#27: Summoner Wars (Mark's 100 - 2014)

Summoner Wars

Mark's Ranking

• 2014: 27th
• 2012: 4th
• 2010: prior to publication
• 2005: prior to publication

BoardGameGeek

• rank: 213
• rating: 7.44

Print Status

• in print

Why It's On The List

• Here's what I wrote a couple of years agao: "Summoner Wars is a fantasy battle board game that involves positional board play, deck & hand management, and dice combat.” What got left out of that description was just how much fun it is to play. There’s a healthy helping of randomness to spice up the game, but there’s also some real skill in playing each faction well… and Colby Dauch (the designer) deserves a mountain of praise for getting such variety out of a simple & straightforward game system. Even if you don’t like fantasy combat games, you should give this one a try."

Tips & Tricks:

• Each deck plays VERY differently... I can not emphasize enough the learning curve involved here. Because the game is quick, it's easy to get experience and "learn" the decks - but expect to get your rear end handed to you by an experienced player the first time you pick up a deck.
• The easiest decks to play (this is my opinion) are Guild Dwarves and Tundra Orcs. From the Master Set (which is probably the best way to jump into the game), I'd suggest the Mountain Vargath or the Sand Goblins.
• The deck-building aspect of the game is really nicely done... it adds another layer to the game but it's not required to enjoy it.
• I would be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent iPad app for playing Summoner Wars.
• There are now 2nd Summoner decks for all of the original 16 factions... and a new box called Alliances that combines factions together!

Extras

• I wrote an extended review of the game system as part of my review of the Master Set for the Opinionated Gamers website.