Rules

Rules from the official rulebook

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Everything on this page tree is a restatement of the official MinaLima rulebook (we link it, we never re-host it) and of answers MinaLima has published on its campaign pages. Where official wording is ambiguous we say so — the rulebook has no known errata and even its terminology has quirks worth avoiding.

New here? Read how to play for the six-minute version, then setup when you have the box open.


Set up in 15 minutesSet up Defenders of Hogwarts step by step — main board, side board, decks, pawns and tokens — restated from the official rulebook's setup pages, A to U.How to Play Defenders of HogwartsHow to play Defenders of Hogwarts in six steps — setup, the Explore/Learn/Replenish turn, shields and winning — restated from the official MinaLima rulebook.One turn, three phasesOne turn = one Main Action: Explore to move, Learn to buy cards, Replenish to refill — plus free actions. Restated from the official rulebook.Movement: the four barriersHow pawns move: card move values, the four barriers and the cards that pass each one, plus passageways and the Dark Arts player's freer rules.Defence shields: how to winHow to win: collect any 2 Defence Shields with book + scroll + Detector or Coin, traded on the shield's space. Competitive, not co-op — from the rulebook.The loyalty track, 7 squaresThe 7-space Loyalty Track is the only route to the Dark Detector and D.A. Coins — but every Replenish also feeds the Dark Arts Marker. From the rulebook.The Dark Arts Path, 3 zonesThe side board's three-zone track: what advances the Dark Arts Marker, how Event cards resolve, and the 3/2/1 pawn endgame, from the official rulebook.Playing the Dark Arts sideThe solo Dark Arts Player's rules: their 7 starter cards, deploy and bump, stun, zone-unlocked effects and the 3/2/1 pawn win, restated from the rulebook.7 Hogwarts tokens, decodedThe 7 Hogwarts Tokens: where each sits, how a pawn gains one, the return-and-Explore rule, and the Room of Requirement's D.A. Coin — from the rulebook.The A–Z rules glossaryEvery term in the Defenders of Hogwarts rulebook glossary, restated in plain English and linked to our full rules pages — from Acquire Deck to White Zone.The 35 mistakes we filedThe 35 rulebook traps new Defenders of Hogwarts groups hit — bump vs stun, Replenish limits, locked card effects — each fixed per the official rulebook.Rules FAQ (with official answers)The rules answers Defenders of Hogwarts lacks on BGG — winning conditions, bumps, stuns, the final phase — restated from the official rulebook.

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