Development Period: February 2014 - March 2014, June 2014-Ongoing
Status: Early Playtesting and Ongoing Development
UnPub Links: View Game | Provide Feedback
For millennia Magic was a part of everyday life on Earth. Tools were forged to help control Magic. Cities and monuments were built on sites of magical power. Fantastic beasts roamed the Earth; beasts that could not survive without Magic.
But over time the powers of Magic were overtaken by the powers of Technology until Magic became a thing of myth and legend. The old Mysteries were remembered by some and practiced by few. Cities crumbled. Monuments became mere archeological curiosities. Powerful objects became lost relics of forgotten abilities. Fantastic beasts disappeared or retreated into the shadows.
Until a recent discovery by a young, but talented, Mage studying the ancient Mysteries of Magic changed everything. Although his powers paled in comparison to the ancient powers of classic Mages, young Samike showed ingenuity. He tracked the weak traces of residual Magic in the world to its confluence in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There, still undiscovered by modern civilization, Samike discovered an island, shrouded in Magic and undetectable by modern Technology.
Within the boundaries of the island Magic is strong. Creatures of legend still flourish. The eight Mysteries of Magic (Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Life, Death, Time, and Illusion) emanate and flow throughout the land. Hidden within the vast island’s forests, mountains, plains, hills, and deserts are all of the enchanted artifacts of legend and lore. As Magic in the world was overwhelmed by technology everything magical withdrew to this island in the Atlantic Ocean, the origin of Magic on Earth.
Ancient cultures knew of this island. Over the years it has been known by many names. Antillia, Hy-Brasil, the Fortunate Isles, Eden, Avalon, Emain Ablach, Buyan, the Islands of Earthly Paradise, Ynys Afallach, Mag Mell, the Islands of the Blessed, and Atlantis are just a few of the many names given to this utopian magical paradise. Samike called the island Argadnel, after one of the Islands of Earthly Paradise, visited by Brân the Blessed, the giant king of Britain in Celtic lore.
With Samike’s discovery, the dwindling magical societies around the world began an effort to explore Argadnel and retrieve the magical artifacts. You, the player, will command your society of Mages as they build communities, discover the secrets of Argadnel, study the eight Mysteries of Magic, and acquire those relics once believed to be lost. Can your group of Mages become the most powerful group on Argadnel? Can you bring Magic back to the modern world? Explore, Learn, Discover, and Triumph over your fellow players to become Masters of Argadnel!
Game Summary:
In Exploring Argadnel: Quest for the Orb of Mystery, Fellowships of Mages (users of Magic) explore the game board, moving spaces each turn and discovering what is around them, while searching for places to build settlements and finding magical artifacts. They also encounter magical creatures, make remarkable discoveries and even battle, trade knowledge with, and steal artifacts from opponents. Mages in settlements will research new mysteries, expand the knowledge of already obtained mysteries, produce new Mages, and protect recovered artifacts.
Players earn Victory Points for building settlements and discovering artifacts. 25 victory points are needed to win the game, after all the artifacts at Mystical Sites have been recovered.
Exploring Argadnel: Quest for the Orb of Mystery plays in about 5 hours and is appropriate for 2-4 players (5 or 6 with an expansion) ages 15 and up.
10-29-2014 - UPDATE: After a Protospiel event this past weekend I'll be making a number of changes to the game. The game will still have the same core mechanics and goals, but the changes should hopefully streamline the gameplay, increase the paths to victory, encourage more exploration, and simplify the bookkeeping. In short, it should increase the fun and decrease the work. More updates should be coming soon!
Credits
Game design by: George Jaros
Special Thanks: Julie Zaborac, Mike Jaros, Sam Jaros
Copyright © 2014
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.
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