Wizards Review: become an apprentice magician

Wizard was born in a rather homemade way; Ken Fisher created the game in 1984 in Toronto, inspired by the classic trick card game Oh Hell.

Fisher even printed the first copies independently in Canada before it was commercially published in Germany in 1996. The curious detail is that Fisher added only two special cards, the Wizards and the Jesters, which completely changed the dynamics of the game.

The simplicity of the rules of a traditional deck combined with the unpredictability of two special cards is what made Wizard so popular, dynamic, and with a unique identity—aspects that guaranteed its lasting success.

To give you an idea of ​​the size of this success, there's even a Wizard World Championship, held regularly in Germany, bringing together players from various countries to compete for the title of best strategist in "magical tricks."

Let's get to know Wizard!

Wizard is a 3-to-6 players game, age 10+, by designer Ken Fisher. Art by Franz Vohwinkel.

Wizard had a small release in 1984 by K. Fisher Enterprises Ltd., and a more commercial release in 1996 by AMIGO. In Brazil, it was released initially in 2013 by Copag, but since 2023, it had a new release by PaperGames. The main mechanics are: hand management, tricks, betting, bluffing, and bid prediction.

In 2011 it was nominated to the Dutch Games Award, the Nederlandse Spellenprijs.

Playing the Game

Apprentices would come from near and far to gather at the famous Stonehenge Academy of Magic. There, they would train their magical abilities, sometimes by playing the game Wizard. Over the centuries, the game’s deeper meaning was lost. What remained was an entertaining card game that was played by people from all walks of life across all societal boundaries.

Some years ago, the English archeologist Hensh Stone, PhD, discovered an ancient parchment at his dig site. It revealed that Wizard was originally meant to foster the gift of prophecy.

This is the scenario for Wizard!

In this magical card game, as a wizard's apprentice, you must use your gifts and guess the outcomes of each round. Analyze your cards and predict how many times you will win. Round after round, the challenge increases as you play with more and more cards. The one who correctly predicts the outcome scores positive points; otherwise, they score negative points.

Make the correct predictions and show everyone who is the wisest wizard's apprentice. Defeat your opponents with your gift of prophecy!

Wizard uses a 60-card deck, composed of the traditional 52-card deck (1 to 13 in four suits), plus 4 Wizard cards (highest value cards) and 4 Jester cards (lowest value cards).

The setup goes like this:

- One player is chosen to be the wisest apprentice, and becomes the dealer;

- This player receives the Scorepad of Truth and writes down the players' names;

- During the game, they must keep track of each player's scores;

- Next, they shuffle all the cards and deal 1 card to each player in the 1st round; 2 cards to each player in the 2nd round, and so on;

- Finally, they turn over the top card of the deck;

- Now, the player to the left of the wisest apprentice can start the game.

Before we begin discussing a round of the game, it's important to understand some of its concepts.

Wizard is a trick-taking game where each player, in their turn, plays a single face-up card in the center of the table. This set of cards forms the "trick". This is similar to other popular trick-taking games, like for example "Truco", in Brazil.

In Wizard, another commonly used concept is that of "trump," which is simply the "suit" of the card revealed during the round's setup. Thus, any card of the same suit as the trump card revealed in a round is a trump. Cards of that suit will beat all other cards of different suits in that round.

In the game, there are four different suits; the strongest card of a suit is the "13," and the weakest is the "1."

Regarding suits, another important concept is following suit, which simply means playing a card of the same suit as the first card played.

There are also two other important cards in the game, namely, the Wizard and the Jester.

The Wizard cards (marked with the letter W) are the strongest in the game, even stronger than a "13" and trump cards. The Jester cards (marked with the letter J) are the weakest in the game, even weaker than a "1".

The idea is that each apprentice (player) tries to predict the number of tricks they will win in each round. Correct predictions are worth points, and incorrect predictions deduct points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Now that we understand the concepts, it's time to learn about a round of Wizard, which consists of the following steps:

- dealing the cards;

- determining the trump suit;

- prediction;

- trick-taking;

- scoring.

At the beginning of each round, the cards are dealt, and in Wizard, the number of cards dealt increases each round;

- in the 1st round, only one card is dealt to each player, therefore, only one trick will be played and scored;

- in the 2nd round, each player receives two cards and there will be two tricks;

- in the 3rd round, each player receives three cards; in the 4th, four, and so on;

- The cards that were not dealt to the players remain face down in the center of the table. This pile will be the "deck".

Time to determine the trump of the round, and for this, the top card of the deck is revealed and remains face up on top of the pile. This card determines the trump suit for this round.

Regarding the trump suit, note that there are 3 exceptions:

- If a Jester is revealed, there will be no trump suit in the round;

- If a Wizard is revealed, then the apprentice who dealt the cards in this round can choose the trump suit after looking at their cards;

- In the last round, there will be no trump suit, as all cards are dealt, leaving no cards to determine the trump suit.

Now comes the game's flavor, the predictions! After looking at their cards, each apprentice predicts how many tricks they will win in that round. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer and proceeding clockwise, each apprentice announces the number of tricks they will win, and the assistant notes those numbers on the Scorepad of Truth, in the smaller space furthest to the right of each player.

Then it's time for the trick-taking. A trick-taking begins with the player to the left of the dealer playing the first card of the first trick. The round proceeds clockwise. Each player must follow suit if possible.

The suit of the first card played must be followed by all players during the trick:

- each player must play a card of the same suit as the first card of the trick, if they have one;

- if they cannot follow suit, they can play a trump or any other card;

- a card of a different suit can only be played when a player does not have any card of that suit in their hand to follow the suit of the trick.

Of course, honesty must prevail, otherwise, the game experience will be lost. After all, since all cards in hand will end up being played , it will be easy to identify who "lied" and ruined the game.

Important detail: the Wizard and Jester cards can always be played, regardless of whether the player manages to follow suit or not.

Finally, a trick is won by one of three factors:

- the first Wizard played;

- the strongest trump card, if no Sorcerer was played;

- the strongest card of the 1st suit played, if no trump or Wizard was played.

The winner takes the trick, stacking those cards face down in front of them, indicating that they won the trick, and they themselves start the next trick by playing the card of their choice from their hand, face up. Remember that during the 1st round, only one trick is played.

As already mentioned, Wizards and Jesters are special, and in a trick it would be no different:

- Wizard: if the 1st card played in the trick is a Wizard, it wins that trick. The other apprentices can play any card. If more than one Wizard card is played, the trick is won by the first Wizard played;

- Jester: if the first card played in the trick is a Jester, any card can be played afterwards, until a player plays a numbered card or a Wizard. If a numbered card is played, the next players must follow suit. If a Wizard is played, any card can be played afterward. Jester cards always lose; they cannot win a trick. There is only one instance where a Jester wins: if only Jesters are played in a trick, the Jester card that was played first wins the trick.

Finally, the scoring at the end of the round:

- 20 positive points: for any player whose prediction is equal to the number of tricks they won;

- 10 positive points: for each trick won, if the predictions were correct;

- 10 negative points: for each trick above or below the prediction.

Example from the 1st round:

- John predicted that he would not win that trick, so he announced zero. He was correct and received 20 points;

- Maria predicted that she would win the trick, but she didn't. She loses 10 points;

- Peter also predicted that he would win the trick and he did win, so he receives 30 points (20 for the correct prediction + 10 for the trick).

After each round is scored, the dealer becomes the next player, in clockwise order, who gathers and shuffles all the cards, alongside any remaining ones in the deck, and then deals the appropriate number of cards for the new round.

That's how a round of Wizard works!

Ending the Game

There are 60 cards in the deck. The apprentices play until the last round, when all the cards have been dealt:

- with 6 players: the last round will be the 10th;

- with 5 players: the 12th;

- with 4 players: the 15th;

- with only 3 players: the 20th round.

The final round is scored, and the apprentice with the most points wins the game.

In case of a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Wizard is a dynamic, strategic game that requires an attentive look to the game as a whole during each trick, starting with the predictions. Analyzing these factors, combined with what you have in your hand, greatly increases your chances of success.

The best possible scenario, with the highest chance of getting your predictions right, is when you are the dealer, as the player to your left will predict first. You will be the last to reveal their prediction, already knowing the trump card and previous predictions, which greatly facilitates your guess and gives you an idea of ​​what your opponents "probably" have in their hand and how the round will unfold.

The secret in Wizard lies in balancing prediction and flexibility: make more realistic predictions at the beginning, adjust your strategy as you observe your opponents' patterns, and use the special cards (Wizard and Jester) intelligently to control the flow of the rounds.

Here's a short list of basic tips:

- As already mentioned, it's crucial to guess cautiously in the first few rounds, since there are few cards in play, so the margin for error is small. Opt for conservative predictions to avoid negative points;

- Observe your opponents, pay attention to how they predict and play. Players who take too many risks tend to accumulate penalties, which can be good for you;

- Manage your trump cards; knowing when to spend strong cards is essential. Save them for moments when securing the trick is crucial to fulfilling your prediction.

Regarding Special Cards, don't forget their potential uses, as I've seen many people forget about them and end up costing themselves a game:

- Wizard: wins any trick, regardless of the card played. Use it to secure a win when your prediction depends on it;

- Jester: always loses the trick. It's useful for avoiding unwanted wins, especially when you've guessed just a few or no tricks.

When you want to play competitively like a heavy gamer, here are some advanced tips:

- If you predict 0 tricks: use Jesters and low cards early, avoid spending Wizards;

- If you predict 1 trick: save a Wizard or a high-value card for the right moment;

- If you have many trumps in hand: adjust your prediction upwards, that is, bet that you will win more tricks, but don't overdo it;

- In the final rounds: bet based on your opponents' history; they tend to repeat patterns.

Now some common mistakes to avoid:

- Predicting highly too early: increases the risk of penalties;

- Ignoring the order of play: being the first or last to play completely changes your chances, I also already gave a tip about this before;

- Underestimating Jesters: using them poorly can ruin 0-trick predictions.

Finally, in Wizard, winning isn't just about winning tricks, but about correctly predicting how many you'll win. Playing in a calculated way, adapting to the cards and the behavior of your opponents, is what differentiates an average player from a true apprentice wizard.

Furthermore, pay attention to the opportunities the game presents, devise your best strategy, make your best guess, use the special cards at the right time, and win in Wizard.

Unboxing:

Rules:

Gameplay:

If you're looking for an accessible game that's easy to teach and play, language-independent, fun, and gets everyone excited, Wizard is the game for you!

It's perfect for kids. Like most card games, there are only 4 suits, and in Wizard they're images and colors, making it even easier. The cards are just numbers, except for the Wizard which has a "W" and the Jester which has a "J," so children will pick up the game quickly.

The highlight for the kids will be the predictions; they'll have a blast watching their friends guess and seeing what cards they have. There will be shouts of "Wow, that's a risky guess!", "I want to see you win!", and so on. It will be a lot of fun!

The "good tension" will come next, in the competition for tricks. It will be one laugh after another. Some will want to win and fail, others will want to lose and end up winning in an improbable way. Laughter and teasing from each other will be inevitable.

All this is permeated by the good and important stimuli that the game provides:

- resource management: to manage the cards in hand;

- strategy: to develop a plan on what to do with the cards in hand based on the bets;

- decision making: knowing which card to play at the right time;

- logical-mathematical reasoning: to calculate the tricks and the score.

Who will be the newest wizard's apprentice?

Pedagogically, Wizard addresses resource management, stimulates strategy, decision making, logical-mathematical reasoning, and on top of that, it's fun!

I recommend Wizard for your collection!