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Chris H edited this page Aug 14, 2023 · 28 revisions

What is Forge?

Forge is a "Rules Engine" for the game Magic: the Gathering.
Forge is not related in any way with Wizards of the Coast.
Forge is open source software released under the GNU Public License.

Up to 8 players are supported, with control of each assigned to human or AI control. Player decks can be imported, user-created with the Deck Editor, or automatically generated. Over 99% (and counting) of all cards in Magic's existence are available, with the missing ones mostly being pointless to implement in the context (e. g. the notorious Chaos Orb) or impossible. That's more than the official Magic Online!

For a complete list of unimplemented cards, either check the most recent release topic on the forums or use the "Audit Card and Image Data" check from "Content Downloaders" menu.

Forge creates a unique experience by combining this enormous card library with some RPG elements in Quest mode (comparable to the 'Shandalar', the late 90's PC Game) on the desktop version, and Planar Conquest on the mobile version. Forge now includes a Graphical Map Based game mode called "Adventure Mode" which is more akin to 'Shandalar.'

Forge also features a wide variety of puzzles. For more details and features see the MANUAL.txt in your game folder.

Currently, Forge functions best in Human vs. AI matches. Playing against another human player over the Internet with Online Multiplayer mode is functional, but may still result in game play errors. See the Network Play section of this wiki.

Adventure Mode

Forge now has an Adventure Mode, along with the Classic deck building and match game modes with AI.

Adventure mode is a work-in-progress game mode where you explore the ever-changing landscape of Shandalar, and duel creatures to gain gold and new cards to become the best and collect them all! to battle the bosses in the castles for each color. You can visit towns to buy equipment and cards, crawl through dungeons to find artifacts and loot to help you on your journey. Adventure mode is an awesome reimagining of the original 'Shandalar' 90's PC Game in Forge.

Adventure is baked into the Android/Mobile release of Forge, and as a separate executable already provided in the Desktop release package.

Download and Install

Please see the User Guide.

Support

Basic Troubleshooting - Check here first.

Join the Discord! - We're happy to help you get going.

Other Frequently Asked Questions - For more advanced questions about forge mechanics and gameplay.

Forge Developers

The original programmer can be found at http://mtgrares.blogspot.com. A while back he open sourced the project and let the other developers improve it to their heart's content. He's taken a hands off approach for some time now, but still talks about it on his blog linked above.

At this time, there are many developers who help in different stages of the game. Some of us work on the infrastructure of the program, others work on creating new abilities and cards that use them, but there is a lot of behind the scenes action going on. For each release, it is common for the release developer to give a shout out for those that helped specifically for that version. Feel free to give kudos there.

If you are curious about the written/oral history of Forge, we're working on recreating some of that Forge Historical reference

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