''Spellbinder'' is a fantasy

microgame {{Short description, Wikimedia disambiguation page The term microgame can refer to several subjects including: *MicroGame, line of board games by Metagaming Concepts *Microgame (board games), type of board game or wargame *Microgame (company), Itali ...

published by

Task Force Games Task Force Games was a game company started in 1979 by Allen Eldridge and Stephen V. Cole. TFG published many games, most notably including both ''Star Fleet Battles'' (currently published by the original designers, Amarillo Design Bureau) and ...

in 1980 in which wizards compete to conquer the central castle.

Description

''Spellbinder'' is a 2–4 player game in which each player controls a wizard. Yamantsar, the chief wizard of central Yof-Pintre castle, has left to go conquering, and the four remaining wizards, who occupy lesser castles in corners of the board, each decide to take over Yof-Piintre.

Gameplay

Each turn, the first player is chosen at random. The sequence of play is: * Movement * Magical combat: Each wizard chooses a spell secretly, and the two spells are revealed simultaneously. Spells can cause damage to the enemy army, but can also backfire, causing damage to the owning player's army. * Regular combat

Scenarios

The game comes with three scenarios: # Everyone vies for control of Yof-Pintre. # One player starts in control of Yof-Pintre and must defend it. # Yamantsar, the chief wizard, returns to fight the lesser wizards. There is also a campaign game, which is to play all of the scenarios in order.

Victory conditions

Points are awarded for destruction of enemies, with the highest number of points awarded for controlling Yof-Pintre. The player with the most points is the winner.

Publication history

In 1977,

Metagaming Concepts Metagaming Concepts, later known simply as Metagaming, was a company that published board games from 1974 to 1983. It was founded and owned by Howard Thompson, who designed the company's first game, ''Stellar Conquest''. The company also invente ...

published ''

Ogre An ogre ( feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the wor ...

'' and pioneered the microgame, a small and easy-to-learn wargame, often with a fantasy or science fiction theme, packaged in a ziplock bag or thin plastic case. Several game companies responded with their own lines of microgrames, chief among them the "Fantasy Capsule" and "Space Capsule" microgames of

Simulations Publications Inc. Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship ''Strategy & Tactics'', in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an enormous number of games and introduced innovat ...

and the "Pocket Games" of Task Force Games. One of the Pocket Games line was ''Spellbinder'', a microgame designed by R. Vance Buck, with interior art by Buck and Bob Bingham, and cover art by Alvin Bellflower. It was published by Task Force Games in 1980.

Reception

In ''

The Space Gamer ''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the la ...

'' No. 33,

David Ladyman David Ladyman is an American game designer of board games such as ''Car Wars'', and role-playing games such as ''GURPS''. Career In 1977, while studying linguistics as a grad student at University of Texas at Austin, Ladyman began playtesting ga ...

found many problems with the game and commented that "Despite the impressive number of names listed in the credits (including five playtesters), I get the distinct impression that this little ..game was not felt worthy of the careful design and playtesting most wargames receive before issue. I find it regrettable that Task Force's fantasy games are not living up to the reputation of their other releases." In Issue 27 of ''Simulacrum'', Brian Train noted, "This is a fairly simple game that incorporates a limited amount of 'chrome' rules." However, Train felt that all games tended to have the same outcome, saying, "Because the victory conditions are the same for all scenarios, and the highest number of points are awarded for controlling Yof-Pintre, play becomes very stereotyped and all games involve one big battle in the centre of the board."

Other reviews and commentary

*'' The Wargamer'' Vol.1 #21 *''

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

'' #2 (1981)

References

{{reflist Board games introduced in 1980 Task Force Games games