# Magic Maze

## General Info
- **Year Published**: 2017
- **BGG Rating**: 6.9
- **BGG Rank**: #794
- **Players**: 1-8 (Best with: 4)
- **Duration**: 15 min
- **Weight**: 1.75 / 5
- **Designers**: Kasper Lapp
- **Artists**: Gyom
- **Publishers**: Sit Down!, 2Tomatoes Games, Broadway Toys LTD, Conclave Editora, Dude Games, Fantasmagoria
- **Categories**: Exploration, Fantasy, Maze, Real-time
- **Mechanics**: Communication Limits, Cooperative Game, Elapsed Real Time Ending, Grid Movement, Map Addition, Modular Board

## Verdict
If you're looking for a cooperative game that will challenge your communication and coordination skills, Magic Maze offers a unique real-time puzzle where everyone controls everything, but only one specific action.
Innovative real-time cooperative gameplay
Unique shared control mechanism
Engaging simultaneous action puzzle
High player interaction and coordination
Can be chaotic with larger groups
Requires strong non-verbal communication
RECOMMENDED

## Description
In Magic Maze, you and your friends take on the roles of a mage, a warrior, an elf, and a dwarf, who have just lost everything and now need to rob a magical shopping mall to equip their next adventure. The plan? First, map out the entire labyrinth, then find each hero's favorite store to grab a specific item, and then dash for the exit. To evade the suspicious guards, the team must act simultaneously and escape as quickly as possible. Can they pull it off? Magic Maze is a real-time, cooperative game that will turn your head upside down. Each player can control any hero, but can only perform a very specific action that other players don't have access to – like moving north, exploring a new area, or using an escalator. This demands incredible coordination among players to move the heroes wisely. The catch is that communication is severely limited! Most of the time, you must play without giving any visual or audio cues to each other. If all heroes manage to leave the mall within the time limit, each with their stolen item, everyone wins together. At the start, you only have three minutes to act. But don't despair: hourglass spaces on the board give you extra breathing room. If the sand timer ever completely runs out, all players lose – mall security noticed your loitering and you're caught! It's a race against the clock and against silence.

## How to Play
Game Objective: The Great Magic Maze Heist!
Prepare for a cooperative, adrenaline-fueled adventure! In Magic Maze, you and your friends are a group of stripped-down heroes (a wizard, a barbarian, an elf, and a dwarf) who need to rob the local mall to reclaim your equipment. The objective is simple but challenging: all Hero pawns must steal an item (of their color, of course!) and escape the mall before the sand timer runs out.
If the sand in the sand timer runs out, it's game over for everyone! The mall security will have caught you. But if all heroes manage to get their items and escape, victory is yours!

Preparation (Setup): Setting the Scene for the Heist
Let's set up the table for the big escape! Follow these steps to begin your journey in Magic Maze:

    Choose Your Scenario: Start with the initial campaign scenarios (1-7) to learn the rules gradually. The chosen scenario will indicate how to prepare the deck of mall tiles.
    Starting Tile: Place the Starting Tile (Tile 1) in the center of the table, with side A facing up if you are new.
    Heroes Ready: Position the 4 Hero pawns (yellow/barbarian, orange/dwarf, green/elf, purple/wizard) randomly on the 4 central spaces of the Starting Tile. If you wish, attach the stickers to the pawns to facilitate identification by symbol.
    Support Tokens: Set aside the Robbery token (side A up) and the Out of Service tokens, ready to be used.
    Actions Distributed: Take the Action tokens corresponding to the number of players (the number in the bottom right corner of the token). Give one Action token to each player.
    Action Orientation: Place your Action token in front of you, visible to everyone, with the North arrow pointing in the same direction as the Starting Tile. Maintain this orientation throughout the game!
    The "Do Something!" Pawn: Leave the "Do Something!" pawn in an accessible location for everyone.
    Sand Timer and Silence: You can talk and plan freely during preparation. But as soon as everyone is ready, flip the sand timer! From that moment on, silence is crucial. No communication is allowed, except at specific times.

Setup Tip: If the table is cramped, play standing up! This way, everyone can reach the pawns and Action tokens.

The Game Turn: The Race Against Time
In Magic Maze, there are no traditional "turns." It's a real-time game! You act at any moment you perceive your action can be useful. Cooperation is essential, but communication is severely restricted. Here's how the game unfolds:

Available Actions (and Who Can Do Them)
Each player has an Action token that describes what they can do. You can perform the action(s) on your token as many times as you want, whenever you deem it appropriate. You cannot perform actions that are not on your token.

    Move: Allows you to move a Hero pawn as many spaces as you want in the direction indicated by the arrow on your token. Movement must end before hitting an obstacle (wall, another hero). Two pawns can never occupy the same space. Heroes only move in corridor spaces.
    Explore: If you have the Explore action, you are responsible for adding new mall tiles to the board. This can only be done when a Hero pawn is on an Exploration space of its own color, leading to an unexplored area.
        
            The player with the Explore action reveals the top tile from the deck and places it so that the white arrow continues from the used Exploration space.
            If multiple Hero pawns are in their respective Exploration spaces, the player with the Explore action draws a tile, observes it, and chooses in front of which Hero to place it. Only one tile is revealed and allocated at a time.
            Once a passage is explored, any Hero pawn can move through it, in any direction.
        
    
    Use Escalator: Allows you to move a Hero pawn from one side of the escalator to the other, regardless of the escalator's direction. A pawn can never stop on an escalator.
    Use a Vortex: Allows you to move any Hero pawn from wherever it is to any Vortex space of its color. It's a quick way to travel long distances.


The Game Sequence
The game follows this general sequence, in real-time:

    Explore the Mall: Heroes move to explore new areas, revealing mall tiles and expanding the map.
    Grab the Items: Move each Hero pawn to the Item space of its color.
    The Alarm is Activated! (The Robbery): When all four Hero pawns are simultaneously in their respective Item spaces, any player can activate the robbery by flipping the Robbery token to side B.
        
            Important: After the robbery, the Vortex systems are deactivated! The "Use a Vortex" action can no longer be used.
            If you leave the mall without flipping the Robbery token, you lose the game!
        
    
    The Escape: The four Hero pawns must now reach the exits quickly, before the sand timer runs out.
    Victory! When a Hero pawn reaches an Exit space it can use, it is removed from the board. Victory is achieved when all Hero pawns have exited the board.


Time and Communication Restrictions

    Sand Timer: If the sand in the sand timer runs out, everyone loses!
    Sand Timer Spaces: When moving a Hero pawn to an available Sand Timer space, you must immediately flip the sand timer, gaining more time. Each Sand Timer space can only be used once; after use, place an Out of Service token on it.
    Restricted Communication: For most of the game, communication is prohibited (no talking, pointing, gesturing, or making sounds). The only allowed forms are:
        
            Aggressively staring at another player.
            Picking up the "Do Something!" pawn and placing it in front of a player to indicate they should act. This player may disagree and pass the pawn to another.
        
    
    Discussion Moment: Every time the sand timer is flipped, players can talk freely for as long as they deem necessary, while the sand continues to run. No actions can be performed during this period. As soon as any player performs an action, communications must cease again.


End of Game and Scoring
The game ends in two ways:

    Victory: All players win if all Hero pawns manage to steal their items and exit the mall before the sand timer runs out.
    Defeat: All players lose if the sand in the sand timer runs out at any point during the game.

There is no individual scoring system. In Magic Maze, you win or lose together!

Tips for Winning: The Secret of Coordinated Silence
Magic Maze is a challenge of coordination and observation. Here are some tips to help your group succeed:

    Focus on the Sand Timer: The sand timer is your enemy and your ally. Keep a constant eye on it and don't hesitate to move a hero to a Sand Timer space to flip it, even if it means deviating a bit from the main path. Time is everything!
    Observe and Anticipate: Since communication is limited, it's crucial to observe the board and other players' Action tokens. Try to anticipate your colleagues' movements and needs. If a hero needs to move north and you have the "Move North" action, be ready to act at the right moment.
    Use the "Do Something!" Wisely: The "Do Something!" pawn is your main non-verbal communication tool. Use it to draw the attention of a player who needs to act, but do so clearly and decisively. Remember that the player can pass the pawn to another, so the message must be evident.

## FAQ
### How many players does Magic Maze support?
Magic Maze can be played by 1 to 8 players, which is great for various group sizes or even a challenging solo game.

### What is the average game duration?
Games are super quick, averaging 15 to 30 minutes. Ideal for a quick session or several rounds in a row!

### Is it a very complex game?
No, Magic Maze's complexity is considered light (BGG weight of 1.75/5). The rules are simple to learn, but the real-time execution with limited communication is the true challenge.

### What are the main components of the game?
You'll find modular board tiles to build the maze, hero pawns, item tokens, a time marker (sand timer), and action cards for each player.

### Is Magic Maze a good game for beginners?
Absolutely! It's an excellent game to introduce new players to the world of board games, especially cooperative and real-time ones, as it's easy to learn and very engaging.

### What is the ultimate goal of the game?
The goal is for all heroes to retrieve their specific items and reach the mall exit before the sand timer runs out, all without being able to communicate verbally for most of the time.

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