Hogwarts: House Cup Challenge

[Andrew Parks]

Hi, nimbus2009, and welcome to the Quixotic Forum!

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying Hogwarts! Yes, the 5th year can indeed zip by if people have been waiting to play some big cards. But remember that the game doesn't end as soon as Gryffindor passes the 500 mark. Finish out the whole round before doing the final scoring.

Here are answers to your questions:

The Courtyard is considered inside the Castle.

The "Gryffindor Common Room" is the same place as Gryffindor Tower. Sorry about the typo!

To "play a card" means to place it in a location. If no one is there, then it is simply left face up in that location.

If you start a turn with a card in your space, then the only way to encounter that card is to spend a Move Action and declare you are moving "0 spaces" to encounter that card. Since you can't play a card to a space that already has a card in it, you would not be able to play any cards to your space in that situation.

However, if you were using the "Time-Turner" to perform 2 Actions in a row, you could "Move 0 spaces" to encounter the card in your space, and then play another card to your space as the second action.

If your space was empty at the start of the turn, you could indeed use "Lumos Solem" to play 2 cards to your space, assuming you successfully encounter and complete the first card that you play before playing the next card.

Please let us know if you encounter any other questions.

I hope you continue to enjoy Hogwarts!

Andrew

[slopster53]

Hey Andrew,

I think I know the answer already, but can I grab "the Pensive" using it's own return a card ability?

I'm guessing no, but I thought I'd ask.

[Andrew Parks]

Hi, slopster53.

Technically, the Pensieve does not enter the discard pile until after you have finished using its text, so the answer is no. But you get 10 bonus Victory Points for ingenuity!

Andrew

[timmyMc]

Hi Andrew,

I must say from the outset I'm not much of a gamer, the extent of my gaming experience is playing UNO and thats about it.

I bought the House Cup Challenge the other day & was very excited to get it home for a play, however I'm a little disappointed because I don't really understand how to play. I have read the first play rules over and over and understand most of it I think but it just doesn't seem to be right.

I understand that for a start I need to pick up a card from the adventure deck & place it with the other cards in my hand. Then move my character up to 3 spaces on the board. The instructions mention if I enter a space with an adventure card face up then I must encounter that card. But the instructions don't say how that Adventure card got into that space face up in the first place?

I seen on the forum here people mentioning about seeding the board, how exactly do I seed the board with cards?

Probably a seems a bit silly, but I'm just struggling to get a crasp on how to get the first game going properly.

Thank you

Tim

[Andrew Parks]

Hi, timmyMc, and welcome to the Quixotic Forum!

First of all, let me apologize for accidentally deleting you from the forum member list. We are having a lot of trouble managing spam, and so you were accidentally deleted in a big purge. Please register again and I will get you approved right away. Now on to your question:

"Seeding" the board is something that is generally done in the Full Game. There is a phase that takes place every round in the Full Game where face up cards are added to the board one at a time until there are four face up cards. But that part is not in the "First Play Rules", so don't worry about "seeding" for now.

In the First Play Rules, after you have drawn a card and moved, you also need to play 1 card. Most people play a card onto their own space when they can, so the card is immediately encountered by that player as described in the First Play Rules.

However, you may not have a card that plays to your current space. In the First Play Rules, you are still required to play 1 card every turn, so in that case you may have to play a card to a space that you don't occupy. If another player is in the space where you play a card, then that player must encounter the card (if there are multiple players in that space, then you decide which one encounters it). But if there is not a player in the space where you play a card, then the card sits in the space face up until someone lands on the card and encounters it.

Therefore, in the First Play Rules, it is not often the case that you will enter a space with a face up Adventure Card, but it could happen so we mention it in the rules. However, the most common way to encounter a card in the First Play Rules is to move to a space that matches one of the cards in your hand, and then play that card onto your space and encounter it immediately.

Let me know if that helps, and I will be glad to answer any other questions you may encounter along the way. Once you have played the First Play Rules a couple times, I suggest you make your way into the Full Rules as they are much more strategic and give the game a lot of replay value.

Thanks!

Andrew