Published by Avalon Hill, 1979
Designed by Richard Hamblen

What it’s about

Magic Realm is a game of fantasy adventuring, in a land filled with monsters, fabulous treasures, great warriors and magicians. The scene is set in the ruins of a mighty kingdom, now inhabited by a sparse group of natives and swarms of monsters. Beneath it all are the rich remnants of a magical civilization, scattered and lost across the map. To this scene come the adventurers, seekers of riches and fame, to make a name for themselves in this promising field. Swordsman and Dwarf, Magician and Sorcerer, the humans and the half- humans come to see what they can find of the legends. Now you can play the part of one of these adventurers, stepping into a Realm of magic and monsters, battles and treasures.

Magic Realm is a complex game designed to recapture the suspense and desperate struggles of fantasy literature. The players take the part of intruders into an unknown and forbidden land, lured on by the prospects of looting the remains of a rich but ruined civilization. The game is extremely unpredictable, playing very differently each time it is played, so each game is a completely new adventure.

Components
1 14 1/2”x11” flat box
1 35 page 8 1/2”x11” rulebook
4 sheets of 5 die-cut double-sided large hex map tiles (20 total)
1 sheet of die-cut double-sided Major Counters (131 counters total): 19 7/8” circular counters; 17 1” circular counters; 44 3/4” circular counters; 18 1” square counters; 33 7/8” square counters
1 sheet of die-cut double-sided Minor Counters (344 counters total): 266 1/2” square counters; 78 3/4” square counters
16 3 1/2”x5 1/2” double-sided full colour Character Cards
1 Personal History Pad
1 Treasure Set Up Card
1 sheet (121) 1”x1 1/2” Treasure/Spell cards
2 dice: 1 coloured & 1 white

Counter Manifest
Description	Color	No.	Size & Type
Character Markers	Beige	16	7/8” Circular
Heavy Armour	Silver	2	7/8” Circular
Tremendous Armour	Gold	1	7/8” Circular
Horses	Brown	17	1” Circular
Weapons	Red	24	3/4” Circular
Armour	Silver	13	3/4” Circular
Special Weapons	Gold	7	3/4” Circular
Dwellings	Brown	6	1” Square
Huge Creatures	Violet	6	1” Square
Huge Creatures	Blue	3	1” Square
Huge Creatures	Silver	3	1” Square
Medium Creatures	Silver	8	7/8” Square
Medium Creatures	Blue	8	7/8” Square
Character Markers (13 for each Character)	Beige	208	1/2” Square
Treasure Counters	Gold	18	1/2” Square
Warnings	Yellow	20	1/2” Square
Sounds and Numbers	Red	20	1/2” Square
Creature Head Counters	Red	6	3/4” Square
Small Creatures	Green	12	3/4” Square
Small Creatures	Violet	18	3/4” Square
Company Natives	Blue	7	3/4” Square
Woodfolk Natives	Green	3	3/4” Square
Patrol Natives	Brown	3	3/4” Square
Patrol Horses	Brown	3	7/8” Square
Lancer Natives	Green	4	3/4” Square
Lancer Horses	Green	4	7/8” Square
Bashkar Natives	Red	6	3/4” Square
Bashkar Horses	Red	6	7/8” Square
Rogue Natives	Red	8	3/4” Square
Guard Natives	Orange	3	3/4” Square
Order Natives	Orange	4	3/4” Square
Order Horses	Orange	4	7/8” Square
Soldier Natives	Brown	4	3/4” Square

Player’s Value

Following the explosive growth of Dungeons & Dragons (and other Fantasy Role Playing Games) in the late 70s and early 80s, the primary boardgame companies of the day, namely SPI and Avalon Hill, attempted to create cross-over products that would allow them to tap into this burgeoning market. SPI made good headway with War of the Ring and Swords & Sorcery, while Avalon Hill’s primary entry was Magic Realm. Of all of these games, Magic Realm is the most successful at bringing classic pen-and-paper role-playing to a boardgame.

One of the keys to Magic Realm’s success is its focus on individual characters. There are no great fantasy armies or massive strategic battles here, only single characters exploring the remains of a ruined world. With each player choosing one character, the survival and ultimate success of the character becomes personal. A game of Magic Realm plays like a Saturday afternoon RPG session, with the game system acting as the Dungeon Master.

The game’s components are first rate. Each of the twenty mapboard tiles is unique, with a Normal side and an Enchanted side representing the type of magic found there. The creature and native counters are all color coordinated, and, in a neat game mechanic, the size of a creature’s counter corresponds directly to the size of the creature itself. Finally, each treasure and spell in the game is represented by its own small card that the player collects.

Anyone wishing to play Magic Realm is encouraged to download the 2 nd Edition Rules located at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/viewitem.php3?gameid=22.

Collector’s Value

Magic Realm is not as rare as the aforementioned SPI titles, and routinely shows up in auctions and flea-markets.

However, given its suitability for solitaire play, and the level of dedication it inspires in its devotees (there are a number of active web sites and a mailing list for the game), there is always a healthy demand for good copies. Boone lists low, high and average costs of 3/23/8.81 at auction and 5/30/15/33 for sale.

Other games of this type

The combination of fantasy and board games has resulted in a number of similar games. Among these are:
Talisman (Games Workshop)
Dark Tower (Milton Bradley)
Wizards (Avalon Hill)
Dragonhunt (Avalon Hill)
Dungeon (TSR)
War of the Ring (SPI)
Swords & Sorcery (SPI)

Other games by the designer

Bull Run (Avalon Hill)
Merchant of Venus (Avalon Hill)
Gunslinger (Avalon Hill)
Victory in the Pacific (Avalon Hill)
Dune (with Mick Uhl) (Avalon Hill)
The Great Khan Game (with Tom Wham) (TSR)

Further Reading

The General 16/4, The Magical Mystery Tour, Analysis, p. 3, Richard Hamblen. 16/4, Additional Rules Systems For Magic Realm,Variant, p. 11, Richard Hamblen. 16/4, Magic Realm Errata & Additions, Designer’s Notes, p. 13, Design Analysis, Richard Hamblen. 17/5, My Son, the Berserker, Strategy, p. 41, An Inside Tour of the Magic Realm, Jim Stahler. 20/2, What am I Bid For ..., Variant, p. 15, Varying Prices in Magic Realm, Edward Connery. 21/5, Which Way the Witch King, Strategy, p. 14, A Magic Realm Seminar, Paul R. Bolduc. 23/6, A Little Help from Friends, Strategy, p. 42, Giving Suckers an Even Break in Magic Realm, Michael Anchors. 24/5, Monster Mash, Strategy, p. 43, Playing St. George in Magic Realm, Michael Anchors. 26/4, The Legendary Lost Index, Designer’s Notes, p. 48, An Index for 2nd Edition Magic Realm, Jay Richardson.