# Mage Knight Board Game: Shades of Tezla Expansion ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2015 - **BGG Rating**: 8.0 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-5 (Best with: 1) - **Duration**: 60-240 min - **Weight**: 4.27 / 5 - **Designers**: Paul Grogan, Phil Pettifer - **Publishers**: WizKids (I), asmodee - **Categories**: Adventure, Expansion for Base-game, Exploration, Fantasy, Fighting - **Mechanics**: Cooperative Game, Deck, Bag, and Pool Building, Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, Modular Board, Open Drafting, Role Playing ## Verdict If you love Mage Knight and crave extra factions, story and tactical depth, Shades of Tezla gives you all that in style.New rival factionsExclusive characterExpanded draftingCoop up to 5Partial translationSteep learning curveVariable playtimeRECOMMENDED ## Description Shades of Tezla arrives as the third expansion to the acclaimed Mage Knight, adding a fresh scenario, rival factions, and a brand‑new character: the Storm Druid Braevalar. The goal remains to claim territories, defeat foes, and progress the story, but now two opposing factions vie for the legacy of the wizard Tezla, forcing players to pick sides or play more neutrally. The expansion adds new modular tiles that slot onto the base map, action cards, resource tokens, and a dedicated deck for the Tezla Avatars faction. Core mechanics—deck, bag and pool building, dice rolling, grid movement, and RPG elements—stay intact, but are enriched with open drafting options for selecting cards that will empower your Mage Knight. The game can still be played cooperatively, allowing up to five adventurers to team up against the two hostile factions. Complexity stays high (weight 4.3), yet the expansion offers greater tactical variety, especially in combat where the new Druid’s abilities create different synergies from the original classes. Playtime ranges from 60 to 240 minutes, depending on player count and depth of exploration. High‑quality components persist: detailed miniatures, sturdy tiles, and beautifully illustrated cards. However, the heavy reliance on extensive translation remains a drawback for non‑English speakers, as much of the text is still in the original language. In short, Shades of Tezla broadens the Mage Knight universe with more narrative, strategic options, and replayability, while keeping the steep learning curve beloved by fans of the base game. ## How to Play Objective of the Game The Mage Knight Board Game: Shades of Tezla Expansion introduces new scenarios with specific objectives. For example, in the "Life and Death" scenario, your purpose is to fight your way into enemy territory to destroy the Avatars of Tezla: Tezla's Spirit of the Elementalists and Dark Tezla of the Dark Crusaders. In "The Realm of the Dead," your goal is to defeat the Necromancer Lord and cleanse the Realm of the Dead. In "The Hidden Valley," you must locate the Hidden Valley and defeat the high priestess. Finally, in "The Lost Relic," the objective is to find all the pieces of an ancient relic in the ruins of old cities. Preparation (Setup) The setup varies depending on the scenario and whether you are playing competitively, cooperatively, or solo. Here's a general overview of components and specific setup details for some scenarios: Expansion Components 2 Faction Leaders Tokens 5 Graveyard Markers 1 Necropolis Marker 1 Hidden Valley Marker 32 Enemy Tokens 24 Faction Tokens (12 per faction) 1 Faction Token Reference Card 1 Site Description Card 1 Painted Miniature of Braevalar 1 Hero Card 16 Basic Action Cards 2 Skill Description Cards 11 Skill Tokens 6 Level Tokens 20 Shield Tokens 1 Round Order Token Sorting Enemy Tokens by Faction Certain scenarios require enemy tokens to be sorted by faction. When a scenario requires it, separate the relevant enemy tokens into separate piles. You might want to place a mana token next to a pile to indicate its faction. Use regular enemy tokens in these scenarios unless otherwise instructed. An enemy token with the Summon ability summons tokens from the same faction as itself. Placing Enemy Tokens from a Random Faction If a scenario tells you to place an enemy token from a random faction, roll a mana die. Gold, Green, or White means you place an Elementalist enemy token. Black, Red, or Blue means you place a Dark Crusader enemy token. Running out of Faction Enemy Tokens If all of a faction's enemy tokens of a certain color are in use, use regular ones of the same color instead. For that scenario, they count as if they were of the relevant faction but do not award a faction token when defeated. Variants for Other Scenarios In other scenarios, faction enemy tokens can be mixed with regular enemy tokens, used instead of them, or left out as desired. In some scenarios, only one faction is used. In this case, you can mix the other faction's enemy tokens with the regular enemy tokens if you wish. Life and Death Scenario Setup (Competitive, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 7, 9, or 11 (exactly 3, 4, or 5 should contain a Magical Glade). Core city tiles: 3 (the Green City tile, the Red City tile, and one other). Core non-city tiles: 1, 2, or 3 (equal to one less than the number of players). Dark Crusader and Elementalist leader tiles (both with a starting level equal to the number of players plus 2). The third city tile used is friendly. Each player puts one shield token on it, but no one is leader. Life and Death Scenario Setup (Cooperative, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 7, 9, or 11 (exactly 3, 4, or 5 should contain a Magical Glade). Core city tiles: 3 (the Green City tile, the Red City tile, and one other). Core non-city tiles: 2, 3, or 4 (equal to the number of players). Dark Crusader and Elementalist leader tiles (both with a starting level equal to twice the number of players plus 4). Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Cards and Skills: Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from each player’s Skill deck (including the Dummy player). The third city tile used is friendly. Each player puts one shield token on it, but no one is leader. Life and Death Scenario Setup (Solo, 1 player) Countryside tiles: 6 (exactly 3 should contain a Magical Glade). Core city tiles: 3 (the Green City tile, the Red City tile, and one other). Core non-city tiles: 2. Dark Crusader and Elementalist leader tiles (both with a starting level of 6). Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Cards and Skills: Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from both the player’s Skill deck and that of the Dummy player. The third city tile used is friendly. Both the player and the Dummy player put one shield token on it, but no one is leader. The Realm of the Dead Scenario Setup (Competitive, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 5, 7, or 9 (exactly 2, 3, or 4 should contain a Magical Glade). Core city tiles: 2 (the Blue City tile and the Green City). Core non-city tiles: 2, 3, or 4 (equal to the number of players). Dark Crusader leader tile: This represents the necromancer (with a starting level equal to the number of players plus 3). The Green City is friendly. Each player puts one shield token on it, but no one is leader. The Realm of the Dead Scenario Setup (Cooperative, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 6, 8, or 10 (exactly 3, 4, or 5 should contain a Magical Glade). Core city tiles: 2 (the Blue City tile and the Green City). Core non-city tiles: 2, 3, or 4 (equal to the number of players). Dark Crusader leader tile: This represents the necromancer (with a starting level equal to twice the number of players plus 4). Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Cards and Skills: Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from each player’s Skill deck. The Green City is friendly. Each player puts one shield token on it, but no one is leader. The Realm of the Dead Scenario Setup (Solo, 1 player) Countryside tiles: 5 (exactly 2 should contain a Magical Glade). Core city tiles: 2 (the Blue City tile and the Green City). Core non-city tiles: 1. Dark Crusader leader tile: This represents the necromancer (with a starting level of 4). Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Cards and Skills: Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from each player’s Skill deck. The Green City is friendly. Both the player and the Dummy player put one shield token on it, but no one is leader. The Hidden Valley Scenario Setup (Competitive, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 5, 7, or 9. Core city tiles: 2 (the White City tile and the Green City). Core non-city tiles: 2, 3, or 4 (equal to the number of players). Elementalist leader tile: This represents the high priestess (with a starting level equal to the number of players plus 3). The Green City is friendly. Each player puts one shield token on it, but no one is leader. The Hidden Valley Scenario Setup (Cooperative, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 6, 8, or 10. Core city tiles: 2 (the White City tile and the Green City). Core non-city tiles: 2, 3, or 4 (equal to the number of players). Elementalist leader tile: This represents the high priestess (with a starting level equal to twice the number of players plus 4). Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Cards and Skills: Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from each player’s Skill deck. The Green City is friendly. Each player puts one shield token on it, but no one is leader. The Hidden Valley Scenario Setup (Solo, 1 player) Countryside tiles: 5. Core city tiles: 2 (the White City tile and the Green City). Core non-city tiles: 1. Elementalist leader tile: This represents the high priestess (with a starting level of 4). Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Cards and Skills: Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from each player’s Skill deck. The Green City is friendly. Both the player and the Dummy player put one shield token on it, but no one is leader. The Lost Relic Scenario Setup (Competitive, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 6, 7, 8. Core city tiles: 2, 3, 4 (equal to the number of players). Core non-city tiles: 1, 2, 3 (one less than the number of players). The Lost Relic Scenario Setup (Cooperative, 2-4 players) Countryside tiles: 7, 8, 9. Core city tiles: 3, 4, 5 (one more than the number of players). Note: If playing 4 players, use Volkare’s starting tile as a 5th destroyed city. Core non-city tiles: 2, 3, 4 (equal to the number of players). Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from each player’s Skill deck. The Lost Relic Scenario Setup (Solo, 1 player) Countryside tiles: 6. Core city tiles: 2. Core non-city tiles: 1. Dummy Player: There is one standard Dummy player. Cards and Skills: Remove the four competitive Spells (numbered 17-20) from the Spell deck. If you own the Lost Legion expansion, use cooperative interactive Skill tokens instead of competitive ones; otherwise, remove the interactive Skills from each player’s Skill deck. Starting at a Higher Level Before setting up the game, players create their character. For each odd-numbered level after the first, each player draws 2 skills, chooses one, and puts the other in the common skill pool. Start with the appropriate command tokens for your starting level. Each player also gets 2 crystals of the colors shown on the bottom of their character card. Deal each player a number of cards from the appropriate decks as per the table on page 13 of the main rulebook. Each player may take (for free) one Advanced Action for each odd-numbered level after the first. Then, each player has 6 Influence per level to spend on buying cards. If any Influence remains, they gain 1 Fame. When all players are finished, shuffle any unselected cards into the appropriate decks and then set up the rest of the game as normal. Arrange any purchased Units as normal and shuffle all purchased cards into the player’s starting Deed deck. Then draw up to the hand limit as normal. Flow of the Game The game progresses in Rounds, typically consisting of Day and Night phases. Specific scenarios have different lengths: "Life and Death": Six Rounds (3 days and 3 nights). "The Realm of the Dead": Four Rounds (2 days and 2 nights). "The Hidden Valley": Four Rounds (2 days and 2 nights). "The Lost Relic": Two Rounds (1 day and 1 night). New Map Location Tiles Some scenarios will instruct you to place new map location tiles onto map tiles to cover certain spaces. Hidden Valley Location Tile: Acts like a Magical Glade. The move cost of the Hidden Valley space is 2. Graveyard and Necropolis Location Tiles: During the day, night rules apply in a Graveyard or Necropolis. At night, if you start your turn there, you gain a black mana token. The move cost of the Graveyard space is determined by the terrain type it covers. The move cost of the Necropolis space is 2. None of the other effects of these locations can be used until they have been liberated. Once liberated, they act as normal. Moving Pursuing Enemy Tokens Whenever the Hero being pursued ends their movement for the turn, any enemy token pursuing them is moved one space, into the closest revealed space to that Hero which does not contain another player’s Hero or a fortified site. Closest means there are the fewest revealed spaces between the enemy token and the Hero. These tokens may move onto mountains and lakes. If there's a choice ## FAQ ### How many players can join? 1 to 5 players, including a solo mode. ### How long does a game take? Between 60 and 240 minutes, depending on player count and exploration depth. ### Do I need to own the base game? Yes, the expansion assumes you already have the Mage Knight core set for the board and basic rules. ### What new components are included? New modular tiles, action cards, resource tokens, a mini for the Druid Braevalar, and a dedicated deck for the Tezla Avatars faction. ### Can it be played cooperatively? Absolutely, up to five players can team up against the two hostile factions. ### Is the language a barrier? Most of the text is in English; non‑English speakers may need external translations or help. ### What is the complexity rating? The game has a BGG weight of 4.27, considered high and suited for experienced gamers. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 21.00 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=489720&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 23.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4886649&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.22 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=1662105&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 25.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=329666&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 29.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4917484&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 30.38 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6077067&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 32.25 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4356837&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 35.67 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=391092&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 101.53 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=392204&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/15155/mage-knight-shades-of-tezla-expansion-set?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com