Disney Hocus Pocus: The Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Contents
• Setup
• How to Play
  • On Your Turn, Do the Following in This Order
• Special Ingredients
• Spells
• Trick Tokens
• Stunning a Witch
  • If All Five Cards in the Cauldron Are:
• End of the Round
• Ending the Game

Object

Work together to play Ingredients into the Cauldron to ruin the Sanderson sisters' potion. If all five Ingredients are the same color or type, you stun a witch and the sun gets closer to rising. If you stun a witch three times, the sun rises and the players win—the witches are defeated! But if the Ingredient deck runs out before the sun rises, the players lose.

Contents

• Rulebook
• Sun token
• Stun token
• Witch board
• 50 Ingredient cards
• 13 Spell cards
• 4 Trick tokens
• Binx mover
• Cauldron board

Setup

1. Place the Cauldron board in the center of the play area. Place the four Trick tokens and Binx mover nearby.

2. Place the Witch board to one side, in view of all players. Place the Sun token on the lowest space of the Sunrise track. Set the Stun token next to the Witch board.

3. Shuffle the Spell cards and place them facedown next to the Witch board.

4. Shuffle the Ingredient cards and deal a hand to each player:

   • 2 or 3 Players: 4 Ingredients
   • 4, 5, or 6 Players: 3 Ingredients

   You may look at your hand, but you must keep it secret from the other players.

5. Place the remaining Ingredients facedown next to the Cauldron.

6. The player who most recently lit a candle goes first. When in doubt, the oldest player goes first.

How to Play

Hocus Pocus is a cooperative game. However, the Sanderson sisters' magic is strong and prevents you from communicating with your friends. You must keep your cards secret from the other players, and you may not share information unless specifically instructed to do so.

The game is played in rounds. Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, players take turns asking for information and playing cards into the Cauldron. If the top card of all five piles in the Cauldron match, by color or by type, then the round ends (see Stunning a Witch). Otherwise, play continues.

On Your Turn, Do the Following in This Order

1. ASK one question to determine who has a specific Ingredient color or Ingredient type. Without revealing their cards or any additional information, each other player answers.

   Example: Dani asks, "Who has oil of boil?" Max answers, "I do," but cannot say anything else, even though he has three oil of boil Ingredients in his hand. The other players say they don't have oil of boil.

2. PLAY one Ingredient from your hand onto one of the five piles in the Cauldron. For you to play an Ingredient, it must match the color or type of the top Ingredient in that pile. (It may match both the color and type.) If you have an Ingredient that can be played, you must play it.

   Some Ingredients also have a special symbol. When you play one of these Special Ingredients into the Cauldron, do what that symbol indicates (see Special Ingredients).

   If you cannot play an Ingredient, the Sanderson sisters cast a Spell (see Spells). You must discard at least one Ingredient from your hand and draw an Ingredient from the deck to replace each one. You may discard your entire hand if you choose to, but you must draw the same number of Ingredients you discarded.

3. DRAW one Ingredient from the top of the Ingredient deck in the center of the Cauldron. This is done after any Spells are resolved.

Special Ingredients

Binx: Binx helps you communicate with the other players without the witches' interference. When you play an Ingredient showing Binx, place Binx in front of any player, including yourself. If you have Binx in front of you, you may play with your hand of cards revealed faceup on the table in front of you.

Binx stays in front of you until:

• another Ingredient showing Binx is played;
• you are specifically instructed to remove Binx from play; or
• the round ends.

Spell Book: The Spell Book helps the witches fight back against your meddling. When you play an Ingredient showing the Spell Book, the witches cast a Spell. Draw one Spell from the top of the Spell deck and do what it says (see Spells).

Spells

When an Ingredient showing the Spell Book is played, or when you cannot play an Ingredient into the Cauldron, draw the top card of the Spell deck. Spell cards show the Sanderson sister casting the Spell and explains what the Spell does. Do what the card says, then discard it. If the Spell deck runs out, shuffle the Spell discard deck and place it facedown as a new Spell deck.

However, if the Spell is being cast by a witch who is stunned (see Stunning a Witch), the Spell misses! Ignore what the Spell says and discard it. Do not draw another Spell.

Example: Ernie plays an Ingredient showing the Spell Book. After playing the Ingredient, he immediately draws a Spell from the top of the Spell deck. It's Come Little Children! Luckily, Sarah is stunned, so he ignores the Spell and discards it. Ernie draws an Ingredient from the Ingredient deck, and then it's Jay's turn.

Note: The Spell Take Flight shows all three witches. It will never be ignored, because all three witches are casting the Spell, and only one witch can be stunned at a time.

Trick Tokens

You and your friends have some tricks up your sleeves to deal with these witches! Each trick can only be used once per game; the Sanderson sisters won't be fooled twice. Any player may use a Trick token on their turn. Once the token is used, flip it over to indicate it can't be used again.

Circle of Salt: When a Spell is drawn, ignore it. Discard it and do not draw another Spell.

Daylight Savings Time: After asking a question but before playing a card, swap one Ingredient with another from the player of your choice. Each of you places one Ingredient from your hand facedown on the table, swaps those two Ingredients, and then puts them into your hands. After swapping, you must play an Ingredient into the Cauldron, then draw a card at the end of your turn.

Billy Butcherson: After asking a question but before playing a card, skip playing an Ingredient on your turn. You do not draw a card at the end of your turn.

Burning Rain of Death: After asking a question but before playing a card, discard three Ingredients from your hand and then draw three Ingredients from the deck. After drawing, you must play an Ingredient into the Cauldron, then draw a card at the end of your turn.

Stunning a Witch

If the top card of all five piles in the Cauldron match, either by color or by type, then one witch is stunned. This usually happens when a player plays an Ingredient, but it could also happen after a Spell is cast: sometimes the Sanderson sisters' magic runs amok!

Each witch is stunned by a different combination, but you may stun the same witch multiple times, even if she still has the Stun token on her. Winifred's spells are the most dangerous, so it's best to stun her if you can.

If All Five Cards in the Cauldron Are:

• the same color, then Sarah is stunned.
• the same ingredient, then Mary is stunned.
• the same ingredient and there is one of each color, then Winifred is stunned.

Each time a witch is stunned, the Sun token moves up one space. It doesn't matter which sister is stunned, and you may stun the same witch multiple times. You do not have to stun each witch once.

If you stun a witch, the round ends immediately. If the Ingredient played to stun the witch is a Special Ingredient, ignore the effects of its symbol; the round ends before a Spell can be cast.

End of the Round

At the end of the round, do the following:

1. The player whose turn it is draws one Ingredient and ends their turn.
2. Place the Stun token on the Witch board over the picture of the Sanderson sister who is stunned. Only one witch can be stunned at a time. Any ongoing Spell effects end immediately.
3. Move the Sun token one space up the track, to indicate dawn approaching.
4. Gather all the Ingredients in the Cauldron together with all the Ingredients in the discard pile.
5. From these Ingredients, remove all the Special Ingredients that show either Binx or the Spell Book and shuffle them into the Ingredient deck. Place it back facedown in the center of the Cauldron. Set the remaining cards from the Cauldron and discard pile—without a Binx or Spell Book symbol—aside; they will not be used for the rest of the game.
6. Remove Binx from play. He will return to play when any player plays a Special Ingredient showing Binx.
7. The new round begins with the player to the left of the last player to take their turn.

Note: Players keep their hand between rounds; do not discard your hand when rounds end.

Ending the Game

If you move the Sun token to the top space of the Sunrise track, the sun rises, and the Sanderson sisters are defeated! All players win!

If you must draw an Ingredient card when the Ingredient deck is empty, all players lose.

Note: When the Ingredient deck is empty, the players do not immediately lose. They may continue taking turns without drawing Ingredients. However, if the game forces you to draw and you cannot (either via a Spell or because you cannot play an Ingredient from your hand), the Sanderson sisters complete their potion and the game is lost.