Manual — Trickerion: Arcane Arts

SPECTER
It doesn’t occupy a space.
In the Theater, the +1/-1 modifiers of TH/SU also apply to it.
It has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.
It has a wage of 1. If you cannot pay it, lose 4.

GOLEM
It can only be sent as the first or the last Character during the ‘Place Characters’ phase.
It has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.
It has a wage of 1. If you cannot pay it, lose 4.

TRICKSTER
Once per turn, you may perform either a ‘Set a Die’ action at Downtown, or a ‘Set one Arcane Die’ Action at the Location with the Wagon Marker at no cost.
It has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.

SHAPESHIFTER
Specialist Bonus in the Theater: 1/2/3/
The Shapesifter can be considered an Apprentice or one of the three Specialists (including at ).
1x ARCANIST BOARD (double sided)
1x CLOTH BAG
10x ARCANE SHARDS
1x WAGON MARKER
12x ENCHANTMENTS
3x PROPHECIES
2x ARCANE DICE (Enchantment die and Reward die)
4x ARCANE WORKERS
SPECTER (and a Unique Assignment card)
GOLEM (and a Unique Assignment card)
TRICKSTER (and a reminder card)
SHAPESHIFTER (and a reminder card)

RULES OF PLAY

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GAME SETUP
INTRODUCTION
For decades, the rival illusionists of the fabled city have dazzled audiences with their spectacles. In their hands, sleight of hand became science, and science became legend. Yet beneath the gaslit streets and opulent theaters, whispers of a forgotten power linger: the Arcanist, a wanderer cloaked in mystery, has emerged from the shadows of the past. With his guidance, the daring will find their craft transformed, their illusions imbued with enchantments far beyond the boundaries of mortal ingenuity.
The Arcanist is not alone, and his otherworldly companions offer their aid to those bold enough to embrace this untamed force. Through him, your Trickerion Shards will pulse with new energy, your tricks will defy imagination, and your legend will reach heights even Magoria’s greatest could only dream of.
You have mastered the art of illusion and risen to fame through your skill and creativity. Now, imagine the wonders you could achieve with real magic at your command!
The Trickerion: Arcane Arts expansion introduces the Arcanist to the game, a mysterious, hooded figure of forgotten arts. He travels quietly via his inconspicuous Wagon to a new Location in Magoria every turn, adding a new set of Actions to that Location. His Enchantments are special Components that allow you greater flexibility in your Component and Trick choices, his arcane power can supercharge your Trickerion Shards, and his supernatural companions — the Golem, the Shapeshifter, the Trickster, and the Specter — can join your crew as new, unique Characters, each with powerful special abilities.
The core rules as detailed in the revised rulebook of the Collector’s Edition are in effect, unless stated otherwise. Playing with the Dark Alley is required. This expansion is (optionally) compatible with Duel of Magicians, Dahlgaard’s Academy, and the Quick Start rules. While not recommended, it is also compatible with Dawn of Technology and Magicians Powers; Mixing Arcane Arts with either or both of these expansions can lead to more swingy developments and potentially looser economies, which some players might not enjoy.

1 Place the Arcanist board near the Main Game Board. Use the side with the Academy icon when playing with the Dahlgaard’s Academy expansion.
2 Using a player’s Permanent Assignment cards, randomly select one of the following: the Downtown, the Market Row, the Dark Alley, or the Academy (if playing with that expansion). Place the Wagon marker near the selected Location. During the game, the Wagon allows you to use an Assignment card matching its current Location to perform any one of the (new) Actions shown on the Arcanist board (instead of taking one of the Location’s usual Actions) and will change Location during the ‘End Turn’ phase.
3 Shuffle all 12 Enchantments, and place them into one of the cloth bags provided. Draw 3 of them, and place them on the offer beneath the Arcanist board. If playing with 2 players, leave the middle slot empty. When used as a Component substitution to Prepare a Trick, Enchantments permanently enhance your Tricks and may provide a reward during the ‘Performance’ phase.
4 Place the 4 Arcane Workers, along with their Unique Assignment/reminder cards, next to the Arcanist board to create their supply. The Arcane Workers are special Characters that can be summoned at the Arcanist board during the game.
5 If playing with 2/3/4 players, place 4/6/8 Arcane Shards into the supply, visible for all players. Return any remaining Arcane Shards to the box. Arcane Shards are “charged” Trickerion Shards, generally a more powerful version of them.
6 Place the two Arcane dice next to the Arcanist board. In the Performance phase, if your performed Trick’s Enchantment type matches the one shown on the Arcane Enchantment die, you will receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die.

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GOLEM
It can only be sent as the first
or the last Character during
the ‘Place Characters’ phase.
It has no Specialist Bonus in
the Theater.
It has a wage of 1. If you
cannot pay it, lose 4.

SPECTER
It doesn’t occupy a space.
In the Theater, the +1/-1
modifiers of TH/SU also
apply to it.
It has no Specialist Bonus in
the Theater.
It has a wage of 1. If you
cannot pay it, lose 4.

TRICKSTER
Once per turn, you may perform either a
‘Set a Die’ action at Downtown, or a ‘Set one
Arcane Die’ Action at the Location with the
Wagon Marker at no cost.
It has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.

SHAPESHIFTER
Specialist Bonus in the Theater: 1 / 2/ 3
The Shapesifter can be considered an Apprentice
or one of the three Specialists (including at ).

SHAPESHIFTER
Specialist Bonus in the Theater: 1 / 2/ 3
The Shapesifter can be considered an Apprentice
or one of the three Specialists (including at ).

CHANGES IN GAMEPLAY
New Arcanist board

ROLL DICE
Roll the two Arcane dice along with the existing dice.
Place them next to the Arcanist board.
• For 1 Action Point: spend 3 Coins
to charge up to 2 of your Trickerion
Shards. Replace the Trickerion Shard(s)
with an equal number of Arcane Shards.
The supply of Arcane Shards is limited;
you may only gain Shards available in
the supply. You may spend multiple
Action Points (and multiples of 3 Coins)
to charge more Trickerion Shards.
• For 1 or 2 Action Points: set
one or both of the Arcane dice
respectively to a face of your
choice. Then, place both dice next to
the Theater, indicating that they are
locked and cannot be changed for the
rest of this turn.

PLACE CHARACTERS PHASE
In the Location indicated by the Wagon marker, the following
new Actions are now also available:
• For 1 Action Point: spend 3 or 4 Coins
(as indicated above its slot) to buy
an Enchantment from the Arcanist
board. Move the Enchantment from
the Arcanist board to your Player
Game Board using the same rules as
described in the core game rules for
regular Components.
• Enchantments of the same type
may share a slot, up to 3 each.
• Enchantments may be placed on
a Multi-Component slot on the
Manager’s Board Extension, but
the Multi-Component slot has no
special effect on them.
• You may spend multiple Action Points
(still paying for them separately) to
buy multiple Enchantments.
• The Enchantments do not slide or
refill during the ‘Place Characters’
phase.
• The ‘Bargain’ Action of the Market
Row has no effect on buying
Enchantments.

7 Remove the following original Prophecies and add the
new Arcane Prophecies, before setting up the Dark Alley:
If there is an Arcane Worker remaining
on the Arcanist board, return it to
the supply. Randomly select one of
the Arcane Workers in the supply,
and place it on the Arcanist board.
If none remain, skip this step.

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Once per turn, you may perform either a ‘Set a Die’ action at Downtown, or a ‘Set one Arcane Die’ Action at the Location with the Wagon Marker at no cost.
It has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.

USING ARCANE SHARDS
Arcane Shards can be used for any effect that requires you to spend a Trickerion Shard, with the following modifications:
The Specter has 2 Action Points by default.
Performance phase: The Specter has no Specialist bonus in the Theater.
Pay Wages phase: If the Specter is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Trickerion Shard (as indicated on its Unique Assignment card, overriding the Apprentice slot’s 1-Coin Wage). If you cannot pay this, lose 4 Fame.

THE ARCANE WORKERS
For the purposes of card effects (such as those on the Dark Alley’s Special Assignment cards, etc.), Arcane Workers are neither Apprentices nor Specialists. Effects targeting the ‘Hire Character’ Action do not affect the ‘Summon Arcane Worker’ Action.
Unique Assignment cards cannot be manipulated via effects that would manipulate regular or Special Assignment cards.
• When you are paying an Arcane Shard at any Location (except the Theater) to Enhance a Character, receive +2 Action Points instead of the usual +1.
• Unlike with Trickerion Shards, you are allowed to pay an Arcane Shard at the Theater to Enhance a Character, receiving +1 Action Point.
• When using Dawn of Technology or Magician Powers, Arcane Shards are not kept on your Shard track and thus don’t contribute toward unlocking slots.

Place Character phase: The Specter can be sent to any Location (as shown on its Unique Assignment card), and it does not occupy a Character slot there. Instead, place it next to the Character slots or behind the backstage in the Theater. In all locations except the Theater, it always has a +0 Action Points modifier.
In the Theater, the +1/-1 Action Point modifiers of the respective Thursday/Sunday slots apply to it as well (as shown by the reminder on its Unique Assignment card). You cannot send the Specter to the Theater unless you have already sent any other Character there this turn, thus selecting a day.

THE SPECTER
Assignment phase: The Specter must be assigned its own Unique Assignment card each turn.
• For 3 Action Points: summon an Arcane Worker. Move the Arcane Worker from the offer to the Inn in Downtown, and gain its Unique Assignment card/reminder card. During the ‘Return Characters’ phase, add the summoned Character to your Player Game Board placing it on the rightmost empty Apprentice slot. Since there is only one Arcane Worker available each turn, only one player can perform this Action per turn.

THE GOLEM
Assignment phase: The Golem must be assigned its own Unique Assignment card each turn.
Place Character phase: The Golem can be sent to any Location (as shown on its Unique Assignment card), and it must be either the very first OR the very last Character you send during the ‘Place Characters’ phase.

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3
1
THE SHAPESHIFTER
Assignment phase: The Shapeshifter is assigned an Assignment card like any regular Character.
Place Character phase: The Shapeshifter has 2 Action Points by default.
Performance phase: When performing at the Theater, the Shapeshifter’s Specialist bonus is 1 Trickerion Shard OR 2 Fame OR 3 Coins (i.e., a choice of one of any of the three Specialists’ bonuses) OR charge 1 Trickerion Shard (spend 1 Trickerion Shard to gain 1 Arcane Shard).
Pay Wages phase: If the Shapeshifter is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Coin, as indicated by the Apprentice slot it occupies.
Special: The Shapeshifter can be considered either an Apprentice or one of the three Specialists for the purposes of any other effect, including final scoring. You must choose one worker for the Shapeshifter to be for the entirety of final scoring. For example, you may not count it as an Engineer toward one scoring condition and then a Manager toward another.

THE TRICKSTER
Assignment phase: The Trickster is assigned an Assignment card like any regular Character.
Place Character phase: Once per turn, when sending the Trickster, you may perform either a ‘Set a Die’ Action if sent to the Downtown or a ‘Set one Arcane Die’ Action if sent to the Wagon’s current Location at no AP cost. See the Trickster’s reminder card for a reminder of these abilities.
The Trickster has 2 Action Points by default.
Performance phase: The Trickster has no Specialist bonus in the Theater.
Pay Wages phase: If the Trickster is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Coin, as indicated by the Apprentice slot it occupies.

USING ENCHANTMENTS
(MODIFIED ‘PREPARE’ ACTION: ENCHANT)
When Preparing a Trick, any number of Enchantments of one type can be used to substitute for 2 Coins’ worth of Components each (even for different Components, and even for Components you have). You may substitute Components worth fewer total Coins than allowed; in this case, the leftover Coin value is forfeited. For example, one Enchantment can be used to substitute for up to two Basic Components or one Advanced Component. Two enchantments of the same type can be used to substitute for up to four Basic Components, two Advanced Components, two Basic Components and one Advanced Component, one Basic and one Superior Component, etc.
When Preparing a Trick in such a way, move exactly one of the used Enchantments onto the Trick card. The Trick is now enchanted with it, and you no longer have access to the Enchantment tile that you moved onto the Trick.
When Preparing a Trick that has been enchanted, further Enchantments of the same type cannot be used to substitute in this Trick. However, one of the other types can be, resulting in the Trick being enchanted with more than one type of Enchantment.

The Golem has 3 Action Points by default.
Performance phase: The Golem has no Specialist bonus in the Theater.
Pay Wages phase: If the Golem is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Trickerion Shard (as indicated on its Unique Assignment card, overriding the Apprentice slot’s 1-Coin Wage). If you cannot pay this, lose 4 Fame.

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Paper Shred
Csilla Biró
PERFORMANCE PHASE
When your Magician performs, for each of your Tricks performed that matches the Enchantment shown on the Arcane Enchantment die, also receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die. This happens regardless of the Arcane dice being in the Theater or not (i.e. whether any player changed their face or not this past Turn). Do not remove any Enchantment from the Trick!

Draw the top 2 cards of any Special Assignment deck, keep one, and return the other to the bottom of the same deck.
Gain 1 Coin and 1 Fame.
Gain 3 Coins.
Gain Fame according to the Level of the Trick that generated the reward (i.e., gain 1 Fame for a Level 1 Trick, 2 Fame for a Level 2, and 3 Fame for a Level 3).
Gain an Arcane Shard. If the supply is empty, gain 1 Fame and 1 Coin.
If you cannot receive a reward in full (e.g., if the Arcane Shard supply is empty), gain 1 Coin and 1 Fame instead.
The Specter, the Golem, and the Trickster have no Performance bonuses.

EXAMPLE
During the Performance phase, the blue player performs the Paper Shred Trick. Their Trick matches the Arcane Enchantment die and therefore they receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die, which is 2 Fame (based on the Trick’s Level).

EXAMPLE
The blue player placed their Engineer in the Workshop to prepare Paper Shred. They don’t have any Saws required to Prepare the Trick, but they do have 2 Enchantments of the same type. The two Enchantments can be used to substitute for the two missing Saws (i.e., a total of 4 Coins’ worth of Components), so the Trick can still be prepared: the blue player thus moves one of their Enchantments onto Paper Shred and prepares it.
NOTE: The same would also have worked if the Mirror and a single Fabric were missing, or even if no Components were missing at all.
However, since Paper Shred is now enchanted with a specific Enchantment type, that type can no longer be used to substitute for this Trick’s Components on later turns.

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ARCANE PROPHECIES
Ignore the salary of the Arcane Workers
Ignore the Enchantment Die - therefore every
Enchantment on your tricks you perform
(or on your tricks in any Classroom) gets to trigger
this turn.
When an Enchantment is triggered, receive the
benefit shown on the Reward die twice.
THE HEIR AND THE ARCANIST
(SOLO PLAY)
Set up the Arcanist board as if playing a 2-player game.
In the ‘Place Characters’ phase, when the Heir is deciding which
Location to send to (among equally contested or not contested
ones), the Location of the Wagon marker becomes the second-
highest in the priority (except the Downtown, which is already
first/second in the list, depending on the Heir’s stance).
If the Heir’s stance is Ready, it becomes:
To put it differently: the location of the Wagon becomes next
in priority after Downtown.
FINAL SCORING
Enchantments do not count toward scoring, whether on a Trick
or in your Workshop.
Arcane Workers count as Apprentices toward final scoring
conditions, except for the Shapeshifter, which counts as any
single Character type.
For example, if the Wagon marker is in the Market Row and
the Heir’s stance is Busy, the priority list becomes:
Leftover Arcane Shards count as normal Shards in every
way: they score 1 Fame, and they count as 1 Shard toward the
completion of the relevant Level 3 Trick Bonus.
END TURN PHASE
PAY WAGES
See ‘The Arcane Workers’ section for salary considerations.
ORDERS ARRIVE
Slide any Enchantments remaining on the Arcanist board to
the left, closing the gaps, then draw tiles to fill the remaining
slots with new tiles. When playing with 2 players, ignore the
middle slot (leave it empty).
NOTE: If there are not enough Enchantments
remaining in the bag, refill only as many slots as possible.
NEW STEP: MOVE WAGON
CLASSROOM PHASE
(ACADEMY EXPANSION)
For each of your Tricks in any Classroom that matches the
Enchantment shown on the Arcane Enchantment die, receive
the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die, using the same
rules as explained in the ‘Performance’ phase.
Move the Wagon marker to the next Location:
Downtown
Market Row Dark Alley (Academy)
Downtown Market Row ….
With the Dahlgaard’s Academy
Expansion

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THE HEIR’S PRIORITY
1.
It picks the Enchantment type it has the most available of
(even if it’s zero), with cheaper ones breaking ties. It then
immediately enchants its leftmost Trick that is not yet
enchanted with one of that type.
2.
If an Arcane Worker is on offer and the Heir has an empty
Apprentice slot left on its board, it takes the Arcane Worker
and removes it from play then hires an Apprentice instead.
3.
If it has a Ready stance and at least 1 enchanted Trick and the
Arcane dice are not locked, it sets the Arcane Enchantment
die to the Enchantment type it has the most of.
4.
It gains an Arcane Shard. If the supply is empty, it gains
1 Fame and 1 Coin to its ‘Coin Purse’ box.
5.
It gains an Arcane Shard. If the supply is empty, it gains
1 Fame and 1 Coin to its ‘Coin Purse’ box.
6. It gains 3 Fame.
TRICKERION
designed by Richard Ámann and Viktor Péter
ARCANE ARTS EXPANSION DESIGN:
Dávid Turczi with Viktor Péter
DEVELOPMENT:
Viktor Péter
ILLUSTRATION AND GRAPHIC DESIGN:
Villő Farkas
RULEBOOK:
Dávid Turczi, Emanuela Pratt, Frigyes Schőberl
RULEBOOK EDITING:
Attila Kerek and Emily Blain
DEVELOPMENT TESTING:
Kicktester
ADDITIONAL TESTING:
Katy & James Faulkner, Chuck Case, David Belk, Mike and
Rob Frasca, Ray Pecquet, Ben Kranz, Caleb Kranz, Asaf
Hirsch, Ricardo Sotomayor
©Copyright, 2025, GMH Games Kft.
20250310
CREDITS
When resolving the Heir’s Actions in the Location where the
Wagon marker is, resolve the normal effects as if the Heir had
1 Action Point fewer (minimum of 1). Then, it does the first
two (or one if playing on easy difficulty, three if playing on
hard) possible options from the priority list below:
In the ‘Performance’ (and the ‘Classroom’) phase, when the
Heir performs their own Tricks, it triggers the rewards of the
Arcane dice as you would. When permitted to draw a Special
Assignment card, use the priorities described under the Dark
Alley resolution of the solo rules.
At the end of the game, the Heir scores 2 Fame per leftover
Arcane Shard it has.

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KEY TO THE SYMBOLS USED
TURN ORDER
1. Arcane Shard
2. Arcane Worker
3. Wagon marker
4. Enchantments
5. Enchantment die
6. Reward die
1. ROLL DICE
2. SET INITIATIVE ORDER
3. ADVERTISE
4. ASSIGNMENT PHASE
5. PLACE CHARACTERS PHASE
Arcane Shards
Arcane Workers
Enchantments
6. PERFORMANCE PHASE
7. END TURN PHASE
Pay Wages ( -2 / -4)
Return Characters
Orders Arrive
Move Wagon
Move Performance cards
Remove Posters
Move Turn Counter
Move Prophecies
Discard Special Assignment cards

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