Goal of the Game

In Trickerion: Legends of Illusion, you take on the role of a famous stage illusionist in the mystical city of Magoria. Your goal is to acquire the most Fame over the course of seven weeks to win a grand competition for the mighty Trickerion Stone. To achieve this, you must learn Tricks, acquire the necessary Components, prepare them in your Workshop, and combine them into breathtaking Performances at the Theater. The player with the most Fame after seven weeks is declared the winner.

Preparation (Setup)

General Setup

• Place the Main Game Board in the center.
• Separate Trick cards into four category decks (Mechanical, Spiritual, Escape, and Optical) and place them face up in the Dahlgaard Residence area of the Downtown. (If playing without the Dark Alley, remove all Level 3 Tricks).
• Fill the Market Row's Buy area with one Wood, Metal, Glass, and Fabric Component.
• Create the Performance deck: stack two random Riverside Theater, two Grand Magorian, and two Magnus Pantheon cards (bottom to top). Place this deck next to the Theater. Fill the Theater slots with Riverside Theater cards equal to the number of players minus one. (Remove Magnus Pantheon cards if playing without the Dark Alley).
• Place Components, Trickerion Shards, and Coins in a general supply.
• Shuffle Special Assignment decks and place them in the Dark Alley (skip if not using the Dark Alley).
• Place the Trickerion Stone on the "I" slot of the Turn Counter track.

Player Setup

Each player chooses a Magician (with a unique Favorite Trick category) and receives:

• The Magician card and Magician Poster card.
• All Trick markers and Symbol markers in their color.
• Components with a total Coin value of 2, placed in the Workshop.
• One Level 1 Trick card from their Favorite Trick category, placed in the Workshop and marked with a Symbol marker.
• A starting hand of Permanent Assignment cards: 2 Theater, 1 Workshop, 1 Market Row, 1 Downtown, and 1 Dark Alley (If playing without the Dark Alley, the hand is 3 Theater, 2 Workshop, 2 Market Row, and 2 Downtown).
• The Player Game Board with the Magician disk and 1 Apprentice disk on their respective slots.
• One Specialist of their choice and the corresponding Specialist Game Board Extension, plus a bonus:
  • Manager: Additional Components (total Coin value of 2) on the extension.
  • Engineer: A Level 1 Trick card of choice on the extension, marked with a Symbol marker.
  • Assistant: An additional Apprentice on the extension.
• 1 Trickerion Shard.
• Coins based on the Initiative Order (10/12/14/16 Coins for the 1st/2nd/3rd/4th player).
• Place a player marker on the 5 Fame slot of the Fame Track.

Game Flow

The game is played over seven turns (weeks). Each turn follows this sequence:

1. Roll Dice: The starting player rolls six Downtown dice to determine available Tricks, Characters for hire, and Bank payouts.
2. Set Initiative Order: Players are arranged in the opposite order of their Fame (the player with the least Fame goes first). This is skipped in the first turn.
3. Advertise: Players may pay Coins (1-4 depending on Initiative Order) to place their Poster and gain 2 Fame.
4. Assignment Phase: Players simultaneously place Assignment cards face down below their Characters to plan their movements.
5. Place Characters Phase: Assignment cards are revealed. Following the Initiative Order, players place one Character at a time on a free slot at the location specified on their card. Characters immediately spend their Action Points.
6. Performance Phase: Magicians placed on Performance slots execute their shows from Thursday to Sunday.
7. End Turn Phase:
   • Pay Wages: Pay 1 Coin per Apprentice and 2 Coins per Specialist (non-Idle). Unpaid wages cost 2 Fame per Coin.
   • Return Characters: All Characters return to the Player Game Board.
   • Orders Arrive: Components from the Order area move to the Buy area.
   • Move Performance cards: Cards move clockwise; some are discarded and replaced from the Performance deck.
   • Remove Posters: Poster cards return to players' hands.
   • Move Turn Counter: Advance the Trickerion Stone.
   • Move Prophecies: (If using Dark Alley) Update the Active Prophecy and Pending Prophecies.
   • Discard Special Assignment cards: Used cards are discarded.

Actions and How to Play

When a Character is placed, they receive Action Points based on their type (Apprentice: 1, Specialist: 2, Magician: 3) plus or minus the Slot Modifier. One Trickerion Shard can be spent to buy 1 additional Action Point (except in the Theater).

Downtown Actions

• Learn Trick (3): Choose a Trick matching a die result. You must meet the Fame Threshold (Level 1: 1, Level 2: 16, Level 3: 36) or pay the difference in Coins.
• Hire Character (3): Hire a Character matching an Inn die.
• Take Coins (3): Take Coins equal to a Bank die roll.
• Reroll Die (1) or Set Die (2): Modify the Downtown dice.

Market Row Actions

• Buy (1): Buy up to three Components of the same type from the stock (Cost: 1/2/3 Coins for Basic/Advanced/Superior).
• Bargain (1): Used with Buy to reduce the total price by 1 Coin per point spent (cannot reduce to 0).
• Order (1): Place a Component in the Order area to be available next turn.
• Quick Order (2): Place a Component in the Quick Order slot to buy it this turn (price increases by 1).

Workshop Actions

• Prepare (1-3): If Component requirements are met, place Trick markers on the Trick card. Components are not spent.
• Specialist Actions: Move Tricks (1) (Engineer), Move Components (1) (Manager), or Move Apprentice (1) (Assistant).

Theater Actions

• Set Up Trick (1): Move a Trick marker from the Workshop to a Performance card. Creating a Trick Link (two of the same category) grants immediate Fame or Coins.
• Reschedule (1): Move a Trick marker to another slot on a Performance card.
• Perform (Magician Only): The Magician spends all Action Points to be eligible to Perform during the Performance Phase.

Performance Phase Details

The Performer chooses one Performance card with their marker. All Tricks on that card are Performed. All owners of markers on that card receive the Trick's Yields. The Performer also receives:

• 1 Fame per Trick Link.
• Specialist Bonus: 2 Fame (Assistant), 3 Coins (Manager), or 1 Trickerion Shard (Engineer).
• The Performance card Bonus.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after the seventh turn (or fifth turn if playing without the Dark Alley). Final scoring is as follows:

• 1 Fame for each unspent Trickerion Shard.
• 1 Fame per 3 leftover Coins.
• 2 Fame for each leftover Special Assignment card in hand (if using Dark Alley).
• If playing without the Dark Alley: 2 Fame per Apprentice and 3 Fame per Magician.
• Level 3 Trick Bonuses: If using the Dark Alley, players score Fame if the Level 3 Trick's specific condition and Component requirements are met (see Appendix for specific bonuses).

The maximum extra Fame in any single category or Level 3 Trick is 20. The player with the most Fame wins. Ties are broken by the Initiative Order.

Tips for Winning

• Optimize the Theater: Use the Sunday slot to add +1 to the Fame and Coin Yields of all your Performed Tricks.
• Leverage Specialists: Use the Manager's Multi Component slots to effectively have one more of a Component, helping you meet Trick requirements more easily.
• Strategic Linking: Focus on creating Trick Links during the Set Up Trick action to gain immediate Fame and Coins before the Performance Phase even begins.