Wizards (board game)

Wizards is a high-fantasy board game published by Avalon Hill in 1982, designed by Thomas Mosbo and Coral Mosbo, and played by one to six players from its release until roughly 1993. Set in the Enchanted Isles, players take on the roles of druids, wizards, or sorcerers and must balance cooperative and competitive goals: together they need to prevent an Evil Spirit from destroying the islands, while individually each player seeks personal victory by completing quests and collecting sacred gems before time runs out. Play unfolds across eighteen randomly placed hexagonal islands over a game clock of fourteen in-game days, during which players travel between islands to complete tasks. If the players collectively fail to complete at least ten tasks, the Evil Spirit begins eliminating islands from the board, raising the stakes for cooperation even as players compete for individual glory. As a player's character advances to the fourth power level, the focus shifts toward collecting six Sacred Gems from powerful High Wizards while avoiding a deceptive False Wizard. Reaching the center of the game's Sacred Circle allows a player to cast the climactic Spell of Spells, achieving individual victory and ending the game.