Overview
Mage Knight Board Game puts players in command of powerful Mage Knights exploring a randomly generated fantasy landscape. Players build their action decks, recruit units, acquire spells and artifacts, and level up their heroes while exploring map tiles, fighting enemies, and ultimately conquering cities. The game combines deck-building, exploration, and tactical combat with deep strategic planning. It can be played solo, cooperatively, or competitively.
Components
- 168 Deed cards (16-card starting decks for each of 4 Mage Knights, plus advanced actions, spells, artifacts)
- 40 Unit cards
- 12 Tactic cards
- 4 Hero cards with skill tokens
- 8 double-sided map tiles
- Mana dice (in multiple colors)
- Various tokens (wound, enemy, shield, fame, reputation markers)
- Day/Night board
- Score cards
Setup
- Place the starting map tile with the portal. Each player places their Mage Knight figure on the portal.
- Each player takes their 16-card starting deck, shuffles it, and draws 5 cards.
- Set out the mana dice supply. Roll source dice to create the mana source.
- Prepare the advanced action, spell, artifact, and unit offer rows.
- Choose a scenario from the Scenario Book (determines objectives, map layout, round count).
- Select Tactic cards to determine first-round turn order.
Turn Structure
The game alternates between Day and Night rounds. Each round:
- Start of Round: Players shuffle decks, draw 5 cards, select Tactic cards (determines turn order and special bonuses).
- Player Turns: In order, each player takes a turn (move, interact, fight, rest, or declare end of round).
- End of Round: When a player with no cards announces “end of round,” each other player gets one final turn. Then advance the Day/Night track.
On Your Turn
Play cards from your hand to perform actions. Cards can be played for their basic effect (always available) or powered up with mana for enhanced effects. After completing actions, discard played cards and draw back up (within hand limit).
Actions
Movement
Spend movement points to traverse map hexes. Terrain costs vary: plains (2), hills (3), forest (3 day / 5 night), desert (5 day / 3 night), swamp (5), mountain (impassable without special abilities). Revealing new map tiles requires exploring beyond the current edge.
Interaction
At villages, use influence points (modified by reputation) to recruit units, heal wounds, or buy supplies. Monasteries offer spell learning. Keeps, mage towers, and other sites provide various interactions.
Combat
When entering a space with enemies (or voluntarily engaging adjacent enemies):
- Ranged Attack Phase: Deal ranged damage before enemies can attack.
- Block Phase: Assign block values against each attacking enemy.
- Assign Damage: Unblocked enemy attacks deal damage (wounds to your hand or units).
- Attack Phase: Deal melee damage to defeat remaining enemies.
Enemy attributes include armor (must be exceeded to deal damage), attack value, and special abilities (e.g., fire, ice, physical resistance, fortified).
Resting
Skip normal actions to discard all non-wound cards, draw a new hand, and heal a wound.
Level Progression
Accumulate fame to advance hero levels (up to Level 10). Each level grants skill tokens and additional command capacity for units. At certain levels, choose advanced actions or powerful abilities.
Reputation
Actions affect reputation (attacking innocents lowers it; defeating enemies raises it). Reputation modifies interaction costs at villages and other locations.
Scoring / Victory Conditions
Victory conditions depend on the chosen scenario:
- First Reconnaissance: Ends when the city tile is revealed. After one more round, score fame for: cities conquered, adventure sites explored, knowledge gained, units commanded, artifacts and spells, and freedom from wounds. Highest fame wins.
- Full Conquest: Players must conquer cities. The player who conquers the most cities (with fame as tiebreaker) wins.
- Solo/Co-op Scenarios: Players work together or alone to achieve specific objectives.
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Wounds: Wound cards clog your hand; they have no effect and cannot be discarded normally. Heal through village interaction, resting, or special abilities.
- Day/Night: Many abilities and terrain costs change between day and night. Gold mana is available only during the day; black mana only at night.
- Mana: Colored crystals and dice power enhanced card effects. The mana source is shared but limited.
- Units: Recruited allies provide combat bonuses and special abilities. Units can be wounded (turned sideways) and must be healed to reuse.
- Reversions: Players may undo card plays before revealing new information (e.g., before flipping a map tile or drawing an enemy token).
Player Reference
| Terrain |
Day Cost |
Night Cost |
| Plains |
2 |
2 |
| Hills |
3 |
3 |
| Forest |
3 |
5 |
| Desert |
5 |
3 |
| Swamp |
5 |
5 |
| Mountain |
Impassable |
Impassable |
| Combat Phase |
Description |
| 1. Ranged Attack |
Deal ranged damage first |
| 2. Block |
Assign block values vs. enemy attacks |
| 3. Damage |
Take unblocked damage as wounds |
| 4. Attack |
Deal melee damage to finish enemies |