by HolyGigi
I don't really get this information overload. I got the game 2 days ago and played once with my girlfriend.Yeah, I do enjoy mostly medium to heavy euro games, but she is a Carcasone fan.
The first game took us about 3 hours, with at least one hour spent building the spell books and looking at all the beautiful artwork. We did check the guide from time to time when a new key word would pop up, or when we had random questions.
Mid way through the game, we already learned all the steps involved in a turn and we started to make a strategy for the 2nd time we'll get a chance to play. Things just click easy with this game. The terms are super intuitive: I put a wall of stone there so you cant pass. Yeap, that's logical. But it does make sense that you can fly over it. Or "I have +3 piercing on this guy, what does it mean? Oh, it pierces 3 armor."
But you do have to want to learn it, just like any other game that's not a 10 minutes filler. If you dont "get" the manual, I suggest you watch the Crits Happen videos (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/video/22621/mage-wars/critical-...). Its really good - the reason I got the game - and you can just watch a game unfold, action by action.