New Game Round-up: More Schools in Mage Wars, More Houses in Spartacus & Intrigo Returns as Masques

The Forcemaster is a master of telekinetic force and mind magic. With her keen intellect and supreme control over telekinesis she can manipulate the world around her. She is more of a lone warrior, but her powers more than make up for her lack of creature support. All battles are won in the mind first, and the Forcemaster has the greatest mind of all.

The Warlord is a master of the art of War, trained in both the War and Earth schools of magic. Strong soldiers bend to his every wish, goblin minions build siege towers and manufacture devastating demolitions, and his retinue of legendary warriors follow him wherever he goes. The Warlord is first and foremost a commander of troops. He summons humanoid soldiers to do his bidding, then calls upon the power of Akiro, God of War, to give his troops favor in battle.

Spartacus: The Serpents and the Wolf expands the base game with two new Houses, and adds new cunning Schemes, deadly Gladiators, and the vicious spectacle of team combat in the arena during the Primus!

Two new Houses – the respected praetor, Varinius and the arrogant noble, Seppius – dramatically change the game's Intrigues. Varinius imposes his will on the noble Houses, while the meddling Seppius twists the plots of others to his own nefarious ends. Shrewd new Schemes and frantic Reactions will cause more treacherous assaults and desperate alliances between the Houses than ever before!

Houses bid for new Slaves who add to the fortunes of their Dominus with new skills and talents. Combatants learn new brutal fighting techniques as new weapons and armor become available. Powerful new Gladiators stand among the other champions of Capua, ready to make their mark in the arena and earn glory and Influence for their Dominus.

Teams of Gladiators battle each other in a grand spectacle of blood and strategy with the addition of the Primus. Two Gladiators are matched against another team of two. Bitter rivals may find themselves fighting side-by-side, seeking favor and reward during these brutal contests. While most Gladiators battle with honor and purpose, beware treacherous fighters who many turn on their teammate when the opportunity arises!

Gameplay revolves chiefly around the clever use of guest cards with varying levels of influence. Each player receives a hand of guest cards, and each guest card has an influence value and its own power, e.g., the peddler, the assasin and the gondolier. The higher the influence, the greater that guest's clout at court. Each player's hand consists of a mix of cards representing members of any of the families currently in play. Use a rival family's guest cards against them, and watch for chances to set up your own house for success.

Each of the rooms of the Doge's palace offer tokens representing a guild's favor or valuable ducats to be won by ambitious nobles. The spaces between each card that represents a room in the palace are the hallways of the Doge's estate – the areas in which guest cards are placed to compete for adjacent resources.