How to Solo: Mage Knight (First Reconnaissance, Day 1)

[@BeyondSolitaire]

Hey everybody! One mistake to note at the end here, and I am recording a note for the next video: When you reset the dummy deck at the end of a round (going from day to night or night to day), put the bottom advanced action card in the dummy deck, NOT the bottom of the advanced action stack. In a short game it’s no big deal, but give yourself that extra time!

[@mkrool]

isnt it spells at night and advanced in day ? i am aware its just day 1 lol love that we get a playthrough in hd now lol well done liz

[@BeyondSolitaire]

When you refresh for a new round, day or night, the spell determines what crystal goes in the dummy deck inventory, and the advanced card goes into the dummy's deck. I have no idea why I forgot in this playthrough! Gah!

[@henriqueribeiro4954]

After years playing this you still play rules wrong sometimes?

[@DarkAddictionYT]

One minor thing, you actually draw your hand before choosing tactic. This allows you to determine which tactic is best based on the cards you have for the first round.

[@DarkAddictionYT]

When you hired the unit, you do not refill the unit offer (it only refills when moving from day to night or night to day)

[@josh1674]

Liz you are simply the best at explaining complex games.

[@thejuice027]

Haha, love the "Title, subtitle" at the end.

[@thebaronvoncarson]

I really like this series, and so I decided to check your blog out and oh boy. It's like a gold mine of reviews for games that tickle my fancy right now! Thank you!

[@michaelturton]

Thanks for this! Your enthusiasm is infectious! Can't wait til it arrives.

[@dandiaz19934]

You have made this seem quite less intimidating!!! I'm now much more familiar with how it works and am looking fed to playing it myself AND to see your Walkthrough!!!

[@drewkennewell4267]

Liz, you convinced me to finally buy Mage Knight (ultimate edition) and I gotta say, I LOVE this game. I can't stop thinking about playing it!

[@ModularLanding]

This is great! It would be good to correct the mistakes in the comments, since this can be such a good resource for new players, but there are a few mistakes at the beginning.

[@rattenusrattoonus1880]

I think cooperative interactive skills can be used in solo! The second part of the effect affects you on your next turn

[@TheEricBooth]

Excellent playthrough so far. Everything is so clearly explained. I had a decent grasp on the gameplay but this pretty much cleared the rest up.

[@dutch_blades]

10:45 Wouldn't you need 8 instead of 9 because you can go grass-grass-village for 6 and then explore for 2? Also, wouldn't going though the forest towards the village initiate auto-attack from the Orcs because you'd be in an adjacent hex twice in a row? *EDIT:* 44:42 isn't Ice Bolt supposed to go on top of the dummy deck? Great video! Getting ready to play my first game in a few days when Mage Knight Ultimate Edition comes in the mail :D

[@MrBunshichi108]

yes, yes and yes.

[@arthursimsa9005]

You are correct. That’s two mistakes within the very first turn, which is quite surprising coming from an experienced player making a tutorial.

[@dutch_blades]

​@@arthursimsa9005 No worries, I make them quite often as well... Stuff like cities being placed on the shoreline, or forgetting the bonus a city gives enemies inside of it, etc. I suppose it's a common occurrence with this many rules in the game! I have been enjoying this Mage Knight a whole lot since it came in a while back. Still playing base game without any of the expansions (apart from Krang), but I don't even feel like I need any more content for now! (I do feel like I must own some sweet 3D printed locations though...)

[@raymyers700]

You are making a walk through?!? YAAAS!!

[@guilhermecosta129]

Your Mage Knight playthrough is so great. I'm learning the game and played this scenario while watching you seamlessly. Please keep posting!

[@rodjude6780]

Thankyou Liz, you broke down the game in such a way, it now seems less intimidating. Your video was really engaging and enjoyable to watch. You have a real special gift at teaching people. I’m looking forward to watching the videos that follow. Thanks Rod

[@edjcaldera]

Yes! Love your videos, Liz. Thanks for making the Mage Knight series!

[@18xxtraining625]

Thank you for making this look very fun and exciting. Other videos seem to make it seem very slow and complicated. Very well done, you have a nice voice for this type of video. Keep it up.

[@dg9030]

Bought it yesterday and waiting for my package! Perfect timing! Thank you Liz for your awesome videos 👌🏻

[@matthewpalmer2350]

Awesome! I could watch people playing Mage Knight 24/7. You've actually helped me to hone my strats, even with day 1 of the intro scenario. I'm off to start round 3 of my Volkare's Quest scenario...

[@BeyondSolitaire]

Now that the game is out and on the table, and I'm re-remembering the rules, I'll probably get in a Volkare's Quest scenario myself next week! :)

[@TavisMcKenzie]

Incredible clarity.

[@renmaster7319]

Awesome walkthrough. Really helped with learning to play the game.

[@njco78]

Good on you that you managed to explain all this. Way too much to remember for me without stacking up on caffeine, brain stimulants and red bulls before a playthrough. For me, the balance needs to be right and by just looking at your awesome video I think it's an overcomplicated boardgame which doesn`t really introduce anything new. The longwinded set up along with all these rules will spoil the enjoyment for me. However awesome video thx

[@rodjude6780]

Brilliant teaching. Well done

[@aaronmontgomery4137]

Overall, very enjoyable. I think you refilled the unit offer early after recruiting the crossbow men @19:21. If I recall correctly, unit refills only happen at dusk and dawn. Or maybe just the result of a misplaced splice, as the refill is not there at @29:54. Oh wait, it’s back at @36:55.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

Yeah, actually I bring this up in my video specifically about Units. Because the spell and advanced action offers do refill, sometimes it's hard to break pattern!

[@srenhansen2032]

Hi Liz When moving around the first marauding Orcs enemy. Arent you provoking it to attack and stop your movement and not exploring? Also im pretty shure you can go around forest on the first tile. It’s shown as an example in my walkthrough rulebook.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by this question, but I do know that you provoke marauding enemies to attack by moving from one space that is adjacent to them to another space that is adjacent. Also, you're right about the hex, I remember looking it and thinking, "I should probably move across a variety of terrain so people get that concept" and then blasting straight through! :)

[@brianellis489]

I think the answer is yes, that move would have provoked the Orcs to attack, and movement would have been forced to stop. But if the move was the more optimal one around the forest, the results would be the same as in the video so it's no big deal.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

Brian Ellis Yep I just mismoved my figure at that starting move-there was no need to provoke, there was another plains space I was looking at. I just miss stuff when I am talking sometimes!

[@randothomas3733]

And you would have needed only 8 movement to reach the Village+scouting

[@marcprobin1659]

When you recruited the Utman Guards, you can only refresh the after the next round.

[@d.aardent9382]

I am watching all the good playviews of mageknight because im so itching to buy the Ultimate Ed. as ive never decided to buy any of the original series as yet as indecision and dithering are my greatest abilities. Lol. Anyway, i suddenly have gotten a impulse to actually commit to buying it as ive been considering many different ones of these adventure fantasy type games that have been coming out, but i keep coming back to MageKnight as it seems the most interesting and non predictable(less than others) kinda story. I almost bought some of the Hexplore games i almost bought the first Andor game and possibly other expansions i almost bought Runebound, etc etc. But once i got into studying playthrus and "how-tos" of them i just didnt have a spark of fascination for them after i saw what they were about. But i found a Mageknight ultimate ed for sale for reasonable price and i think its time to decide.

[@matissmatiss3126]

I am not an expert, but I think at the begging you could have used 8 movement instead of 9 (not going trough the forest but kinda around it) no ? :)

[@will5538]

Enjoyed this video! One small thing I noticed is that I believe unit offer is replenished at the new round, not right after purchase.

[@LegoAssassin098]

I realize this is super late, but it confused me originally using this to play my first game.. I was willingly making sure my set up was exactly the same as Liz's in the video (going through the decks and making sure the cards came out the same, tokens, movement, etc.) This was to make sure I could grasp the ideas of the complex game. The 3 spells Liz brings out to set up the market happen to be fron the Lost Legion expansion, and when I wasn't using the expansion materials it kinda confused me. Just FYI 😀

[@mike9139]

YOU ARE AWESOME! ❤❤❤

[@Deltium5683]

very good videos, thanks !

[@BoardgamesBourbon]

and it begins!

[@cantrip7]

I'm thinking of ordering the game now. How do you make it seem so approachable?! 😱

[@henriqueribeiro4954]

Great vídeo! After years playing you have the confidence to say you play 100% correct This game? ALL videos that i watch have some comments marking a small rule that one person forgot

[@deepstopdiving]

Love you're walk through. Sub'd!

[@frankp6869]

I have this game. I haven't played it yet because I am trying to grasp how to play it.

[@ACosmonaut]

Hey Liz, Just ordered this and I'm so excited to get it in! Quick question - for your first movement are you unable to move through the plain to the north of the forest for one fewer movement? Does the fact that it's partially a cliff/water prevent that?

[@GlennKarlsenCurlyfied]

Haha! Where was this video a few weeks ago when this dyslexic Norwegian was batteling through the walkthrough. :D Thanks for the video though! Im loving the game. 7 sessions in the 7 last days. Loving every one! :) Would you say the Ultimate edition is worth the asking price?

[@Tombonzo]

Nice Liz!

[@mianrowan]

Forgot to add bottom of advanced action offer to dummy deck instead of putting at bottom of deck

[@gregryerson5808]

Is the Instinct card from an expansion? I have the original edition and don't seem to have it.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

I don't have an exact memory of that card but I'm betting it is one of the ones that got added with the Lost Legion expansion. They added a new Mage Knight (Wolfhawk) and replaced a standard card in each other Mage Knight's deck with a special one just for them.

[@gregryerson5808]

@@BeyondSolitaire I actually did some internet searching after posting my comment, and that sounds familiar. Thanks!

[@SaschaKleiber]

Question: at 10:49, wouldn’t it have been better to go north of the forest instead of through it? That’d only have required 6 movement (2 + 2 + 2), am I right? Or did I miss something?

[@BeyondSolitaire]

I never really know how many sample turns I'm going to play when I make these, so I worry less about optimal moves and more about trying to do different things.

[@SaschaKleiber]

That's totally fine! I was just asking wether I understood the game or not. ;-) Still learning it. Thanks for this very good tutorial video!

[@zeblic]

2 think, would the enemy attach already when you came out of the forest? And why 9 moves? I would have done 7 across the plains. I've only played once this and trying to understand

[@BeyondSolitaire]

I just moved through the forest to show some different terrain types. Enemies attack if you move from one space adjacent to them to another space adjacent to them, so yeah, I made a mistake with the way I moved my figure-I should have put it on that OTHER plains hex outside of the forest! Just a mismove on my part.

[@zeblic]

@@BeyondSolitaire Thank you. Just making sure I understand the rules.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

It was a good question! Also, I hope you are having fun which is the most important. Rules will come in time (or, in my case, come back)! :)

[@frankcicala]

Awesome job, thank you for creating this video. Would you recommend the ultimate edition than buying the standard when starting out?

[@BeyondSolitaire]

Frank Cicala Yes, I would say Ultimate is the new standard.

[@marcprobin1659]

When you end the round the advance action card that you put at the bottom of the deck should of went to the d deck of the dummy player.

[@philandros3195]

How many dice are you playing with if it is "first reconnaissance" with 4 players? You said you used three cause you were playing solo.

[@mannys.9300]

2 questions: 1) if you manage to kill the enemy with range attack, do you still have to go through the block phase? does the battle end instantaneously right there? 2) since your crossbow men have 2 ranged attack, couldn't you just play one additional card sideways to make it 3 and kill those Orcs instantly?

[@davidwoodfin66]

1) You stop at that point if you kill all enemies in the ranged phase. The battle ends. 2) You cannot use sideways cards for ranged attack.

[@mannys.9300]

@@davidwoodfin66 thanks!

[@benja6902]

At 13:29, shouldn't you have provoked the orcs at that moment? I know you provoke them later, but I thought you should have provoked them then. Also, I was hoping for a more clear explanation of taking Wounds - I had to watch another video to get full understanding. Otherwise, I feel your video is clear and concise.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

Discussed the orcs in another comment-just moved my dude fast through a different hex than intended while yammering! As for wounds, that's gotta wait. I didn't get hit too bad in First Recon. I'm sure that will change when I film Solo Conquest in the next week or so...

[@jstrthejuglr]

Excellent play-thru but I do have a couple of questions. At the beginning why go through the forest instead of up or is that terrain considered water since it has that small bit of coast? And when you went to the keep and thought about attacking you only said you had 3 block from the crossbowmen but you got that +3 shield skill for leveling up as well or are skills not usable right after getting them? Can't wait to see more though.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

You can't go onto coastline spaces on the start tile. Also I'm not 100% sure which blocking incident you were talking about, but I forget things I have at my disposal all the time. It's hard to film, talk, and play simultaneously!

[@jstrthejuglr]

Thanks for the clarification. I watch quite a bit of lets plays so I can understand how easy it is to miss things. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss a rules explanation.

[@heyman458]

It is legal to move onto the coastline hexes that are mostly occupied by land. It's the hexes that are mostly water that cannot be traversed. Also, in a solo game the co-op skills do get used. If you activate them you will get the first effect and then on the next turn the second effect.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

You are correct on both counts! I'm pretty sure I said to put those skills back in the pile? I'll make sure that's clear and add a note if I didn't.

[@BeyondSolitaire]

BTW I was out when I saw this initial question (shhh I went to get takeout) and I understand what you mean now. You CAN move on the tiles that are mostly land, and yeah, it would have been more efficient, but I also thought "crap so much plains movement, I should probably showcase multiple terrain types" and just went through anyway. I'm not playing this scenario for keeps!