| rdfs:comment | - Mage Knight is a miniatures wargame using collectible figures, created by WizKids, Inc. A synthesis of classic miniatures games and of background stories, Mage Knight was an immediate success when it was introduced in 2001. Image:MageKnightLogo.gif Mage Knight has seen 14 expansions in booster packs, though bonus figurines appear in the Heroic Quests, Conquest, Titans supplements, and special figures from the Holiday 2001 and Holiday 2003 genres.
- A now-defunct tabletop miniatures game from WizKids, later acquired by trading card company Topps. Innovations included pre-painted models, and a model base that contained all of a model's statistics, making 'bookkeeping' or 'tracking' unneccessary. There was a spin-off game called Dungeons, which more closely resembled a D&D-style dungeon crawl, and a mass-battle ruleset called Conquest. There was also a five-issue comic book series (Stolen Destiny), a two-book novel series (Rebel Thunder and Dark Destiny), and a PC game (Mage Knight: Apocalypse). This game provides examples of:
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| abstract | - A now-defunct tabletop miniatures game from WizKids, later acquired by trading card company Topps. Innovations included pre-painted models, and a model base that contained all of a model's statistics, making 'bookkeeping' or 'tracking' unneccessary. In addition to the rules, the company's Web site also featured a library of 'fluff': a detailed backstory for the game's setting, descriptions of each model's role in the Mage Knight world and an evolving current storyline that could be influenced by the players themselves. When cards were added to the second edition of the game, they usually also had some sort of flavor text. After about a dozen sets, the company changed the rules drastically and came out with Mage Knight 2.0, which was generally not well received (As it turns out, when your rules and statistics are built right into the model bases, drastic changes to said rules tend to make entire armies literally unplayable). After five sets under the new rules, with increasingly complex game mechanics and an ever-dwindling player base, the game was finally cancelled in 2005. There was a spin-off game called Dungeons, which more closely resembled a D&D-style dungeon crawl, and a mass-battle ruleset called Conquest. There was also a five-issue comic book series (Stolen Destiny), a two-book novel series (Rebel Thunder and Dark Destiny), and a PC game (Mage Knight: Apocalypse). For magic users also skilled in armed combat, see the similarly named Magic Knight. This game provides examples of:
* All Trolls Are Different: Forest Trolls and Half-Trolls.
* The Empire: Atlantis is ruled by generally evil overlords and engages in slavery.
* The Necrocracy: The Necropolis Sect.
* Our Dragons Are Different: Our Dragons are bipedal dragon-men, although there are true dragons as well.
* Our Dwarves Are All the Same: And almost all in the same faction, too.
* Our Elves Are Better: High, Wood and Dark Elves are featured in different factions.
* Our Orcs Are Different: They're green-skinned, war-like, prefer close combat, and when given guns by the Black Powder Rebellion, have terrible aim. Okay, maybe not that different.
* Steampunk: The Black Powder Rebellion and their enemies, the Technomancers of Atlantis.
* Whatevermancy: Technomancy.
- Mage Knight is a miniatures wargame using collectible figures, created by WizKids, Inc. A synthesis of classic miniatures games and of background stories, Mage Knight was an immediate success when it was introduced in 2001. Image:MageKnightLogo.gif Unlike other miniatures wargames, Mage Knight eliminates the need for constant reference to rulebooks and tables by integrating a combat dial into each figure that contains the current combat statistics of each figure -- its movement rate, attack and defense values, combat damage, and special abilities. While this system lacks the versatility of other miniatures games, mainly because players cannot customize their figures, it makes up for this by facilitating rapid gameplay and by having a large number of distinctive figures. All miniatures, called warriors, come pre-painted and are pre-assigned point costs based upon their abilities. These costs range between 3 points (for a weak figure) to over 500 points (for a powerful dragon). To play a game, players will generally agree upon a point cost total, and then design their armies to maximize their strategic capabilities within the specified point cost total. Each player is allowed to take a number of actions per turn equal to the point cost total divided by 100. These actions include movement, combat, or the use of special abilities such as Regeneration and Necromancy. Game play is typically rapid, but often highly strategic. Mage Knight figures are sold in Starter Sets (which historically have contained 8 or 9 figures) and Booster Sets (4 or 5 figures). Figures are sold in basic sets, as well as expansion sets. Figures are distributed with seven rarity levels; the most rare figures were the "Uniques", of which only one of each could appear in a player's army. In addition, WizKids gives away limited edition, Unique versions of the non-Unique figures in the sets as prizes for tournaments in comic and game shops. These figures are not available for retail sale, and have different statistics and point costs than the regular figures. This novel prize policy is in part responsible for Mage Knight's success. On 5 November 2003, WizKids released a new "base" set (their third, after Rebellion and Unlimited), colloquially referred to as "Mage Knight 2.0," that introduced new strategic possibilities to the game, including capabilities to customize Unique warriors and battles via styrene cards called Domains, Items and Constructed Terrain. Later expansions have introduced more options via Spellbooks, Spells, and Adventuring Companies. Mage Knight has seen 14 expansions in booster packs, though bonus figurines appear in the Heroic Quests, Conquest, Titans supplements, and special figures from the Holiday 2001 and Holiday 2003 genres.
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