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That’s Wizard is a two-player simultaneous-action card game about dueling wizards. Both players will design a deck of seven spell cards to defeat their opponent with. Spells are organized into seven different schools of magic, such as Transfiguration, Charms, Divination, etc. There are over a thousand possible combinations to create your deck with!
You have two resources to manage, stamina which represents your health, and power which is the magical energy that allows you to cast spells. Each spell has a range of power that you can use to cast it, such that it has a greater effect the more power you use.
You will also have access to the two special action cards; Focus and Counterspell. Focus will bring you back to full power, while counterspell will prevent your opponent’s spell from have an effect, causing them to waste the power they used to cast it. Counterspell costs a bit of your own stamina however, and that cost increases the more you use it! Knowing when to focus, and when to counterspell is the key to victory!
The game is played with a simultaneous action mechanic. Each round, both players secretly choose a card from their hand to play, and secretly set a special dial to show how much power they are using with their card. Both players reveal their cards and dials at the same time. Spells that use less power will go before spells that use more.
You will play best two out of three matches. As the game progresses, you will learn more about the cards in your opponent’s hand, and be able to better guess when to counterspell and stop them! No matter how many powerful spells you bring a wizard duel, the key to victory is understanding your opponent!
-description from designer
- Fun wizard duels
- Engaging mechanics with depth
- Potential for strategic play and comebacks
- Can be complex to learn
- Losing voice from shouting spells (humorous observation)
- Wizard duels
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Buffing/Debuffing — Cards can affect the opponent's ability to play spells (e.g., Tongue Tied) or modify damage dealt.
- Card Play — Players choose a card to play and reveal it simultaneously with their power dial.
- Combo Effects — Using counter spells back-to-back increases the damage taken for using them.
- Countering — Counter spell cards can cancel an opponent's spell but inflict damage on the user.
- Deck Building — Players have a deck of cards and choose which to keep in their hand, and can craft their own decks or use pre-made ones.
- Delayed Effects — Some cards have an hourglass symbol, indicating they trigger at a different time stated on the card, potentially for multiple rounds.
- Hand Management — Players choose five spell cards out of seven to have in hand each round, along with focus and counter spell cards, and choose two to set aside, so the opponent doesn't know what spells can be slung.
- Push Your Luck — Deciding whether to use maximum power or save it, and risking negative consequences or forfeiting.
- Resource Management — Players manage their 'power' resource, which is capped at 10, and need to decide when to spend it.
- Set Collection — Players collect stars by winning duels, with the first to two stars winning the game.
- Simultaneous action selection — Players reveal their chosen cards and power levels at the same time.
- turn order bidding — The player using the least power goes first; ties are broken by dice rolls.
- Variable Power Costs — Some cards have a set power cost, while others have a range that players can choose, impacting spell effects and resource management.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Best thing about being a wizard, Nick, just vibes. Just vibes. All vibes all day, dude.
- I've seen Gandalf at a party. Vibing. Absolute mad lad. Firing off fireworks. His beard lights on fire every single every single time. He doesn't mind.
- So, this is a game where we are going to be playing uh one v one wizard duels. Uh and you have to shout your spells.
- In That's Wizard, players are, you guessed it, wizards who are dueling it out.
- Once a wizard is reduced to zero stamina, the round immediately ends and the winning wizard gains a star.
- The old disarm man. The old nonviolent tactic. One out in the end. GG.