Mage Knight Board Game reference sheet

Overview

• 1–4 players explore a tile-based map, fight enemies, recruit units, and build their deck.
• Goal: complete scenario objectives (usually conquer cities) and score the most Fame.
• Each round is either Day or Night — affects mana, terrain costs, and spell power.
• Core loop: play cards for Move/Influence/Attack/Block, gain Fame, level up, improve deck.
• Game length: 3–6 rounds depending on scenario [p.1 — Game Flow]
• Complexity is high; start with 'First Reconnaissance' training scenario [p.15 — Scenario List]

Setup

1. Place Fame/Reputation board; each player puts a Shield on 0 Fame and center 0 Reputation [p.3 — Game Setup]
2. Sort enemy tokens into 7 face-down piles by reverse side; stack ruin tokens separately [p.3 — Game Setup]
3. Shuffle Artifacts face-down (no offer). Shuffle Wounds into a face-up pile [p.3 — Game Setup]
4. Shuffle Spells and Advanced Actions; reveal 3 of each as offers [p.3 — Game Setup]
5. Shuffle Regular (silver) and Elite (gold) Unit decks separately; deal Regular Units equal to players +2 as Unit offer [p.3 — Game Setup]
6. Roll mana dice equal to players +2 for the Source (Day side up); at least half must show basic colors [p.3 — Game Setup]
7. Each player: shuffle 16 Basic Action cards as Deed deck, draw 5 cards, place Shield tokens on Fame/Reputation tracks [p.3 — Player Area]
8. Build map per scenario; reveal 2–3 starting tiles; check 'When Revealed' on Site Description cards [p.3 — Game Setup]

Turn structure

Option A — Regular Turn

1. Move (optional): spend Move points, enter spaces, reveal tiles (2 Move points each) [p.6 — Movement]
2. Take one action (mandatory if triggered, otherwise optional):
   • Combat: assault fortified site, challenge/provoke rampaging enemy, enter adventure site
   • Interact: recruit, heal, buy cards at inhabited sites
   • Player vs. Player: if you end movement on another player's space
3. Play special/healing effects at any point (not during combat) [p.5 — A Player's Turn]

Option B — Rest

1. Standard Rest: discard 1 non-Wound + any Wounds [p.5 — A Player's Turn]
2. Slow Recovery (only Wounds in hand): discard 1 Wound [p.5 — A Player's Turn]

End of Turn (always)

1. Return/reroll mana dice to Source; next player may begin [p.5 — A Player's Turn]
2. Forced withdrawal if not on a safe space (+1 Wound per space backtracked) [p.9 — End of the Turn]
3. Discard played cards; return mana tokens to bank [p.9 — End of the Turn]
4. Claim combat rewards, then process Level ups [p.9 — End of the Turn]
5. Optionally discard hand cards; draw up to Hand limit [p.9 — End of the Turn]

Actions

Combat

Phase 1 — Ranged & Siege Attack

• Play Ranged/Siege Attacks; total must ≥ enemy Armor to defeat [p.7 — Combat]
• Fortified enemies: Siege only. Doubly fortified: cannot target at all [p.8]
• Resistances halve matching attack types (round down) [p.8]

Phase 2 — Block

• Each undefeated enemy attacks; block one at a time [p.8 — Block Phase]
• Block total must ≥ enemy Attack (×2 if Swift) [p.8]
• Inefficient blocks halved; efficient blocks full value [p.8]

Phase 3 — Assign Damage

• Unblocked enemies deal damage equal to Attack (×2 if Brutal) [p.8]
• Assign to Unwounded Units first (Wound unit, reduce damage by its Armor) [p.8]
• Remainder to Hero: 1 Wound per Armor value of damage (rounded up) [p.8]
• Knock out: Wounds in hand ≥ Hand limit → discard all non-Wound cards [p.8]

Phase 4 — Attack

• Any attack type (Ranged, Siege, regular, sideways card = Attack 1) [p.9]
• Fortifications ignored; same resistance rules apply [p.9]

Scoring

• Fame gained per defeated enemy token (number on token bottom) [p.8 — Combat]
• Reputation +1 per orc marauder defeated, +2 per draconum defeated [p.9 — Combat Outcomes]
• Reputation −1 per assault on a fortified site [p.7 — Combat]
• Scenario-specific scoring on Scoring card (cities, adventures, achievements) [p.16 — Scenarios]
• Level up when Shield token crosses a line on Fame track (processed end of turn) [p.9 — End of Turn]
• PvP victory Fame: +1 if opponent same level/lower Fame; +1 +2/level if opponent is higher level [p.11 — Combat Outcome]

End of game

• Game ends when scenario end condition is met OR Round limit is reached [p.1 — Game Flow]
• When end condition triggers: all players (including the triggering player) take one last turn [p.16 — Scenarios]
• If a Round ends during that last-turn sequence, game ends immediately [p.16]
• Outcome determined by scenario scoring (Fame + Achievements + scenario bonuses) [p.1 — Game Flow]
• Cooperative scenarios: all win or all lose based on whether all cities are conquered [p.16 — Full Cooperation]

Glossary

• Deed Deck: shuffled personal deck of Action, Spell, Artifact, and Wound cards [p.4 — Deed Cards]
• Deed Card: any card with the deed-card back; includes Basic/Advanced Actions, Spells, Artifacts, Wounds [p.4]
• Ready (Unit): Command token above unit — can be activated [p.4 — Using Units]
• Spent (Unit): Command token on unit — cannot activate until next Round [p.4 — Using Units]
• Wounded (Unit): Wound card across unit — cannot activate or be assigned damage [p.10 — Wounds]
• Fortified: enemy protected by a fortified site or ability — only Siege Attacks can target in Ranged phase [p.8]
• Swift: enemy Attack value doubled for blocking purposes [p.8 — Block Phase]
• Brutal: unblocked enemy deals double damage [p.8 — Assign Damage]
• Poison: Wounded unit gets 2 Wound cards; Hero also puts 1 Wound in discard per hand Wound [p.8]
• Paralyze: Wounded unit is destroyed; Hero must discard all non-Wound cards from hand [p.8]
• Source: pool of mana dice; each player may take 1 die per turn, rerolled and returned at turn end [p.5 — Using Mana]
• Safe Space: accessible under normal conditions, not an unconquered fortified site, not occupied by another hero (except cities/portal) [p.6 — Movement]
• Knock Out: Wounds in hand ≥ Hand limit; discard all non-Wound cards immediately [p.8 — Assign Damage]

FAQ

• Q: Can I revert decisions mid-turn? — A: Yes, unless new info was revealed (tile/token/card/die roll) or another player reacted; after that, all decisions are locked [p.5 — Reverting]
• Q: When do I level up? — A: At end of turn, not mid-combat, even if the Fame track line was crossed during combat [p.8 — Ranged Attack Phase]
• Q: Can healing be used during combat? — A: No. Healing may only be used before or after combat, not during any combat phase [p.5 — A Player's Turn]
• Q: Can I play cards sideways for Ranged/Siege Attack or elemental effects? — A: No. Sideways cards provide only physical Move 1, Influence 1, Attack 1, or Block 1 [p.4 — Deed Cards]
• Q: What happens if I fail to defeat a fortified site's defenders? — A: Withdraw to the space you attacked from; if unsafe, Forced Withdrawal applies (+1 Wound per space backtracked) [p.9 — Combat Outcomes]
• Q: Can I use gold mana at Night or black mana during Day? — A: No. Gold is Day only; black is Night only [p.5 — Using Mana]