Magic Labyrinth

Magic Labyrinth is a great game for kids and families to play together. In my review of Magic Labyrinth I will take a slightly different approach from normal. I will cover the rules and how to play from two different angles. The first and most obvious is Magic Labyrinth as a kids/family game but we recently discovered how it makes a fantastic drinking game.

Setup:

Have someone build the wooden maze below the game board, if it is someone not playing the game that happens to be around the house or wherever you are playing that will make it even better.

After it is constructed place the game board ontop of the maze so that everything is sitting as 1 component inside the game box.

Place all of the various token/markers in the cloth bag and shake them about.

Each player takes a wooden magician, places it on a corner of the board and connects the metal ball to the magnet so that the game board is separating the two pieces.

How to Play:

How to Play Kids Version

Pull a token out of the bag and place it onto the matching symbol on the game board.

Roll the die and move the number of spaces indicated, you cannot move diagonal.

If you bump into the Labyrinth your metal ball will disconnect and roll back to the nearest corner, simply reconnect it to your wooden magician at the same corner of the board you started at and end your turn.

If you touch the wall but do not bump it you have committed and must push your magician the direction until your metal ball falls from the magnet.

If you manage to reach the space on the board that contains the token, pick it up and create a scoring pile for yourself containing all the tokens you have obtained.

Once a token is collected a new one is placed on the board, if someone is under the space where the token would be placed they get to collect it instantaneously and add it to their score pile.

Once all the tokens from the bag have been collected the player with the most tokens is declared the winner and second place is the player who has the second most tokens and so on.

How to Play Drinking Version

Pull a token out of the bag and place it onto the matching symbol on the game board.

Roll the die and move the number of spaces indicated, you cannot move diagonal.

If you bump into the Labyrinth your metal ball will disconnect and roll back to the nearest corner, simply reconnect it to your wooden magician at the same corner of the board you started at and end your turn. When you hit the maze and lose your ball you must take 1 drink. 

If you touch the wall but do not bump it you have committed and must push your magician the direction until your metal ball falls from the magnet.  If you are sober enough to touch a wall without disconnecting your ball and magnet you have to take 2 drinks.

If you manage to reach the space on the board that contains the token, pick it up and create a scoring pile for yourself containing all the tokens you have obtained. If you successfully collect a magic token you get to give out drinks and all other players must take 1 drink. Then before placing the new token the board must be spun to add to the confusion. 

Once a token is collected a new one is placed on the board, if someone is under the space where the token would be placed they get to collect it instantaneously and add it to their score pile. No one gets freebies in Drunken Labyrinth, if a token would be placed where someone is standing they must have been too drunk to notice and it is lost forever. The master magician gives everyone a drink and all players must take 1 drink. 

Once all the tokens from the bag have been collected the player with the most tokens is declared the winner and second place is the player who has the second most tokens and so on.

Components: 

It is very cool how the game board is constructed and not many games make use of magnets. The wooden pieces are also a great touch and feel very nice in your hands while you steer your magician around the board. It is really very nice when the components are as much a practical part of the gameplay as they are an aesthetics piece. After a couple games is also gets really easy to quickly find the right spot where tokens go, you will start to remember which ones are by which ones which speeds up the game time without making it any easier to win.

So is it a drinking game or a kids game, who should buy Magic Labyrinth?

Family Gamers: The main thing I love about Magic Labyrinth is how well it plays with just the kids. You do not need to play with them and if you do there is no dumbing down your strategy or long winded explanations, you just play and enjoy the moment. That is not to say that Magic Labyrinth plays itself or there is no skill involved, you will improve your memory and learn when it is best to push your luck. Magic Labyrinth is even a fun one to play with the relatives or anyone who only observes and says your games look too complex to try. I think Magic Labyrinth is a must own if you consider yourself a family gamer.

Casual Gamers: Is your night more about the socializing than the actual gameplay? Do you sometimes have a few beers or other delights with your gaming sessions? Do you ever game with your kids or older relatives? If you answer yes to any of those questions then I think Magic Labyrinth is a no brainer, it s one of the best duel purpose games in my collection and out of games that can be played more or less "by everyone" I think Magic Labyrinth is king.  I love the amount of table talk that comes with the gameplay and if all else fails you can use ML as an excuse to get shit faced.

Gamer Gamers: How many games do you own with solid quality wooden pieces? Then how many do you own that make use of magnets? Your list is probably shrinking fast, if you are serious about our hobby then chances are you try to share your love with new members who may or may not have played board games in the past. Magic Labyrinth will not only serve as a unique game in your collection but will be a great way for you to show some newbies what our hobby is all about, that social experience of finding the time to sit down with family and friends. Magic Labyrinth is also a great game to test the wits of you and your "hardcore" gaming friends, just add alcohol.