Harry Potter aims to introduce the Wizarding World to a new generation of fans with the upcoming live-action HBO series. But if you prefer a more interactive way, a new board game called Harry Potter Defenders of Hogwarts is set to launch soon. The game is now officially happening and here’s what you need to know about it.
Designed by MinaLima, the board game has already raised nearly $850,000 on Kickstarter, far exceeding its funding goal with 18 days still left in the campaign. Now, the game is officially funded and MinaLima has shared more details, giving fans a glimpse of the game and how it brings the Wizarding World to life.
In Harry Potter: Defenders of Hogwarts, up to five players can play together. You can either choose to represent Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin and help protect Hogwarts, or play as the Dark Arts Player and side with Voldemort and the Dark Forces. The game begins with Death Eaters already inside Hogwarts, and Voldemort is about to arrive. Players must work together to protect Hogwarts, while one Dark Arts Player tries to help the Dark Forces win.
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After choosing your character, you play a card and move your pawn around Hogwarts Castle. Players defending Hogwarts will come across locked doors, protective spells and other obstacles. However, Dark Arts player can move through these using their Dark magic. If a House Player Pawn lands on a space with a Dark Arts Pawn, both pawns are stunned. If a Dark Arts Pawn lands on a House Player Pawn, the House Player Pawn is bumped back to the Great Hall.
House players can gain new cards by taking a Learn Action, which lets them discard cards to take a card from the Acquire Row, the Acquire Deck or the Advanced Acquire Row. When the Dark Arts Player bumps a House Player Pawn, they draw two Dark Arts Acquire cards, keep one and return the other to the bottom of the deck; this happens once per turn. House players can take a Replenish Action to refill their hand, but doing so advances the Dark Arts Marker one space on the Dark Arts Path.
Players will also get to collect magical items to build a Defense Shield as they explore Hogwarts. To create this shield, they will have to find a Library Book, a Parchment Scroll and either a Dark Detector or a Dumbledore’s Army Coin. If the House players build two Defense Shields, they win the game. On the other hand, the Dark Arts player wins by collecting all the Dark Arts tokens and reaching the required Dark Arts spaces.
The game also has a lot of optional add-ons, including a Wooden Token Upgrade Kit with 25 premium versions of Defense Shields, House Markers, Hogwarts Tokens and Parchment Scrolls. Players also can add a protective card sleeve set with the game’s logo in gold metallic ink, a Metal Player Pawn Upgrade Set, a Dumbledore’s Army Upgrade Set with an antique finish and a luxury token bag.
If you are a person who enjoys artwork, there’s a signed artist’s portfolio, which includes one color art print, six black-and-white sketch prints from the game’s creation and a marbled hardcover portfolio signed by MinaLima.
