Defenders of Hogwarts FAQ
Rules questions below are answered directly from the official June 2026 rulebook. Campaign-era questions (retail vs Kickstarter editions, refunds, late pledges) are answered from official campaign information and are updated as MinaLima posts new updates.
Rules questions
How does a House Player win? Any single House Player wins immediately by collecting any 2 of the 6 Defence Shields. Each shield costs 3 items when you land on its space: a Library Book Card, a Parchment Scroll, and either the Dark Detector or a D.A. Coin — whichever that shield depicts (3 shields want each).
How does the Dark Arts Player win? Collect all 3 Dark Arts Progress Tokens (Giant, Acromantula, Dementor), take a Dark Arts Player Location Card, then land 3, 2 or 1 pawns on the card’s location simultaneously — fewer are needed the deeper into the Red Zone the marker is when the card is taken.
How many cards do you hold? Five. House Players may discard any number before drawing back to 5; the Dark Arts Player draws to 5 but can never discard.
What moves the Dark Arts Marker? Only three things: a House Player’s Replenish, an Event Card that says so, and the Dark Arts Player collecting all 4 House Markers via bumping.
Can the Dark Arts Player enter Protected Areas? No — the 4 Protected Area Spaces are the only places House pawns are safe from being bumped.
Where do Library Book Cards come from? Only the Library, which keeps 2 face-up on the Side Board. You can hold 1 at a time, and its effect resolves immediately.
How do you get a Parchment Scroll? Have a pawn in 2 of the 3 areas named on your House Player Location Cards, reveal both cards, and discard them.
Is there a solo mode? No. The box is 2–5 players and 1 player must play as the Dark Arts Player.
What if nobody wins? Once the marker reaches the last space of the Dark Arts Path, everyone draws up to 5 cards and can’t Replenish again. If all players run out of cards first, the game is a draw.
Buying and campaign questions
When did the Kickstarter run? The campaign ran 30 June – 23 July 2026 and funded at £1,313,755 from 10,959 backers against a £50,000 goal. Full details on our Kickstarter page.
Can I still buy it? Yes — via late pledge, still open on the campaign page at the original prices (£58 / £115 / £280). Retail arrives in 2027; see Where to Buy.
What’s the difference between the pledge tiers? The Defender (£58) is the game plus an exclusive art print set; the Guardian (£115) adds the deluxe sleeve, wooden tokens, card sleeves and pins; the Collector (£280) adds the Collector’s Box shipping separately in March 2027. See Price.
More questions and answers are added as official updates arrive. For the complete rules, see the rulebook page and the official PDF it links to.