help me even if they weren’t wounded and I was relatively fresh. Onward. The dungeon run didn’t end well. Again, I was forced to retreat and this time there were no meat shields in sight. Mage Knight is played in a series of rounds, divided into day and night phases. During each round, players take turns performing actions to explore the board, battle enemies, and achieve objectives. Each player's turn consists of the following steps: I’m not going to lie, it took me about an hour and a half to read and set up the initial board. In my first round I was nose-deep in the walkthrough booklet more than I was looking at the actual board, but after that, I spent most of my time planning and moving. I was the hero of the realm, slaying roving bands of orcs left and right. I recruited some scouts on round 2 and laid siege to a keep, claiming it as my own. Mage Knight’s rulebooks have all been refined and are much easier to follow. The walkthrough game is taken at an excellent pace and introduces rules as they come up. If you’re like me and like to read rulebooks cover to cover before the game is even out of the box, you’re going to get a headache. Being a jerk has consequences, but you do get awesome stuff for burning down the monastery… Ending the GameFollow the walkthrough booklets and you’ll be fine. It’s a complex game, but the walkthrough makes it far less intimidating. The Pros and Cons of Mage Knight Pros: As players level up, you’ll notice that the leveling will alternate between gaining new skills & cards and gaining command tokens. Each command token indicates how many followers/mercenaries you can have with you. In a case of art imitating life, the more fame you have the more followers you have. With my renewed resources I decided it was time to take on a wizard’s tower. “Those pointy hat-wearing pansies can’t stop me!” I shouted to the ether. They proceeded to beat the crap out of me while I used my trusty scouts as meat shields for a tactical retreat. One of the constant threats all players will need to look out for are wounds. If a player manages to take 5 wounds fairly early in the game they’ll be severely handicapped. Each card takes up a space in a player’s draw hand and can’t be used for anything. It’s hard enough trying to complete actions without a limited selection of cards. Night & Day Choose a scenario: The game comes with several scenarios with different objectives, durations, and levels of difficulty. Select one that suits your group's preferences.