Overview

Castle of Magic is a deduction and adventure game where players are wizards from three competing guilds (Eagle Lords, Wolf Mages, Dragon Masters) exploring Castle Bondi. Each wizard has secret goals: ruling a specific country by controlling magical items (Crown, Amulet, Scepter) and manipulating the Ritual Spell to determine the fate of a lurking Monster. Players move through the castle, cast spells, engage in combat, and gather information about other players’ identities and goals. Points are scored based on the Ritual Result and who controls the Items of Power at game end.

Components

• Game board (Castle Bondi with multiple areas)
• Colored playing pawns and talk chips
• 16 Wizard cards (including 7 Advanced)
• Move cards, Secret cards
• 3 colored discs (Ritual Indicators: Bell, Book, Candle)
• Blue Ritual Result squares (numbered 1-8), Green Country squares (Marus, Kida, Sorrell)
• Crown, Amulet, Scepter cards with holders
• Large black pawn (for Ritual Spell)
• Tracking sheets

Setup

1. Label blue squares 1-8 and green squares with country names.
2. Place blue squares face-down randomly on 8 Ritual Result spaces.
3. Place green squares face-down randomly on 3 Country spaces.
4. Shuffle secret cards and move cards into separate decks.
5. Place colored discs on Ritual Indicator starting positions (Green on Bell, Blue on Book, Red on Candle).
6. Place black pawn on the center start space.
7. Each player takes a tracking sheet. For first games, remove 7 Advanced wizard cards.
8. Each player draws a random Wizard card (kept secret) and selects a playing piece.
9. Players roll for first player; each places their piece on a “+1 Spell” space in the Castle Wall.

Turn Structure

Each turn has three parts in order:

1. Movement: Either roll one die and move that many spaces in either direction, OR play a Move card to move the indicated number of spaces.

2. Spell Casting: The space you land on determines which spell you cast. Some spells work automatically; others require a die roll against your Spell Level (roll must match a circled number on your tracking sheet). You must attempt the spell of whatever space you land on.

3. Combat (optional): If you share a space with another player, you may attack to steal 1 Crown, Amulet, or Scepter point. The defender can surrender or fight (both roll die + Combat Value; attacker must have higher total to win).

Actions

Castle Wall Spells:

• +1 Spell: Increase one spell level by circling the next number.
• Move Card: Draw one Move card.
• Secret: Learn a secret about another player via the Secret Deck.
• Learn Ritual (die roll): Look at one face-down Ritual Result square.
• Bell/Book/Candle (die roll): Move one Ritual Indicator disc one space in either direction.
• Crown/Amulet/Scepter (die roll): Gain one point for that item.
• Learn Country (die roll): Look at one face-down Country square.

The Keep (accessible once Ritual begins): More powerful versions of Wall spells.

Wizard’s Tower (accessible via Keep): Contains the most powerful spells and opportunities.

Controlling Items: The player with the most points for an Item controls it. Ties mean no one controls the item.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends based on the Ritual Spell Countdown mechanism. At game end, one of 8 Ritual Results occurs based on the positions of Bell, Book, and Candle:

1. Monster banished
2. Monster controlled by Crown holder
3. Monster controlled by Amulet holder
4. Monster controlled by Scepter holder
5. Monster devours Crown holder, then is banished
6. Monster devours Amulet holder, then is banished
7. Monster devours Scepter holder, then is banished
8. Monster devours all, rampages through Countries

Players score points based on their Wizard card’s goals: ruling the right country, controlling the right item, achieving the desired Ritual Result, and guild bonuses/penalties. A controlled monster cannot be banished. Players with the highest point totals win.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Each player starts with 2 points for each item (Crown, Amulet, Scepter); you cannot go below 0.
• Wizard cards determine your guild, desired country, desired Ritual Result, and point multipliers.
• The Ritual Spell begins when any Ritual Indicator is moved off its starting position, which drops the magical barrier to the Keep.
• Wizards from the same guild may cooperate; wizards from opposing guilds want each other to fail.
• The 7 Advanced Wizard cards add more complex goals and should be used after players are experienced.
• Combat is the only way to transfer item points between players.

Player Reference

Area	Spell Types
Castle Wall	+1 Spell, Move Card, Secret, Learn Ritual, Bell/Book/Candle, Items, Learn Country
The Keep	More powerful versions of Wall spells
Wizard’s Tower	Most powerful spells

Ritual Results: 8 possible outcomes based on Bell (ringing/silent), Book (open/closed), Candle (lit/unlit)

Win condition: Most points based on Wizard card goals at game end