Steve Jackson Games' Wiz-War Returns

Over the weekend, Steve Jackson Games launched a Kickstarter for a new edition of Tom Jolly's classic board game, Wiz-War. It has since raised more than 30 times its fundraising goal.


Published: January 24, 2023 3:14 PM /

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Promotional image of the Wiz-War 9th Edition Kickstarter campaign

The world of tabletop gaming has greatly benefited from crowdfunding platforms. It has given certain tabletop experiences a second chance to reach a new audience as well as provide ongoing support. Crowdfunding platforms can even help bring older beloved board games back. This was the case this past weekend when Steve Jackson Games launched a Kickstarter for a new edition of the 1983 board game, Wiz-War.

The Wiz-War Kickstarter campaign

The Kickstarter campaign for Wiz-War went live on January 23. The game's set-up is simple. Two-to-six players play as wizards navigating a stone labyrinth. Each player then uses various magic spells to steal their rival's treasure. At the same time, they have to defend their own treasure. If you lose all of your treasure or if you lose all of your health you are taken out. The last wizard standing wins. At time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign has raised $37,329, completely overtaking the goal of $1,000.

This campaign is to produce the 9th edition of Wiz-War. Since its original 1983 release, the game has gone through different iterations, the last one being published by Fantasy Flight Games in 2012. Steve Jackson managed to buy the rights for a new edition to the game back in 2019 with plans to release it in 2020. While it is not explicitly stated, it can be implied that complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay to those plans.

As for stretch goals or backer rewards, there aren't a lot. First and foremost, the campaign is just for a copy of the game. No expansions, no exclusive supplements. But, if you are an avid collector of certain Steve Jackson Games, the higher tiers do have some incentives. The first is a reprint of Greed Quest, complete with upgraded components. The second is SPANC: Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls, which only has a few copies left. The tiers are as follows:

  • Wiz-War 9th Edition for $30
  • Wiz-War and Greed Quest for $60
  • Wiz-War, Greed Quest, and SPANC for $80

The Kickstarter campaign for Wiz-War ends February 2nd.

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Ever since he was small, Tyler Chancey has had a deep, abiding love for video games and a tendency to think and overanalyze everything he enjoyed. This… More about Tyler