VIA MAGICA – 2-6 players – 30 minutes – Game Designer: Paolo Mori.
Games In Teaching – how this game relates to courses
Illustration, Graphic Design, Publishing, Product Design, Marketing: the use of artwork, theme, physical design and packaging compared to the original edition.
Linguistics, BSL, Languages (ENG, FR, GER, ITA), Early Years, Primary/Secondary Ed.: gameplay is language free, language activation, rules are in 4 languages in the box, game is for ages 7+.
Maths, Statistics, Data Science, Finance, Business: gameplay involves shifting probabilities (inc Wildcards) and Cost Benefit Analysis.
Can you graduate from Magic Academy by passing your final exam: Crystallisation ? You must catch the right Animus Spirits to open the portals to the Via Magica, calling out INCANTATUM!! When one student has opened at least 7 portals, the student with the highest total score becomes the Junior Mage.
All the cards give you Victory Points (VPs) to win the game. As players complete portals, they select fresh ones, with a view to also gaining bonus points as well. By completing sets of colours or types, and racing to get the most portals, you can get the bonuses first. Some portals give you immediate gains too, some get you points at the end based on colours or Animus spaces, and some just give huge VPs for summoning magnificent creatures.
The easiest portals to complete give the lowest gains though, the most VPs are on the hardest portals to crack. So players have choices and shifting strategies through the game, even though it plays very quickly.
Via Magica uses a very simple Bingo mechanism. Instead of marking off numbers, a player draws Animus tokens from a bag, and everyone sees if they can apply crystals to their selected portals. But you have only a handful of crystals, so which portals are you best focussing upon? Choices, choices!
It is interesting to see how Via Magica has been developed from the original edition, Rise Of Augustus, published in 2013. That had a Roman theme, and included hostile actions to afflict the other players. Via Magica has all the negative parts removed, and a jazzy, modern, rainbow coloured theme applied. The game now looks fantastic, the artwork really pops and the whole game looks super cute and fun. In a nice touch, the Head Magister signs off as ‘Augustus’, honouring the game’s heritage.
It was so surprising playing Rise Of Augustus, because we assumed a Bingo mechanism would make it luck heavy. But the cards you choose, the different scorings, and the various bonuses all work together to make it challenging. We noticed very quickly that experienced players were winning, and novice players were behind. So clearly, there was something smart going on, and players were not winning by luck alone. This revised work keeps all the good parts and adds amazing artwork too.
Via Magica is a very quick, fun game in my view, well worth your attention. Take a study break, borrow it from our Information Desk, and practise for your crucial Crystallisation exam now.
BGG: Via Magica on boardgamegeek.com
BGG: Rise Of Augustus on boardgamegeek.com
How To Play: Explanation on youtube (ENG) – 10 minutes
Academics – you can reserve this game for teaching – email library@yorksj.ac.uk
Students – visit the Information desk in Fountains to take the game on loan.
by Jon, Library and Learning Adviser
