Contents
Mage Knight Game Rules
Welcome to the exciting world of the Mage Knight board game! Whether you’re a seasoned player or a new recruit, these game rules will help you navigate the mystical realms with confidence.
Let’s dive right in and take a closer look at the rules that govern the Mage Knight experience!
Components
First things first, let’s ensure everyone is familiar with the components of the game. You will need:
- Game board
- Rulebook
- Various cards (Action, Spell, Unit, Artifact)
- Miniatures (Mage Knights, Cities, Keeps, Dungeons)
- Various tokens (Wound, Command, Reputation, etc.)
- Dice
Objective
The goal of Mage Knight is to become the most powerful and renowned Mage Knight in the land. You will achieve this by exploring the territory, conquering cities, and defeating enemies through strategic use of your cards and abilities.
Game Flow
Each player takes turns, performing a series of actions. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect during your turn:
- Refresh Phase: Regain energy, reset certain cards, and remove unused command tokens.
- Action Phase: Play cards, move your Mage Knight, explore new tiles, conquer cities, and engage in combat.
- Enemy Phase: Enemies on the board take their turn, potentially attacking you or other players.
- Night Phase: Check for night effects, such as reduced visibility and certain cards becoming more potent.
Understanding Cards
Cards are a key component of the game, providing you with a variety of options and abilities. Here are the different types of cards you’ll encounter:
- Action Cards: These cards allow you to perform various actions, such as moving, attacking, or exploring.
- Spell Cards: Spell cards grant you magical abilities, like casting spells or using special abilities.
- Unit Cards: These cards represent the troops and followers you can recruit to aid you in your quests.
- Artifact Cards: Artifact cards provide you with powerful equipment and enhancements.
Battling Enemies
Combat is a crucial aspect of Mage Knight. When engaging in battle, you’ll compare your attack strength with the enemy’s defense strength. The outcome will determine the damage inflicted and the potential rewards.
Scoring
At the end of the game, players will tally up their victory points based on various factors such as cities conquered and reputation earned. The player with the highest score is declared the ultimate Mage Knight!
I hope this overview of the Mage Knight game rules has left you feeling eager to embark on your epic adventure. Remember, the key to success is strategic thinking, resource management, and a dash of luck! Now, gather your friends, take up your Mage Knight mantle, and let the conquest begin!


- 168 Deed Cards
- 40 Unit Cards
- 12 Tactic Cards
- 4 Hero Cards
- 4 Skill Description Cards
- 7 Site Description Cards
- 1 Scoring Card
- 4 City Cards
- 128 Hero Tokens
- 60 Enemy Tokens
- 12 Ruin Tokens
- 20 Map Tiles
- 2 Game Mats
- 4 Hero Figures
- 4 City Figures
- 54 Mana Crystals
- 7 Mana Dice
- 2 Rulebooks
Overview
In this game, you get to be a Hero called a Mage Knight. That’s right, you’ll have your very own figure to play with, along with different kinds of tokens and a deck of 16 Action cards called the Deed deck. When you start, there will be a few Map tiles already revealed, including the magic portal and the area around it.
Scenarios

When it comes to playing Mage Knight, each game is unique. Instead of rigidly following a script, scenarios simply provide the basic guidelines and goals.
Every playthrough offers a fresh experience, with a randomly generated map, different cards to collect, and various enemies to conquer. You have the freedom to choose different scenarios based on your preferences or stick with the one that suits you best.
But regardless of your choice, it’s important to start with “The First Reconnaissance” scenario. This scenario is specifically designed to introduce players to the game in an entertaining way – by playing it. It’s shorter in duration, so even if you take your time, it won’t drag on. Plus, it presents the game concepts and rules in a natural order, making it easier to grasp.
“The First Reconnaissance” is my first mission as a Mage Knight. I’ve been ordered to go to an unknown part of the Atlantean kingdom, create a map of it, and find its capital. Right now, that’s all the Council of the Void wants from me. If I find any treasure, gain knowledge, or earn fame during this quest, I get to keep it.
Rounds And Turns
The game goes on in Rounds. Every Round represents either a Day or a Night. The first Round of a scenario is usually Day, then a Night Round, followed by another Day Round, and so on.
The first scenario has three Rounds, which means a Day, a Night, and another Day. I have to complete its goal (finding the City) before the third Round ends.
When we begin a new round, the first thing we do is shuffle our deck of Deed cards and draw five of them. As the game progresses, we may draw more cards later. Once we have our cards, it’s time to choose our Tactic for this round. The Tactic we choose will determine the order in which we play our turns, as well as any additional advantages it may provide.
Once we’ve chosen our Tactic, it’s time to start playing! The order in which we take our turns will be determined by the Tactic we selected. Each player will take their turn in this order, following the sequence established by the Tactic. It’s important to consider the advantages offered by each Tactic when making our choice.
When it’s my turn, I get to play the cards in my hand. I can use them to do different things, like exploring the map, talking to people, or fighting enemies. After I finish my turn, I draw more cards from my deck until I have 5 in my hand. It’s important to plan ahead and think about how to use my cards effectively. This way, I’ll be ready when it’s my turn and the game will move faster.
If I run out of cards in my deck, I can choose to skip my turn and declare the end of the round. The other players will take one more turn, and then the round will end and a new one will start.
Becoming Stronger
When I’m in the game, I’ll get better in a few ways:
- I can find cool things like powerful Artifacts, learn new Spells, and learn other useful Advanced Actions. These fancy cards are added to my deck, and I can use them right away or save them for later.
- When I’m in a town or city, I can recruit local Units like villagers, soldiers, golems, and mages. Some of them think of me as a hero and are happy to join me on my adventures. Having these Units gives me more options, especially in a fight.
When you’re out there doing brave deeds, like fighting enemies, you earn Fame points. The more points you collect, the higher your Fame level rises. And as you progress, you get to learn cool new Skills and Advanced Actions, improve your abilities, and even command multiple Units.
So, how does the scenario end? Well, the first scenario wraps up when a player uncovers a Map tile with a city on it and everyone has taken one more turn, including the player who revealed the City.
But wait, there’s more! At the end of the game, players get extra Fame for achieving different feats. And whoever has gathered the most Fame becomes the ultimate winner!
Now, let’s talk about setting up the game. Take a look at the big picture below to see how all the components should be prepared for your first game. And in the “Players” section, there’s another picture that shows how each player should get their playing area ready.
The Day Tactic Cards: Your Guide to Taking Turns
Hey there! Let’s talk about the Day Tactic cards. We’ll get to actually using them in a bit, but for now, let’s focus on what they do. You see, these cards determine the order of play in this Round.
Each card has a big number on it. This number tells us who goes first – the player with the lowest number, to be exact. So, keep an eye on those numbers!
Once we have our Tactic cards, it’s time to rearrange the Round Order tokens near the Day/Night board. We want the player with the lowest number on their Tactic card to have their token on top, and the player with the highest number to have their token at the bottom. Got it?
Now Let’s Make Our Moves!
Once we know who’s going first, we can start taking turns. The player with the top Round Order token goes first, and then we go around in order, one player at a time, until someone decides to end the Round. It’s as simple as that!
When it’s my turn to play, I get to choose which cards from my hand I want to use and activate their effects. If I have any recruited Units, I can also activate them to use their abilities. And later, when I’ve gained some Skills, I can use those too, if they’re available.
To make my action cards more powerful, I can spend mana of the specified color. Each turn, I can use one mana die from the Source that matches the color shown. I can also convert my crystals, which I keep in my Inventory, into mana, or gain mana as a result of other card effects.
When I finish my turn, the first thing I need to do is return any mana dice I used back to the Source. As I do this, I roll the dice and put them back in the Source with their new color showing. If a die shows black, I place it in the darker area in the top right – this means the mana die is depleted.
Now it’s your turn to play! Here’s what you need to do:
When you finish your turn, follow these steps:
- Put all the cards you played face up to your discard pile.
- Return any mana tokens you used or didn’t use back to the bank. Keep only the crystals that you have stored in your Inventory.
- Draw cards from your Deed deck until you reach your Hand limit. The starting Hand limit is 5 cards, which is indicated on your Level token. However, your Hand limit may increase as you earn more Fame during the game, or it can be temporarily increased under certain conditions.
Before you draw new cards, you have the option to discard any non-Wound cards from your hand. Keep in mind that Wound cards can never be discarded unless a rule or card specifically allows it.
Next Player
Now it’s my turn to play! I’ll start by rolling my mana dice and using them to play cards. While I’m doing that, you can start planning your next move and drawing cards. Once we’ve all taken our turns, it will be my turn again, and the cycle continues.
Ending the Round
If I don’t have any cards left in my Deed deck at the start of my turn, I have two options. I can either play with the cards in my hand or announce the End of the Round. If I choose to end the round, my turn immediately comes to an end. After that, each player gets one last turn before the round officially ends.
If I don’t have any cards in my Deed deck or my hand at the start of my turn, I have no choice but to announce the End of the Round. However, if someone else has already announced it, I don’t need to take a turn.
A Single Turn
When it’s my turn, I have two choices — I can either make a Regular turn or Rest. In the beginning of the game, I won’t need to Rest, so I’ll start with a Regular turn.
On my first turn, I put my figure on the Magic Portal space on the map. From that point on, my figure can move and do things on the map.
A Regular turn has two parts. First, I can move my figure one or more spaces on the map. Then, depending on where I end up, I can choose to do something (like fighting or talking to people) or do nothing at all.
On my turn, I have a few options:
- I can move to another space and then fight or talk to people there.
- I can stay where I am and fight or talk to people there.
- I can move to another space and do nothing there.
- I can choose to do nothing.
Interacting in a Village

When the first game begins, there are two villages located in the initial part of the map. Villages are places where people live, and you can use your influence to interact with the locals there. Take a look at the Village Description card to see what actions you can take at the village.
Influence Points
You can use cards to gain Influence points, just like you do with Move points. Remember, any non-Wound card can be played sideways to give you 1 Influence point.
Similar to Move points, you add up the Influence points from all the cards you play. However, the total is adjusted based on your Reputation.
Reputation
Hey there! When I’m chatting with the locals, I always make sure to check where my Shield token is on the Reputation track. It’s super important because it tells me what will happen next. If my token is on a space with a ‘0’, then nothing really happens. But if it’s on a space with a positive number, then my total Influence goes up by that amount. That’s pretty cool!
But watch out: if my Shield token lands on the space marked with a red “X” on the Reputation track, that means the locals aren’t too happy with me. They refuse to talk and I can’t interact with them at all. Yikes! I better do something to improve my Reputation before I try again.
Using Influence
So here’s the deal with Influence: it’s like a special kind of currency that lets me buy stuff. Depending on where I am, I might be able to recruit a village Unit or get some Healing points. The cool thing is, I can buy one or more things at the same time. They can be different things too! For example, I could buy Healing points and recruit a village Unit all in one go. And if I have Healing points, I can even combine them with other healing effects later. How awesome is that?
Just like when I move, I can switch between using Influence or saving it. But here’s the catch – the effect of my Reputation, whether good or bad, only applies once per turn, regardless of how many things I purchase.
Getting New Units on My Team
Now, when it comes to expanding my forces, I can only recruit Units that are available in the Unit offer.

Hey there, let me break it down for you. Check out these Units. Take a look at the middle-left of each Unit card, and you’ll find one or more icons indicating where you can recruit that Unit. If you’re at a village, you can only recruit Units that have a village icon (look at the Site Description cards – all inhabited sites have an icon in the upper right corner).
To recruit a Unit, just check out the cost in the upper left corner of the card. That’s how many Influence points you need to pay. If you’ve got enough, recruit the Unit and add it to your Units area.
Now, here’s an important tip – the Unit offer doesn’t get immediately replenished when you recruit a Unit. As players recruit Units, there will be fewer cards available in the Unit offer. The Unit offer will only be fully replenished at the start of each Round.
When you recruit your first Unit, you need to take the Command token you have and put it above the Unit. This means you can’t have any more Units until you reach level 3 and get another Command token.
Even if you don’t have a free Command token, you can still recruit. However, before you can recruit a new Unit, you have to disband the old Unit by removing it from the game. This will make the Command token available again so you can assign it to the new Unit.
Plundering A Village
Hey there! So, here’s the deal. When you finish your turn on a village, you have the option to plunder it before your next turn. It’s a risky move because it will lower your Reputation by 1 point, but it also has its perks. When you choose to plunder, you immediately get to draw two cards from your Deed deck. These extra cards can really give you an edge on your next turn.
Now, here’s the cool part. Plundering a village doesn’t mess with the village itself. You can still recruit Units and buy Healing here. And if you stick around, you can even plunder it again after your next turn. The only catch is that every time you plunder, your Reputation takes a hit. So, you gotta weigh the pros and cons.
Here’s something important to remember. Plundering is not an action you take during your turn. It actually happens after your turn has ended, and it occurs during another player’s turn. All you gotta do is announce that you’re plundering, decrease your reputation, draw your two cards, and then start strategizing for your next turn using those new cards. Oh, and don’t forget! You can only plunder each village once between your own turns.
Units
When you recruit units, they are kept in your Units area. Each unit has a Command token above it, which is the reverse side of a Level token.
Engaging in Battle
There will be many opportunities for combat throughout the game. However, at this moment, the only enemies you will encounter on the revealed part of the map are two groups of Orc Marauders, represented by green tokens.
Understanding Enemy Tokens
Now, let’s take a closer look at an enemy token:

Let’s break down the information you need to understand when facing enemies in the game:
- The number at the top represents the enemy’s Armor. This tells you how much attack power you’ll need to defeat them.
- The number on the left is the enemy’s Attack. It shows you the amount of Block you’ll need to defend against their attack or how much damage you’ll take if you don’t block. This number is shown with a fist icon to indicate it’s a physical attack. Keep in mind, there will be enemies with Ice and Fire attacks later, each with their own attack icons.
- On the right side, you might see an icon indicating any special abilities the enemy has.
- Some enemies have unique defensive abilities, like resistances. You’ll find these icons next to the enemy’s Armor icon.
- The number at the bottom is the amount of Fame you’ll gain when you defeat this enemy.
Battle against Rampaging Enemies

Okay, so here’s how you start a fight: you need to be right next to the bad guy. You say, “Hey, I want to fight you!” Then, the fight begins.
This is the only thing you can do on your turn, so make it count.
Let’s say you’re walking and you end up next to a village with an enemy standing there. Now you have to decide: do you want to talk to the villagers or fight the enemy? Or, maybe you just want to do nothing at all. It’s up to you.
There’s another way to start a fight: just walk around the enemy. That will make them really mad, and they’ll immediately start attacking you. But remember, that’s the only thing you can do on your turn, so keep that in mind. I talked about moving around in the section above, so if you want more information, go check it out.
What Happens in a Fight
If I manage to defeat the rampaging enemy, I toss the token into the discard pile and the space becomes safe. Whether I was provoked or challenged, the locals appreciate it when I get rid of Orc Marauders, and I gain +1 Reputation. I move my Shield token up on the Reputation track, unless I’m already on the last +5 space.
Now, let’s talk about healing. We just saw how easy it is to get wounded, but getting rid of those wounds is not so simple.
Wound cards play a role in this.

So, here’s the deal: Wound cards are a total pain. Seriously, they’re completely useless in your hand and you can’t get rid of them like you normally would with other cards. They just sit there, taking up space and counting against your Hand limit.
Even if you manage to toss them away somehow (more on that later), they don’t disappear. Nope, they stick around in your deck, just waiting to be drawn again during the next Round. Talk about annoying!
Now, there are a few ways these pesky Wound cards can find their way into your deck. For example, if you get hit with a poisonous attack, you’ll end up with Wounds in your deck. And guess what? If you still have leftover Wounds in your hand when the Round ends, they’ll get mixed in with the rest of your cards when you shuffle your deck. So, there’s no escape!
But here’s the thing: having a deck full of Wound cards is a disaster. It slows you down and makes you totally ineffective. That’s why it’s crucial to get rid of those Wound cards in your hand as soon as possible. And the best way to do that is through Healing.
Now, let’s talk about Wounded Units.
A Wounded Unit is like a sitting duck. It can’t be activated or take any more damage. It’s out of commission until it gets some proper Healing (or until you swap it out for a fresh, healthy one).
How to Get Healing Points
Luckily, there are certain cards and abilities that can grant you Healing points. When a card says “Heal X,” it means you’ll receive X Healing points.
You have the flexibility to use these effects at any time during your turn, except during combat. Keep in mind that you can’t heal a Unit that was wounded during the Assign Damage phase and then use it in the Attack phase of that same combat. Just play these healing effects like you would any other card. You can stack them together or use mana to make them even stronger. Please note that not all cards can be played sideways to get extra Healing points.
It’s also possible to combine healing points with healing obtained in a village. For more information about this, check out the Interaction in a Village section.
Once you’ve utilized the relevant cards and abilities, you’ll accumulate a certain number of Healing points. For instance, if you play a card that provides Heal 1 and activate a Unit that also provides healing, you will end up with a total amount of Healing points.
So, here’s the situation: I have 2 health, and I just purchased 3 healing potions for 9 Influence points in this village. That gives me a total of 6 healing points to work with. Now, it’s time to decide how to best use them.
Using Healing Points
If I spend 1 healing point, I can remove one of the wound cards from my hand and put it back in the wound pile. Keep in mind, though, that I can only heal wound cards from my hand and not from my discard pile or deed deck.
Alternatively, I can use my healing points to heal wounded units. To do this, I need to spend healing points equal to the level of the unit, which you can find in the Roman numeral at the top right of the unit card. By removing a wound card from the unit, I can return it to the wound pile. If a unit has two wound cards on it (likely from a poisonous attack), I have to heal it twice to fully restore it to its original state.
When it comes to Healing points, the choice is yours. You have the power to determine how you want to use them. You can choose to heal multiple Wounds from your hand, or you can decide to heal one or more Units. Alternatively, you can divide the Healing among various targets. The decision is entirely up to you.
Taking a Break

When you’re playing the game, you have the option to Rest instead of taking a regular turn. This can be a good choice, especially if you have Wound cards in your hand that you need to get rid of.
During a Rest, you can’t move or take any actions, like interacting with other players or fighting. However, you are still able to play Special and Healing cards to help yourself, and you can also take advantage of any special spaces on the board that give you benefits at the end of your turn.
But there’s a catch. When you Rest, you have to discard one regular card that isn’t a Wound, as well as any number of Wound cards. It’s important to note that this isn’t the same as healing. The cards you discard go to your discard pile, and those Wound cards you discard might come back to haunt you later in the game.
Exhaustion
Your Hero becomes exhausted when all you have in your hand at the start of your turn are Wound cards. When this happens, you have to show your hand to the other players. Unfortunately, during your turn, all you can do is discard one Wound card. It’s a tough situation to be in, but sometimes you just have to tough it out and hope for better cards next time.
When it’s my turn, I don’t want to miss out on anything. I like to make the most of it by using all the tricks up my sleeve. But sometimes, I need a break. I can’t move or take an action, but I can still heal and use the special abilities of my units. If I happen to be on a space that gives me a bonus at the end of my turn, I can still enjoy it.
Going Back
I have a lot of choices when it comes to playing my turn. And sometimes, I change my mind and want to undo something I did. The game lets me do that. I can take back cards or actions if I want to.
Now, I know some people prefer to stick to their decisions and not allow any changes. But that can slow things down. We’ll have to spend more time planning our turns. It’s much easier if we can look at the cards and mana we have, play our turn, change our mind, and try a different approach. It keeps the game moving and makes it more enjoyable for everyone.
But you know what they say – some things are just irreversible. Like when you find out something new, whether it’s exploring a map or drawing a card, there’s no going back. Once you reveal that information, it’s out there for good. And the same goes for any action that involves an element of chance, like rolling a die. You can’t change your mind or undo what’s been done.
Once you reveal any new information, whether it’s from exploring the map, drawing a card, or uncovering a hidden enemy, you can’t take it back. There’s no going back and changing your previous actions. The same goes for any action that depends on chance, like rolling a die. Once you’ve rolled the dice, you’re stuck with the result.
For instance
When I play a Move card, I use a mana die to reveal a map tile. Guess what? There’s a village right next to where I am! I really want to get back that mana and play more Move cards so I can recruit a Unit from the village. But here’s the catch – I can’t undo my previous action because now I have new information.
Now, picture this: I use up some mana to move closer to the Orc Marauders. I challenge them to a fight, all confident and all. But then, uh-oh, I realize I actually need that mana for combat. What do I do now? Well, luckily for me, since I haven’t revealed any new information, I can change my game plan. I can mix and match different cards and abilities to move or even decide to do something completely different.
Level Ups
Guess what? With enough fame, you can level up your hero! It’s like moving up to the next stage. But remember, the highest level you can reach is 10.
End of the Round
If I run out of cards in my Deed deck and I don’t have anything in my hand to play (or my hand is empty), I can declare the “end of the Round” at the start of my turn. If I do this, I won’t take a turn. Instead, each of the other players will have one final turn for the Round, and then the Round will be done.
Getting Ready for a New Round
To get ready for a new Round, follow these steps:
- Turn the Day/Night board over to the other side – the time of day changes.
- Let’s start by rolling all the mana dice to create a new Source. If we’re beginning a Day Round, any black dice should be placed on the depleted side of the Source. Similarly, if it’s a Night Round, any gold dice should be placed on the depleted side. This is important because starting with a Day Round helps new players understand that a gold mana die isn’t necessarily a good thing. By putting it on the “bad side” of the Source during Night Rounds, we remind them of this. Remember, at least half of the dice should be in basic colors. Keep rerolling the black and gold dice until this condition is met.
- Next, let’s take all the Unit cards from the Unit offer that were not recruited and place them at the bottom of the Regular Unit deck. If there are any Advanced Action cards in the Unit offer (as explained in the section above), those should also be placed at the bottom of the Advanced Action deck.
I’ll show you some new cards for the Unit offer. The number of cards is equal to the number of players, plus 2. If there are any monasteries on the board (that haven’t been burned), we reveal that many Advanced Action cards and add them to the Unit offer.
Now, for the Advanced Action offer, we remove the card in the lowest position and put it back at the bottom of the Advanced Action deck. Then, we move the other cards down and add a new card from the top of the deck to the top position of the offer.
The Spell offer is refreshed in the same way as the Advanced Action offer.
Deciding on Tactics

When it’s time to choose our Tactics for the next Round, we have an important decision to make.
The player who ends up in last place on the Fame track gets to go first and pick their Tactics. Then the second-to-last player gets their turn, and so on. The player who has the most Fame will choose last.
If there’s a tie, the player who played later in the previous Round (meaning their Round Order token was lower in the order) gets to go first and choose their Tactics.
Once everyone has chosen a Tactic, we need to rearrange the Round Order tokens by the Day/Night board to show the new turn order.
The Game’s End
The first scenario is nearing its end once the city tile is revealed. Each player, including the one who revealed the city, gets to take one more turn before the game is over. During this time, players are not allowed to engage in combat with each other.
After the game ends, it’s time to give out some bonus rewards. You’ll earn extra Fame for accomplishing various achievements. Keep moving your Shields on the Fame track, but don’t worry about leveling up right now. Each category will also grant you special titles for even more Fame.
Before we figure out the achievements, you need to gather all your cards (from your hand, discard pile, and Deed deck) and organize them by type. This will show you what cards you have at the end of the game.
Calculating Your Final Score

In the game, the final score is shown on the Achievement Scoring card. You can check this card at any time during the game. However, the other side of the card is not used in “The First Reconnaissance” scenario.
Let’s talk about the different ways you can score points in the game.
One way to score points is by accumulating knowledge. The more knowledge you have, the higher your score will be. You earn Fame points equal to the total level of all your Units. However, if any of your Units are wounded, they are only worth half the points, rounded down. For example, a wounded level 1 Unit is worth no Fame points. If you have the highest Fame score in this category, you will receive an additional 3 Fame points for being the Greatest Leader. If there is a tie, you will only receive 1 extra Fame point.
Another way to score points is by collecting loot. Each player earns 2 Fame points for every Shield token they have on a keep, mage tower, or monastery. If you have the highest Fame score in this category, you will receive an additional 3 Fame points for being the Greatest Conqueror. If there is a tie, you will only receive 1 extra Fame point.
Lastly, you can score points by being an adventurous player. The more adventures you embark on, the higher your score will be. Unfortunately, the game does not provide specific details on how to earn points in this category.
In summary, to score well in the game, you need to focus on gaining knowledge, collecting loot, and being adventurous. Keep in mind that earning the title of the Greatest Leader or the Greatest Conqueror will give you extra Fame points. Good luck on your quest for glory!
A Legendary Victory
Wow, have you ever thought about what it means to be famous? People often chase after fame, thinking it’s the ultimate prize. But is it really? Let’s dive into this intriguing concept and uncover the true significance of fame.