Mage Wars Arena: Battlegrounds Domination

Mage Wars was an old love I had left on the shelf: one of those demanding games that does not stop being good, but loses the one person willing to play it with you. When I brought it back to a new group, I found two opponents rather than one. There was no point easing in.

In three-player Domination with a scenario, the arena stops being a tidy duel and becomes a space you must keep reading. You are not only watching the player across from you; you are watching who profits from your fight, who is holding something back, and who is about to take the opening you have kindly created.

Mage Wars still has its familiar flow, but Domination puts the scenario at the centre of every decision and opens up fresh lines of play. Interaction is no longer simply you against them: pressure one player, obstruct another, and, with any luck, let them become tangled up with each other. You will break the alliance of the moment. You will enjoy it.

I had underrated Domination, and that was a mistake. It took a game I already loved and gave it more ways to corner me, tempt me, and make me watch both sides of the table. I do not think I want to go back to the standard Arena mode.