USAopoly - Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle - Defence Against the Dark Arts - Board Game

When the kids were young the annual (at least for the earlier books) publishing of the Harry Potter books was a huge event requiring the re-reading aloud at bed-time (with voices, obviously) of the entire series. Mind you, by the time the later books came out they were old enough to read them themselves. Buying board games for Christmas is a family tradition so we have a few HP based games; some good, other less so. Many years later, it is just my wife and I and we have become keen two player co-operative board game players.Never having tired of Harry Potter, re-watching the films is as integral a part of Christmas as playing that year’s new games. We bought this game over three years ago and it is always in the stack of most frequently played games on the gaming table.Describing it as just a deck building game does not do it justice; this game is the most well-conceived and faithful to the narrative & spirit of HP that we have come across and is definitely not a cynical money grab. That is not to say that it is simple or childish. Much like the books, each of the seven games are progressively more difficult and the darkness of the later stories is reflected in the sense of skin-of-your-teeth survival against increasingly nasty familiar villains.Each player chooses one of the core charters (Harry, Hermione, Ron or Neville) and starts the game with a deck of, frankly, pretty feeble spells & items as befits a first year. Each turn, the next card of the Dark Arts deck is played (various degrees of unpleasant ensue), then the players play a five-card hand of Hogwarts cards, each card giving the opportunity to damage the current villain(s), gain money to purchase more cards, restore health etc. Once the current villain is defeated, the next one steps into the fray and so-on until all of the villains are defeated (win!) or the villains have defeated the players at all of that game’s locations (lose – Doh!). Sounds complicated? No, it isn’t. The rule book is very well laid out with clear, concise rules and after a few plays through it remains in the box.There is a box for each game (one to seven) containing additional villains, Hogwarts and Dark Arts cards which are usually shuffled into those accumulated from previous games with occasional supplementary character sheets granting the players additional powers. Each game is accompanied by a quick reference guide explaining what is to be done with the new components and informing of any additional rules.The first three games are not too tricky and are more of a means to familiarise new players with the mechanics, although we occasionally start from the beginning as it seems right (we can play the first five games in about four and a half hours). Games four to seven ramp up the difficulty and the rule stating that each player starts each game with only their starting deck makes games five and six more difficult to win. In game seven the horcruxes are introduced making the even more powerful Voldemorte very, very difficult to defeat. Admittedly, the last game is supposed to be difficult but being constantly defeated, even playing two characters each, is demoralising. We usually start from game four and have introduced a house rule that from game five onwards we keep a random third of the Hogwarts cards that we have accumulated to carry forward to the next game in addition to the starting deck. We rationalise this by reasoning that if the main characters had started the Order of the Phoenix with just a bunch of Alohomoras and an ally & item or two, then they would not have lasted five minutes in the Department of Mysteries, let alone the later Deathly Hallows encounters (Hermione’s spells while they are camping in the forest are very cool). This house rule makes the game far more realistic & enjoyable and while it is easier to win the final game, the gameplay is intense and the whole game experience is thoroughly immersive.Despite the above minor criticism of the balance, this game is brilliant. With an excellent rule book, relatively easy to learn rules, no ambiguities, smooth & pacey gameplay and excellent components, this game is a polished joy to play. There is little analysis paralysis and full co-operation is essential for every game, although, as with most co-op games, there is a risk of the dreaded alpha gamer syndrome. With plenty of randomness in the various decks, replayability is very good. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter and like co-op games, this is a must.Rulebook: 10/10 Complexity: 5/10 Component quality: 10/10 Replayability: 10/10 Gameplay pace: 10/10

I'm big into deck building games and have a few favourites but this has catapulted to the top of them. It is a great game for families, couples, friends or if you prefer there is a solo player mode.I'm not a big Harry Potter fan but I bought this for my partner who is, unlike a lot of brand specific games the gameplay does not require a prior knowledge of the subject (but merely adds to it via nostalgia).For any deck building game fans, I would best describe this as a mix of Dominion and Marvel Legend. You essentially start off with a basic hand for your character (Harry, Ron, Hermione or Neville) and then buy cards to get more spells, items or allies to go into your Discard Pile. Everytime your Draw Pile runs out you shuffle your Discard Pile to create a new Draw Pile, so you are constantly refreshing with the new cards you have bought. Using your cards you have to defeat the Villains from that film (and all previous) before they capture locations, with each Villain having a special power it requires you to be tactical with which order you defeat them.What makes this game particularly stand out is how much the gameplay and added features adapts throughout the seven years (levels), it keeps it interesting and eager to try the next level.For me though the best part is that it is PvE, meaning that all players are working together to beat the Villains and teamwork is essential to succeeding. I have played this with experienced board gamers and complete newbies (including my Mum) and everyone has picked it up extremely quickly as it is so easy to follow the turn order.I would highly recommend to any board game fan but especially any Harry Potter fans, a great family game!

My friends and I were already both Harry Potter fans and board game players so the combination of these two things was bound to be considered good to us, but that said this is still a beautifully designed game.Those unfamiliar with card deck building games may take a short while to get used to the playing style as you're not moving a piece around the board as instead you are strengthening your set of cards in order to defeat the various villains that appear throughout the game. The game play is straightforward as there's only a couple of different things to do each turn.It's also beautifully tiered and gets progressively difficult as you move through the games. There are seven games in total (one for each book) and contain no spoilers within each year, just additional characters or items that are added in the books at that point. When I introduced this to my non board game playing 'Harry Potter fan' friends the first game is simple enough that they could pick it up easily and were left wanting to continue the game - this is an incredibly moorish game and once you've completed one game/book you immediately want to move onto the next. Game 7 is very difficult and a real challenge every time and has great replay-ability as so many variables can change from the order villains arrive to which cards you can add to your hand.We have made up one additional rule when you play it as when attacking a villain you have to verbally cast a spell - slaying the Basilisk with 'wingardium leviosa' has never been such fun!We usually start with Game 5 after lunch on a Sunday afternoon and hopefully, if we've played well enough, we're defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in Game 7 by dinner! I cannot recommend this game highly enough.

Fans of harry potter and deck builders will not be disappointed the progression system adds new things as you unlock new boxes but still leaves you with a full game at the end to continue to play.(even better with the expansions)