Long ago, there was the source.

From it flowed all magic.

Its mages were called sorcerers, and they guarded their power jealously.

For with it, they dominated all things.

The empire of sorcery ruled over the entire continent.

Yet in time all empires fall.

–

The source was shattered,

From it came the Tempest,

and from the Tempest came the Winds.

Now the Winds have made mages of us all.

So begins the website for Magewinds, a miniatures agnostic fantasy warband game made by my friend Rachel where everyone is a mage. Designed to be easy to pick up, quick to play and packed with tactical gameplay, I can attest to all three being true. The rules are more importantly really fun to play – thanks to the card-based magic system, every activation with every character is packed full of possibilities, while the combat system keeps both players involved as both attacker and defender pick their actions, leading to some mind games as you try to lure your opponent into dealing with a feint and opening themselves up to an actual attack.

The game is still in ongoing development (with more scenarios and characters to play with on the way) but is available for free via the website at http://www.magewinds.com/. The rules are actually entirely online, saving you even having to download a PDF if you want to give it a play.

I recommend giving it a play with whatever fantasy models you may have in your collection and a play space the size of an A3 piece of paper – with a few simple components, you can play something quick and unique but most importantly fun!

Full disclosure, I might be a little biased about Magewinds. I actually helped out with some of the development, mostly in a production role. By this I mean, I would set up semi-regular production chats during which I suggested ideas of mixed quality but more importantly gave Rachel someone to chat to about ideas and occasionally offering some help/advice. In the end, though, I think she’s knocked it out of the park with this game. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Funny story, but if you’ve been following the blog you’ve actually seen the very VERY early stages of Magewinds. In a few Wargaming Weekly (remember those?) I may have posted some of these pictures, with fantasy minis, dice and entirely unsuitable buildings played on a variety of wooden tables in cafes and bars of Edinburgh’s old town as played around with ideas for gameplay. There were some crazy ideas in the early days (such as measuring strings that that still haunt our dreams) but all of it plays a part in the evolution that ends up with a pretty great game.