A fellow student has mysteriously vanished!
Playing as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna or Neville, you must try to discover WHO did it, WHAT spell or item they used and WHERE it happened.
Was it Fenrir Greyback with a Cursed Necklace in the Forbidden Forest?
Components
- Gameboard
- 6 Identity cards
- 6 Movers
- 29 Help cards
- 32 Dark cards
- 21 Mystery cards
- 1 Notepad
- 40 Floo Powder tokens
- 6 Suspect tokens
- 6 Item tokens
- 1 Envelope
- 1 Green die
- 1 Black die
- 1 Label sheet
Overview
Move around the board making suggestions... but watch out! When the wheels on the board turn, fireplaces can light up, hidden doorways can be revealed, or the Dark Mark can appear. Whenever the Dark Mark appears, beware - when seen, it surely means that Dark Forces are at work.
Pick up Help cards, which will provide you with spells, allies and items that protect you from the Dark Forces and stop you from losing Floo powder tokens. Floo powder tokens allow you to travel from room to room using fireplaces.
These Floo powder tokens must be guarded carefully - if you lose all your tokens, you will no longer be able to use the magical fireplaces to move around the board!
When you're sure of your facts, go to The Burrow to make your final accusation and win the game!
Setup
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Layout the board and turn the heels so the word START is showing on all of them.
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Separate the Dark Deck and Help cards. Shuffle each pile and place them facedown in piles near the board.
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Each player needs:
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One sheet from the notepad.
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A pencil (not supplied).
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1 Help card (kept face up in front of them)
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An Identity card and mover (see point 4).
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Pinches of Floo powder (FP), depending on the number of players:
- 3- player game: 8 pinches each
- 4- player game: 10 pinches each
- 5- player game: 12 pinches each
Place the rest in a pile near the board.
=3 Pinches of FP -
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Shuffle the six Identity cards and randomly remove one. Turn it faceup to reveal the character who has fallen prey to Dark Magic and is missing.
Each player must then choose a character from the remaining Identity cards and place the matching colored mover on its colored start space on the board. Place the missing student and any spare cards and movers out of the game.
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Separate the Mystery cards into three piles (suspects, items and locations) and shuffle each pile. Remove one from each pile and put them in the solution envelope. Be careful to keep them secret from all players - this envelope contains the solution to the mystery!
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Shuffle all the remaining Mystery cards together and deal them, facedown, so each player has the same number. Place any extra cards faceup in The Burrow.
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Look at the cards in your hand and faceup in The Burrow and tick them off on your notepad. If you have those cards or they are faceup in The Burrow, they cannot be in the envelope! Remember to keep your notes hidden from other players.
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Place the item and suspect tokens in piles where everyone can reach them.
The player whose birthday it is next takes the first turn. Play continues to the left.
Game Play
On each turn:
- Roll both dice.
- Check the black die.
- Move (using the green die or a lit fireplace).
- Make a suggestion, take a Help card or end your turn.
When you're sure you've solved the mystery:
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Go to The Burrow to make your accusation.
On your turn:
Roll both dice and check the black die.
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If the black die shows the star, Stake a Help card and place it in front of you, then continue to Step 3 (Move).
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If it shows one of the location symbols, turn the wheel in that corner of the board one notch clockwise and check to see whether or not the Dark Mark has appeared.
If not, go straight to Step 3 (Move).
Note: Doors into locations may open or close and fireplaces may change when a wheel is turned.
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If the Dark Mark shows up on the wheel, the black die, or both, take a card from the Dark Deck and read it out loud.
Each Dark card describes an event likely to have been caused by Dark Forces and each card shows:
- What is happening
- Who is affected
- How many pinches of Floo powder could be lost
- How you can protect yourself against the event
If you have a Help card that protects you, show it to the other players and then place it back in front of you. You are safe.
If you don't, you must pay the penalty by putting that many pinches of Floo powder onto the Floo powder pile. If you pay with more pinches than you need, take back the difference.
When you have used a Help card or paid your Floo powder penalty, continue to Step 3 (Move).
If any player loses all their Floo powder tokens, they can no longer use the Floo network.
Move
Check the green die. You can either:
Ignore the roll and use a lit fireplace to move to another room with a lit or unlit fireplace. Each time you use a fireplace to move, pay 1 pinch of FP into the FP pile OR
Move any number of spaces up to the number you rolled.
Rules for Moving
- You do not have to use the full roll.
- You can move horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally.
- Black doors are open, red doors are closed. As soon as you enter a location (through an open door), STOP MOVING!
- You cannot pass through a closed door unless you have an Alohomora Help card.
If you land on a star symbol, STOP MOVING and take a Help card.- You can pass through a space occupied by another player, but only one player can stay on the same space at one time.
- If you are in a location at the end of one turn, you must leave it on your next turn. You may not re-enter the same location on that turn.
Make a Suggestion or Take a Help card
A. make a suggestion (only if you're in a location)
If you move to a location (other than The Burrow), you can suggest:
- a suspect
- an item
- the location you are in
Example: You enter Gringotts. You suggest: "I think Snatchers did it with the Cursed Necklace in Gringotts".
Move the suspect and item tokens you have suggested into the location you are in.
The other players must now reveal whether or not your suggestion was correct, starting with the player to your left.
- If they have one of the Mystery cards you have called, they show it to you (and only you).
- If they have more than one of the cards, they can choose which one to show you.
Check this card off on your notepad - this proves the card is not in the envelope. Your turn is now over.
If the player to your left does not have any of the Mystery cards you suggested, the player to their left must show a card if they have one. Keep going until a player shows you a card or until all players have passed because they have none of the cards you suggested.
Your turn is now over.
B. Take a Help Card (only if you land on a star)
If you land on a star symbol, draw the top Help card from the deck and put it faceup in front of you. The Help card will be an Ally, an Item, or a Spell.
Visiting the Burrow
Enter The Burrow to make an accusation.
Make an Accusation
When you're sure you've solved the mystery, use your roll to get to The Burrow as fast as you can. From here, you can make your accusation by naming the suspect, item and location you think are correct.
For example: "I accuse Peter Pettigrew with the Jinxed Broomstick in Malfoy Manor".
Now secretly look at the cards in the envelope.
Beware: If your accusation is wrong, you are eliminated from the game. You must still answer questions to help other players, but you cannot win. Don't make your accusation lightly!
End of the Game
If you find all three of the cards you named in the envelope, you win the game. Show the cards to the other players and celebrate!
If you got it wrong, return the three cards to the envelope, making sure none of the other players see them.
- You can make no more moves in the game, and cannot win.
- You must continue to show cards to other players when asked.
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