The Magic Realm is a fantasy board game designed by Richard Hamblen and published by Avalon Hill in 1979. It is set in the land of Astral, which is divided into several regions, each with its own unique characteristics. In the game, players take on the role of adventurers who navigate through the realm, seeking treasures and battling creatures. The board is divided into hexagonal spaces representing different terrains such as woods, mountains, and swamps. Each character has their own abilities and goals, adding to the strategic element of the game. Magic Realm features an intricate gameplay system with multiple phases, including a day and night cycle.
The game can be frustrating. Death rides a very swift horse and favors your blindside. Worse, while the role of dice in combat is limited, they are everything when it comes to the all-important task of searching, and this dice mechanic is brutal by design. You can spend many turns searching for a much-needed treasure location or hidden path that you can see on the board but your character can’t find.
speed of defense, reduction of ability through fatigue and wounds, extra effort required for stronger and or faster attacks, damage through armor, damaging destroying armor, and armor effectiveness against blunt sharp weapons. The Amazon, on the other hand, can t scratch a dragon with her starting equipment, but she can usually work her way through a half-dozen of the weakest goblins.
Magic Realm features an intricate gameplay system with multiple phases, including a day and night cycle. During the day, players can explore the board, encounter creatures, and interact with other characters. At night, the game introduces a hidden movement mechanic, allowing players to secretly plan their actions.
Magic Realm Lives Again
Magic Realm, designed by Richard Hamblen and released by Avalon Hill in 1979, is adventure fantasy role-playing wrapped up in a board game. No surprise, given the time. It has a complexity rating of 9 on Avalon Hill’s 10-point scale, is loaded with chits, and has a rule book approaching 100 pages of two-column small print.
In modern parlance, Magic Realm has crunch. And all that crunchy goodness is now available for free on your computer.
Before we examine the computer version, let’s have a look at the basics of play. There are sixteen characters for players to choose from in Magic Realm. Most of the usual tropes are covered: White Knight, Black Knight, Amazon, Wizard, Elf, Dwarf, etc.
Players choose their own victory conditions, setting goals of Gold, Fame, Notoriety, Usable Spells, and Great Treasures. They travel roads, caves, hidden paths and secret passages that stretch across the twenty tiles making up the board, and you’re not likely to see the same board configuration twice.
The exploration element is handled well. Goblins and dragons both show up on a tiles with caves, but until you get to a tile and hear a howl or roar, see the ruins or smell the smoke, you don’t know if goblins, dragons, neither, or both live there.
And knowing is critical. The White Knight can probably take a dragon, but a group of goblins will overwhelm him. The Amazon, on the other hand, can’t scratch a dragon with her starting equipment, but she can usually work her way through a half-dozen of the weakest goblins. (The Elf doesn’t care either way, as he can run away from both.)
Late stage action in Magic Realm (click for bigger version)
A character’s combat abilities are defined by a vulnerability rating and twelve chits covering offense, defense, and magic. The numbers, letters and asterisks on this handful of chits serve up a combat system that incorporates offensive maneuver vs. defensive maneuver, speed of attack vs. speed of defense, reduction of ability through fatigue and wounds, extra effort required for stronger and/or faster attacks, damage through armor, damaging/destroying armor, and armor effectiveness against blunt/sharp weapons.
Once you know the system, it’s straightforward; but this is a daunting section of the rules. And that’s before throwing in scores of treasures and spells that can affect combat.
Dice play no part in a player vs. player battle unless someone is using a missile weapon or certain spells. It comes down to knowing each other’s abilities and out-guessing the other player.
Dice do play a role when fighting monsters or natives, but in choosing maneuvers for them, not in determining if an attack hits or how much damage it does.
This means a player will have a very good idea whether or not a fight is winnable before it starts. Traveling the board, the Swordsman, who is light and fast, knows he can run away from almost any monster on the board, but not the giant octopus guarding the Pool (which, being one of the largest treasure piles, is a very tempting target — I’ve lost a lot of swordsmen there).
RealmSpeak screenshot (click to embiggen)
Magic is also crunchy. Spells are cast by combining knowledge of a spell with the necessary type of ritual (there are 8) and the necessary color of magic (there are 5). The ritual is usually provided by the spellcaster and the color by either the spellcaster, an artifact, or the environment.
The environment providing color magic is a very nice element of the game. Enchanting a board tile (flipping it over) causes color magic to be present on the tile, but it can also significantly alter the configuration of the roads, hidden paths and secret passages.
The game can be frustrating. Death rides a very swift horse and favors your blindside. Worse, while the role of dice in combat is limited, they are everything when it comes to the all-important task of searching, and this dice mechanic is brutal by design. You can spend many turns searching for a much-needed treasure location or hidden path that you can see on the board but your character can’t find.
But there are times when the game delivers exactly what it’s shooting for. The White Knight, seizing an opportunity, fatigues himself in order to attack faster than some house-sized monster can evade. The Black Knight picks up the War chit and leads three groups of natives in battle against three other groups of natives.
The Swordsman finds the Remains of Thief, getting his hands on the Living Sword, or finds the Lost Keys that let him unlock the Vault. The Sorcerer takes control of a dragon and sends it charging into a hoard of goblins.
In my youth, I would take notes of my (mostly solo) game sessions, adding narrative to spin them into stories.
A second edition of the game was released in 1986, but it has been out of print since Avalon Hill was sold in 1998. The game, however, had a cult following, and some of the cultists went to work.
Eventually RealmSpeak, a Java implementation of Magic Realm, took form. It implements an unofficial third edition of the rules — unofficial, but with input from Richard Hamblen. The third edition rule book is 122 pages and includes a nice spread of optional rules developed over the years.
For Magic Realm fans, RealmSpeak is both a godsend and an annoyance. It reduces the 30 minute setup time to a few minutes, it doesn’t leave the rules open to interpretation (I discovered I was playing it incorrectly all those years ago), and it allows for networked play.
On the other hand, it is designed for those who already know the game, it is an exact (click heavy) implementation of the game, and it does occasionally lock up — not enough to keep me from playing, but enough for me to say “Not again!” when it happens.
My heart goes out to those who try to learn Magic Realm by playing RealmSpeak, but for those already familiar with it, RealmSpeak can breathe new life into the game.
Learn more about RealmSpeak at the website.
Our most recent coverage of Avalon Hill fantasy games includes:
This is probably among the least important aspects of Magic Realm, but I think it’s just a cool mechanic. Some games swear they allow for multiple strategies to achieve victory. Magic Realm delivers on that promise.
One of the standout features of Magic Realm is its character customization. Players can choose from a variety of different characters, each with their own unique abilities and strengths. For example, the Wizard is skilled in magic and can cast powerful spells, while the Swordsman excels in combat. The game also includes a complex combat system, which combines dice rolls and player tactics. Successful battles can reward players with treasures and reputation points, while failed battles can result in injury or death. Magic Realm is renowned for its depth and complexity, offering a rich and immersive gaming experience. It encourages strategic thinking, cooperation, and careful planning. The game can be played with two to sixteen players, although it is best suited for a smaller group. Despite its initial popularity, Magic Realm is now considered a cult classic in the board game community. Its intricate mechanics and extensive rulebook make it a game that requires dedication and commitment to learn, but for those willing to invest the time, it offers a rewarding and immersive gameplay experience..
Reviews for "Conquer the Magic Realm: Expert Tips from Seasoned Adventurers"
1. John - 2 stars - The game "Magic Realm" by Avalon Hill was a complete disappointment for me. The rules were overly complicated and difficult to understand, which made it nearly impossible to fully enjoy the game. Additionally, the gameplay itself felt very slow and tedious, with long periods of time where nothing significant seemed to be happening. I found it frustrating that there was such a steep learning curve to grasp the mechanics of the game, only to be met with lackluster gameplay. Overall, I would not recommend "Magic Realm" to anyone looking for an enjoyable and engaging board game experience.
2. Sarah - 1 star - I was extremely disappointed with "Magic Realm" by Avalon Hill. The game had such a steep learning curve that it became overwhelming and confusing for me. The rules were convoluted and poorly explained, leaving me frustrated and struggling to understand how to play. Even after spending hours trying to grasp the mechanics, I just couldn't find any enjoyment in the game. The lackluster gameplay and slow pacing further added to my disappointment. I would advise anyone considering playing "Magic Realm" to think twice and perhaps choose a game with more accessible rules and a smoother gameplay experience.
3. Mike - 2 stars - "Magic Realm" by Avalon Hill did not live up to my expectations at all. The game promised an immersive and magical experience, but I found it to be quite the opposite. The rules were overly complex and unnecessarily confusing. As a result, the gameplay felt clunky and unenjoyable. It seemed like the game required too much time and effort to fully comprehend, which made it difficult to get into the flow. While the artwork and components were visually appealing, they couldn't make up for the frustrating and lackluster experience that the game provided. Overall, I regret spending my time and money on "Magic Realm" and would not recommend it to others.
4. Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "Magic Realm" by Avalon Hill, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The rulebook was poorly organized and difficult to navigate, which made learning the game a frustrating experience. The gameplay itself felt disjointed and lacking in excitement. It was also disappointing to find that the game heavily relied on luck rather than strategy. The overall complexity of "Magic Realm" may appeal to some hardcore gamers, but for casual players like myself, it was simply overwhelming. I would advise others to approach this game with caution, especially if they prefer more accessible and straightforward board game experiences.