You will weep. You will bargain. You will make demands. You will beg.

You will pray.

It will make no difference. You know this. Your knowing changes nothing.
No time for speeches now, it’s time to fight.
Magewroth is a game about two people trying to destroy each other.
To play you will need:
• A tarot deck.
• This game.
• Lots of d6. Like, at least 10.
• Either REALLY good memory or things to write with.

You are about to duel your greatest Rival, likely to the death. This is a ritual as old as
magic itself and, as with every ritual, you have to be properly prepared before you can
begin.
Step 1 – Come up with a Name, Appearance and Title for yourself. Your Name and
Appearance are pretty self-explanatory, your Title is something specific to yourself that
expresses who you are as a person. It can be relevant to the conflict or not, serious or
funny, lengthy or short, just make sure it reflects some aspect of your identity.

Step 2 – Both players take turns answering these questions.

What does your Rival’s magic feel like?
What makes you unique among most mages?
What do you and your Rival have in common?
What do you want from your Rival (violence, love, material goods, magic)? What do you
think they secretly want from you?
Where is this battle taking place? Who started it?
Would you rather resolve this conflict through different means? If yes, why is that not an
option?
Step 3 – Both players read out the following sentence to each other, filling in the blanks
based on their choices.
My name is [Name], the [Title]… and you have wronged me for the last time! Once this
duel is over, you will [what you want from your Rival].
Example: My name is Dagrave, the Man Without a Shadow… and you have wronged me
for the last time! Once this duel is over you will give me back my secret dreams, you petty
thief.

Players take turns drawing cards from the deck and answering their corresponding
prompt. The minor arcana offer buffs to the person who drew them, whereas the major
arcana tend to be more dramatic. Be sure to write down your answers to keep track of
what’s going on. Once you’ve answered the prompt to your satisfaction, you will place
the card face up in a separate pile and then you will try to kill your Rival.

Each mage starts with 50 health points and three d6 in their spell pool.
Whenever a card is drawn, the mage who drew it will unleash an onslaught of magic and
their Rival will defend against it.
When a mage attacks, they roll their spell pool and arrange their dice in a row facing their
Rival. If they roll 3, 2 and 6, they will do 3, 2 and 6 damage.
When a mage defends, they roll their spell pool and arrange their dice in a row to block
incoming fire, reducing damage by the number on the die. Each die represents a spell and
each spell can only block one other spell. You can’t block two 3s with a 6.
Example:
Attacker rolls 3 2 6
Defender rolls 1 4 6
Defender takes (3-1)+(0)+(0) = 2 damage
In this instance the defending mage could have chosen to block the Attacker’s 3 with their
4 instead, but perhaps there are narrative reasons why they weren’t thinking clearly in the
heat of the moment. Play as optimally as you like.
The Minor Arcana
cups – Brief respite, a second wind, aid, allies.
Heal 1d6 health.

coins – Random chance, a prophecy fulfilled, fate plays games.

For this turn only, you can make yourself or your Rival reroll their spell pool once.

wands – Power beyond limit, ingenuity, a secret revealed.

Add a die to your spell pool.

Swords – Sacrifice, a costly attack, mutually-assured destruction.

Lose 1d6 health and deal 2d6 damage to your Rival that they cannot defend against.

A You’re forced to use one of your secret spells to avoid defeat. Describe what
happens.
2 Your spells appear to have less ferocity than usual. Why are you holding
yourself back?
3 Your Rival is distracted, whether by your doing or not. How do you use that?
4 Something truly unsettles you. How do you retain your composure?
5 How do you use environmental hazards, buildings, or terrain to your
advantage?
6 Someone rushes to your aid, but it costs them. Who?
7 Through sheer luck, you somehow manage to gain the upper hand. Describe
what happens.
8 You resort to a magic that’s typically best avoided. Why were you forced to
do this?
9 You exploit a flaw in your Rival’s technique. How did you learn of it?
10 Someone rushes to your Rival’s aid, but it costs them. Who?
Page You and your Rival have shared an apprentice. What impossible choice did
you force upon them before this duel?
Knight You and your Rival have shared an enemy. How have they interfered with this
duel?
King You and your Rival have shared a mentor. How have you betrayed their
teachings during this duel?
Queen You and your Rival have harmed someone you both cared for during this
duel. Who?
The Major Arcana

You let loose a powerful attack that your opponent manages to turn to their advantage.
Give one of your spell dice to your Rival.
How exactly was your Rival able to turn the tables?
This (or something similar) has happened to you before. Why were you unable to prevent
it once again?

You are pushed to delve deeply into your magic. For this turn only, you attack twice and
your Rival can only defend once.
What caused this surge of power?
What does it look like when you fully come into your power? You and your Rival both
answer this question, though you don’t have to give the same answer.
How long can you remain in this state? What does it cost?

You take a moment to concentrate on your magic, separating your mind from the battle.
You gain a spell die and your Rival heals for 2d6.
What memory do you go to for power?
What memory do you avoid, because you know it will make you weak?
You pause and look at the destruction you have wrought. You can’t afford to lose control
like this, the duel has to end now. Choose one:

• Concede the duel. Regardless of what your Rival chooses to do, you will leave the
duel mostly unharmed.
Who or what has decided to offer you protection?
Will you and your Rival duel again?

• Pick any odd number and remove that many dice from both your own and your
Rival’s spell pools. Then roll the dice you removed and take that much damage.
Why did you stop yourself only now?
What are the consequences for dispelling so much magic so quickly?

You unlock a hidden aspect of your power. Add 2 dice to your spell pool.
What emotional revelation led you to this?
What does it look like as you come more fully into your power?

Your Rival once shared something very personal with you, which you will now use to
hurt them. When you attack this turn, any results below a 3 count as a 3.
What vulnerability are you exploiting? Why did your Rival share this information?
What do you see in your Rival’s face, now that you have betrayed them in a way they did
not expect?

Despite your intentions, magic has a will of its own. Instead of attacking and defending
this turn, you and your Rival use your spell pools to heal the other by the amount you
each roll.
How close did you and your Rival use to be?
Will either of you choose to concede, now that this has happened?
Amidst a flurry of spells your combined magics cause an unexpected chain reaction that
twists you out of yourselves and into each other. You and your Rival swap health and
spell pools.
What is your first thought when you realize that you’re in a new body?
What effect does this transposition have on your magic? You and your Rival both answer
this question, though you don’t have to give the same answer.
Do you continue fighting, or do you stop?

Whether because of something your Rival said or because you’ve pushed past your limit,
something within you cracks. Choose one:
• You can no longer surrender. Wild magic overtakes your mind and clouds your
vision. No matter what happens, you will keep fighting till the end.
Can your Rival save you? What will you do if they succeed?

• You can no longer attack. Your curses backfire and chain your mind and body into
submission. You can still defend yourself, but eventually your Rival will defeat
you. No matter what happens, you can’t win.
How do you feel, knowing that you have lost?
What did you do the last time your Rival made you feel that way?

You look around and realize that your Rival is nowhere to be seen. The duel ends.
How is this outcome worse than losing the duel?
Will you search for your Rival, now that you are alone again?
You momentarily lose control of your magic and your spells go wild. Instead of
attacking, roll your spell pool and consult the table for what happens.
1 Your magic lashes out at you. Lose 5 health.
2 Your magic breaks free from you. Lose a spell die.
3 Your magic begs forgiveness from your Rival. They heal for 1d6.
4 Your magic rages against fate. The next three cards do nothing.
5 Your magic is spent. If there are more 5s than 6s, you are destroyed and the duel
ends. Otherwise you simply lose.
6 Your magic is unleashed. If there are more 6s than 5s, your Rival is destroyed and
the duel ends.
Otherwise you simply lose.

Why did you lose control now?

What does your magic look/feel like when it goes wild?

The duel ends. Describe how you and your Rival bloodlessly resolve your differences.
What helped you reach a better understanding of each other?
In the future, will you two still be Rivals?

Your Rival loses control of their magic, creating an unstable tornado of arcane
destruction. Choose one:
• No duel is worth this, help your Rival regain control. The duel ends.
How do you save your Rival from their doom?
Who else is saved because of your choice?

• This is not your concern, abandon your Rival to their fate. The duel ends.
What was the last time you were abandoned?
Who else gets hurt because of your choice?
The duel ends. You will never see your Rival again.
Who decided to end the duel and why?
A fundamental aspect of who you are has changed forever. What is it?

Having exhausted nearly all of your magic, you try to siphon some from your Rival’s
reserves, but it looks like they had the same idea. You and your Rival take all the dice in
your spell pools and distribute them evenly between you, so that you both have the same
amount.
What does it feel like, to have your Rival reach into your soul?
What does it feel like, to reach into your Rival’s soul?

You invoke forbidden magic, bleeding your Rival’s mind of their memories. Steal a spell
die from your Rival.
What shared memory do you take from them and why does it cause you pain? How
differently did you remember it?

To bring ruin to your Rival, you invite ruination upon yourself. Choose one:

• You and your Rival both lose the duel, resulting in a Tie. In addition to the Tie
questions, you have to answer the following.
What precious thing do you destroy in order to defeat your Rival?
What state are you in, after you’ve unleased ruination on you both? (Your Rival answers
this question)
What state is your Rival in, after you’ve unleased ruination on you both? (You answer
this question)
Will you and your Rival duel again?
 • Roll your spell pool before you attack. Your Rival takes damage equal to the sum
of all the even numbers and you take damage equal to the sum of all the odd
numbers. You lose all the dice that rolled an even number. Then, attack with your
remaining spell pool.
What is it like, to twist your magic out of shape? To burn yourself so deeply?
Was it worth it?

You push yourself too far and lose some of your magic. Remove three dice from your
spell pool.
What do you look like, clutching at yourself in pain?
How did your Rival help you the last time you hurt yourself in this way?

You and your Rival are both struck with a vision of the future. You both add one die to
your spell poll and can’t attack each other until another major arcana is drawn.
Which one of you won the duel, in the vision you saw? Why did they regret it more than
anything?
What did you see in your vision that you would do anything to avoid?

A force more powerful than you can comprehend intervenes to end the duel. Choose one:
• You and your Rival are both healed and well. Describe how your resolve your
differences without any more violence.

• You and your Rival are both scarred and broken. Describe how you bitterly part
ways, never to see the other again.
Your duel has gone too far and now you will both pay the price for your hubris. You and
your Rival lose your magic forever. The duel is over.
What damage did you cause that led to this punishment?
Will you abandon your Rival, now that you both only have each other?

Stray magic twists and bends and screams around you. Caught in a growing vortex, you
and your Rival’s fates are joined together as one. Add your and your Rival’s health points
together. This is now your new, shared health pool. You can keep fighting, but there’s no
way for either one of you to win anymore. Perhaps there never was.
What do you say to your Rival, when you realize what has been done?
Was there ever a time where this joining would have brought you happiness?

It is already over. Nothing can be done to change it.

While the result of a duel is often clear-cut, there are times where it’s harder to determine.
If that happens, choose which questions (if any) you want to answer after ending the duel.

At any point in the game, a mage can choose to surrender. If they do, but their Rival does
not, then they have to answer their Rival’s questions. If both mages choose to surrender,
the result is a Tie instead.
Why have you finally given up?
What prize will you offer me for my victory?
Whatever will I do with you now?
(From here, the Rival can keep asking questions of their own, until the other mage refuses
to respond.)
A mage typically loses the duel when their health runs out. The victor has to answer the
loser’s questions.
How did you finally manage to best me?
What prize will you take from me for your victory?
Whatever will you do with me now?
(From here, the victor can keep asking questions of their own, until the loser refuses to
respond.)

If both mages choose to concede the duel, or if they both lose at the same time, the result
is a Tie. The mages work together to answer the following questions.
How have we changed because of this duel? How have we stayed the same despite it?
How was any of it worth it?
What will we do now?
Will we duel again, in the future?

There’s a lot of elements in this game that can be modified depending on your narrative
needs. The prompts, the number of health points, the number of spell dice each player
starts with, maybe even the number or type of cards you have in your deck. You are
encouraged to change anything and everything if you think it will result in something
interesting. Below are some examples to get your imagination going.

Fast Duels
Whether your mages are overpowered demigods that can atomize each other with a few
good shots or feeble novices with no stamina to speak of, this variation decreases the time
you’ll spend dueling.

• Mages have 20 health points.

Long Duels
Maybe your mages are being really careful, maybe they’re too evenly matched, or maybe
they know each other’s tricks too well. This variation dramatically increases the time
you’ll spend dueling.
• Mages have 100 health points.
• Judgement, Justice, Death, The Sun, The Hermit and The Hanged Man are
removed from the deck before the duel begins.
• If the deck runs out of cards before the duel ends, then the mages can take turns
attacking each other until one of them loses. For each time that they do this, one
of them must answer a question asked by the other.

Diminishing Returns
Your mages are very powerful, but every spell is costly, every second of battle drains
them of their reserves.

• Both mages start with 20 dice each.

• Whenever a mage would gain dice, they lose dice instead.

The Best Offense

In this variation the defender’s spells are powerful enough to pierce through any magic
and harm the attacker.

• Any power left in your defensive spell after you’ve nullified the attacking spell is
dealt as damage to the attacker.
Example:
Attacker rolls 3 2 6
Defender rolls 1 4 6
Defender takes (3-1)+(0)+(0) = 2 damage
Attacker takes (0)+(4-2)+(0) = 2 damage

Hidden Power
Mages are cunning and deceitful; an attack that seems quite powerful may just be a faint
instead. This variation makes defending a lot more intense.
• The attacker hides their row of d6s from the defender (cover them with a piece of
paper or something), until the defender has rolled their spell pool and blocked.
(Until they have "assigned blockers" for all you MtG nerds out there).
War Of Attrition
Some mages can twist the magic out of their opponent’s grasp. This variation introduces
an element of risk to attacking.

• When it's their turn to attack, the attacker can choose to hold their fire and gain a
spell die instead.
• Whenever the defender blocks an attacking spell with a defensive spell of the
same number, the attacker loses a spell die.

Party Game
This variation adds 2 more people to the mix. Lots of adjustment and flexibility are
required by the players to make this work.
• Instead of a duel between two people, you initiate a duel between two 2-person
teams.
• You are now two Rival teams,
• Each mage starts with 40 health and 2d6 in their spell pool.
• Teams take turns drawing cards. Whenever a team draws a card, only one person
in that team can benefit from the card and the prompt is addressed to them. (You’ll
have figure out how to make the prompts work with 4 people on your own though.
Good luck).
• Teammates can focus their attacks on a single member of their Rival team, rather
than have each teammate attacking one Rival.
• A mage can defend their teammate, rather than themselves, but they'd be leaving
themselves wide open. (Remember that a spell can only be blocked by one other
spell)

Example 1
Red 1 and Red 2 are attacking Blue 1. Blue 2 will help defend their teammate.
Red 1: 1, 1, 4
Red 2: 1, 5, 6

Blue 1: 3, 4, 4
Blue 2: 1, 2
Team Red Attack: 1, 1, 4, 1, 5, 6
Blue 1 Defense: 0, 1, 4, 2, 4, 3

Blue 1 takes (1)+(0)+(0)+(0)+(5-4)+(6-3) = 5 damage

Blue 2 takes no damage

Example 2
Red 1 is attacking Blue 1 and Red 2 is attacking Blue 2. Blue 2 will help defend their
teammate.
Red 1: 6, 6, 4, 4, 3, 2
Red 2: 2, 3, 1

Blue 1: 1, 2, 1
Blue 2: 5, 5, 3

Red 1 Attack: 6, 6, 4, 4, 3, 2
Blue 1 Defense: 5, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1

Blue 1 takes (6-5)+(6-5)+(4-3)+(4-2)+(3-1)+(2-1) = 8 damage

Red 2 Attack: 2, 3, 1
Blue 2 Defense: None

Since Blue 2 didn’t defend themself, they take 2+3+1 = 6 damage

Free For All

Same as Party Game, but there are no teams. It’s every mage for themself, the narrative
may become very muddled.
By cubic_wombat
Cover Design by cubic_wombat & Ian Mahler (@ianmahler)

Fonts used: Fantaisie Artistique, Vinque, Albert Text, Zero and Times New Roman.

Images used:
The Destruction of Pharaoh’s Host (1836) by John Martin (CC0)
Magic Circle Art Pack by Emily Entner (@odds_and_ents)

Quotes:

Introduction to The Iliad by Emily Wilson, The Iliad (trans. Emily Wilson)

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Woodring Stover