Summoner Wars - How To Play

DID YOU KNOW THERE IS A NEW EDITION? See our updated video here: • Summoner Wars - Second...
In this video, we're going to learn how to play Summoner Wars! If you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to post them in the KZbin comments below, ensuring you abide by our Code of Conduct: watchitplayed.....
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[@glenndoncer1186]

Your videos put me over the edge. I bought the Master Set, two Starter sets, and several faction and reinforcement decks. Ok, my teenager was excited too, and we sort of went crazy shopping...I cannot be blamed for all of the excitement.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you guys have all kind of exciting matches together :) Way to dive right in!

[@RaevenGames]

You guys seriously make the best board game videos on the internet. I'm not even a huge fan of Summoner Wars, and you managed to make it fun and entertaining. Keep up the great work!

[@williammcguinness795]

Wow...just bought the Alliances Master Set and I said to myself "wonder if the legendary Mr. Smith has a video or two?" Rodney, you are a life saver!!!!

[@WatchItPlayed]

+William Mcguinness A pleasure to help William! Hope you have a great time playing :)

[@peterwantspie]

I love Watch It Played so much. Its just such wholesome good fun. That moment with the slippers cracked me up!

[@florentv]

I love the way you explain the rules in your videos. I've just finished reading the rulebook and that video clarified some items for me. I love your videos. Keep up the good work :)

[@Phobia187]

I love the addition of the theme music in the beginning. Keep it up!

[@athutch]

I absolutely love your videos. These are better than any game review I've ever seen as far as helping me to make a decision about a purchase. Keep up the good work!

[@patrickmlan]

Summoner Wars, awesome. I've been interested in this game for a while and have never seen it played. Great choice Rodney! Louisville Kentucky loves you guys!

[@Ottuln]

Funny to go back in time and watch these! It was great to look for a video explaining Summoner Wars, and find a familiar face. Edit: The comment about playing another game, because the first was a fluke makes me laugh. When I was a teenager, we would play Catan frequently as a family. My step-Dad wasn't very good at the game, but liked playing. Once he was actually demolishing 2 of my brothers and my Mom. I walked into the room just in time to hear her say "This is a weird game, we should start over". My brothers agreed, and poor Dad lost his best chance of actually competing. It has become a common phrase around the family.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Ha! I may need to use that line against my kids :)

[@Yepowful]

Loved the whole series of videos (this was the first series I'd watched). In case you are funded or supported by the board game companies whose product you demo, I'll note that this series has resulted in a sale to our family!

[@bookaddict777]

I do not know anything at all about this game, so I am very much looking forward to your playthrough!

[@zegarl]

thats really great rulles explanation. Everything was completely clear for me, even English is not my native languague. Thanks and greets from Poland;)

[@ZephonSoul]

Great choice of game! Here SW is a tough to find game, but I was really curious about it so hopefully this series will allow me to grasp enough of its gameplay to decide whether to buy it or not.

[@WisakJ]

Well explained. I'm looking forward to get this game. Thanks a lot for the video!

[@deano6410]

Yesssss! I was hoping you would do Summon Wars. I am almost certainly going to purchase it, so this will help me decide for sure. Thanks.

[@judgemario]

I'm just collecting the first edition game and factions now. I know I'm late to the party, but I've house ruled in many of the best 2nd edition rules that are easy to transfer and act as quality of life improvements. I've really been enjoying it with my wife. Taught it to a few people and might have a little tournament now.

[@WatchItPlayed]

So glad you've been having a good with with it!

[@BCKempf]

Just great, going to make me get another game, haha. Looking forward to the rest of the session!

[@normnevins8067]

Finally picked this as a gift, woohoo! Watched this earlier in the year, but I am back now for a refresher.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hope you enjoyed - did you see they now have a version 2.0?

[@jaearess75]

Seems like a very cool game. Something like Magic the Gathering and chess combined. I really love Magic, but have mostly got out of the scene because it was too expensive (in time and money) to keep up with all new cards. I'm looking forward to seeing how this game plays in depth. Nice video as usual :)

[@MetalRufflez]

YAY! Was looking forward to this one!

[@BryanWood87]

I really like Plaid Hat Games. I have Dungeon Run and have 3 faction decks of Summoner Wars (waiting on my 2 older starter sets and the new master set to come in stock on Thought Hammer to fulfill my preorder. soon... soon...). So that'll give me 13 of the 16 factions if I am correct. Can't wait to play. If only I had some friends...

[@pep7890]

Nice! Can't wait to see it played out.

[@Rudepetsclub]

oh baby baby, i love me some summoner wars.

[@progmanrob]

Excellent instructional video. I was on the fence with this game, but I think I am going to pick it up.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I hope you enjoyed it!

[@ianbyrne465]

I too enjoy curd games... Just messing around. Good video! EDIT: I looked back at this and realized I missed the chance to make a cow-related pun...

[@WatchItPlayed]

Missed opportunity!

[@BigTSpot23]

Ahh... This game was on my radar!! Curses Mr. Smith!!! Now I'm going to have to get it! lol

[@khrulez1]

I'm not sure where i should suggest games for you guys to play but i would love to see betrayal at house on the hill, it's one of my favorite games.

[@WatchItPlayed]

We do own that one now, it might end up on the show, we'll see.

[@kustomkure]

you got a new fan. incredibly useful and amazingly fun videos. wish you the best!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks so much - glad you enjoyed!

[@Blazur]

Nicely done. This game looks great.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for checking out the video Blazur!

[@itslowtide]

thank you sir, i will now go play!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Have fun!

[@Abb0able]

Thank you Rodney you convinced me to buy the game, i got the master set now. But is the 20 wound markers not a bit on the low side for the game?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I haven't found that I run our of wound counters - I'll be interested to see if you find it's enough.

[@yoyomatt123]

ive been watching you for a month or so and wanted you to know that you have a detected viewer :D :P (sorry for my english)

[@jankristianotterstad6619]

Thanks for a great tutorial ! Keep up the good work ;) Just got the set and want to play it with my kids (age 9-12). What factions do you recommend as the easiest for starting ?

[@WatchItPlayed]

That's a tough call - I'd recommend taking a look through each factions and seeing which ones might appeal most to your kids. Hope you have a great time playing!

[@Nendonintendo]

I have a question about the Movement Phase: Can you move from the very left side to the field, to the very right side of that same row of the field? Or attack anyone who's on that other side? Please reply :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

I think you're asking if the board "wraps around". No, when you go all the way left, that's as far as you can go, you can't jump over to the opposite side of the board. Hope that helps!

[@Nendonintendo]

***** Hmmm I always played like that and it was fine. Looks like I'm gonna have to try out the real rules next time I play, hahaha.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Nendonintendo It's a board game, so the nice thing is that you can play how you like :) That said, if you were to play with others who are following the rules they may think you were up to something! :)

[@Nendonintendo]

That's true :) Do you know if what I said applies to the 2v2 edition? Because I think I read something like that. Or did I just read something wrong?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Nendonintendo That's what you're remembering! This is perfectly legal in a 3-4 player game, but not in a player game. Mystery solved :)

[@ErikInPortland]

Rodney, hope that purple table was comfortable, I have a feeling you had to sleep on it after The Great Slipper Summoning. :)

[@lucozademan999]

Hellooo!, Hopefully you will get this message as the video is old. I have been looking for some rules clarification for this game but there doesn't seem anywhere who addresses the questions i have. The rule book seems quite vague and needs to be alot more specific on a number of things. So i am just wondering if you might be able to help or have use your connections to find out. :) Firts question: It saids in th e rule book each unit is only allowed to attack once. And said the attack value must be used when attacking, i.e is the attack is 3 one must roll three dice. However, it doesn't define what an attack actually is. So are you able to designate your attack towards multiple oppenents. For instance if there are two cards adjacent to your unit when you are attacking who has a 3 attack value. Are you able to roll two dice against one enemy unit and one dice for another? technical you are still only attacking once , i.e using no more than three dice and it doesn't say in the rule book you cant attack multiple units just that you can only attack once. but as yr using 3 dice still, you could argue you are only attacking once by defining one attack as one roll of your attack value. If you used 6 dice that could be defined as attacking twice. it just isnt clear in the rule book on what is defined as an attack. It should clearly state a unit can only attack one unit in the attack phase but it doesnt so there fore its open to interpretation on what attack means. This changes the game alot in some circumstances. personally i think it makes sense to split your attack if you have an attack value greater than two and there are two units within range. as it seems a bit silly to use 3 attack dice against an enemy unit with one life while there is another unit also with one life adjacent to you. I am defining one attack as one roll of your attack value which can be designated as chosen to valid targets. But i woudl like to know the real rules too! lol. Secondly, the placement of walls and vine walls. The rule book needs to be clear about how many walls can be placed in a turn. I have interpreted it as one wall can be placed each event phase which can be a vine wall or normal wall? is this correct? otherwise if multiple walls can be placed the board would fill up with vine walls in turn one against swamp orcs! which is ridiculous. The rule book saids " a wall can be place" so i am taking it to be one. But it would have been much helpful if they actually used a numeric value. I would very much appreciate your thoughts, cheers. :)

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey there, you may find watching our play through videos helpful, as you'll get to see the game being played and it may clear up some of your questions, but here are some quick answers: 1) When you attack, you must target one enemy - you can't split your dice among multiple targets. It may help not to think of each die as a separate attack, but instead, the total dice represent the potential force of that characters single attack. In otherwords, someone with an attack of 5, isn't making 5 attacks, they are making 1 BIG attack, with a much higher potential destructive force, than a character with an attack of 1 die. 2) Regarding walls: from the rulebook: "During this phase, you may play Event Cards, including Wall Cards. There is no limit to the number of Event Cards you can play in a single turn." So this means that if you have 3 walls in your hand, you can play all three, as there is no limit on the number of cards you can play during this phase. However, when it comes to vines, the rules say: "Whenever a card instructs a player to place a Vine Wall, remove a Vine Wall from that player’s Vine Wall Pile and place it as directed." Unlike regular walls, you may only place Vine walls when instructed.

[@lucozademan999]

***** Okay thanks alot! I initially thought that about how to attack but then my girlfriend started arguing and she can be pretty convincing! lol. I was more unsure about the vine walls. I read what you had put but then the next sentenced it said "Vine walls are considered wall cards for all purposes with the following exceptions:" So i just got myself confused and with the wording of the description of the walls and my girlfriend wanting to play them her way it got messy! Anyway thanks for the input and the fast response , my girlfriend will be very sad to hear this!

[@WatchItPlayed]

lucozademan999 Hey, glad I could help out. Happy gaming!

[@superchee2e]

I'm here because the summoner wars board has a free app. It's nice to see classic Rodney. 😌

[@WatchItPlayed]

Did you know we have a tutorial for the new edition of Summoner Wars? kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4TMaJWQZ92Wg5I

[@djlowtek]

I love your show!!!

[@Erlandsen555]

Masonry and magical warfare, eh? Sounds like Potter paired with Bob the Builder :-p Looking forward to see this game in action. I like the look of it so far.

[@ErikInPortland]

YES. SUMMONER WARS.

[@AndradeSamir]

My favorite game EVER!! .(Like someone cares)

[@Duskstone89]

I bet you one million this game inspired Duelyst. I love it.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Did you see there now a new edition? kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4TMaJWQZ92Wg5I

[@MasticinaAkicta]

I am not sure if my friends will like it. But it looks like worth trying. We are kinda looking for new games to play. And these battle decks look well kinda cool.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Well - I wish you well if you introduce them to it! Hopefully the video can help you get up and running quickly :)

[@MasticinaAkicta]

I put it on a short list :)

[@djlowtek]

I like this intro the best

[@videogamefreered]

How big should your deck be, for example in the new alliances set where you can mix factions into one deck, how many cards should be in each deck or is there no certain number?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Skip down to page 16 here: www.plaidhatgames.com/SW_Rulebook.pdf

[@JJ_TheGreat]

Hi Rodney, I was just wondering whether there is any chance you could do a video/series for Blue Moon Legends? (If you can get your hands on it). Thanks, ~J.J.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Thanks for the interest JJ.

[@deadlyriffs3253]

Nice review thank you,although i have a question.Are the 6 armies in the master set enough to keep the game interesting for a long time? I dont know if i wanna spend extra on this game just to keep adding army after army

[@WatchItPlayed]

I can't really answer this for someone else. I personally think there's plenty, and I've played over 300 games with just these 6 base characters, but you may have different tastes.

[@deadlyriffs3253]

***** 300 games are quite a big amount of games,so i'll take this as a really positive sign on the replayability of the master set alone.thnx for the response

[@WatchItPlayed]

DeadlyRiffs As I say, your mileage may vary, it depends on how the game grabs you, but yes, I've played this game many, many times, both in physical and app version and don't feel I've exhausted my interest.

[@anthonymedves6736]

I don't know why it took me so long to watch this video. I'm very interested, and so are a bunch of people in my gaming group. I have one question, is this game like an LCG? Am I going to have to buy multiple copies of the same product to have the best deck?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Anthony Medves You never have to buy duplicates. This is similar to an LCG format, in the sense that everything is contained within the base set and expansions you buy. I did a product preview for Plaid Hat's product page and you may find this segement of that video helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/en2ppYiKeNunbaMm33s

[@Abb0able]

I forgot to ask in my post whether or not you going to show us the Eldrich horror game.

[@WatchItPlayed]

I'm not sure yet. It's one I'd like to do, but there are a LOT I'd like to do, lol.

[@Turnoutburndown]

Wow, this guy is such an amazing speaker, how can he put out all this information without saying ummmm the whole time? He must be a salesman or something in real life!

[@WatchItPlayed]

Nah, I just plan things out very carefully in advance and practice.

[@FunkyFoxGaming]

Im thinking the clue may relate to PlaidHat Games (Dungeon Run) >.>

[@thedude3028]

hey i really love your videos but i always miss your contest when is your next one

[@WatchItPlayed]

There isn't a schedule to them, but if you're subscribed and you check the new episodes with a few days of when they release, you should be able to catch the next one.

[@thedude3028]

k thanks and also i am subscribed AND WOW YOU ARE HOLLY MOLLY YOU ARE FAST RIGHT WHEN I SENT YOU A MASSAGE YOU ANSWERED LIKE RIGHT AWAY

[@WatchItPlayed]

Ha! I do my best :) I appreciate that you're here!

[@thedude3028]

thanks hope you never stop making videos

[@videjoe]

"...combines my two favorite things... wars, and summoning things." lol

[@WatchItPlayed]

Hey Joe - look at you and I chatting back NINE YEARS AGO. The time flew...

[@videjoe]

@@WatchItPlayed what haha, nice. I was def a major PHG fanboy at the time.

[@IvanMallia]

Is the first game in the intro Mansion of Madness?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Yes. It is the first game we featured on the channel and you will find it in our playlists. Cheers.

[@ThanatoselNyx]

Did Luke roll those dice?

[@FonzietheCapybara]

Poor Rodney, his only good dice rolling of the series and he wasted them in the rules video. Andrea is assured of victory now!

[@tayno1035]

How many players is it

[@WatchItPlayed]

Usually 2, but there are rules for playing up to 4.

[@Hieronymus-Pseudonymous]

Is there anything in this video that might have gotten flagged for copyright?

[@WatchItPlayed]

Possibly, why?

[@Hieronymus-Pseudonymous]

(I usually download videos and watch them offline.) The site I use to download KZbin videos didn't seem able to download it, which has been happening with copyrighted videos. I tried again today, though, and it worked.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Ah - good to hear!

[@TheApplepieman99]

Clue? Plaidhat games?

[@WatchItPlayed]

We had been running a contest at the time, and the clues were used to enter the contest.

[@luck02]

You're just lucky the slippers hit you in the face.

[@Calixtus]

Most important question: is the game fun?

[@WatchItPlayed]

I don’t review on this channel. I will show you the game in detail though, so hopefully you can decide if it’s one that looks like it would appeal to your particular taste.

[@hardihood1]

you look different? maybe you cant find your slippers because you forgot your glasses...

[@Filthyy1]

You look so young.

[@WatchItPlayed]

Seven years ago - time flies!