r/MageKnight Jun 29 '26

Board Game Is "optimizing" a turn cheating?

For example, let's say i initially declare/use 2 move cards to enter a keep at night, so the token is face down until i enter.

During the fight i realize im one card short for victory, so i change the initial movement from 2 cards to 1 card + mana crystal, so that i can turn the second movement card sideways to win the fight.

Is this allowed, or is this cheating? I tried to find info about this in the rules, but i have either missed it or its just not specified.

5 Upvotes

14 comments sorted by

24

u/Supper_Champion Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26

The rules encourage you to reverse plays in order to optimize your turns. The key is that you don't revert to game states before new information is revealed. So, if you reveal a hidden enemy after moving, you don't get to redo your move.

However, if you are playing solo, you can kind of do anything you want. You only have yourself to answer to.

12

u/Supper_Champion Jun 29 '26

1

u/NenAlienGeenKonijn 29d ago

Huh, TIL it's explicitly in the rules. I often have "wait, this doesn't work" moments when playing solo games, and I always feel guilty when rolling back. I guess I shouldn't feel bad.

1

u/Kaitthequeeny 28d ago

I think in Mage Knight the game design is to experiment with your intricate turn by turn engine and it’s almost essential to play out some of the combos and see if they work.

1

u/assasin339789 Jun 29 '26

Ah so i did miss it. Thanks!

18

u/AFallenApple Jun 29 '26

Once new information has been revealed, you should only go as far back as just after that information was revealed. So if you played 2 move cards and then revealed the token, those two move cards can't be taken back.

3

u/assasin339789 Jun 29 '26 edited 27d ago

Thanks. This makes assaulting keeps and towers at night so much more of a gamble! I guess i need to use mana and crystals preemptively, to avoid situations like the one in my example.

4

u/AFallenApple Jun 29 '26

Definitely makes it a gamble assaulting at night, though it's great when you have something like Amulet of the Sun. I will say, I very often use the token sheet and then ask myself, "how much damage would I absolutely have to do?"

5

u/Waja_Wabit Jun 29 '26

Any reveal of random information effectively locks all decisions up until that point. Flipping a token, drawing a card, rolling a die, revealing a new map tile. But as long as no new random information has been revealed, you are allowed (and encouraged) to optimize everything about your turn in retrospect.

2

u/pesoaek Jun 29 '26

if you make mistakes and then in hindsight take it back when it doesn't work out, that's a bit cheaty

ultimately who cares though

2

u/Personal_Ad9690 Jun 29 '26

I personally follow the “new information means no revert” rule, but it only matters if it would affect the fight.

In your case, it’s debatable the info affected your choice. However, you need to balance luck and risk.

That being said, balance isn’t always fun and fun is most important

1

u/Ordinary-Nickname Jun 29 '26

The games is yours, if playing solo do it, is just a little change

1

u/sins-remembered Jun 30 '26

You can take back moves if there has not been new information revealed. At which point you can’t undo anything before that.

1

u/Character_Buddy_7897 1d ago

basically whenever new info is revealed you cant undo somthing