Trickerion: Legends of Illusion
2015
In Trickerion, players become rival magicians in a 19th-century cityscape, using strategy, worker placement, and action selection to perform intricate tricks, earn fame and ultimately win the supernatural Trickerion Stone.
180
minutes
2 - 4
player(s)
14+
Heavy
About the game
Trickerion: Legends of Illusion is an enchanting board game experience that invites players into a world of illusion and wonder. The game is set in a richly imagined universe, inspired by the golden age of magic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this world, players take on the roles of renowned stage magicians, each with their unique abilities and tricks, striving to become the most illustrious illusionist of their time.
The city of Magoria serves as the backdrop for this game of strategy and cunning. Players navigate the city, gathering resources, acquiring new tricks, and hiring assistants, all in the name of enhancing their performances and captivating the audience.
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Setup and rules summary
Game flow Round and round we go
Trickerion: Legends of Illusion is a complex and thematic strategy board game, where players are illustrious illusionists striving to become the most famous magician of their time. The game takes place over seven rounds, each representing a week. To provide a detailed understanding of the game, let’s break it down into its main phases and the actions players perform at each stage.
1. The Roll Phase:
In the Roll phase, players roll dice to determine the available Trickerion Shards for the current round.
2. The Assignment Phase:
This is the strategic heart of the game. Players assign each of their workers to a different location on the game board. These locations include the Downtown, the Market Row, the Workshop, and the Theatre. Each location offers different actions.
- Downtown: Here, players can learn new tricks, send their assistants to work for extra money, or gather Trickerion Shards.
- Market Row: At this location, players can purchase the components needed to perform their tricks.
- Workshop: In the Workshop, players can prepare their tricks for performance.
- Theatre: At the Theatre, players can schedule and perform their tricks to earn Fame and Money.
3. The Performance Phase:
In the Performance phase, players perform their tricks in the order they were scheduled. Each successful performance earns the player Fame and Money. Players can also earn additional Fame and Money by performing their tricks in combination with others, creating a more spectacular show.
4. The End of Round Phase:
In the final phase of each round, players receive their income based on their current Fame, pay their workers, and prepare for the next round. All performed tricks are removed from the Theatre, and the first player marker passes to the next player in clockwise order.
End of the Game:
The game ends after the seventh round. Players then calculate their final scores based on their Fame and leftover money. The player with the highest score is declared the winner, having successfully become the most renowned magician of their time.
Players'turn One turn to rule them all
In Trickerion: Legends of Illusion, each player’s turn is a multi-step process involving strategic decision-making. The goal of the game is to accumulate the most Fame points by performing magic tricks in a 19th-century setting.
The first step is the Role selection.
- Each player secretly selects a Role card. The Role card determines the player’s initiative order and provides a unique ability for that turn.
- Strategically, a player may choose a Role with a low initiative number to act early in the turn, or a Role with a powerful ability to gain an advantage.
Next comes the Placement phase.
- Players take turns placing their workers on various locations on the game board. The available locations include the Theatre, the Market, the Workshop, and the Downtown.
- The choice of location depends on the player’s strategy. For example, a player may choose to visit the Market to acquire new trick blueprints or props, or the Theatre to perform tricks and earn Fame points.
Then, there’s the Performance phase.
- Beginning with the player who chose the Performer Role, each player may choose to perform one of their prepared tricks. This consumes the trick’s components, but earns the player Fame and Money.
- Strategically, performing tricks is the primary way to earn Fame points. However, a player must balance this against the need to replenish their stock of components.
Finally, the turn ends with the Cleanup phase.
- All players retrieve their workers from the game board, discard any used Role cards, and prepare for the next turn.
- A player may strategically choose to leave some workers on the board in anticipation of the next turn, but this reduces their flexibility during the Placement phase.
Through these steps, a player’s turn in Trickerion: Legends of Illusion involves careful planning and strategic decision-making. The player must balance the need to earn Fame points through performing tricks, with the need to replenish their resources and prepare for future turns.
End of the game All good games must come to an end
Trickerion: Legends of Illusion is a strategy board game where players strive to become the city’s greatest illusionist. The game concludes after seven rounds, and the player with the most Fame points is declared the winner. However, there are specific endgame procedures and victory conditions to consider.
At the end of the seventh round, once all players have taken their turns, the End of Week phase begins. During this phase, each player must:
- Return their workers: All workers on the board must be returned to their respective player’s board.
- Advance the performance card: The performance card on the Sunday space of the Calendar is removed from the board and a new one is drawn.
- Move the round marker: The round marker moves one space forward on the Calendar.
After the completion of the seventh round’s End of Week phase, the game enters the final scoring phase. Here, players receive additional Fame points based on the following:
- Trickerion Shards: Players receive one Fame point for each Trickerion Shard they possess.
- Coins: Players receive one Fame point for every three coins they have.
- Prepared Spells: Players receive Fame points equal to the total sum of the Fame points of their prepared spells.
Once the final scoring is done, the player with the highest total Fame points is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most coins wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most Trickerion Shards wins. If there is yet another tie, the player who is earlier in the turn order wins.
Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?
Trickerion: Legends of Illusion is a strategy board game where players take on the roles of rival stage illusionists, each with their own strengths and characteristics. Although the game’s rulebook provides a comprehensive guide to the game’s mechanics, there are several special rules, exceptions, and clarifications that may need further explanation for a smoother gameplay experience.
Here are some of the important points to keep in mind:
- Trick Learning: In Trickerion, only one player can know a specific trick at a time. If a player wishes to learn a trick that is already known by another player, they must pay an additional cost in money. This cost is equal to the number of players in the game, minus one.
- Trick Performance: A trick can only be performed if it is prepared on a trick card, and the card is placed on a performance card. However, a trick cannot be performed if its components are not in the player’s inventory. Tricks also cannot be performed twice in the same round, unless a special ability allows it.
- Specialist Workers: Specialist workers can perform tasks that basic workers cannot, such as learning advanced tricks or performing at the theater. However, they also require a higher wage and cannot be hired if a player does not have enough money.
- Prophecy Days: On Prophecy Days (rounds 3, 5 and 7), each player must discard one Trickerion Shard or lose two victory points. However, players can use a special ability to avoid this penalty.
- End of game: The game ends after seven rounds, and the player with the most victory points is the winner. However, if there is a tie, the player with the most money wins.
These are just a few of the special rules and exceptions in Trickerion: Legends of Illusion. It’s a complex game with a lot of depth, and players may need to refer to the rulebook often during their first few games.