Darlene the Artist

Game Review by Patricia Lentz of

JASMINE: The Battle for the Mid-Realmâ„¢ collector card game

The most striking feature of the game is in the beautifully rendered artwork that graces deck of 112 playing cards. Forty of the cards consist of full-color portraitures of the various heroes, armies, villains, and castles: all representing the main personae and locations of the Mid-Realm. The remaining cards are one-color drawings of mythical beasts, magical items and special actions. The artwork alone makes the game a joy to play for artist and author Darlene has managed to actually breathe life into the Mid-Realm through her artistic depictions.

The game is based on a fantasy adventure strip by Darlene titled “The Story of Jasmine.” The strip was first published in The Dragon Magazine from issue #37 through issue #48. Although the game does not follow the plot, it does feature the same characters as the illustrated story.
Marketed as a collector’s item, each set of cards and rules is numbered and signed by the artist. A clear plastic container holds the playing cards and the 13” x 18” rules sheet.

There is more here than just a simple little card game. The game is rather complex and is easier to learn from experienced Jasmine players. The various concepts and ideas contained within the game can be grasped in general by a thorough reading of the rules, but playing the game is the best way to gain complete understanding. The rules are written rather clearly with many examples included.

Knowing some of the background and history of the Mid-Realm and its important characters is quite helpful in playing the game. Strengths and weaknesses of the conflicting factions from the story have been translated into the game mechanics through combat strengths, use of magical items, and the various factions’ special abilities. All of these intricately woven elements within the game, placed against the background of the story itself tend to promote a fair amount of role-playing for Jasmine players.

The four warring factions within the Mid-Realm are each led by a main character along with a number of other important individuals and supported on strength by their particular armies. Jasmine, the former princess of UR who has recently discovered her hidden magical prowess strives to unite the war-torn Mid-Realm under the banner of peace. Unfortunately, her followers are small in number and their base of operations must be kept secret in the Underground Caverns. The only hope for their dreams of a united Mid-Realm lies in the magical strength of Jasmine and the devotion of her followers.

Thorgall, the great ice King of the North, sits on the throne in his majestic Ice Palace coolly eyeing those developments in the south of his kingdom. His power lies in his great armies and general for little does Thorgall believe in the use of magic. All potential enemies of this fierce warrior-king know that he cannot be vanquished in battle without magic or great cunning and so thus far Thorgall has prevented Mid-Realm from falling under the influences of the darker forces present.

Melantha, as deadly as any spider, weaves her intricate web of deceit and cunning silently plotting the day when all of the Mid-Realm will be hers. Through the use of powerful arcane rites, she has conjured up a terrifying demon force to do her malicious bidding. Melantha’s great strength lies in her terrible dark magic powers and the lightening-like ensnarement of her enemies. She will readily befriend any faction that can serve her dark longings, but equally as quick she will put the sting of death into any former ally should the need arise.

Bardulf, the dark prince, is leader to the treacherous, underhanded forces within the Mid-Realm. Relying on his spies and assassins to undermine the strength of his enemies, his mighty dragon Gryth then breathes the fear of death into the hearts of all would-be opponents. Sorcery, deception and treachery are all part of Bardulf’s dealings with those who inhabit the Mid-Realm.

Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm™ card game can be played with two to four players, however, three or four players is best. Each player in the game plays one of the four warring factions previously described and initially places his Leader and Army cards into two piles; the Battlefield and the Castle. Faction cards in the Battlefield can be used to attack opponents while the Leader and Army faction cards in the Castle are used to protect the faction’s homeland. These Faction cards are always placed face down on the playing surface. The remaining Action and Special cards are then dealt out, seven to each player. These cards are used to play actions against opponents or to help one’s own faction perform favorable actions. Assassination, spying, ambushes, politics maneuvers, combat, magical occurrences all take part through the playing of the cards.

Again, because each faction has inherent strengths and weaknesses, much of the action that takes place will have varying degrees of success and outcome. Play continues with each player attempting to become the most powerful faction in the Mid-Realm (hence, the winner) by the strategic playing of his cards either until one player has the only Castle remaining in the game or one player has managed to collect three powerful magic items within his Castle walls. There are many paths to accomplish victory in this game and so strategy, along with the luck of the draw, becomes very important in winning. A typical four-player game of Jasmine usually runs fro 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, although some have been as short as 15 minutes and some as long as three hours.

The combat system in this game is well-developed in that it utilizes battle strengths of Faction cards, magical powers of Special cards and added capabilities from some Action cards. Because of the many variables as part of combat, the strategic use of certain cards builds tension and excitement in the game. A wrong card played or not played can mean the difference between victory and defeat. The use of multi-functional cards is quite interesting because once again, it gives the game further richness and depth of play. Many times in the game a player will have to decide whether to use a card for one purpose or save it for a different strategy later on. Allowing players two ways to win tends to add variability to each game’s outcome, so there is very good replay value for the consumer.

Probably the greatest asset this card game possesses is its tremendous amount of player interaction and involvement. There is always something going on in the game that directly or indirectly involves all the players. Oftentimes the balance of power shifts from one player to another quite quickly and this tends to keep the interest in the play of the game at a high pitch.

Jasmine has a couple of problems that can discourage some players at first glance. It takes roughly an hour to read the rules thoroughly or about 30 to 45 minutes to have them explained verbally. In the long run, it is worth spending the time initially to learn the rules, but for a beginner, it can seem like an eternity to hear all that is involved in “just a card game.” There are also a few nebulous rules areas in which there are no specific rules ti resolve certain situations. Some logical thinking and reasoning can be helpful when these situations arise but it is an irritation to have to deal with it. Finally, even though the card stock is good, the cards tend to become slightly worn when played excessively.

All in all, the game is well-worth the price and a nice addition to any game collection.

Review appeared in GAMEPLAY Magazine, June 1983 (pages 60-61).