The official rulebook
MinaLima published the full rulebook as a free PDF before the Kickstarter campaign. It is the source for every rule on this site.
Defenders of Hogwarts: A board game by MinaLima, Rulebook
PDF, about 5.2 MB, version of 29 June 2026, hosted by MinaLima.
We link to the original rather than hosting a copy, so you always get MinaLima's current version.
What is in the rulebook
| Chapter | What it covers | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| Game components and overview | Everything in the box and both sides' goals | Overview |
| Game set up | Main Board, Side Board, Dark Arts Player and House Player setup | Setup checklist |
| General key concepts | Movement, map elements, bonus spaces, Hogwarts Tokens, Library, items, card draw | Movement |
| Player cards guides | Parts of House and Dark Arts cards and Location Cards | Cards & icons |
| House Player turn | Explore, Learn, Replenish, free actions, stunning | House turn |
| Hogwarts Loyalty Track | Dark Detector and Room of Requirement | Loyalty Track |
| Dark Arts Player turn and Path | Deploying, bumping, zone colours, events, Progress Tokens | Dark turn |
| Game end, icons, glossary | Win conditions, draw, symbol reference, definitions | Game end |
One-page quick reference
Print this section or keep it open on your phone at the table.
House Player turn
One Main Action:
- Explore: play 1 card, move and/or use the effect.
- Learn: discard 1 for an Acquire Row card or the top Acquire card; discard 2 for an Advanced card plus 1 Loyalty step. New card goes on top of your deck. Needs a pawn outside the Protected Areas.
- Replenish: discard any, draw to 5, stand up pawns. Dark Arts Marker +1.
Free actions: use a Hogwarts Token (extra Explore with a matching card type); gain a Parchment Scroll.
Bonus spaces (end your move there): draw 1, acquire a card, play again.
Dark Arts Player turn
One Main Action:
- Explore: play 1 card. Deploy from the pool for 1 movement point. Ignore obstacles, never enter Protected Areas. Effects need their zone unlocked.
- Replenish: stand up pawns, draw to 5, no discards. Marker does not move.
Bump: student back to the Great Hall, your pawn back to the pool, take their House Marker, draw 2 keep 1 (once per turn). All House Markers collected: marker +1.
Winning as a House Player
Stand on a Defence Shield Space with a Library Book Card, a Parchment Scroll and the Dark Detector or a D.A. Coin (as shown on that shield). Two shields win.
Limits: one book, one Hogwarts Token, one D.A. Coin at a time; two scrolls per game.
Winning as the Dark Arts Player
Take the Giant, Acromantula and Dementor tokens on the Path, then get 3, 2 or 1 pawns onto your Dark Arts Location (fewer the later you take the Dementor).
Marker moves when: a student Replenishes; an event says so; you hold every House Marker.
Loyalty Track
7 spaces. Leader on space 5 or higher holds the Dark Detector. First pawn on space 5 opens the Room of Requirement (D.A. Coins). It closes when every Loyalty pawn is below 5. Spending the Detector: drop back 3.
Movement
Adjacent = shared border. No backtracking. 3 + 3 = two pawns up to 3 or one pawn up to 6. Obstacles stop students (Locked Doors, Protective Spells, Physical Objects, Water) unless a card helps. Student ends on a Dark pawn: both stunned, push the Dark pawn away.
End of the game
When the Dark Arts Marker reaches the last space, everyone draws up to five cards and nobody can Replenish again. Play on until someone wins. If all cards run out first, the game is a draw.
Errata and rules updates
As of 10 October 2026 we have not seen published errata. If MinaLima releases a new rulebook version or official clarifications, we will list the changes here with the date.