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Black Magic in Wodka

Friday, 30th October 2020 ◆ Enchantress's western desire (5) Wodka  

Halloween is almost upon us, and we have two special events in Wodka with which to celebrate.

Spooktacular

The first Wodka tournament in September was a lot of fun, so we're running another one!

Date: 31st October 2020
Time: 18:00 GMT / 19:00 CET / 14:00 ET
Where: https://www.twitch.tv/wodkastrategy

I am pleased to note that I myself am among the invitees this time. Joining me will be tann, sontrax and Almouse.

This time it's hosted by the top two ranked players in the world: Jack and Pawntoe4, so expect some detailed commentary. The stream will also include a view of all players' hands simultaneously, making the game easier to follow.

Black Magic

Secondly, a third set of specials has arrived to Wodka: Black Magic.

I wanted to do something a bit different for this set. Instead of each card having an ability, playing with the Black specials introduces spells and mana to the game.

• Black number cards (2-10) give you 1 mana when played
• Black court cards (J-A) give a random opponent 1 or 2 mana when played
• Mana persists between hands
• There are always three spells visible
• Whenever a spell is cast, that spell is replaced with a new one
• At the beginning of a hand, three new spells are drawn
• On your turn, before you play a trick, you may cast spells using your mana

There are currently 12 spells the game:

• 1 mana: Receive a card from each opponent
• 1 mana: Refresh all spells
• 2 mana: Demote your highest card
• 2 mana: Pass the lead to your partner
• 3 mana: Wish for a suit from a player
• 3 mana: Randomise the suit of every card in your hand
• 4 mana: Give your partner 3 mana
• 4 mana: Add an Ace to your hand
• 5 mana: Give a card to another player
• 5 mana: Swap a card with your partner
• 6 mana: Gain 1 point
• 6 mana: Merge your lowest two cards together
• 7 mana: Discard two cards randomly

There are 13 spells to mirror the fact that there would have been 13 specials were this a normal suit.

Three of these spells are lifted from existing cards (Red Queen, Red eight and Red three), whilst the other ten spells are unique to Black Magic. I will be looking for alternatives to these spells to make Black Magic completely unique.

There is no doubt this list will need some balancing... but for now it is appearing to be great fun! In fact, I think this mechanic could have worked as a game by itself, rather than tacked onto the game of Wodka.