Rock Paper Wizard Board Game Review:

In the game Rock Paper Wizard, you must try to get as close to the dragon’s hoard as possible while firing spells at the other wizards to push them further away from the treasure. The wizard closest to the treasure gets to collect gold. The first wizard to get 25 gold wins the game.

How to Play

To set up, draw spell cards from the deck equal to the number of players to create the spell book. Then place all characters in the center of the dragon’s cave. Give everyone 3 starting gold, and determine a first player.

At the start of a new round, every player looks over the spell book and secretly decides which spell they will cast and whom they will cast it on. When you are ready, hold your hand in a fist to prepare for the next phase.

Once every player is ready, you will cast your spells. everyone shorts “rock paper wizard.” On “wizard,” everyone casts their spell. To cast a spell, make the hand gesture shown on one of the cards in the spellbook, directing the gesture toward another player. Everyone should hold their gesture until their turn is resolved in the next phase.

Then starting from the first player, everyone takes turns resolving their spells, inflicting the spell’s effect as described on the spell card. Each spell is unique but often allows players in some way to exchange gold, advance toward the treasure, be pushed toward the exit, or affect the target’s spell.

If two players cast the same spell at each other, it causes a wild surge. During a wild surge, you both still hit each other with your spells, but the spell cast is changed to a random spell from the deck, which may be good or bad, depending on the card drawn.

Once everyone’s spells have been resolved. The player closest to the hoard gains 5 gold, while the second closest gains 3 gold. All tied players receive the full amount of gold if there are any ties.

Finally, each player that has been pushed out of the cave or gotten too close to the horde is brought back to the center area of the board. Then discard the leftmost spell from the spell book and place a new spell to the right of the spell book. Lastly, pass the first player token to the wizard on your left.

The game continues until one player has 25 gold or more without a tie for first place. The wizard with the most gold wins.

Pros

The Spell card included with the game is enormous and beautifully designed. They are effortless to read and understand.

Cons:

The box is a little too small. It can be challenging to put everything back inside, especially if you want to organize it with plastic bags.

Accessibility

Color Blind: The player icons are harder to understand at a glance, but each wizard has its art and symbol, which can help.

Reading: Reading comprehension is recommended, but each card has an instructional picture allowing you to understand the card without reading it. While the icons are very clear, misinterpretations should be expected.

Children: This game involves players taking the role of wizards and casting spells intending to harm other players. No spell suggests injury or death within this game, but in the larger world of Dungeons and Dragons, some spells can easily cause death.

Who would love this game?

This game would be perfect for Dungeons and Dragons fans looking for a party game. Or a group that enjoys a light party game about stabbing each other in the back. If your players don’t hold grudges, this would be a great party game for you.

Final Thoughts

Rock Paper Wizard is an excellent high-action party game. It’s fun to fling spells at each other using hand gestures. The game is always tense as none knows who will win because if everyone knew who would win, everyone would target them. The game is filled with the unexpected. This is from the uncertainty of what the other players will cast and what spell you will draw when a wild surge resolves. If you are looking for a high-strategy game or a game where everyone can peacefully work on their goals, Rock Paper Wizard is not for you. If you are looking for a cutthroat game that’s all chaos and trying to sneak under the radar, Rock Paper Wizard may be for you.

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