Reply To: Saga… why?

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Why did Warren hate the magic in Saga Age of Magic?

Weekender XLBS: Magic SUCKS In Wargaming

Weekender XLBS: What Makes A Good Wargame Review?

Well if you’re a backstage cultist you will know the reason why he dislikes the magic in Saga: Age of Magic.

To summarize, in his opinion (and he’s not alone) the magic feels like it is bolted onto the side of Saga rather than being a fantastical opportunity to make the magic the core change to this edition. It felt like the casters are just a slightly improved priest or character with a few buffs for his army and a few low level attacks. Magic wiping out whole units with one dice roll might be overkill, but they have settled on an underwhelming feeling magic that appears fearful that it might unbalance the core rules used in regular Saga.

The main thrust ended up being a set of battleboards that basically allowed you to field fantasy armies more easily. To make forces that aren’t tied to the Crusades or Dark Age playable in Saga but also are not tied to specific fantasy races if you don’t want them to be. The new battleboards have a collection of abilities (that might suit your play style), with rules that may have been similar to those aligned with a faction in regular Saga that you hadn’t wanted to play.

Warren likes his magic big and brash and worthy of the name magical. I would agree. I haven’t played the Age of Magic game but I have bought the book and was heavily swayed by the talks in the XLBS videos above.