Some of you mentioned that you own the
Mage Knight Board Game but have put off playing it after checking out the manuals. I wanted to post some video playthrough series links that should help get you going and make the rules easier to learn after seeing it played and explained. This game is pretty popular for solo play because there is so much to it and the card play gives you a lot of card play strategizing, at the heart of the game, mixed with some hex map movement prioritization and character advancement.
I suggest you
only read the 'Game Walkthrough' manual's Basic Game directions, and play the Beginner Scenario once or twice to get the game flow down. You will need to read the short solitaire special rules near the back of the full manual as it tells you how to run your "dummy opponent" who is mainly there for putting variable time limits on each turn and giving you some extra character skills to choose from. I like how the Intro rulebook gets you started, and has all the pictured examples, but there is also the full rulebook that is organize pretty well, is mostly on rules text, and contains all the extra rules clarifications within their appropriate categories.
TLDR:
Just read the Basic Rules in the Game Walkthrough Manual and play the beginner game. You'll pick up on it pretty fast once you get going, especially after watching the first of these playthrough video series, which is an introduction to the game:
Intro & Basic Solo Game Series
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB7C824980F797C4ASolo Full Game Series
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB3C0580915E79F38Lost Legion Expansion Series
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UyaJ4tfEqwGayfaIctH6YMb9rf2kCyn"Ricky Royal" also has many other game playthroughs on YouTube so you should check out his vids & playlists. I'm still in the process of watching some of his later
Mage Knight series, along with
War of the Ring (own but haven't played) and
Cruel Necessity (recently ordered).
These types of vids can really help you get a feel for the flow of the game before you've even started. Good stuff.
Good luck with learning Mage Knight BG. I think it's worth the effort - I've not seen any solo game quite like it. Watch that Intro series!
