Summoners: The Skirmish Game Inspired by Magic: The Gathering
Many of us in the wargaming hobby got our start with TCGs like Magic: The Gathering or Yu-Gi-Oh!. There’s a unique thrill in starting with nothing and summoning powerful creatures to the field. But what if a miniature wargame was built around that exact idea?
That’s the hook for Summoners, a fantasy skirmish game where you start with only your hero and must magically summon your entire warband. At Essen Spiel, our CEO Bart sat down with the team to find out how this TCG-on-the-tabletop works.
Our Interview with the Summoners Team
A TCG-Inspired Skirmish
Bart – Head of Studio:
It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m interested in discussing your game, Summoners. Could you tell me about the game and what sets it apart from other skirmish games here at Essen?
Summoners:
Summoners is a fantasy skirmish game. The main difference is that we’ve been inspired by games like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!, where you start with nothing on the board and you build the board during the game.
It’s much the same here. You start the game only with your Summoner. The Summoner is a powerful magician who is far from home and was not able to take anyone with him, but he is able to summon creatures from his homeworld.
We have all the classical elements-Fire, Water, Air, and Earth-as well as Life, Death, and the Forces of Corruption, which are a sort of Cthulhu-esque evil faction.
In a game, you start with your Summoner and a pool of Mana. To get more and stronger creatures, the default Mana recovery isn’t enough. You need to control Mana Crystals on the map, which grant you more Mana and also give you Victory Points.
Summoners is scenario-based. Objectives can be Mana Crystals or relics from before the world was broken. If you control a Mana source, you can take control of it and walk away; you don’t have to stay there. At some point, you will sacrifice your smaller creatures to get bigger ones. Small creatures only cost Mana, but bigger creatures also cost creature levels, requiring a sacrifice.
Game Length and Army Size
Bart:
How long is the game?
Summoners:
If you know the rules, a standard game is usually done in an hour to an hour and a half.
Bart:
So for the first-time players, it’s around two hours?
Summoners:
Yes, if you still have to look up rules or take it slow. The game is played over about six rounds, but the first rounds are very short because there isn’t much on the board. The action usually starts around round three, when you have more creatures, and the rounds get a bit longer.
Bart:
How many models are in a typical army?
Summoners:
Our big faction sets contain eight models: the Summoner, four level-one creatures, two level-two creatures, and one level-three. This is a good size for all sorts of games. You don’t necessarily need more, but you can buy additional models to have other options, like having a creature on the board twice.
Bart:
So, eight models is the recommended game size?
Summoners:
Something like that, yes.
Factions, Models, and Durable Resin
Bart:
How many factions do you have right now?
Summoners:
We have seven: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Corruption, Life, and Death. At least three more are planned for the future.
Bart:
What are your models made of?
Summoners:
They are all resin. Some of the newer, 3D-sculpted models are 3D printed. Some of the older sculpts, which were done by hand, or the bigger models are classic resin casts.
Bart:
Regarding 3D printing, how do you address the common problem of printed models being fragile and easily breakable?
Summoners:
We tested quite a few types of resin, as some of our models are thin—for example, the Life faction has a Mantis creature with spindly insect legs. I think we’ve now found a resin that works really well. It’s slightly flexible, doesn’t break easily, and is easy to repair if it does. We’re quite happy with it.
Future Plans: New Factions and PvPvE Modes
Bart:
Will the game feature only PvP, or will there be PvE and co-op modes available as well?
Summoners:
At the moment, it is PvP, usually two players. There are scenarios for three or four players as well, which can be played in teams or as a free-for-all. A new book is coming out next year containing the three latest factions—Corruption, Life, and Death—which will also have new scenarios. We are planning a campaign mode, and there might be a PvE mode at some point.
Bart:
What connects you most strongly with your fans? Do you have a Discord channel?
Summoners:
Yes, we have a very active Discord channel where engaged players help answer questions. I’m almost always online there, so people can contact me directly with questions or to promote an event. It’s a direct line to the design team.
What’s Next for 2026?
Bart:
To summarize, what are your plans for 2026?
Summoners:
The most important thing is the new book and getting more printed stat card decks, as we currently only have them for the first five factions. The Life faction is now tested thoroughly enough that we are confident we can print those cards.
We are also replacing some of the older sculpts with newer ones. This is both to move them from classical casting to 3D printing, which is faster and more flexible for us, and simply to have nicer-looking models.
Bart:
Well, thank you for the interview. It was amazing.
Your Summons, Ready for Battle
In the Summoners wargame, your warband is a direct extension of your hero. You’re the mage on the battlefield, channeling mana to bring your forces into reality. When you sacrifice two small elementals to summon a massive Level 3 monster, that moment should feel big.
A standard warband is only about 8 models, so the focus is high on each one. You’ve got the vision for your Cthulhu-inspired Corruption warband, or a set of crackling Fire elementals. You just don’t want to spend your hobby time painting when you could be figuring out your summoning combos.
And that’s our thing.
Your job is to be the Summoner. Our job is to make sure your magically-conjured creatures look great the moment they hit the table. We’ll give your 8-model warband a high-quality, consistent paint job that looks the part.
Book a commission here.
