10 Minute Heist: The Wizard's Tower
10 Minute Heist: The Wizard's Tower Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
In 10 Minute Heist: The Wizard's Tower, you and your fellow thieves will steal as much loot as possible and compete to become the best thief in the land. The Wizard has many items for you to collect and you'll be rewarded for collecting the most of a certain type and the most of a certain value. There are many special cards with powers to collect, but be careful, because some items are cursed and you may lose points!
Online Tutorial
You can read through these rules or learn the game with our video tutorial! Scan the QR Code or visit our website: dailymagicgames.com/10-minute-heist-the-wizards-tower
Ask us questions or give us feedback on BoardGameGeek.com
Components
- 17 Light Cards (Front / Back)
- 40 Dark Cards (Front / Back)
- 1 Balcony Tile
- 13 Scoring Tiles (Front / Back)
- 1 Bridge Tile
- 5 Thief Tokens
If you are missing any of the listed components, email us at [email protected].
Setup
The following is the basic setup instructions for a 3 to 5 player. After reading these setup instructions, see "Two-Player Rules" on page 10 for 2-player setup and rules.
Before setup, remove the 8 special cards with the moon icon from the Dark deck and place them in the box.*
- Place the Balcony tile near an upper left corner of the play area. Shuffle the Light deck, then deal 5 cards face-up next to the Balcony in a row. These 5 cards form the top floor in the tower. Deal 5 more cards face-up below the top floor to form another floor in the tower.
- Deal 1 Light card face-down to each player and return any remaining Light cards unseen to the box.
- Shuffle the Dark deck, then create 6 more floors using 5 face-up cards per floor. On the last (bottom) floor, deal the final card face-down so that it is secret from all players. There should be a total of 8 floors in the tower. Return any remaining Dark cards unseen to the box.
- Place the Bridge tile in the lower right corner next to the bottom floor, then place the "1st to Exit" and "2nd to Exit" Scoring tiles between the pylons of the Bridge tile. Place the "Last to Exit" Scoring tiles above the Bridge tile. Place the remaining Scoring tiles near the tower where everyone can see them.
Each player selects a Thief token that will represent them in the game and places it on the Balcony tile.
The last player to win a game (of anything!) will be the starting player. See "Game Play" below to begin play.
After playing this basic setup version of the game, we recommend you play with the "Master Thief Variant" rules found below for a deeper game play experience.
*Use the second set of 8 special cards for a whole new strategy experience! To include these cards, remove the 8 cards marked with the sun icon from the Dark Deck and include the 8 cards marked with the moon icon before setting up the tower. After making this exchange, setup and gameplay will proceed as normal.
Concepts
Haul
Your Haul is any card in front of you. Your Haul must remain face-up and visible to all players throughout the game. Exception: the card you received during setup is kept face-down until the end of the game. You may look at this card at any time during the game.
Icons
There are 5 different Treasure Suits: Potion, Fossil, Artifact, Jewel, and Tome. The Wild icon represents all 5 Treasure Suits.
Potion — Fossil — Artifact — Jewel — Tome — Wild
The following icons are used throughout the game.
- Curse: A Curse placed upon you. Each Curse icon on cards in your Haul equals 1 Curse at the end of the game.
- Prestige: The number on top of this icon represents that many Prestige points at the end of the game.
- Value: The number on top of this icon represents the value of the item. Cards vary in values.
Card Anatomy
Each card shows: Name (top), Value and Suit (left side), Curse (bottom left), Special Set icon and Illustration (center/right), and Power (bottom).
Game Play
Play begins with the starting player and proceeds clockwise. Each player takes a turn taking a card in the tower and adding it to their Haul. To do this, take 1 card from any floor at the same level or below the location of your Thief token, then move your Thief token to the space vacated by that card. Add that card face-up to your Haul with the following caveat:
If the taken card has a Power on it, that Power is done immediately.
If you take the face-down card at the bottom of the tower, put the card face-up in your Haul. If the taken card has a Power on it, that Power is used immediately.
If you cannot complete the Power written on the card, you may not take the card.
You may always move your Thief token sideways or downward to any card in the tower, even skipping floors if you like, but you may NEVER move upward.
Instead of taking a card, you may choose to exit the tower on your turn by moving your Thief token onto the Bridge tile. You may exit the tower regardless of where your Thief token is located. Once your Thief token is on the Bridge tile, you take no more turns until final scoring.
The first player to exit the tower by moving their Thief token onto the Bridge tile claims the "1st to Exit" Scoring tile. The second player to move their Thief token onto the Bridge tile claims the "2nd to Exit" Scoring tile. The last player to exit the tower receives the "Last to Exit" penalty Scoring tile. Once all Thief tokens are on the Bridge tile, the game is over and scoring begins.
Note: Some Scoring tiles are not used in the 2-player game! See the "Two-Player Rules" below.
Scoring
To begin scoring, all players reveal the card they've kept face-down throughout the game.
The starting player acts as the scoring moderator. She picks up the Scoring tiles, places them on the table one at a time and calls out what is being scored. Players look at their Haul and determine who has the most of that particular category - the Scoring tile is awarded to that player.
Treasure Suits: For Scoring tiles that show a Treasure Suit icon, players total the Value of all cards they have with that same icon. Some cards can have more than one Treasure Suit and will count separately for each Treasure Suit on the card. Some cards can count for ALL treasure suits and will have a Wild icon on the card.
Example: Katrina counts the Value on all of her Wild cards. She has the Sprig of the Dawn Tree worth 3, The Scrying Bowl worth 6, and the Mirror of Sorrows worth 7. She also has the Celestial Tarot which gives her a Wild worth 2. Her total Wild value is 18.
Value Sets: For Scoring tiles that show a Value (3, 4, or 5), players count the quantity of cards they have that show that same number. Some cards can have more than one number and will count separately for each number on the card.
Example: Katrina counts all of her cards with a Value of 3. She has the Sprig of the Dawn Tree, Orion's Bestiary, and Love Potion #8. She also has the Haunted Nesting Dolls which counts as a card with a Value of 3, 4, and 5. Her total number of cards with a Value of 3 is 4.
Curses: For the Curse Scoring Tiles, players count the quantity of Curse icons on all of their cards and compare totals.
Example: Katrina has the Celestial Tarot and the Haunted Nesting dolls that have Curse icons. She has a total of 2.
If two or more players tie for any category, that score tile is turned face-down and is not awarded. This also includes ties for the Curse tiles.
When all of the Scoring tiles have been assessed, players add up the Prestige on cards in their Haul and on Scoring tiles they've been awarded. The player with the most Prestige points wins!
If two or more players tie for most Prestige points, then the player with the fewest Curses is the winner. If the tie persists, the player with the most Scoring Tiles is the winner. If the tie still persists, players rejoice in their shared victory!
Master Thief Variant
We highly recommend that you play this variant for a deeper game play experience after you've played the basic game once or twice. It introduces a draft that gives players insight into what opponents may be hiding as their face-down card, and adds an element of bluffing to the game.
During setup, after shuffling the Light deck and building the top 2 floors in step 1, remove 1 card in a 4-5 player game, 2 cards in a 3-player game, or 3 cards in a 2-player game and return them unseen to the box.
Skip step 2 and set the remaining Light deck aside.
Proceed with step 3 and build the rest of the tower. Now that all players can see what is in the tower, take the leftover Light deck and give it to the "last player" (i.e. the player sitting directly to the right of the starting player). She looks at the cards, selects one, and places it face-down on the table in front of her. Then she passes the remaining cards to the player on her right. Each player drafts a secret card in this manner to start their Haul. When the starting player has chosen her secret card the remaining 2 cards (or 1 in a 5-player game) are returned unseen to the box.
The rest of the game is played as normal.
Two-Player Rules
There are some additional special rules when playing with only two players.
During setup, leave the "2nd to Exit," "Last to Exit," and "Fewest Curses" Scoring Tiles in the box; they will not be used.
On your turn, after you take a card and move your Thief token, you are REQUIRED to discard a card from that same floor, if possible. Place the discarded card from the tower back to the game box. Any card, including the face-down card in the bottom floor, can be discarded in this manner.
Example: Katrina takes the Basilisk Fang and moves her Thief token to that spot. She then discards the Gibbon's Paw on the same floor as her Thief token, reducing the likelihood that Nick will be able to outscore her on Fossil cards.
The rest of the gameplay is as normal.
Appendix: Special Card Notes
These notes serve to help clarify certain situations involving the special cards. For any questions not covered here, feel free to email us at [email protected].
Amulet of Nae: When you choose this card, you must discard a card from the tower and place it back in the box. This card can come from any row and can be the final face-down card in the tower. Note: if the final face-down card is chosen, return it to the box unseen. If there are no cards left in the tower, this part of the text may be ignored. After choosing the discard, place the Amulet of Nae in any other player's Haul. If this card is taken as the final face-down card, it is immediately revealed and then played as normal.
Haunted Nesting Dolls: This card counts as a 3, 4, and 5 when evaluating Value sets during endgame scoring. It does not increase any Treasure Suit Values.
Radiant Hamsa: This card counts as a single 5 for endgame scoring. Additionally, when comparing total Curses for endgame scoring, this card reduces your total Curses by 2. Note: players with a Curse value less than 0 are considered to have exactly 0 Curses for scoring purposes (and would thus tie other players at 0).
Sand of Illusion: When you take this card, you must immediately place it under a face-up 3, 4, or 5 card that is already in your Haul. It counts as a duplicate of that card during endgame scoring for both Treasure Suits and Values (e.g. duplicating a Book of Spells would add an additional Value of 5, and 5 Tome when counting that Treasure Suit). If Sand of Illusion is taken as the final face-down card, it is immediately revealed and then played as normal.
Serpent's Hourglass: This card increases all of your Treasure Suits by 1 during endgame scoring. Additionally, when you take this card, you must immediately take another turn. If this card is taken as the face-down card, it is immediately revealed and then played as normal.
Tales of Myth & Magic: This card adds 6 to both the Jewel and Tome Treasure Suits during endgame scoring. In order for you to take this card, you must discard a card that does not have a Curse icon from your Haul. If you don't possess any face-up non-Curse cards in your Haul, you cannot take this card.
Thief's Portal Cloak: This card allows you to take ANY card from the tower without moving your Thief token to that card. This card can come from below, above, or at the same floor as your current location.
Credits
Design: Nick Sibicky | Illustrations: Denis Martynets Publisher and Game Developer: Daily Magic Games Copy Editing: Sarah Bolland | Layout: Dylan Pharaoh-Whitney
Special Thanks: Nick Sibicky would like to thank all the Kickstarter backers, the playtesters, Daily Magic Games, and his wife for making 10MH a reality.
Quick Play Guide
- Place the Balcony tile near an upper left corner of the play area. Shuffle the Light cards and create 2 floors of the tower by dealing 5 cards face-up in a row to each floor.
- Deal 1 Light card face-down to each player and return any remaining Light cards unseen to the box.
- Remove the sun or moon cards from the Dark deck. Shuffle the Dark cards and create 6 more floors of the tower. The final card in the tower must be face-down. There should be a total of 8 floors in the tower. Return any remaining Dark cards unseen to the box.
- Place the Bridge tile in the lower right corner next to the bottom floor, then place the Scoring Tiles.
- Each player selects a Thief token to represent them in the game and places it on the Balcony tile. The last player that won a game is the starting player.
Game play proceeds clockwise. Each player takes a turn taking a card in the tower and adding it face-up to their Haul. Move your Thief token to the space vacated by that card. If the taken card has a Power on it, that Power is used immediately. If you cannot use the power, you cannot take the card.
Scoring begins when all Thief tokens are on the Bridge tile. All players reveal the face-down card they received during setup.
Pick up Scoring Tiles one at a time and announce the Scoring Tile to be awarded. Players look at their Haul and determine who has the most of that particular category. The Scoring Tile is awarded to that player. When all of the Scoring Tiles have been assessed, players add up their Prestige. The player with the highest score wins!
© 2016 Daily Magic Games, LLC. 10 Minute Heist: The Wizard's Tower, Daily Magic Games, and all related marks are TM and © Daily Magic Games, LLC. All rights reserved.