Mago Magino
Mago Magino Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Information
- Game type: family game
- Players: 2 to 5 players, ages 5 to 99
Contents
1 game board with witch arrow, 10 playing pieces, 10 cardboard tiles for the playing pieces, 1 wizard Mago Magino, 15 magic crystals, 1 die, 1 rulebook.
Setup
Before the first game, the witch arrow is inserted into the opening of the game board. It can stay there permanently and does not need to be removed again. The game board is placed in the middle of the table, within easy reach of all players.
The cardboard tiles are inserted into the playing pieces and pressed in firmly.
Each player chooses 2 playing pieces of one colour and places them in the wizard's house, with the side showing the children facing up. The playing pieces are now called "children".
The wizard Mago Magino is also placed in his house; the crystals go in the hideout, that is, on the space with the pictured crystals. The die is placed ready.
Object of the Game
The players' task is to help the wizard get his crystals back. Whoever is first to bring three crystals to the wizard's house wins.
Course of Play
The player with the longest nose begins. Play then proceeds clockwise. The player whose turn it is rolls the die and, depending on the result, carries out the following moves:
Witch arrow result: The player must first turn the witch arrow. Be careful! If the turned witch arrow points to a space on which children are currently standing, they are bewitched into frogs. If the arrow points to the forest, all children on the three spaces of the forest are bewitched. Afterwards, one of the player's own children or the wizard may be moved one space.
Results 2, 3 or 4: Either one of the player's own children or the wizard may be moved 2, 3 or 4 spaces, according to the die result.
Moving the Pieces
With the die result, either one of the player's own children or the wizard may be moved. The direction in which they move does not matter. They can take the short way (3 spaces) through the dangerous magic forest or choose the longer way around the game board. Any number of children may be on one space. Movement through the magic forest, however, may only ever be clockwise.
The die points may not be split between two children and must be moved in full; they may not be forfeited. The exceptions are the space with the wizard's house and the space with the crystals' hideout. A player arriving there may forfeit surplus points.
If a child is already bewitched and "hops" around the game board as a frog, it may, regardless of the die result, only ever be moved forward one space.
The Crystals
When a child is moved onto the hideout with the crystals, the player may load one crystal onto the playing piece, which must now be brought back quickly to the wizard's house. The crystals are heavy, so each child can carry only one crystal.
Attention! Because the crystals would crumble to dust in the magic forest, players must lead their children back the longer way. Crystals may not be carried into the magic forest.
If a player manages to bring a crystal all the way back to the wizard's house, he may place it in front of himself and set off again towards the crystals. To do so, the child starts again from the wizard's house.
Bewitching
If, after being turned, the witch arrow points to a space on which one or more children are standing, they are bewitched into frogs. If the witch arrow points to a space of the magic forest, all children on the three spaces of the forest are bewitched. Bewitched children are turned over on their spaces so that the frog side of the playing piece faces up.
If the children had already been travelling with crystals, they lose them, because frogs cannot carry crystals. The crystals are laid on the space where the children were bewitched and stay there, to possibly be picked up again later.
A frog may now only ever be moved one space, regardless of the die result. Frogs that are in the magic forest must also be moved clockwise!
Attention! The frogs all look the same! So remember well under which frog your child is hiding, because looking under the frogs is not allowed. You may move any frog, but of course preferably your own.
If the witch arrow lands on a space on which one or more frogs are already standing, nothing happens to them; these children are already bewitched.
After the witch arrow has been turned, in a later turn one may move with one's child or the wizard onto or over the space the arrow already points to. Nothing happens in that case. One is bewitched only at the moment the witch arrow is turned.
The Wizard Mago Magino Protects the Children
The wizard is very sad about the loss of his magic crystal, but he helps the children in the hunt for the crystals and protects them on their way. For this, Mago Magino may be moved by any player onto the spaces of the game board. Die points may not be forfeited. The exception is the wizard's house; on reaching it, surplus die points may be forfeited.
The wizard protects all children who are on the same space as he is from the witch's influence, so that the children there cannot be bewitched. So if the witch arrow points to a space on which the wizard and one or more children stand, they are not bewitched.
The wizard may not enter the magic forest or the hideout with the crystals, because the witch's magic power is too great there.
The Wizard Mago Magino Frees Bewitched Children
Mago Magino also frees children bewitched into frogs. He can change them back. There are several ways to do this:
- A frog can be moved step by step to the wizard's house. The wizard does not have to be present, because even the wizard's house possesses magic power, so that arriving frogs are immediately changed back into children. For this the playing piece is turned over again so that the child can be seen again, and it starts again from there.
- A frog can be moved to a space on which the wizard is standing. It is immediately changed back into a child there.
- The wizard can be moved to a space on which one or more frogs are standing. When he arrives, he changes all frogs there back into children.
If a player was able to free at least one bewitched child during his turn, he may roll again.
Picking Up Crystals from the Path
If a child is moved onto a space on which one or more crystals are lying, the child may pick up one crystal. If a child that is not yet carrying a crystal begins its move on a space on which crystals are lying, it may load a crystal before moving.
It makes no difference whether the crystal was fetched from the hideout by another player or whether it was one's own crystal that one had lost oneself.
End of the Game
The first player to bring three crystals to the wizard's house is the winner.
Shorter Variant
For a shorter game, it can be agreed that the first player to bring two crystals home is the winner.
And now good luck in the exciting race for the magic crystals!