The Winds of Magic deck is used as a randomiser, with the additional sophistication that players can retain cards from turn to turn, thereby removing specific cards from the deck as it is dealt.

The mix of cards and the way they are dealt determines the amount and effect of magic during the game. The standard method described in the rules is judged to allow magic an appropriate place in the hierarchy of battle - not too powerful but effective enough to reward intelligent play. However, sometimes it is interesting to vary the effect to achieve some specific aim, and some of the ways of achieving this are listed below.

Flux

Normally you roll 2D6 to determine how many cards are dealt from the winds of magic each turn. By prior agreement it is a simple matter to increase or decrease the number of dice rolled, or to make the number of dice rolled subject to random change. Another variation is to build or reduce the roll each turn: 1D6 on turn 1, 2D6 on turn 2 and so on, for example.

Cycle the Deck

Don't shuffle the deck every turn; instead discard the used cards onto a separate pile. Once you have worked through the entire deck re-incorporate the discards and shuffle the pack again. By cycling the deck you remove cards as they are played and so limit the effect of unique cards and make the magic more predictable.

Bar

Before the game begins take out any or all of the special cards and remove them from the deck. These cards are shuffled back into the pack after an agreed number of turns have passed. The cards are said to be 'barred' for one turn or more. Some players like to do this with the Total Power card in order to reduce the potential effect of magic during the first few turns.

Deck Limits

Before the game begins the players remove any special cards they do not wish to use. This is similar to the 'bar' except the cards are permanently removed with the intention of reducing the effect of magic during the game by removing the Total Power card, or by making the magic more predictable by removing other cards.

One Use

The cards are used as normal except that any special card is removed from the deck as it is played. This means each special card only ever gets used once. This is another way of reducing the effect of these cards, although its overall effect on the amount of magic cast will be minimal.

Alter Mix

An easy way to increase or decrease the effect of magic is to remove power cards to reduce the effect of magic, or remove dispels to increase its effect. Removing all the dispels but leaving the special cards can be entertaining too! By removing all the counter magic cards the deck will still moderate the spells cast, leaving counter magic in the form of natural dispels and magic items.

Triggers

For players who want to add a new layer of interest the special counter cards can be used to trigger changes or events that you have invented. For example, when Drain Magic is played you could roll a' dice for every magic item in the game and rule that it is drained of all power on a predetermined D6 score. Alternatively, you could link the use of certain card to a flux in the winds of magic, adding or deducting from the Winds of Magic roll each time it is played. Such things are very useful when it comes to inventing new scenarios.