Let's talk about... Wiz-War

While I like the idea of focusing on the "heart" of Wiz-War with less of the rules overhead and chrome, I guess I just don't have any faith that SJG can produce a good game. Happy to be proven wrong...

I love Wiz-War.
Long live Wiz-War.

I think most SJG efforts are mediocre. At best.

I will covet my FFG edition. It shall remain on the 'forever' shelf.

While SJG may be able to pull off six players, or even a wider range of miniatures (stag!), I have little faith it will look nice.

If Kovalic illustrates, I'll be sad. Since his work on Munchkin, any work he would do on Wiz-War would either make his work (or Wiz-War) look derivative.

If Katie Cook illustrates, it may be okay.

Personally, I love the FFG illustration team.

Lastly; published in 2020? For SJG, that translates to 2022.

What drewcula said. I'm never parting with my FFG edition, whether SJG actually manages to produce a new version or not. I think FFG got a lot of things right, left as optional most of what they didn't get right, and added some new stuff that's excellent. The art is great, the minis are great, and it's basically a complete game. I don't need another one of Steve Jackson's half-assed, Munchkin-style input to make it "better."

I'm in the same boat, you'll get my FFG box from my cold, dead hands.

Had a friend up from Florida this weekend and was able to introduce him to the game, which resulted in plenty of hysterical laughter. I ate a wall to get next to him, conjured up the giant KA-BONG mallet to smash him (forgetting he had Pain Link, so I smote myself too), then next turn I got Mental Force-d back and forth through someone's Wall of Fire to die in beautiful, only-in-Wiz-War style.

I'm baffled at this "give up an edition" thing.

I have my old homemade Wiz-War set from the dark out-of-print days. I have the FFG stuff. I'll likely buy the SJG version. None of them are leaving.

I guess I was just saying that I don't really see any point in an SJG version unless a) you're a devotee, like you are and pick up the new ones even if you'd prefer to play with your old school one; or b) SJG somehow deviates from form and produces something spectacularly new and different but still Wiz-War. The game is a classic and will always be one of the best ever, not only for how much fun it is but for how clearly inspirational its essential gameplay is to so many designers, including the ones that created pillars of the current gaming world (like Garfield.) If you weren't able to snag an FFG or older version, then I can see why you'd have some interest, rather than paying insane Ebay prices. But, otherwise, the announcement of Steve Jackson getting the license moves the needle for me not at all.

The only Wiz-War that I have is a print'n'play version from around 2008. I was interested in the FFG version, but it seemed over-produced and more expensive than what I wanted. So I might be interested in the Steve Jackson version, especially if the production values are more comparable to the original version of the game than the fancy FFG version.

Santa left Bestial Forces for the boy. Is the FAT wisdom to just chuck it all in and go?

Yes!

Thanks Charlie, I figured/hoped so!

mc wrote: Santa left Bestial Forces for the boy. Is the FAT wisdom to just chuck it all in and go?

Just be sure to not include the black magic "neutral" cards -- just the white ones.

In addition see additional threads around deck composition. There are many different opinions on that subject.

However, in general -- use the white cards, and throw in whatever expansions. And use most of the optional rules in the FFG edition as (I believe) they were part of the old school ruleset

Yeah we just play with everything (my son enjoys anti anti so it's fine). I read all those things a while back but couldn't remember if it all still worked with the expansions.

boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/111144/wiz-wa...oconuts-return-table

Some news about the SJG version popped up on BGG.

Board Game: Wiz-War (9th Edition)• In October 2020, U.S. publisher Steve Jackson Games announced a new edition of Tom Jolly's classic beer-and-pretzels game Wiz-War, with this title — Wiz-War (9th Edition) for those keeping score — featuring art by Phil Foglio and additional development by Steve Jackson.

SJG hasn't yet revealed how this edition will differ from others, instead noting that it plans to run a Kickstarter to fund this release and that it's doing all of the tooling with the manufacturer beforehand to ensure smoother fulfillment (barring all the usual complications for such things).

An excerpt from SJG's announcement: "We'll tool everything as if all project stretch goals are unlocked, in the hope that there's enough interest in the game to allow us to produce the game as Steve envisions it. Part of our prep work with the factory has been planning out how the stretch goals impact the finished game; this will allow us to reverse steps if some of the stretch goals remain locked at the end of the campaign."

Phil is doing the illustrations?!

That's awesome. That's so f****ing awesome.

I was dreading the idea of John Kovalic getting the job. Phil Foglio is a great choice.

On the negative...

That SJG is handling this incredible game still worries me. Case in point; the following equation

SJG + Kickstarter + Stretch Goals + 2020 = WTF

Has this guy learned nothing from his hubris of OGRE?

Also... I hope the tagline 'Kill them with Fire!' is not final.