Recreo Arcano Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Objective
• Setup
• Course of the Game
  • Planning
  • Execution
  • End of the Round
• Game Elements
  • Enchanted Object Markers
  • Pociones
  • Action Cards
  • Copa
  • Magos
  • Duel
  • Castle
  • Example of Sector Movement
• Alternative Layouts
• 2-Player Mode
• 3-Player Mode
• Example Turns
• References

Components

• 54 cards divided into:
  • 28 starting action cards (7 for each participant).
  • 12 special action cards.
  • 10 Castle cards (they make up the play area).
  • 4 summary cards.
• Action card: shows its strength and house (side) at the edge, and its effect.
• Castle card (sector): shows Space 1 and Space 2; one side shows a closed door, the other an open door.
• 6 Mago figures.
• 14 Poción tokens.
• 1 Copa Mágica figure.
• 6 enchanted-object marker tokens.
• 1 Caldero figure, to indicate who starts each round.

Objective

The victory for the house is obtained by one of these three ways:

• Bring the Copa Mágica to your own team's base.
• Collect the three Pociones of your own team.
• Put the 3 opposing Magos out of play.

The game ends immediately when a team fulfils an objective.

The rules explained in this manual cover a game of 4 participants; the variants for 2 and 3 participants are explained at the end.

Setup

Game set up for 4 players. (The setup illustration shows: the Initial Player with the Caldero; the Carpincho and Hornero decks of each participant (one of each team has the higher-strength deck and one the lower, seated alternately); the Play Area (Castle) in the centre; the potion reserve of each team beside its base; the enchanted-marker reserve; the special cards deck; and the starting Pociones of each team.)

Other ways of laying out the Castle zone are proposed at the end of the rulebook, but this one is recommended for a first game.

1. Divide into 2 teams, Carpinchos and Horneros. Each participant of the same team must sit alternating with the other team.

2. Hand out the card hands according to team; each participant must receive the 7 cards that belong to them (Carpincho or Hornero, and one of the two sets distinguished by the symbol shown on the cards). The cards of each participant include one with a unique effect, and the strength values are distributed differently.

3. Each participant receives a Poción of their team and places it in their play area.

4. 5. Each team must secretly assign a base with the numbers 1, 2 and 3 to their 3 Magos. The numbers must stay face down, and the numbers of your own team can always be consulted.

5. Shuffle the 12 special action cards and leave them in a face-down deck.

6. Leave 2 Pociones of each team forming a reserve.

7. Leave the enchanted-object marker tokens in a reserve.

8. Take the Sector cards, the figures of Magos, Copa and Pociones, and form the play area as shown in the image. Each team decides which of its own Magos is placed in each place. The Sectors that do not have the symbol of the house or of the library can be flipped and turned as desired, but the 2 house Sectors, the 2 library Sectors, the Magos, the Pociones and the Copa must be placed exactly as indicated.

9. Whoever has most recently watched a magic film receives the Caldero and starts the game.

Course of the Game

The game is played in a series of rounds until one of the 3 objectives is fulfilled, ending the game immediately. Each round is divided into 2 parts: Planning and Execution.

Planning

In this stage the teams can freely discuss their strategy (always bearing in mind that the other team is listening!). Each participant must select one card from their hand and place it face down; it is possible to change the card placed while this phase lasts. When every participant has placed their card, this stage ends automatically and no more changes can be made.

This stage should be quick, but if it drags on too long the participants can agree and set a time limit for preparation. A maximum of 2 minutes is recommended.

Execution

All the cards placed face down are revealed, and from that moment on the people of the same team can no longer communicate. Starting with whoever has the Caldero token and then going to the left, each participant has two options:

• Resolve the effect of the card they selected, and also optionally use Pociones.
• Or pass the turn without taking any action and receive a Poción from the reserve (if there is none, nothing is received).

End of the Round

Once the cards have been resolved, the special cards that were played must be removed from the game. The rest of the cards must be discarded face up (each participant keeps their own discard pile). Only the last discarded card must remain visible, and it is only possible to consult your own discard pile.

Finally, all the enchanted-object markers that were on the board are removed, the Caldero is passed to the left and a new round begins.

Game Elements

Enchanted Object Markers

The Sectors, the Magos and the Copa can only move once per round. On finishing a movement with any of these pieces, an enchanted-object marker must be placed on top as a reminder that it can no longer move. To move one of those elements again in the same round, it must first be disenchanted, using a Poción to remove the marker.

Pociones

Pociones are used during your own turn and have two possible uses:

1. Remove an enchanted-object marker from some component, thus allowing it to be used again within the same round. If the component moves again, it becomes enchanted again.

2. Move one of your own Magos or the Copa one space, following the movement rules (see below). This movement is independent of the card that has been played, but cannot be made if the component is enchanted.

It is possible to use one Poción to disenchant a component and then another to move it, after which it would be enchanted again.

Action Cards

Action cards allow interaction with the Magos, Copa and Sectors. It is important to remember that special action cards are removed from the game at the end of the round in which they were used.

Copa

It moves orthogonally the number of spaces indicated by the card. Doors that connect two spaces can only be crossed if the space from which the Copa starts its movement has the door open.

Magos

• They move orthogonally the number of spaces indicated by the card. Doors that connect two spaces can only be crossed if the space from which the Mago starts its movement has the door open.
• A Mago cannot end its movement on the same square on which it started the turn.
• If it ends its movement on a Poción of its own team, it takes it, and the Mago carries it to its personal reserve. Pociones of the opposing team can never be taken.
• If a Mago ends its movement inside a library, the player must take a card from the special cards deck (if any are available) and put it in their hand. Moving within the library does not grant additional cards.
• Meeting an opposing Mago always stops the movement and a Duel must be resolved (see below). The duel has priority, so Pociones and special cards cannot be collected without first resolving it.
• 2 or more Magos of the same team can share the same space.

Example (illustration): Mago A could go and return from one space to the other, Mago B could go but not return, and Mago C can neither go nor return. The same happens with the Copa.

Duel

Whoever is in turn is considered the attacker (it does not matter which Mago started the duel) and must choose a member of the other team to be the defender. Both must place a card from their hand face down. Then they are revealed simultaneously, and the numbers of the Magos in the duel are also revealed. The winner is whoever obtains the higher result by adding the strength of the card played and the value of their Mago; the loser's token is removed from the game. In case of a tie, the attacker wins. If the card used for the duel has no value (that is, it has an X instead of a value) it returns to the hand. Otherwise, it is discarded regardless of the result of the duel. When the Duel ends, the numbers of the Magos that took part remain revealed and are not hidden again.

Example: These 2 Magos met and must resolve a duel. Each player has already shown a card from their hand and it seems that the Carpinchos win, but the hidden number of each Mago still has to be revealed; this could alter the course of the duel.

Castle

The Sectors can be moved or flipped by means of action cards.

To flip a Sector, it must be done horizontally (taking it by the short side). Whenever a Sector is flipped, the components on top of it stay in the corresponding space. It is important to note that when a Sector is flipped, all the doors that were open are closed and vice versa.

To move a Sector it must be slid (without rotating it), following the contour of the Castle, in such a way that a door of the Sector coincides with the next door in an adjacent Sector. The Castle can never be left divided into 2 parts or joined only by corners.

When moving horizontally or vertically, a room cannot push another.

Example of Sector Movement

Sector A can move one space upward (to end up next to B) or downward, while Sector B can move one space to the left to end up above A or to the right, but not downward, since another room prevents its movement.

In the second illustration, Sector A moved one place downward and Sector B moved to end up above the one that was to its right.

Alternative Layouts

A series of alternative layouts for the Castle are proposed below (shown only as illustrations), considering that Sectors that do not have the symbol of the house or of the library can be flipped and turned as desired.

2-Player Mode

This mode is played the same as with 4 with the following changes:

• The "Descanso" (Rest) card must be returned to the box from the deck of each team.
• Each player receives the other 13 cards of their team, separates the "Descanso" card and shuffles the remaining 12 cards. Then, they place the deck face down and must draw 6 cards and add the "Descanso" card to form their hand.
• Each player receives 2 Pociones instead of 1.
• During the setup phase, each player chooses two cards that are placed alternately and forming a row: Carpincho, Hornero, Carpincho, Hornero. This will be the execution order in the following phase.
• Once the cards are resolved, both must be taken to the personal discard pile in the order desired, and 2 others drawn to begin the next round.
• The Caldero figure keeps rotating normally. The participants will take turns playing 1st and 3rd or 2nd and 4th.

The "Descanso" card works slightly differently in 2-player mode. When used, the following steps must be followed:

1. Discard any number of cards from the hand (it is possible to discard none).
2. Take the whole discard pile and shuffle it with the deck.
3. At the end of the round, draw cards until having 7 in hand (including the Rest card). The Rest card never goes to the discard pile; it always returns to the hand after being used.

3-Player Mode

One person plays as in a 2-player game and the others play as in a 4-player game.

The Caldero does not rotate by participant, but by team. At the start of the game, the solo player always has the Caldero.

The cards must be played forming a row as in a 2-player game. The participants on a team must agree on the execution order of their cards. For example, if they have the Caldero, they have to decide who plays first and who third.

Example Turns

Initial situation of the game: Marina and Gabi are Carpinchos, Juli and Munir are Horneros.

In round 1, Marina moved one of her Magos 2 times (A) to land on the library and obtain a special card, Munir decided to flip a Sector (B), Gabi moved the Copa (C) and Juli advances with a Mago taking advantage of the open door that Munir left her (D).

In round 2, Munir (who now plays first) moves the Sector where the Copa is to the right (A), Gabi moves a Mago upward (B), Juli moves the Copa upward trying to get it away from the Magos (C). Finally Marina tries to move the Copa, but since Juli has just moved it, it is enchanted; she could spend a Poción and move it anyway, but decides not to and takes a Poción from the reserve (D).

References

• Carpinchos
• Horneros
• Magos
• Caldero
• Poción
• Copa Mágica
• Carta / cartas
• Sector del castillo
• Marcador objeto encantado