- BGG rating
- 7.6
Black Rose Wars: Crono Expansion
- 1–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2019
- BGG rank
- BGG #599
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Black Rose Wars
2019
Rules assistance for Black Rose Wars
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 14+
- Complexity 3.4/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Black Rose Wars
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Black Rose Wars is a board game released in 2019 for 2–4 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Marco Montanaro and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Area Movement.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 8.2
Black Rose Wars: Hidden Thorns
- 2–6 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 8.8
Black Rose Wars: Sator Box
- 1–6 players
- 90–180 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2020
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Black Rose Wars: Familiar Cerberus
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Black Rose Wars: Familiar Draco
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Black Rose Wars: Familiar Griffin
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Black Rose Wars: Familiar Hydra
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Black Rose Wars: Inferno
- 1–6 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Black Rose Wars: Ordalia
- 1–6 players
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Black Rose Wars: Christmas School
- 2–4 players
- 2022
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Black Rose Wars: Rebecca Personal Spell – Cursed Blood
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.2
Black Rose Wars: Spurchia Christmas Scenario
- 2–4 players
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.5
Nova Aetas Renaissance: Draco
- 1–6 players
- 45–90 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.5
Nova Aetas Renaissance: Hyperion
- 1–6 players
- 45–90 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.3
Nova Aetas Renaissance: Mediceo
- 1–6 players
- 45–90 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Nova Aetas Renaissance: Minotaur
- 1–6 players
- 45–90 min
- 2023
- BGG rating
- 8.4
Black Rose Wars: Magister Box
- 2–4 players
- 2024
- BGG rating
- 8.7
Black Rose Wars: Rebirth – Seal of Fire
- 2024
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Black Rose Wars: Magician Pack
- 1–6 players
- 90 min
- 2025
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Black Rose Wars: Shroudtech Mage
- 2–4 players
- 2025
Requiem: Downfall of Magic – Istvan
- 1–4 players
- 90 min
- 2025
Requiem: Downfall of Magic – Selene
- 1–4 players
- 90 min
- 2025
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- BGG #5,426
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- BGG rating
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- 90–120 min
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- 2019
About the game
Black Rose Wars is a competitive fantasy game of deck-building, strategy, and combat set in the hectic universe of Nova Aetas in Italy. Each player is one of powerful mages of the Black Rose Order who aspires to become the new Supreme Magister in order to acquire the mighty power of the Black Rose Artifact and the Forgotten Magic. Mages must fight, fulfill Black Rose desires, and gain strength with their spells until their power reaches the containment threshold of the prison where they are exiled, finally freeing themselves. Each mage has at their disposal six schools of magic, each one with its own strategy to annihilate their opponents and increase their power. At the start of the battle, mages start with a grimoire of six cards; as mages study more spells during play, their grimoire will increase. Every spell in Black Rose Wars has two different effects, increasing a player's adaptability during a fight. Mages fight each other in a modular arena of hexagons called "rooms". They summon powerful creatures, cast destructive spells, or devise dark deceptions with their enchantments. The game system is divided into different phases. Each turn, after choosing new spells from the six schools of magic, players plan their strategy in advance, placing cards face down. Later, they reveal the played cards to kill each other, solve missions, summon creatures, or destroy the prison rooms, one against each other and against the Black Rose (the playing system). After being killed, mages are reborn immediately, allowing them to re-enter the fight without delay — although their death still fed energy to those mages who caused it. The mage with the most power at the end of the battle will be crowned Supreme Magister of the Order by the Black Rose itself.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Pegasus Spiele
- Delta Vision Publishing
- Hobby World
- Rawstone
- Ares Games
- Czacha Games
- Last Level
- Ludus Magnus Studio
Questions and answers
Black Rose Wars supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Black Rose Wars is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Black Rose Wars for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Black Rose Wars has a complexity rating of 3.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Black Rose Wars belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Bluffing, and Miniatures. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Hand Management, and Area Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Black Rose Wars are: Marco Montanaro. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Black Rose Wars as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.