Trickerion: Arcane Arts Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Components
• Setup
• Changes in Gameplay
  • Roll Dice
  • Place Characters Phase
  • Using Arcane Shards
  • The Arcane Workers
  • The Specter
  • The Golem
  • The Trickster
  • The Shapeshifter
  • Using Enchantments
  • Performance Phase
  • Classroom Phase (Academy Expansion)
  • End Turn Phase
  • Final Scoring
  • Arcane Prophecies
• The Heir and the Arcanist (Solo Play)
• Turn Order
• Key to the Symbols Used

Overview

The Trickerion: Arcane Arts expansion introduces the Arcanist to the game, a mysterious, hooded figure of forgotten arts. He travels quietly via his inconspicuous Wagon to a new Location in Magoria every turn, adding a new set of Actions to that Location. His Enchantments are special Components that allow you greater flexibility in your Component and Trick choices, his arcane power can supercharge your Trickerion Shards, and his supernatural companions — the Golem, the Shapeshifter, the Trickster, and the Specter — can join your crew as new, unique Characters, each with powerful special abilities.

The core rules as detailed in the revised rulebook of the Collector's Edition are in effect, unless stated otherwise. Playing with the Dark Alley is required. This expansion is (optionally) compatible with Duel of Magicians, Dahlgaard's Academy, and the Quick Start rules. While not recommended, it is also compatible with Dawn of Technology and Magicians Powers; mixing Arcane Arts with either or both of these expansions can lead to more swingy developments and potentially looser economies, which some players might not enjoy.

Components

• 1x Arcanist Board (double sided)
• 1x Cloth Bag *
• 4x Arcane Workers: the Specter (with a Unique Assignment card), the Golem (with a Unique Assignment card), the Trickster (with a reminder card), and the Shapeshifter (with a reminder card)
• 2x Arcane Dice (an Enchantment die and a Reward die)
• 1x Wagon Marker
• 10x Arcane Shards
• 3x Prophecies
• 12x Enchantments

*This cloth bag is not included in the Anniversary Edition/Anniversary Upgrade Pack; please use the small standing pouch instead.

Setup

1. Place the Arcanist board near the Main Game Board. Use the side with the Academy icon when playing with the Dahlgaard's Academy expansion.
2. Using a player's Permanent Assignment cards, randomly select one of the following: the Downtown, the Market Row, the Dark Alley, or the Academy (if playing with that expansion). Place the Wagon marker near the selected Location. During the game, the Wagon allows you to use an Assignment card matching its current Location to perform any one of the (new) Actions shown on the Arcanist board (instead of taking one of the Location's usual Actions) and will change Location during the 'End Turn' phase.
3. Shuffle all 12 Enchantments, and place them into one of the cloth bags provided. Draw 3 of them, and place them on the offer on the Arcanist board. If playing with 2 players, leave the middle slot empty. When used as a Component substitution to Prepare a Trick, Enchantments permanently enhance your Tricks and may provide a reward during the 'Performance' phase.
4. Place the 4 Arcane Workers, along with their Unique Assignment/reminder cards, next to the Arcanist board to create their supply. The Arcane Workers are special Characters that can be summoned at the Arcanist board during the game.
5. If playing with 2/3/4 players, place 4/6/8 Arcane Shards into the supply, visible for all players. Return any remaining Arcane Shards to the box. Arcane Shards are "charged" Trickerion Shards, generally a more powerful version of them.
6. Place the two Arcane dice next to the Arcanist board. In the Performance phase, if your performed Trick's Enchantment type matches the one shown on the Arcane Enchantment die, you will receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die.
7. Remove the following original Prophecies and add the new Arcane Prophecies, before setting up the Dark Alley. (The page shows four prophecy tokens: the original ones to remove and the new Arcane Prophecies to add. The Arcane Prophecies themselves are described under "Arcane Prophecies" below.)

Changes in Gameplay

Roll Dice

Roll the two Arcane dice along with the existing dice. Place them next to the Arcanist board.

If there is an Arcane Worker remaining on the Arcanist board, return it to the supply. Randomly select one of the Arcane Workers in the supply, and place it on the Arcanist board. If none remain, skip this step.

Place Characters Phase

In the Location indicated by the Wagon marker, the following new Actions are now also available:

• For 1 or 2 Action Points: set one or both of the Arcane dice respectively to a face of your choice. Then, place both dice next to the Theater, indicating that they are locked and cannot be changed for the rest of this turn.
• For 1 Action Point: spend 3 Coins to charge up to 2 of your Trickerion Shards. Replace the Trickerion Shard(s) with an equal number of Arcane Shards. The supply of Arcane Shards is limited; you may only gain Shards available in the supply. You may spend multiple Action Points (and multiples of 3 Coins) to charge more Trickerion Shards.
• For 1 Action Point: spend 3 or 4 Coins (as indicated below its slot) to buy an Enchantment from the Arcanist board. Move the Enchantment from the Arcanist board to your Player Game Board using the same rules as described in the core game rules for regular Components.
  • Enchantments of the same type may share a slot, up to 3 each.
  • Enchantments may be placed on a Multi-Component slot on the Manager's Board Extension, but the Multi-Component slot has no special effect on them.
  • You may spend multiple Action Points (still paying for them separately) to buy multiple Enchantments.
  • The Enchantments do not slide or refill during the 'Place Characters' phase.
  • The 'Bargain' Action of the Market Row has no effect on buying Enchantments.
• For 3 Action Points: summon an Arcane Worker. Move the Arcane Worker from the offer to the Inn in Downtown, and gain its Unique Assignment card/reminder card. During the 'Return Characters' phase, add the summoned Character to your Player Game Board placing it on the rightmost empty Apprentice slot. Since there is only one Arcane Worker available each turn, only one player can perform this Action per turn.

Using Arcane Shards

Arcane Shards can be used for any effect that requires you to spend a Trickerion Shard, with the following modifications:

• When you are paying an Arcane Shard at any Location (except the Theater) to Enhance a Character, receive +2 Action Points instead of the usual +1.
• Unlike with Trickerion Shards, you are allowed to pay an Arcane Shard at the Theater to Enhance a Character, receiving +1 Action Point.
• When using Dawn of Technology or Magician Powers, Arcane Shards are not kept on your Shard track and thus don't contribute toward unlocking slots.

The Arcane Workers

For the purposes of card effects (such as those on the Dark Alley's Special Assignment cards, etc.), Arcane Workers are neither Apprentices nor Specialists. Effects targeting the 'Hire Character' Action do not affect the 'Summon Arcane Worker' Action. Unique Assignment cards cannot be manipulated via effects that would manipulate regular or Special Assignment cards.

The Specter

Assignment phase: The Specter must be assigned its own Unique Assignment card each turn.

Place Characters phase: The Specter can be sent to any Location (as shown on its Unique Assignment card), and it does not occupy a Character slot there. Instead, place it next to the Character slots or behind the backstage in the Theater. In all locations except the Theater, it always has a +0 Action Points modifier. In the Theater, the +1 / -1 Action Point modifiers of the respective Thursday/Sunday slots apply to it as well (as shown by the reminder on its Unique Assignment card). You cannot send the Specter to the Theater unless you have already sent any other Character there this turn, thus selecting a day.

The Specter has 2 Action Points by default. (Printed example: 2 Action Points + 1 Action Point = 3 Action Points.)

Performance phase: The Specter has no Specialist bonus in the Theater.

Pay Wages phase: If the Specter is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Trickerion Shard (as indicated on its Unique Assignment card, overriding the Apprentice slot's 1-Coin Wage). If you cannot pay this, lose 4 Fame.

The Golem

Assignment phase: The Golem must be assigned its own Unique Assignment card each turn.

Place Characters phase: The Golem can be sent to any Location (as shown on its Unique Assignment card), and it must be either the very first OR the very last Character you send during the 'Place Characters' phase.

The Golem has 3 Action Points by default.

Performance phase: The Golem has no Specialist bonus in the Theater.

Pay Wages phase: If the Golem is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Trickerion Shard (as indicated on its Unique Assignment card, overriding the Apprentice slot's 1-Coin Wage). If you cannot pay this, lose 4 Fame.

The Trickster

Assignment phase: The Trickster is assigned an Assignment card like any regular Character.

Place Characters phase: Once per turn, when sending the Trickster, you may perform either a 'Set Die' Action if sent to the Downtown or a 'Set one Arcane Die' Action if sent to the Wagon's current Location at no AP cost. See the Trickster's reminder card for a reminder of these abilities.

The Trickster has 2 Action Points by default.

Performance phase: The Trickster has no Specialist bonus in the Theater.

Pay Wages phase: If the Trickster is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Coin, as indicated by the Apprentice slot it occupies.

The Shapeshifter

Assignment phase: The Shapeshifter is assigned an Assignment card like any regular Character.

Place Characters phase: The Shapeshifter has 2 Action Points by default.

Performance phase: When performing at the Theater, the Shapeshifter's Specialist bonus is 1 Trickerion Shard OR 2 Fame OR 3 Coins (i.e., a choice of one of any of the three Specialists' bonuses) OR charge 1 Trickerion Shard (spend 1 Trickerion Shard to gain 1 Arcane Shard).

Pay Wages phase: If the Shapeshifter is not Idle, its Wage is 1 Coin, as indicated by the Apprentice slot it occupies.

Special: The Shapeshifter can be considered either an Apprentice or one of the three Specialists for the purposes of any other effect, including final scoring.

You must choose one worker for the Shapeshifter to be for the entirety of final scoring. For example, you may not count it as an Engineer toward one scoring condition and then a Manager toward another.

Using Enchantments

(Modified 'Prepare' Action: Enchant)

When Preparing a Trick, any number of Enchantments of one type can be used to substitute for 2 Coins' worth of Components each (even for different Components, and even for Components you have). You may substitute Components worth fewer total Coins than allowed; in this case, the leftover Coin value is forfeited. For example, one Enchantment can be used to substitute for up to two Basic Components or one Advanced Component. Two Enchantments of the same type can be used to substitute for up to four Basic Components, two Advanced Components, two Basic Components and one Advanced Component, one Basic and one Superior Component, etc.

When Preparing a Trick in such a way, move exactly one of the used Enchantments onto the Trick card. The Trick is now enchanted with it, and you no longer have access to the Enchantment tile that you moved onto the Trick.

When Preparing a Trick that has been enchanted, further Enchantments of the same type cannot be used to substitute in this Trick. However, one of the other types can be, resulting in the Trick being enchanted with more than one type of Enchantment.

Example: The blue player placed their Engineer in the Workshop to prepare Paper Shred. They don't have any Saws required to Prepare the Trick, but they do have 2 Enchantments of the same type. The two Enchantments can be used to substitute for the two missing Saws (i.e., a total of 4 Coins' worth of Components), so the Trick can still be prepared: the blue player thus moves one of their Enchantments onto Paper Shred and prepares it.

Note: The same would also have worked if the Mirror and a single Fabric were missing, or even if no Components were missing at all.

However, since Paper Shred is now enchanted with a specific Enchantment type, that type can no longer be used to substitute for this Trick's Components on later turns.

Enchantments are not considered when checking if a Trick's Component requirements are met for any purpose outside the Prepare action (for example final scoring of Level 3 cards, teaching at the Academy, using the Secret Workshop Promo card, etc.).

Performance Phase

When your Magician performs (choosing their own Performance card), for each of your Tricks performed that matches the Enchantment shown on the Arcane Enchantment die, also receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die. This happens regardless of the Arcane dice being in the Theater or not (i.e. whether any player changed their face or not this past Turn). Do not remove any Enchantment from the Trick!

The Arcane Reward die faces are:

• Draw the top 2 cards of any Special Assignment deck, keep one, and return the other to the bottom of the same deck.
• Gain 1 Coin and 1 Fame.
• Gain 3 Coins.
• Gain Fame according to the Level of the Trick that generated the reward (i.e., gain 1 Fame for a Level 1 Trick, 2 Fame for a Level 2, and 3 Fame for a Level 3).
• Gain an Arcane Shard. If the supply is empty, gain 1 Fame and 1 Coin.

If you cannot receive a reward in full (e.g., if the Arcane Shard supply is empty), gain 1 Coin and 1 Fame instead.

Example: During the Performance phase, the blue player performs the Paper Shred Trick. Their Trick matches the Arcane Enchantment die and therefore they receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die, which is 2 Fame (based on the Trick's Level).

The Specter, the Golem, and the Trickster have no Performance bonuses.

Classroom Phase (Academy Expansion)

For each of your Tricks in any Classroom that matches the Enchantment shown on the Arcane Enchantment die, receive the benefit shown on the Arcane Reward die, using the same rules as explained in the 'Performance' phase.

End Turn Phase

Pay Wages: See 'The Arcane Workers' section for salary considerations.

Orders Arrive: Slide any Enchantments remaining on the Arcanist board to the left, closing the gaps, then draw tiles to fill the remaining slots with new tiles. When playing with 2 players, ignore the middle slot (leave it empty).

Note: If there are not enough Enchantments remaining in the bag, refill only as many slots as possible.

New Step: Move Wagon: Move the Wagon marker to the next Location: Downtown → (Academy) → Market Row → Dark Alley → Downtown. The Academy stop is used only when playing with the Dahlgaard's Academy expansion (as the printed diagrams show: one cycle without the Academy, one with it).

Final Scoring

Enchantments do not count toward scoring, whether on a Trick or in your Workshop.

Arcane Workers count as Apprentices toward final scoring conditions, except for the Shapeshifter, which counts as any single Character type.

Leftover Arcane Shards count as normal Shards in every way: they score 1 Fame, and they count as 1 Shard toward the completion of the relevant Level 3 Trick Bonus.

Arcane Prophecies

• Ignore the salary of the Arcane Workers.
• Ignore the Enchantment Die - therefore every Enchantment on your tricks you perform (or on your tricks in any Classroom) gets to trigger this turn.
• When an Enchantment is triggered, receive the benefit shown on the Reward die twice.

The Heir and the Arcanist (Solo Play)

Set up the Arcanist board as if playing a 2-player game.

In the 'Place Characters' phase, when the Heir is deciding which Location to send to (among equally contested or not contested ones), the Location of the Wagon marker becomes the second-highest in the priority (except the Downtown, which is already first/second in the list, depending on the Heir's stance). For example, if the Wagon marker is in the Market Row and the Heir's stance is Busy, the priority list becomes the icon sequence printed in the rulebook; if the Heir's stance is Ready, the printed sequence is a different one. (The example priority lists are printed as icon strips and are not reproduced as text here.)

To put it differently: the location of the Wagon becomes next in priority after Downtown.

When resolving the Heir's Actions in the Location where the Wagon marker is, resolve the normal effects as if the Heir had 1 Action Point fewer (minimum of 1). Then, it does the first two (or one if playing on easy difficulty, three if playing on hard) possible options from the priority list below:

The Heir's Priority

1. It picks the Enchantment type it owns the most of (even if that's zero, but excluding types all of its Tricks are already enchanted with), with cheaper ones breaking ties. It then immediately enchants one of its Tricks that is not yet enchanted with one of that type, the first one left to right.
2. If an Arcane Worker is on offer and the Heir has an empty Apprentice slot left on its board, it takes the Arcane Worker and removes it from play then hires an Apprentice instead.
3. If it has a Ready stance and at least 1 enchanted Trick and the Arcane dice are not locked, it sets the Arcane Enchantment die to the Enchantment type it has the most of.
4. It gains an Arcane Shard. If the supply is empty, it gains 1 Fame and 1 Coin to its 'Coin Purse' box.
5. It gains an Arcane Shard. If the supply is empty, it gains 1 Fame and 1 Coin to its 'Coin Purse' box.
6. It gains 3 Fame.

In the 'Performance' (and the 'Classroom') phase, when the Heir performs their own Tricks, it triggers the rewards of the Arcane dice as you would. When permitted to draw a Special Assignment card, use the priorities described under the Dark Alley resolution of the solo rules.

At the end of the game, the Heir scores 2 Fame per leftover Arcane Shard it has.

Turn Order

1. Roll Dice
2. Set Initiative Order
3. Advertise
4. Assignment Phase
5. Place Characters Phase
   • Arcane Shards
   • Arcane Workers
   • Enchantments
6. Performance Phase
7. End Turn Phase
   • Pay Wages (−2 Fame / −4 Fame, as the turn-order icons show; see note below)
   • Return Characters
   • Orders Arrive
   • Move Wagon
   • Move Performance cards
   • Remove Posters
   • Move Turn Counter
   • Move Prophecies
   • Discard Special Assignment cards

Note: the turn-order line for Pay Wages prints its two penalties as icons (a crossed-out regular Character icon for −2 Fame, and a crossed-out Arcane Worker icon for −4 Fame). The mapping here is the transcriber's reading of those icons, consistent with the Specter and Golem rules above (lose 4 Fame if an Arcane Worker's wage cannot be paid).

Key to the Symbols Used

1. Arcane Shard
2. Arcane Worker
3. Wagon marker
4. Enchantments
5. Enchantment die
6. Reward die