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Waving Hands box art
1977 Ranked #12,377

Waving Hands

Secret-programming duel has wizards write hand gestures, reveal them together, and combine sequences into spells to defeat a rival. Feints and sudden changes of plan let players exploit what an opponent expects to see.

Abstract Fantasy Action Queue Paper-and-Pencil

Players

2-10

Play time

Not listed

Age

8+

Complexity

2.78/5

Rating

7.43

Harder to teach Low interaction Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.3/5

Low interaction

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

This unique and cunning pencil and paper game features a magical duel between 2 wizards. Variants for more are easily devised (last wizard standing, teams, etc.).

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

This unique and cunning pencil and paper game features a magical duel between 2 wizards. Variants for more are easily devised (last wizard standing, teams, etc.). The two opponents perform 6 magical gestures with their hands to cast spells - each spell created by performing a specific sequence of gestures. As gestures for the 2 hands are written secretly, then revealed simultaneously, there is ample ground for feinting - starting a sequence leading to a certain attack, then switching to a different sequence, hoping your opponent doesn't call your bluff. The 40 different spells allow you to attack, defend, summon monsters, enchant your opponent (limit her play in different ways), and more. To win, you need to make creative use of the many options, and keep an open eye towards your opponent's schemes. This is a game of almost pure skill. The inventor wishes to state that he has never been involved in a magical duel but would be interested to discover how realistic the game is for those who have been involved in such a bout.

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
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Player resources

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Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
2–10
Best with
2
Play time
30 min
Age
8+
Complexity
2.8/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Richard A. Bartle

Publishers

2
(Web published) RavenBlack Games

Linked items

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