Saturday, April 26, 2025
The Development of the Wizard Card Game
VISIT: https://www.usgamesinc.com/The-Development-of-Wizard-Card-Game.html
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Is Wizard a Good Family Card Game"
Here's why Wizard is a popular choice for family game nights:
Easy to Learn: The rules are simple and straightforward, making it accessible for both experienced gamers and newcomers.
Fun for All Ages: The game's lighthearted nature and quick-paced gameplay make it enjoyable for players of various ages, from children to adults.
Strategic Depth: While easy to learn, Wizard offers strategic elements that keep experienced players engaged, requiring forethought and planning.
Good Value: The game is often praised for its affordability and replayability, making it a great value for the money.
Portability: The card game is small and easy to pack, making it a great choice for travel or family gatherings.
Family Friendly: The game is generally considered family-friendly, with no potentially offensive or inappropriate content.
Customer Reviews: Many customers who have played Wizard with their families have found it to be a fun, engaging, and enjoyable experience.
Good for Casual Players: The game is also a good choice for casual players who enjoy card games but may not be hardcore board game enthusiasts.
Quick Play: The game is quick paced and doesn't take too long to play
Adaptable: The game can be played with 2-6 players
Easy to Learn: The rules are simple and straightforward, making it accessible for both experienced gamers and newcomers.
Fun for All Ages: The game's lighthearted nature and quick-paced gameplay make it enjoyable for players of various ages, from children to adults.
Strategic Depth: While easy to learn, Wizard offers strategic elements that keep experienced players engaged, requiring forethought and planning.
Good Value: The game is often praised for its affordability and replayability, making it a great value for the money.
Portability: The card game is small and easy to pack, making it a great choice for travel or family gatherings.
Family Friendly: The game is generally considered family-friendly, with no potentially offensive or inappropriate content.
Customer Reviews: Many customers who have played Wizard with their families have found it to be a fun, engaging, and enjoyable experience.
Good for Casual Players: The game is also a good choice for casual players who enjoy card games but may not be hardcore board game enthusiasts.
Quick Play: The game is quick paced and doesn't take too long to play
Adaptable: The game can be played with 2-6 players
Sunday, September 22, 2024
WIZARD UPDATE #3
(a) There have been a number of people who love the original Wizard game and are not pleased to see the additional versions of “Wizard Magic” and “Wizard Camelot”. I sympathize with their viewpoint and will take this opportunity to explain.
I had no intention of creating additional versions. However, “U.S. Games Systems” (USGS) took the initiative, created a monster version that consisted of 66 cards with really weird functions then asked me to evaluate it. I was surprised and when I strongly criticized the new version, I was asked what changes I would recommend. In response I insisted that we stay with a 60-card format and developed “Wizard Camelot”. Unfortunately, I listened to advice from others and the outcome was a flawed version which never gained general acceptance. Disappointed with my initial attempt to create a new version I then created “Wizard Magic” which attempted to challenge the invincibility of the Wizard cards. This version has become a favorite of many players.
Nevertheless, I was not happy with the fragmentation of the game and wanted to return to a single item Wizard product. The creation of “Wizard Omnibus” returns the buyer’s choice to a single item offering all three versions at the same low price. It is my hope that it will become the only Wizard game available in stores.
(b) There has also been some discussion about who controls “Wizard” and the financing involved. “Wizard Cards Int’l Inc.” (WCII) is an Ontario corporation. Correctly there are 5 shareholders. The company consists of 10,000 shares. The company maintains 36% of the shares and “K. Fisher Enterprises” is the major shareholder with 35% of the shares. The other 4 shareholders hold a total of 29% of the shares.(None of the other 4 shareholders are regular players of the online game.) As mentioned in “Wizard Update 2”, “US Games Systems” of Stamford CT is licensed to market the game. Their license remains in effect as long as they have the game available for sale. “USGS” has sub-licensed the game to “Amigo Spiele” of Germany for most countries excluding North America and Australia. The royalty rate for the sales of the game is 10% which is shared equally between “USGS” and “WCII”. Although “USGS” is responsible for promoting and advertising the game “WCII” spends more money and devotes more time in both areas despite having no obligation to do so.
(c) “Update 2” outlined some of the current problems related to Victor Lawson, the programmer of the website. Our programmer, Victor Lawson informed me that he was no longer able to work on behalf of Wizard. He said that he planned to sell the rights to his gaming programme and pursue other goals. Subsequently I have been busy preparing to move our private server from his residence. However, today (Sunday, September 22) he emailed me that his ultimate goal was to make Wizard a gambling phenomenon. To quote his email, “At the end of the day Wizard will be the next Texas hold ’em if I have my way.” This is good news as the online Wizard game should continue uninterrupted for the immediate future. However, the hurdles Victor faces are considerable and he could quickly become disillusioned so I remain concerned about the future of the site.
(b) There has also been some discussion about who controls “Wizard” and the financing involved. “Wizard Cards Int’l Inc.” (WCII) is an Ontario corporation. Correctly there are 5 shareholders. The company consists of 10,000 shares. The company maintains 36% of the shares and “K. Fisher Enterprises” is the major shareholder with 35% of the shares. The other 4 shareholders hold a total of 29% of the shares.(None of the other 4 shareholders are regular players of the online game.) As mentioned in “Wizard Update 2”, “US Games Systems” of Stamford CT is licensed to market the game. Their license remains in effect as long as they have the game available for sale. “USGS” has sub-licensed the game to “Amigo Spiele” of Germany for most countries excluding North America and Australia. The royalty rate for the sales of the game is 10% which is shared equally between “USGS” and “WCII”. Although “USGS” is responsible for promoting and advertising the game “WCII” spends more money and devotes more time in both areas despite having no obligation to do so.
(c) “Update 2” outlined some of the current problems related to Victor Lawson, the programmer of the website. Our programmer, Victor Lawson informed me that he was no longer able to work on behalf of Wizard. He said that he planned to sell the rights to his gaming programme and pursue other goals. Subsequently I have been busy preparing to move our private server from his residence. However, today (Sunday, September 22) he emailed me that his ultimate goal was to make Wizard a gambling phenomenon. To quote his email, “At the end of the day Wizard will be the next Texas hold ’em if I have my way.” This is good news as the online Wizard game should continue uninterrupted for the immediate future. However, the hurdles Victor faces are considerable and he could quickly become disillusioned so I remain concerned about the future of the site.
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Wizard Update 2
Wizard Update #2
"The only thing that does not change is change itself"
The Past
In the normal sequence of events a company agrees to pay a royalty to a board game designer for the exclusive right to market a game. No company showed any interest in “Wizard” so capital was raised, the game produced and local sales initiated. When sales increased, game companies became interested and eventually “U.S. Games Systems” of Stamford, Connecticut acquired exclusive rights to the “Wizard Card Game”. At this juncture Wizard’s role was to relax and wait for royalties to arrive. However, a website was developed, tournaments organized, and promotional materials developed. “U.S. Games Systems” made a number of attempts to expand sales beyond independent game stores, but the company had no accounts with the major retailers such as “Walmart” and “Target” and so “Wizard” remains unknown to most Americans. (In Canada the major chains do carry Wizard.) Stuart Kaplan, the owner and president of “U.S. Games Systems” and “Amigo-Spiele” of Germany agreed to swap their top games. This resulted in a breakthrough because the German version of “Wizard” became a phenomenal success. Sales of the game are approximately; Canada 10%, USA 10%, and Europe 80%. I am not aware of any current promotional initiatives by “U.S. Games Systems”
The Present
The “Wizard” website is located on our private server in the home of Victor Lawson, the original developer of the Wizard website. He has stated, “I am reevaluating how much longer I can sustain the current state including hosting the server, future game updates and future app updates.” Changes are coming.
(a) One option is to close everything down and be satisfied with receiving whatever royalties arrive.
(b) Move the website from our server to our current web-hosting service, “Moniker” located in Miami, Florida. However, Victor states, “It is not an option to use Moniker because the server is set up in a very specific way and the moniker servers are not.” (I do not understand this.)
(c) Move the server to the home of a Wizard enthusiast who is capable of attending to minor adjustments such as rebooting. No additional programming changes would be possible without hiring an independent programmer.
Conclusion
The quandary will remain until the programmer decides exactly what he plans to do and when he plans to do it. Until then everything is on hold. The only thing we can be sure of is ‘changes are coming”.
"The only thing that does not change is change itself"
The Past
In the normal sequence of events a company agrees to pay a royalty to a board game designer for the exclusive right to market a game. No company showed any interest in “Wizard” so capital was raised, the game produced and local sales initiated. When sales increased, game companies became interested and eventually “U.S. Games Systems” of Stamford, Connecticut acquired exclusive rights to the “Wizard Card Game”. At this juncture Wizard’s role was to relax and wait for royalties to arrive. However, a website was developed, tournaments organized, and promotional materials developed. “U.S. Games Systems” made a number of attempts to expand sales beyond independent game stores, but the company had no accounts with the major retailers such as “Walmart” and “Target” and so “Wizard” remains unknown to most Americans. (In Canada the major chains do carry Wizard.) Stuart Kaplan, the owner and president of “U.S. Games Systems” and “Amigo-Spiele” of Germany agreed to swap their top games. This resulted in a breakthrough because the German version of “Wizard” became a phenomenal success. Sales of the game are approximately; Canada 10%, USA 10%, and Europe 80%. I am not aware of any current promotional initiatives by “U.S. Games Systems”
The Present
The “Wizard” website is located on our private server in the home of Victor Lawson, the original developer of the Wizard website. He has stated, “I am reevaluating how much longer I can sustain the current state including hosting the server, future game updates and future app updates.” Changes are coming.
(a) One option is to close everything down and be satisfied with receiving whatever royalties arrive.
(b) Move the website from our server to our current web-hosting service, “Moniker” located in Miami, Florida. However, Victor states, “It is not an option to use Moniker because the server is set up in a very specific way and the moniker servers are not.” (I do not understand this.)
(c) Move the server to the home of a Wizard enthusiast who is capable of attending to minor adjustments such as rebooting. No additional programming changes would be possible without hiring an independent programmer.
Conclusion
The quandary will remain until the programmer decides exactly what he plans to do and when he plans to do it. Until then everything is on hold. The only thing we can be sure of is ‘changes are coming”.
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Friday, July 26, 2024
Kemptville Update by Debi
On July 14, the 2024 North American Wizard Tournament took place at Pierces’ Corners a.k.a. the Marlborough Community Centre.
Wizard is a trick-taking card game designed by Ken Fisher, of Toronto, in 1984. It is based on “Oh Hell”, also called “Screw Your Neighbour”.
Of the 40 players who competed, about half were from North Grenville and the other half travelled from Ottawa, Toronto and its nearby cities, western Ontario, Montreal, Texas, New York and even Spain. Many met through Ken Fisher’s website at https://wizardcards.com; others met by playing Wizard at Pierces Corners. The winner was our own Sandra Nolan, from Kemptville.
To join the fun playing in future Wizard competitions, arrive at Pierce’s Corners between 12:30 and 12:55 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. Play starts at 1 p.m. For more information, contact Debi at debiar@ymail.com
Wizard is a trick-taking card game designed by Ken Fisher, of Toronto, in 1984. It is based on “Oh Hell”, also called “Screw Your Neighbour”.
Of the 40 players who competed, about half were from North Grenville and the other half travelled from Ottawa, Toronto and its nearby cities, western Ontario, Montreal, Texas, New York and even Spain. Many met through Ken Fisher’s website at https://wizardcards.com; others met by playing Wizard at Pierces Corners. The winner was our own Sandra Nolan, from Kemptville.
To join the fun playing in future Wizard competitions, arrive at Pierce’s Corners between 12:30 and 12:55 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. Play starts at 1 p.m. For more information, contact Debi at debiar@ymail.com
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
WIZARD UPDATE
Wizard Cards Update (2024-07-17)
At the advanced age of 88 I am not able to adequately handle all of the demands of operating “Wizard Cards”. Fortunately, many players have stepped forward to offer their services and assistance. Carles has masterfully provided a myriad of online tournaments and taken on the responsibility for all the month-end calculations. This alone has taken a vast amount of work off my shoulders. The Wizard wrap on Jeff and Marina’s RV is another example of player-initiated promotion. Others have provided promotional support and have run live tournaments. I hesitate to mention additional names because there are so many, and I do not want to leave anyone out.
Thanks to others I am able to carry on with remaining tasks that include,
- Holding meetings of Wizard investors and issuing dividend payments.
- Meeting with our accountant to discuss taxation and record-keeping matters.
- Coordinating with “US Games Systems” on a variety of matters.
- Handling banking and payment of taxes as required.
- Making occasional changes to rules, variations and packaging of product.
- Responding to frequent enquiries from players and the general public.
- Required updates, payments and communication with the programmer. (Lawson Software)
- Required payments to the website hosting domain provider. (Moniker)
- Participating in online games.
I am pleased to see players initiating live tournaments. Debi’s recent event in Ottawa required a lot of preparation and was a great success. The upcoming event in Cochrane, Alberta on September 28 will be a smaller event but nevertheless requires a lot of planning and preparation.
Nevertheless, I am concerned about the future of Wizard. There is a dire need to attract younger players.
Recently I received an email from an 8th grade mathematics teacher in the “East Allegheny School District”, that in part reads:
“I am a middle school teacher that runs an after-school Board Game Club. I was just introduced to Wizard, and I am hooked! I would love to teach this game to the club this fall.” He will receive complimentary Wizard games and I will keep in touch and monitor his progress. It is this sort of initiative that needs to be pursued. Without young players the game will gradually fade into oblivion. It is not the normal course of events for the game inventor to promote the product but with the demise of Stuart Kaplan, the owner of “U.S. Games Systems” our greatest ally has been lost.
Starting today I intend to turn my attention to attracting younger players. I will require the cooperation and assistance of Ricardo Cruz, the current President of “U.S. Games Systems”. I will be asking him to cooperate by providing free games and promotional material to schools and other youth-related organizations interested in providing gaming activities. If you are familiar with a gaming club run by school personnel, please contact the person responsible and explore the possible inclusion of Wizard in the program. A word of caution: In the past card-playing groups have happily accepted free games of Wizard but had no intention of promoting the game. Sending free games and promotional material can be expensive so potential participants should be vetted.
I have just emailed a proposal to the “Toronto Board of Education”. The nub of it follows:
“Thousands of dollars and numerous hours are expended to provide inter-school competitions on sports such as football. These activities are limited to a few students and the activities are not carried into their adult lives. The Wizard card game has little cost, is available to all students and can be continued for a lifetime. It brings fellow students, family and friends together, cements relationships and is great fun.
An interested teacher acting as a games coordinator could be appointed to arrange competitions among 4 or 5 test schools. The schools would be provided with Wizard games and support materials at no charge. Wizard Clubs at each school would compete as an extracurricular activity. Once a school has assembled a team of its best players, they would compete with the other schools to determine a regional champion. Eventually, the program would be expanded to all City of Toronto schools.”
Including “Wizard” in after-school programs would be a massive step in the right direction. Once again, thanks to all those who enjoy playing Wizard and an extra big thank-you to all those who go above and beyond by helping out in a myriad of ways.
Ken Fisher
wizard
Thanks to others I am able to carry on with remaining tasks that include,
- Holding meetings of Wizard investors and issuing dividend payments.
- Meeting with our accountant to discuss taxation and record-keeping matters.
- Coordinating with “US Games Systems” on a variety of matters.
- Handling banking and payment of taxes as required.
- Making occasional changes to rules, variations and packaging of product.
- Responding to frequent enquiries from players and the general public.
- Required updates, payments and communication with the programmer. (Lawson Software)
- Required payments to the website hosting domain provider. (Moniker)
- Participating in online games.
I am pleased to see players initiating live tournaments. Debi’s recent event in Ottawa required a lot of preparation and was a great success. The upcoming event in Cochrane, Alberta on September 28 will be a smaller event but nevertheless requires a lot of planning and preparation.
Nevertheless, I am concerned about the future of Wizard. There is a dire need to attract younger players.
Recently I received an email from an 8th grade mathematics teacher in the “East Allegheny School District”, that in part reads:
“I am a middle school teacher that runs an after-school Board Game Club. I was just introduced to Wizard, and I am hooked! I would love to teach this game to the club this fall.” He will receive complimentary Wizard games and I will keep in touch and monitor his progress. It is this sort of initiative that needs to be pursued. Without young players the game will gradually fade into oblivion. It is not the normal course of events for the game inventor to promote the product but with the demise of Stuart Kaplan, the owner of “U.S. Games Systems” our greatest ally has been lost.
Starting today I intend to turn my attention to attracting younger players. I will require the cooperation and assistance of Ricardo Cruz, the current President of “U.S. Games Systems”. I will be asking him to cooperate by providing free games and promotional material to schools and other youth-related organizations interested in providing gaming activities. If you are familiar with a gaming club run by school personnel, please contact the person responsible and explore the possible inclusion of Wizard in the program. A word of caution: In the past card-playing groups have happily accepted free games of Wizard but had no intention of promoting the game. Sending free games and promotional material can be expensive so potential participants should be vetted.
I have just emailed a proposal to the “Toronto Board of Education”. The nub of it follows:
“Thousands of dollars and numerous hours are expended to provide inter-school competitions on sports such as football. These activities are limited to a few students and the activities are not carried into their adult lives. The Wizard card game has little cost, is available to all students and can be continued for a lifetime. It brings fellow students, family and friends together, cements relationships and is great fun.
An interested teacher acting as a games coordinator could be appointed to arrange competitions among 4 or 5 test schools. The schools would be provided with Wizard games and support materials at no charge. Wizard Clubs at each school would compete as an extracurricular activity. Once a school has assembled a team of its best players, they would compete with the other schools to determine a regional champion. Eventually, the program would be expanded to all City of Toronto schools.”
Including “Wizard” in after-school programs would be a massive step in the right direction. Once again, thanks to all those who enjoy playing Wizard and an extra big thank-you to all those who go above and beyond by helping out in a myriad of ways.
Ken Fisher
wizard
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