Protospiel Madison was a huge success. In addition to playing some really fun games from other designers, I playtested about 4.5 hours of Archwizard. We broke the game twice and made some significant improvements. I had one group play for 3.5 straight hours before the end of the day – they helped move the game forward tremendously because we saved time not going through the rules and got a lot of play time in. We tested the epic spell cards and variable player powers for the first time successfully.
Some changes of note:
- Draw one die from central pool in reverse turn order at the beginning of each round (if available)
- New elimination alternative victory. First Wizard to cast 3 epic spells wins.
- Turn order tokens added – this was a simple, but huge improvement.
- Enchant 2 dice each instead of 1 during the enchantment phase.
- No dice in hand at the end of the round = elimination (must play balance between enchanted dice and non-enchanted dice).
Still need to better clarify how/when spells apply, and how various powers can preempt other cards.
So not a complete overhaul, but significant changes that keep the game fast-paced and fun. It is still deliciously devious – loose alliances and subtle manipulation is still a must.
I look forward to Protospiel Madison next year when I can move the game from Alpha to Beta and beyond!