How to Play Barony: Sorcery

Objective of the Game

In Barony: Sorcery, players compete for dominion over the land as one of five noble families. The expansion introduces magic as a new dimension, allowing players to cast powerful spells for strategic advantages. The goal is to earn the most victory points (VP) by controlling territories, building structures, and exploring Mysterious locations. At the end of the game, players tally points from their Control tokens, cities, strongholds, and other achievements.

Preparation (Setup)

Modify the base game setup as follows:

• For 5 players, use all 45 Territory tiles (36 base + 9 expansion). For fewer players, use 9 tiles per player, ensuring the correct number of Mysterious locations:
  • 2 players: 3 Mysterious locations
  • 3 players: 4 Mysterious locations
  • 4 players: 5 Mysterious locations
• Place Mysterious locations at least two spaces apart.
• Give each player 5 Control tokens in their color.
• Draw 5 Spell cards randomly and place them face up. Return unused spells to the box.
• Place Magic tokens and Resource tokens near the board.

Note: During setup, cities cannot be placed next to Mysterious locations (but this becomes possible later via actions).

Game Flow

Players take turns performing one of the 6 basic actions or casting spells. Key additions with the Sorcery expansion:

• Exploring Mysterious locations: When a knight moves to one, place a Control token and gain Magic tokens (3 for first visit, 2 for second, 1 for third). No more tokens can be placed after the third visit.
• Casting spells: On your turn, spend Magic tokens to activate spells or combine spells of the same category (Movement, Recruitment, or Construction).

Actions and How to Play

Spellcasting

Instead of a basic action, spend Magic tokens to cast spells:

• Single spell: Pay its cost and resolve its effect immediately.
• Combined spells: Pay all costs, then take one action (Movement/Recruitment/Construction) with combined benefits.

Spell Examples:

• Velocity (1 Magic): Move 1 knight 2 spaces.
• Charm (1 Magic): Recruit 1 knight in all your cities.
• Abundance (1 Magic): Build a city and earn 1 Resource token.
• Tornado (2 Magic): Move a knight and destroy lone enemy knights/villages in starting/destination spaces.

Rules:

• Cannot cast the same spell twice in one action.
• Spells remain available to all players after use.
• A "lone" pawn is the only one in its space.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when a player meets the base game’s victory conditions (e.g., building a set number of cities). Then:

• Each Control token on a Mysterious location is worth 3 VP.
• Score points from cities, strongholds, and other base game criteria.

Tips to Win

1. Prioritize Mysterious locations early: First visitors earn more Magic tokens, fueling powerful spells.
2. Combine spells wisely: Stack effects like Velocity + Teleport for efficient movement or Abundance + Petrify for city-building advantages.
3. Disrupt opponents: Use spells like Tornado to remove isolated enemy units.