How to Play Trickerion: Arcane Arts

Game Objective

In Trickerion: Arcane Arts, you are an illusionist in the city of Magoria, seeking fame and recognition. The expansion introduces the Arcanist, a mysterious figure who brings real magic to your illusions. Your objective is to master the arcane arts, infuse your tricks with Enchantments, and utilize the powers of your supernatural companions to transform your Trickerion Shards into more powerful Arcane Shards. At the end of the game, the player with the most Fame will be the winner, demonstrating that their legend has reached heights even Magoria's greatest could not dream of.

Setup

To set up the game, follow these steps:

1. Place the Arcanist board near the Main Game Board. Use the side with the Academy icon if playing with the Dahlgaard’s Academy expansion.
2. Using a player's Permanent Assignment cards, randomly select one of the following locations: Downtown, Market Row, Dark Alley, or Academy (if playing with that expansion). Place the Wagon marker near the selected location.
3. Shuffle all 12 Enchantments and place them in one of the provided cloth bags. Draw 3 of them and place them in the offer below the Arcanist board. If playing with 2 players, leave the middle slot empty.
4. Place the 4 Arcane Workers (Specter, Golem, Trickster, and Shapeshifter), along with their Unique Assignment/reminder cards, next to the Arcanist board to create their supply.
5. If playing with 2/3/4 players, place 4/6/8 Arcane Shards in the supply, visible to all players. Return any remaining Arcane Shards to the box.
6. Place the two Arcane dice (Enchantment die and Reward die) next to the Arcanist board.
7. Remove the original Prophecies and add the new Arcane Prophecies before setting up the Dark Alley.

Game Flow

The game progresses in a series of turns, each with the following phases, with some modifications and additions from the Arcane Arts expansion:

1. ROLL DICE: Roll the two Arcane dice along with the existing dice and place them next to the Arcanist board.
2. SET INITIATIVE ORDER: Refer to the manual for details on this section.
3. ADVERTISE: Refer to the manual for details on this section.
4. ASSIGNMENT PHASE:
   • The Specter must receive its own Unique Assignment card each turn.
   • The Golem must receive its own Unique Assignment card each turn.
   • The Shapeshifter is assigned to an Assignment card like any regular Character.
   • The Trickster is assigned to an Assignment card like any regular Character.
5. PLACE CHARACTERS PHASE:
   • The Golem can only be sent as the first or last Character during this phase.
   • The Specter can be sent to any Location and does not occupy a Character slot. Instead, place it next to the Character slots or behind the backstage in the Theater. You cannot send the Specter to the Theater unless you have already sent any other Character there this turn, thus selecting a day.
   • At the Location indicated by the Wagon marker, new Actions are available (see "Actions and How to Play" section).
   • When sending the Trickster, once per turn, you can perform a 'Set a Die' action in Downtown or a 'Set one Arcane Die' action at the Location with the Wagon Marker at no AP cost.
6. PERFORMANCE PHASE:
   • When your Magician performs, for each of your Tricks performed that matches the Enchantment shown on the Arcane Enchantment die, you also receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die. This happens regardless of whether the Arcane dice are in the Theater or not. Do not remove any Enchantment from the Trick.
   • The Specter, the Golem, and the Trickster have no Performance bonus.
   • When the Shapeshifter performs in the Theater, its Specialist bonus is 1 Trickerion Shard OR 2 Fame OR 3 Coins (a choice of one of the three Specialists' bonuses) OR load 1 Trickerion Shard (spend 1 Trickerion Shard to gain 1 Arcane Shard).
7. END TURN PHASE:
   • Pay Wages: Refer to the 'The Arcane Workers' section for wage considerations. If you cannot pay the Specter's or Golem's wage (1 Trickerion Shard), lose 4 Fame.
   • Return Characters: Refer to the manual for details on this section.
   • Orders Arrive: Slide any remaining Enchantments on the Arcanist board to the left, closing gaps, and then draw pieces to fill the remaining slots with new pieces. When playing with 2 players, ignore the middle slot.
   • NEW STEP: MOVE WAGON: Move the Wagon marker to the next Location in sequence: Downtown → Market Row → Dark Alley → (Academy, if applicable) → Downtown...
   • Move Performance cards: Refer to the manual for details on this section.
   • Remove Posters: Refer to the manual for details on this section.
   • Move Turn Counter: Refer to the manual for details on this section.
   • Move Prophecies: 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.
   • Discard Special Assignment cards: Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

The Arcane Arts expansion introduces new actions and modifications:

Actions on the Arcanist Board (Available at the Wagon Marker's Location)

• Buy Enchantment:
  • For 1 Action Point: spend 3 or 4 Coins (as indicated above the slot) to buy an Enchantment from the Arcanist board. Move the Enchantment from the Arcanist board to your Player Game Board.
  • Enchantments of the same type can share a slot, up to 3 each.
  • Enchantments can be placed in a Multi-Component slot on the Manager’s Board Extension, but the Multi-Component slot has no special effect on them.
  • You can spend multiple Action Points (paying for them separately) to buy multiple Enchantments.
  • Enchantments do not slide or replenish during the 'Place Characters' phase.
  • The 'Bargain' action from Market Row has no effect on buying Enchantments.
• Summon Arcane Worker:
  • 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/reminder card. During the 'Return Characters' phase, add the summoned Character to your Player Game Board, placing it in the rightmost empty Apprentice slot. As there is only one Arcane Worker available each turn, only one player can perform this action per turn.

Arcane Dice Manipulation Actions

• Load Trickerion Shards:
  • For 1 Action Point: spend 3 Coins to load 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 can spend multiple Action Points (and multiples of 3 Coins) to load more Trickerion Shards.
• Set Arcane Dice:
  • For 1 or 2 Action Points: set one or both Arcane dice, respectively, to a face of your choice. Then, place both dice next to the Theater, indicating they are locked and cannot be changed for the rest of this turn.

Using Enchantments (Modified 'Prepare' Action: Enchant)

• When Preparing a Trick, any number of Enchantments of one type can be used to replace 2 Coins worth of Components each (even for different Components, and even for Components you already own).
• You can replace Components of a total value less than allowed; in this case, the remaining Coin value is lost. For example, an Enchantment can be used to replace up to two Basic Components or one Advanced Component.
• When Preparing a Trick in this way, move exactly one of the Enchantments used to the Trick card. The Trick is now enchanted with it, and you no longer have access to the Enchantment piece you moved to the Trick.
• When Preparing a Trick that has already been enchanted, additional Enchantments of the same type cannot be used to replace Components in this Trick. However, one of the other types can be used, resulting in the Trick being enchanted with more than one type of Enchantment.

Using Arcane Shards

• Arcane Shards can be used for any effect that requires spending a Trickerion Shard.
• When paying an Arcane Shard at any Location (except the Theater) to Enhance a Character, receive +2 Action Points instead of the usual +1.
• Unlike Trickerion Shards, you can pay an Arcane Shard at the Theater to Enhance a Character, receiving +1 Action Point.

The Arcane Workers

• SPECTER:
  • Does not occupy a space.
  • In the Theater, the +1/-1 TH/SU modifiers also apply to it.
  • Has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.
  • Has 2 Action Points by default.
  • Wage of 1 Trickerion Shard if not Idle. If unable to pay, lose 4 Fame.
• GOLEM:
  • Can only be sent as the first or last Character during the 'Place Characters' phase.
  • Has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.
  • Has 3 Action Points by default.
  • Wage of 1 Trickerion Shard if not Idle. If unable to pay, lose 4 Fame.
• TRICKSTER:
  • Once per turn, you can perform a 'Set a Die' action in Downtown, or a 'Set one Arcane Die' action at the Location with the Wagon Marker at no cost.
  • Has no Specialist Bonus in the Theater.
  • Has 2 Action Points by default.
  • Wage of 1 Coin if not Idle.
• SHAPESHIFTER:
  • Can be considered an Apprentice or one of the three Specialists (including in the Theater).
  • Specialist Bonus in the Theater: 1 Trickerion Shard OR 2 Fame OR 3 Coins OR load 1 Trickerion Shard.
  • Has 2 Action Points by default.
  • Wage of 1 Coin if not Idle.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends and final scoring is calculated as follows:

• Enchantments do not count for scoring, whether on a Trick or in your Workshop.
• Arcane Workers count as Apprentices for end-game scoring conditions, except for the Shapeshifter, which counts as any single Character type. You must choose one worker type for the Shapeshifter to be for the entire final scoring.
• Leftover Arcane Shards count as normal Shards in all respects: they score 1 Fame and count as 1 Shard for the completion of the relevant Level 3 Trick bonus.
• The player with the most Fame at the end of the game wins.

Tips for Winning

• Leverage the Shapeshifter's flexibility: It can be considered an Apprentice or a Specialist, which can be crucial for fulfilling end-game scoring conditions or adapting to your Theater's needs. Choose wisely which worker type it will represent for final scoring.
• Manage your Arcane Shards: They are a more powerful version of Trickerion Shards, offering +2 Action Points when enhancing a Character outside the Theater. Prioritize loading your Trickerion Shards into Arcane Shards to maximize your actions, but be aware of the limited supply and the cost of 3 Coins for every 2 Shards loaded.
• Plan your Enchantments: Using Enchantments to replace Components when preparing Tricks can save valuable Coins and allow you to prepare more complex Tricks. Remember that a Trick can be enchanted with more than one type of Enchantment, but only one Enchantment of each type can be used per Trick.