Why it belongs on your radar
Distinctive MinaLima artwork; card-driven movement across Hogwarts; two substantially different roles; meaningful resource and timing decisions.
✧THE INDEPENDENT TABLETOP GUIDE
The fate of Hogwarts is in your hands.
Learn the rules. Choose your side. Find your copy. Your companion to MinaLima’s spellbinding, asymmetric deck-building adventure.
An independent fan guide. Not affiliated with MinaLima or Warner Bros.
2-5Players
90 minPlaying time
13+Recommended age
Asymmetric deck-buildingCreated by MinaLima
Your guide to the battle
From your first turn to your next game night.
THE RULES, UNRAVELLED
A little knowledge. A lot of magic.
One player commands the Dark Arts. The others represent Hogwarts houses. Build your deck and navigate the castle, but remember: every House replenishment brings the Dark Arts closer.
Read the official rulebook
Based on the official June 2026 rulebook. Printed page numbers are referenced below. Card text takes precedence over general rules.
01Set the table
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Place the castle and side boards. Reveal six Defence Shields and place seven Hogwarts tokens. Reveal two Library Books, two Acquire cards and two Advanced Acquire cards. Choose one Dark Arts player; give each House three castle pawns and a fourth on the Loyalty Track. Follow pp. 6-9 for starter hands and location cards.
02Take your turn
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House players choose one main action: Explore, Learn or Replenish. Explore plays a card for movement and/or its effect. Learn trades one card for a normal card, or two for an advanced card plus Loyalty progress; acquired cards go on top of your draw deck. Free actions can accompany your main action. See pp. 16-17.
03Watch the Dark Arts Path
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House Replenish lets you discard any number of cards, draw to five and recover stunned pawns, then advances the Dark Arts marker one space. The Dark Arts player can Explore or Replenish, but cannot discard cards to replenish. Their own replenishment does not advance the path. See pp. 17 and 20-22.
04Know what wins
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A House player wins by collecting two Defence Shields. Each shield requires a Library Book, a Parchment Scroll and the depicted Dark Detector or D.A. Coin, exchanged on a Shield space. Dark Arts needs all three Progress Tokens and 1-3 pawns together at its target location. A final-hand draw is possible. See pp. 5 and 23.
05Move and resolve cards
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Choose an unstunned pawn and move up to the printed value. A 3 + 3 card moves two pawns up to three spaces each, or one up to six; you cannot split it 2 + 4. House pawns need card effects to cross obstacles. A lightning icon is a reaction: reveal it only when its condition occurs and resolve the effect, not movement. See pp. 10-16.
06Stun or bump?
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When a House pawn ends its move on a Dark Arts pawn, both are stunned; move the Dark Arts pawn to an adjacent space. When Dark Arts ends a move on a House pawn, return that House pawn to the Great Hall and the attacker to its off-board pool. Take that House marker. After bumping, gain one of two drawn Acquire cards; this upgrade is once per turn. See pp. 16 and 20.
07Build Loyalty and earn scrolls
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Occupy areas on two of your three Location cards, reveal and return those two cards to gain a Scroll. The first Scroll grants two new Location cards; after the second, return the remaining card and stop gaining locations. Reaching the fifth Loyalty space opens the Room of Requirement for D.A. Coins and can grant the Dark Detector. Trading the Detector for a shield moves you back three Loyalty spaces. See pp. 17-19.
THE INTERACTIVE FIELD GUIDE
Learn the game. Bring the board to life.
Explore the starter cards and castle, then enter a tactical practice battle.
GPT-image-2 illustrations • 14 starter cards verified against p.13 • Teaching map, not the official board. The PDF does not publish the full acquire, location or event decks.
The starter card cabinet
Each house uses the same seven starting cards. The Dark Arts player has a different seven-card deck. Select a card to inspect its movement, effect and source.
02 / ATLAS
A castle worth knowing
Select a glowing location to learn what it does. The illustrated positions and paths are schematic; use the official board for legal movement.
03 / FIRST GAME
Your first defence. Your decisions.
Play a complete practice battle: choose your cards, command three students and outwit the Dark Arts pursuer.
PRACTICE ARENA · CUSTOM ROUTES
DARK ARTS THREAT0/20
Pursuer moves every 3 rounds. Threat rises every 3 rounds.
YOUR HAND
Select a card, then plot your route on the board.Draw 2Discard 0Action 1/1
Plan your next moveChoose a student and a card. Glowing nodes show legal steps.
A standalone practice battle based on verified starter cards. Routes, enemy AI, threat limit and the training acquire row are custom to this arena; this is not a full simulation of the commercial board game. Explore 2+2 uses the legal single-student 4-step option here. Progress lasts until you leave or refresh this page.
Ready for the first round?
Choose the total player count, then check each setup step. The most experienced player should take the Dark Arts role.
Check your understanding
TWO SIDES OF THE SAME SPELL
Will you defend, or descend?
Four houses. A castle worth defending.
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin: plan your routes around your Location cards to earn Parchment Scrolls. Collect a Library Book and work along the Loyalty Track for a Dark Detector or D.A. Coin. Coordinate when useful, but each House still races for its own two shields.
A different deck. A darker ambition.
Bump House pawns back to the Great Hall to disrupt routes and improve your deck. Dark Arts pawns ignore obstacles but cannot enter Protected Areas. Gather all three Progress Tokens, then bring the required number of pawns to your target Location together. Your effects strengthen as the path changes colour.
THE EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE
More than a beautiful box?
RULEBOOK-BASED PREVIEW
MinaLima’s illustrated castle and asymmetric roles are the draw. The interesting tension is in the rules: replenishing a House hand helps you now, but advances your opponent’s path. This looks best suited to players who enjoy route planning, card combinations and direct confrontation.
No hands-on score is assigned. This is editorial analysis of the published rules and campaign materials, not a playtested review.
What to consider first
A 90-minute listed playtime, different rules for each side, and direct player conflict. This is not a fully cooperative Hogwarts Battle replacement. Balance, downtime and component quality need hands-on testing.
BRING THE BATTLE TO YOUR TABLE
Find your edition. Know the real cost.
Compare listed GBP prices without mixing a crowdfunding pledge with a retail checkout price. Shipping, tax and delivery timing can change the total.
Source check: 11 October 2026
| Channel / edition | Listed price | What you get | Visit source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hive / The Defender | £58Shipping & applicable taxes extra | Base game | Check availability |
| Hive / The Guardian | £115Shipping & applicable taxes extra | Base game, deluxe sleeve, wooden tokens, pins and card sleeves | Check availability |
| Hive / The Collector | £280Shipping & applicable taxes extra | Guardian contents plus collector upgrades and signed portfolio | Check availability |
| Suggested UK retail price | £75Kickstarter FAQ | Base game, includes UK VAT; not a live stock offer | Check availability |
| Amazon UK | Not verified | Search listings; check edition, stock and seller | Check availability |
| eBay UK | Not verified | Search listings; check edition, stock and seller | Check availability |
| Channel / edition | Listed price | What you get | Visit source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hive / The Defender | £58Shipping & applicable taxes extra | Base game | Check availability |
| Hive / The Guardian | £115Shipping & applicable taxes extra | Base game, deluxe sleeve, wooden tokens, pins and card sleeves | Check availability |
| Hive / The Collector | £280Shipping & applicable taxes extra | Guardian contents plus collector upgrades and signed portfolio | Check availability |
| Channel / edition | Listed price | What you get | Visit source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suggested UK retail price | £75Kickstarter FAQ | Base game, includes UK VAT; not a live stock offer | Check availability |
| Amazon UK | Not verified | Search listings; check edition, stock and seller | Check availability |
| eBay UK | Not verified | Search listings; check edition, stock and seller | Check availability |
YOUR NEXT GAME NIGHT
Same love of magic. Different games.
Choose by how you want to play, not just the name on the box.
| Game | At the table | Core experience | Choose it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders of Hogwarts | Asymmetric, 2-5 players | Deck-building + castle navigation | MinaLima art and player-versus-player tension |
| Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle | Cooperative, 2-4 players | Shared villains and campaign-style progression | Working together as familiar heroes |
| Dominion | Competitive, 2-4 players | Market-driven deck-building | A focused card-combination puzzle |
Comparison: base editions. See publisher rules for edition-specific player counts.
Before you cast your first spell
Is this the same as Hogwarts Battle?+
No. Defenders of Hogwarts is MinaLima’s asymmetric game with one Dark Arts player. Hogwarts Battle is a different, cooperative deck-building game.
Can everyone play on the Hogwarts side?+
The published rules require one Dark Arts player. The remaining 1-4 players each choose a Hogwarts house. No official solo mode is described in this rulebook.
Does the £58 pledge include shipping?+
No. Hive states that shipping and applicable sales taxes are calculated separately by location. Compare the checkout total, not just the pledge amount.
Where can I find the complete rules?+
Use the official rulebook linked in the How to Play section. Our guide is a learning aid; consult the rulebook for full card, movement, event and setup details.
Sources & editorial method+
Rules: official MinaLima PDF (June 2026). Pledge prices and estimated delivery: Hive project page, checked 11 October 2026. UK RRP: indexed Kickstarter FAQ (£75 including UK VAT), not independently confirmed at checkout. Page structure inspired by UltraBoardGames’ Dominion guide. Reviews are rulebook-based editorial previews; no invented rating or playtest is used. Retail searches are not verified offers.