The face-down deck of cards that can be added to a player's deck. House Players share one on the Side Board (42 cards). The Dark Arts Player has a private one of 20 cards.
Acquire Row
The two face-up House cards farthest from the Acquire Deck. Learning one costs one discarded card. When a card is taken, the remaining cards slide along and the empty slot is refilled from the deck.
Acromantula Token
The Progress Token of the orange zone. The Dark Arts Player takes it at an orange event space instead of using that event's Dark effect.
Action
What a player does on a turn. There are three Main Actions (Explore, Learn, Replenish; Learn is for House Players only) and two Free Actions for House Players.
Adjacent Space
A neighbouring space that shares a full border with yours, marked by a white or red dotted line. Moving one space means moving to an adjacent space.
The two face-up House cards right next to the Acquire Deck. Learning one costs two discarded cards and also moves your pawn one space up the Loyalty Track. On a Card Acquire space it costs only one discard.
At Random
Chosen blindly. A card discarded at random is picked without looking at it.
B
Backtrack
Moving a pawn back through a space it already crossed this turn, or ending a move on the space where it started. Not allowed.
Bonus Space
A space on the Main Board that rewards a House Player whose pawn ends its move there: Card Acquire, Card Draw or Play Again. Passing through does nothing.
Bump
What happens when a Dark Arts Pawn ends its move on a space with a House pawn. The House pawn goes back to the Great Hall, the Dark Arts Pawn returns to the pool, and the Dark Arts Player takes that house's House Marker. Then the Dark Arts Player draws two Dark Arts Acquire cards, keeps one on top of their deck and puts the other under the Acquire Deck. That card reward happens once per turn, however many bumps there were.
C
Card Acquire (bonus space)
End a move here to take a card from the Acquire Row or the top of the Acquire Deck for free, or to discard one card for a card from the Advanced Acquire Row plus a step on the Loyalty Track.
Card Draw (bonus space)
End a move here to draw one card from your deck. It does not move the Dark Arts Marker.
Card Effect
What a card does besides moving. Effects are optional unless the card says otherwise, and a card effect overrides the normal rules. You may resolve the move and the effect in either order.
One of the three parts of the Dark Arts Path: white, orange and red. Each zone has event spaces and one Progress Token.
D
Dark Arts Marker
The token that shows how far the Dark side has advanced on the Dark Arts Path. It moves one space when a House Player Replenishes, when an event says so, or when the Dark Arts Player holds every House Marker.
Dark Arts Path
The track around the edge of the Side Board, from the top-left corner down the left side (white), along the bottom (orange) and up the right side (red). It has 33 spaces and 8 event spaces. The Dark Arts Player needs it to win. See the space-by-space map.
Dark Arts Player
The one player who controls the Dark Forces. There is always exactly one.
Dark Arts Player Location Card
Shows the space where the Dark Arts Pawns must gather to win. The Dark Arts Player draws one when taking the Dementor token, or must draw one on the last space of the Path. There are four in the game.
Dark Arts Progress Token
The Giant, the Acromantula and the Dementor, one per zone. The Dark Arts Player must hold a zone's token before the marker can enter the next zone, and needs all three to win.
Dark Detector
One of the items for a Defence Shield; three of the six shields need it. There is only one. It belongs to the House Player who is highest on the Loyalty Track at space 5 or above. Spending it on a shield drops your Loyalty pawn back three spaces.
Dark Detector space
A Main Board space with the Dark Detector icon. A House pawn that ends its move there moves its owner one space up the Loyalty Track.
The House Players' goal. There are six, in two types: three need the Dark Detector and three need a D.A. Coin. They are shuffled onto the six Defence Shield Spaces at setup, so their positions change every game.
Dementor Token
The Progress Token of the red zone. Taking it also draws the Dark Arts Location Card. Taken at the first red event, three pawns are needed on that location; at the second, two; on the last space, one.
Depleted
Your draw deck is empty. Shuffle your discard pile to make a new deck, so every card you own comes back again.
Deploy
Put a Dark Arts Pawn from the pool onto an empty Deployment Space. It costs one movement point of the card you play.
Deployment Space
One of the four spaces in the grounds where Dark Arts Pawns enter the board. You cannot deploy onto one that already holds a Dark Arts Pawn, even a stunned one.
Directly
Moving straight to a named space without stopping on the spaces in between.
Discard / Discard Pile
Placing a card face up on your discard pile, next to your draw deck. Cards you played go there at the end of your turn.
Draw / Draw Deck / Draw Space
Taking the top card of your face-down deck into your hand. The deck sits on the draw space of your player board.
Dumbledore's Army Coin (D.A. Coin)
One of the items for a Defence Shield; three shields need it. The four coins are only available in the Room of Requirement while it is open, and each House Player may hold one at a time.
E
Effect
See Card Effect. Instant effects happen right away, conditional effects only when their condition is met, and some effects last the whole turn.
Event Card
Drawn when the Dark Arts Marker lands on an event space. Each card has a part for the House Players, which they resolve first, and a part for the Dark Arts Player, who then uses it or takes the zone's Progress Token instead. There are five cards per colour; when the marker leaves a zone, its event deck is no longer used.
Event Space
A space on the Dark Arts Path that triggers an Event Card of its colour: two in the white zone, three in the orange and three in the red.
Explore
A Main Action for both sides: play one card from your hand for its movement and its effect.
F
Fly Off Point
A space marked with wings, inside or outside the castle. With a card that allows it, a pawn may fly from one Fly Off Point to any other at no movement cost.
Free Action
An extra action a House Player may take at any point of their turn, besides the Main Action: use a Hogwarts Token or gain a Parchment Scroll.
G
Gain
Take a card, a token or an effect.
Giant Token
The Progress Token of the white zone.
Great Hall
Where three of each house's pawns start and where bumped House pawns return. It is a Protected Area, so at the very start no House Player can Learn.
Grid Coordinates
The letters (A to G) and numbers (1 to 7) along the edges of the Main Board. Location Cards use them to point to a square of the map.
H
Hand
The cards you hold. Both sides refill it to five when they Replenish.
Hogwarts Loyalty Track
Seven spaces on the Side Board, numbered I to VII, where each house's fourth pawn climbs. It is the only way to get the Dark Detector and to open the Room of Requirement. You climb by learning from the Advanced Acquire Row, by ending a move on a Dark Detector space and through card effects.
Hogwarts Token
One of seven tokens on the Main Board, one for each card type. End a move on its space to take it. From your next turn you may return it to make an extra Explore with a card of the same type. You can hold only one at a time.
House Marker
One per house, kept on the Items space of the player board. The Dark Arts Player takes it when bumping that house. When the Dark Arts Player holds every House Marker in the game, the Dark Arts Marker moves one space and the markers go back to their owners.
House Player
A player who represents Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. All houses play by the same rules with the same starter cards.
House Player Location Card
Shows one place on the map with its grid square. You keep three in hand; pawns in two of the three places earn a Parchment Scroll. There are 21 in the game.
I
Icon
A symbol on a card or board. Icons also connect things, for example a Hogwarts Token and the card type it works with. See all icons on the icon reference.
Instant Effect
An effect that happens as soon as the card is played, without a condition.
Items space
The area of a House Player Board where you keep your House Marker and the items you collect: book, scroll, Dark Detector, D.A. Coin and Hogwarts Token.
L
Learn
A Main Action for House Players only. Discard one card to take a card from the Acquire Row or the top of the Acquire Deck, or discard two to take a card from the Advanced Acquire Row and move up the Loyalty Track. The new card goes on top of your draw deck. You need at least one pawn outside the Protected Areas to Learn.
Library
The Main Board space where House Players pick up Library Book Cards. A Locked Door separates it from the Restricted Section.
Library Book Card
One of the items for a Defence Shield. Land in the Library without a book and take one of the two face-up books; its effect happens immediately. You can hold only one. There are eleven, listed on the cards page.
A specific space on the Main Board. House Players need theirs for Parchment Scrolls; the Dark Arts Player needs theirs to win. Location Cards show the grid square, a small map, the name and a detail of the place.
Locked Door
One of the four obstacles. House pawns need a card that opens it, such as Alohomora.
M
Main Action
Explore, Learn or Replenish. Every player takes exactly one per turn; Learn is for House Players only.
Main Board
The map of Hogwarts castle and grounds where all pawns move. See the board guide.
Movement Point
One point lets a pawn move one space. Using a Secret Passageway also costs one point; flying between Fly Off Points costs nothing.
Movement Value
The number in the top corner of a card: the maximum number of spaces you may move. You do not have to use all of it. Some cards instead send a pawn to a Fly Off Point or to a named location.
Multi-Move
Two movement values on one card, such as 3 + 3. Move two different pawns, one value each, or one pawn using both values together. No other split is allowed.
N
Narrative Text
The line at the bottom of a card that refers to the films. It has no game effect.
Negate
Cancel an effect, such as a bump or a Hogwarts Token. If the cancelled effect came from a card, that card is discarded without effect.
O
Obstacles
Locked Doors, Protective Spells, Physical Objects and Water. They block House pawns between certain spaces unless a card lets them pass. Dark Arts Pawns ignore all four. Castle walls are not obstacles: they block everyone.
Off-board / On-board
Whether a Dark Arts Pawn is in the pool or on the Main Board.
Orange Zone
The second part of the Dark Arts Path, with three event spaces and the Acromantula token. Orange card effects work from the moment the marker enters it.
P
Parchment Scroll
One of the items for a Defence Shield. When you have pawns in two of the three places on your Location Cards at the same time, reveal those two cards, put them under the Location deck and take a scroll. A House Player can earn two scrolls per game. There are eight in the box.
Path Colour Indicator
The coloured mark on a Dark Arts card that shows which zone unlocks its effect. Before the marker reaches that zone, the card can only be used for its movement.
Pawn
A playing piece. Each house has four (three on the map, one on the Loyalty Track); the Dark Arts Player uses four to seven, depending on the number of House Players.
Physical Object
One of the four obstacles. House pawns need a card that passes it, such as Strengthening Solution.
Play Again (bonus space)
End a move here to take another turn.
Player Aid Card
A quick-reference card with the turn order and the main symbols. There are five in the box.
Pool
The Dark Arts Pawns waiting next to the Dark Arts Player Board, off the map. Bumping sends a Dark Arts Pawn back here.
Protected Area
One of four spaces with a blue shield icon: the Great Hall, the Astronomy Tower, Hagrid's Hut and a small building south of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Dark Arts Pawns can never enter or cross them.
Protective Spell
One of the four obstacles, shown as a white wavy line with stars. House pawns need a card that passes it, such as Partis Temporus.
R
Reactive Effect
An effect marked with a lightning bolt that works outside your turn. When its condition is met, reveal the card and resolve only the effect. You may also play such a card normally, just for its movement.
Red Zone
The last part of the Dark Arts Path, with three event spaces and the Dementor token. Red card effects work from its first space. Its last event space is the end of the Path.
Relinquish
Give up a component, returning it to its place or to the discard pile, for example the three items traded for a shield.
Replenish
A Main Action. House Players may discard any cards, draw back to five, stand up their stunned pawns and then must move the Dark Arts Marker one space. The Dark Arts Player stands up their pawns and draws to five without discarding, and the marker does not move.
Reveal
Show a card to all players.
Reversing a Stun
Standing a stunned pawn back up. Usually this happens when its owner Replenishes.
Room of Requirement
A separate board piece. It is placed on the map the first time any Loyalty pawn reaches space V, and then House Players can enter it to take a D.A. Coin. It is removed when every Loyalty pawn is below space V; a pawn inside stays trapped until the room returns.
S
Secret Passageway
Three colour-coded pairs of spaces (blue, green and red) that are linked for House Players only, and only with a card that allows it. Going through one costs one movement point.
Side Board
The board with the Dark Arts Path, the Hogwarts Loyalty Track, the Acquire rows, the Library books, the Location decks and the Parchment Scrolls. It sits above the Main Board.
Single Move
One movement value, used by one pawn.
Skip
Miss your turn, for example because of the Dark Arts card Confundo.
Specified Location
A kind of movement value that sends a pawn to a named place instead of counting spaces.
Starter Deck
The seven cards each player starts with, marked with a banner in the top corner. All houses share the same seven; the Dark Arts Player has a different set. See both lists on the cards page.
Stun
A stunned pawn lies on its side and cannot move by any means until its owner Replenishes. When a House pawn ends its move on a Dark Arts Pawn, both are stunned and the House Player pushes the Dark pawn to a neighbouring space. Card effects can also stun.
Swap
Two pawns exchange places.
T
Target
A House Player hit by a negative effect from the Dark Arts Player. Some House cards can cancel such an effect.
Token
A small playing piece, such as a Parchment Scroll, a Hogwarts Token or a Progress Token.
Turn
One player's go. The House Player to the left of the Dark Arts Player starts and play continues clockwise.
W
Water
One of the four obstacles, around the lake and pools. House pawns need a card that crosses it, such as Gillyweed.
White Zone
The first part of the Dark Arts Path, with two event spaces and the Giant token. White card effects work from the start.
