Wizard’s Quest 4 Based on 3rd Edition, 1980 2 to 6 players, 1.

5 to 3 hours

INTRODUCTION Chris Conboy, 8/2005, chris@ageofgods.com (v4.1 6/2006)

Marnon is an island realm located in a lost ocean of the distant past. Powerful warlords battled each
other for the right to reign over Marnon. The battles raged with such fierceness that the great wizard,
Peacemaker, finally intervened. Peacemaker channeled the competition toward a quest which would
select the fittest as rightful King of Marnon, thereby ending the bloodshed forever. Peacemaker
summoned the warlords and gave each 3 treasures: a crown of authority, a treasure chest of wealth,
and a magic ring of power. Peacemaker had the warlords put an identifying mark on each of their
treasures. He then took the treasures from each warlord and gave them to enemy warlords who were
instructed to hide the treasures in the most obscure and treacherous places on Marnon. Peacemaker
declared to all that the first warlord to regain all 3 of his own treasures would be King of Marnon.

OBJECT: Be the first player to retrieve all 3 of their own treasures.

EQUIPMENT 6 Colored Sets Of Player Pieces
Randomly Controlled Pieces 2 1 Hero and 1 Sorcerer Other Components
1 Peacemaker The Wizard 40 Flags (1 man each) 35 Petition Cards
1 Dragon 6 Circles (5 men each) 2 Dice
90 Orcs 4 3 Treasures and 1 blank 1 Marnon Map Board

Orc and Man counters are unlimited – use other counters if these run out. Other pieces are limited to
available counters (hero, sorcerer, dragon, wizard).
A hero or sorcerer costs 2 men, and, if the piece is not already in play, either can be placed any time a
player is able to place 2 men. A hero and a sorcerer cannot occupy the same space.

The Island Of Marnon Gameboard Standard terms defined below

o The Island Of Marnon is composed of 8 castles, and 6 large regions numbered 1 through 6.
o Region (6): Each is subdivided into 6 territories. Each region is named, and is numbered 1 – 6.
o Territory (36): 6 in each region, each territory is numbered 1 – 6. Each territory has its own name.
o Castle (8): These are not within any region, have no names, and are numbered 1 through 8.
o Space: Any of the 36 territories and 8 castles. Marnon has 44 spaces.
o Force: All counters occupying a single space, never including the dragon or wizard.
o Adjacent: Spaces sharing part of a common boundary or a bridge are adjacent. The 2 spaces
Earthen Pass and Marls Gate are connected by the Great Tunnel and thus adjacent.
o Random Territory Selection: To choose a territory by dice roll, first roll 1 die to identify 1 of the 6
regions if the region is also random, then roll another die to determine the territory in the region.
o Kingdom: Connected group of spaces occupied by a single player which contains at least one castle.

o A counter cannot be placed in water or on a bridge.

o Only 1 player’s pieces may occupy a space.
o A hero and a sorcerer may not occupy the same space.
o Orcs and player pieces may not occupy the same space.
o The dragon and wizard may occupy any space, including the same space with each other.
o Only 4 orcs may ever occupy 1 space. Extras are not placed.
o No occupied space may be left unoccupied voluntarily, except due to combat losses.
o A treasure may never occupy the same space as another treasure.

o A space is occupied if at least 1 man, orc, hero or sorcerer is there.

o A space is unoccupied if empty or if only containing any combination of treasure, wizard or dragon.
INITIAL SETUP Do these steps in order
o Select Pieces: Each player choose one colored set of playing pieces.
o Roll Dice: This high roller goes 1st in each player step below, then other players in clockwise order.
o Castle: Each player place 1 man in an empty castle.
o Orcs: Put 2 in each empty castle. Each region gets 2 orcs on each of 2 distinct random territories.
o Deploy Men: Each player put 1 man on any unoccupied space. Repeat until no empty spaces remain.
o Deal Treasure: Each player randomly deal their 3 treasures face down to other players so each
player winds up with 3 treasures belonging to other players. The treasures can be secretly looked at.
o Castle Treasure: Each player put 1 treasure face down in any castle not occupied by treasure owner.
o Place Remaining Treasure: Each player place 1 treasure face down in any territory not occupied by
treasure’s owner. Repeat until all treasure placed. Note: A space may never contain 2 treasures.
o Fortify Forces: Each player distribute all of 10 men in one shot to their occupied spaces.
2 Player: 1st player distribute 10 men, then 2nd player distribute 20 men, then 1st distribute 10 men.

SEQUENCE OF PLAY Order Of Turns: Orcs, Dragon, Wizard, Players

A. Orc Phase B. Dragon Attack Phase E. Individual Player Phase
1) Orc Generation 1) Petition Card Selection and Play
C. Wizard Prosper Phase
2) Orc Frenzy 2) Reinforcement
3) Orc Population D. First Player Determination 3) Attack Campaign

ORC PHASE 3 Steps: Generation, Frenzy, Population

1) Orc Generation: Each player roll 1d6. Put 1 orc in each orc-occupied territory in that region, and
in each orc-occupied castle adjacent to that region’s territories, unless space already has max of 4 orcs.
2) Orcs Frenzy: Orcs attack from all spaces occupied by 4 orcs. Attack each neighboring space with a
single die roll, cycling clockwise, until there are 1 or zero orcs left to attack or no more valid targets.
The frenzy may make more than 1 full circuit, so a target space may be attacked more than once.
Orcs attack from spaces in the following order
o Orcs in territories attack before orcs in castles
o Orcs in lower-number regions attack before orcs in higher-number regions.
o Orcs in lower-number territories within a region attack before higher-number territory orcs.
o Orcs in lower-number castles attack before orcs in higher-number castles.
Orcs attack into adjacent spaces in order in a clockwise circuit, 1 attack per target space
o 1st space targeted: lowest numbered territory in lowest numbered region adjacent to orc’s space.
o Adjacent spaces (territories and/or castles) are attacked in clockwise order from this starting space.
o Spaces adjacent by the Great Tunnel are attacked last. Bridged spaces are adjacent.
Orcs only attack certain spaces (there may be no eligible targets)
o Only spaces occupied by players are attacked.
o Orcs don’t attack spaces occupied by a hero or dragon, whether the hero or dragon is alone or not.
o Orcs don’t attack territories in the entire region occupied by the wizard.
o Orcs don’t attack unoccupied spaces.
If target space becomes unoccupied move 1 orc into it from the frenzying space, unless this would
leave frenzying space unoccupied. Remember: if both sides fail their roll the attacker loses 1 unit (orc).
3) Orcs Population: Once all frenzies complete, all unoccupied spaces are populated with 1 orc each.
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DRAGON ATTACK PHASE
Move the dragon by rolling a region on 1d6, then 1d6 to select a territory within that region. Here the
dragon lands and gobbles 1d6 orcs or player pieces; remove gobbled pieces. The dragon continues to
move until it gobbles at least 1 man, hero, or sorcerer. The wizard is never gobbled by the dragon.

WIZARD PROSPER PHASE

Move the wizard into a single new territory by rolling a region on 1d6, then roll 1d6 to select a
territory inside that region. If this territory is inhabited by a player then Peacemaker prospers the space
by giving it 3 more men. An orc-occupied space gets up to 3 more orcs (max 4 orcs total per space).
Unoccupied spaces receive no units.
Protected Region: No attacks of any kind (men, orc, or dragon) can occur into any territory in the
same region as the wizard-occupied territory. A force can attack from a protected territory into a non-
protected territory outside of the protected region. The wizard can be attacked; this is explained later.

FIRST PLAYER DETERMINATION PHASE

High roller is 1st player until this phase next turn. 1st player performs in order all of the 3 steps in the
Individual Player Phase (next phase), then play passes to the player on the left. After each player
completes the Individual Player Phase the cycle of turns begins again with the Orc Phase.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER PHASE 3 Steps: Petition, Reinforcement, Attack

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Beginning with the 1 player each player in turn performs all of the following 3 steps below in order.
1) Petition Card Selection and Play
The active player may petition the wizard for help by drawing 1 petition card, to play now or save.
These may only be played during this step of the individual player phase; any number may be played.
Most of the cards will help the player in some way. When played, apply the effect immediately and
then discard the card. Reshuffle the deck if needed.
o All awards of men are added to the player’s reinforcements (see below) and placed with them.
o Extra attack campaigns are used after the initial attack campaign has been completed.
o Any reference to pieces counts each man, hero, or sorcerer as 1 piece.
o If a cards says “Play This Card Immediately” then it must be played now and cannot be saved.
Hand Size: 1 or 2 unplayed cards may be saved, hidden from others. If a 3rd is drawn then any 1 must
be played immediately. Any or all cards in hand may be played in later turns, but only during this step.
Boat Privileges: A card may have boat privileges in addition to a primary ability – after being used to
invoke the primary ability, instead of being discarded the card is saved face up in front of the player.
Any number of these may be saved and do not count against the 1 or 2 cards in a player’s hand. Use
one of these at any later time during combat to invoke boat privileges and then discard it. A boat
privilege card allows an attack across the sea or river as if the spaces are adjacent; spaces touching the
water are also adjacent for aiding an attack. Note also that this allows Bridge penalties to be ignored.

2) Reinforcement
For each space in each of a player’s kingdoms, the player gets 1 man, or a minimum of 4 men, to be
placed on any space or spaces occupied by the player. A hero may be taken instead of 2 of these men;
a sorcerer may be taken instead of 2 men. A player gets at least 4 men unless a card says otherwise.
A Kingdom is a castle or connected group of spaces which contains at least one castle, all of which
are occupied by one player. The spaces may be connected across bridges or through the Great Tunnel.
A space may belong to at most one kingdom, even if more than one castle is connected to the kingdom.
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3) Attack Campaign
The player may initiate 1 attack campaign from 1 of his or her spaces to a single adjacent space not
occupied by the player. A campaign consists of one or more die rolls, each of which is considered a
battle. Bridges and the Great Tunnel allow spaces to be considered adjacent for attacks, but grant
combat bonuses to the defender.
A card may have been played earlier this turn to allow an extra attack campaign now. Also, sometimes
an extra attack may be made against the dragon or wizard (see Attacking The Dragon Or Wizard).
Aid: At start of attack, and before each attack roll, attacker may aid the attacking force by moving
men from spaces adjacent to the attacking space into the attacking space, and may do this more than
once during an attack campaign. These men are permanently moved, regardless of the battle outcome.
A boat privilege card treats spaces bordering the same water body as adjacent for purposes of aid.
Aid From Hero Or Sorcerer: At start of attack only, the player may move his hero or sorcerer from
any space on the board to the attacking space to aid the combat. If the attacking space already contains
the hero or sorcerer, then it may be swapped with the other by having them switch spaces.
o Attack Duration: Attack continues until either the attacking or attacked space is unoccupied, or
until attacker decides to stop. Attacker may stop any time, but not in the middle of rolling battle dice.
o Capture: If attacking an unoccupied space, or attacked space becomes unoccupied during the attack,
attacker must occupy it with 1 or more pieces, as long as the attacking space remains occupied.
o Hero: A force with a hero may only be attacked by a force with a hero.
o Calling Off Attack: May be done at any time, between dice rolls, and even before the first dice roll.
o Boat Privilege: A boat privilege card allows an attack to a space that can be reached over water as if
the space was adjacent, incurring no penalties even over a bridge. Spaces touching the water are also
adjacent for aiding an attack. A single card allows both the oversea attack and also aid for the attack.
Once the player’s attack(s) are complete the next player gets to take his or her turn. Once all players
have taken their turns (petition/reinforcement/attack), then play returns to the Orc Phase.

Attacking The Dragon Or Wizard Use standard combat rules

Free Attack: If the dragon or wizard is in a space occupied by the player’s pieces, the force in that
space may attack the dragon or wizard as a free attack. When making a free attack no aid is allowed.
Free Attack: If a space is occupied by the dragon or wizard as well as orcs or men of another player
then the player may make a free attack against only the wizard or dragon, with no aid. If successful
then an attack may be made against the force there, but only if the dragon and/or wizard has been
removed. Any number of these free attacks may be attempted, from any adjacent attacking spaces.
Not A Free Attack: If the dragon or wizard is in an otherwise unoccupied space, and the player
wishes to attack either, the player must use a normal attack campaign; it is not a free attack.
o The wizard can only be attacked by a force containing a sorcerer.
o The dragon can only be attacked by a force containing a hero or a sorcerer.
If a hero force defeats the dragon then remove the dragon until the next dragon turn. If the hero is not
killed then the player gets 6 men to immediately place on any space he or she already occupies.
If a sorcerer force defeats the dragon or wizard then move the dragon or wizard to a random 1d6
territory in the region of the attacker’s choice. Once there the dragon gobbles 1d6 men or orcs; the
wizard adds 3 men or orcs (a space can never contain more than 4 orcs).
If defeating the wizard causes him to be moved to another region then the player may now launch
attack campaigns against territories in the vacated region.
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Capture Treasure: If a player attacks and occupies a space which contains one of his or her treasures
then immediately remove it from the board and give the player the corresponding reward below.
Treasure Reward
Magic Ring Of Power Draw a Petition Card, may play now or save
Crown Of Authority Receive 3 men to place now in any spaces you occupy
Treasure Chest Of Wealth Place 4 men in the space where the chest was located
o Magic Ring: If the player already has two cards, this new card must be discarded or played
immediately. A card requiring loss of reinforcements is wasted; ignore the directions and discard it.
o 2 treasures may never occupy the same space, even if a petition card allows them to be moved.
A player capturing their own 3rd treasure wins immediately!

BATTLE RESOLUTION & DIE RANGES

Each attack campaign consists of one or more die rolls called Unit Die Range
battles. An attack campaign ends 1) when the attacking or defending
space becomes unoccupied, or 2) when the wizard or dragon is Orc 1 per orc, max 4
defeated, or 3) when the player calls off the attack. Man 1 per man, max 4
Dragon 6
Battle Resolution: Attacker and defender each roll 1 die (an Wizard 6
uninvolved player rolls for the orcs, wizard, or dragon). If the roll is Hero Men +1, or 1 alone
less than or equal to the combatant’s die range then the opponent Sorcerer Men +2, or 2 alone
loses a number of pieces from his or her force equal to the die roll.

o The die result is the number pieces the other side loses if result is less than or equal to the die range.
o If both sides miss then the attacker loses 1 piece.
o Each player chooses which pieces are removed to satisfy losses from their own forces.
o A side cannot lose more pieces than were present at the battle.
o The hero, sorcerer, dragon, and wizard each count as 1 piece for determining losses.
o A player losing all of his or her pieces from the entire board is out of the game.
o Terrain never affects the attacker’s die range, only the defender’s die range is affected (see below).
Sorcerer
o If sorcerer is present in the attacking force: Defender is dispersed instead of destroyed.
o If present on both sides: Disperse attacker-inflicted losses, then disperse defender-inflicted losses.
o How To Disperse: The player who inflicted the loss distributes the defeated pieces to any other
space or spaces occupied by the pieces’ owner and/or to any unoccupied space or spaces.
Die Ranges Terrain is also explained here
o Men or orcs die range is 1 for each man or orc present on a space, up to a maximum die range of 4.
o A hero adds 1 to a force’s die range. When alone in a space a hero has a die range of 1.
o A sorcerer adds 2 to a force’s die range. If alone in a space then the sorcerer has a die range of 2.
o The dragon and Peacemaker The Wizard each have a die range of 6.
o Attacking into or from a castle, forest, bridge, or great tunnel does not change attacker’s die range,
regardless of terrain the attacker is attacking from or into. Terrain never affects attacker’s die range.
o Defending in a Castle adds 2 to the defender’s die range; attacker’s die range is unaffected.
o Defending in Forest and Mountain territories adds 1 to defender’s die range; attacker is unaffected.
o Defending over a Bridge or against an attack initiated on the other side of the Great Tunnel adds 2
to the defender’s range (this replaces the forest bonus, if any); the attacker’s die range is unaffected.

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Example Die Ranges
o An attacking space in Golden Dunes containing seven men has a die range of 4.
o An attacking space in the Field Of Fallen containing a hero and 6 men has a die range of 5 (1+4).
o An attacking space in Whispery Meadow containing sorcerer and ten men: die range of 6 (2 + 4).
o A defending space in Crystal Mountains containing sorcerer and two men: die range of 5 (2 + 2 + 1).
o 3 orcs defending through the Great Tunnel have a die range of 5 (3 + 2).
Attacker Die Range Die Roll Defender Loss Defender Die Range Die Roll Attacker Loss
4 2 2 counters 4 3 3 counters
4 4 4 counters 4 5 0 counters
4 5 0 counters 4 1 1 counter
6 2 2 counters 2 2 2 counters
6 6 6 counters 6 6 6 counters

Hero
o A hero adds 1 to a force’s die range. When alone in a space a hero has a die range of 1.
o A force with a hero cannot attack the wizard.
o A force with a hero can attack the dragon.
o A force with a hero can attack other players’ heroes, sorcerers, and men, and can also attack orcs.
A space containing a hero can only be attacked by the dragon or by another force containing a hero; a
hero cannot be attacked by any other type of force.
If a hero force defeats the dragon: Remove the dragon until the next Dragon Turn; if the hero is not
killed by the dragon then the player gets 6 men to place now on any space occupied by the player.
Sorcerer
o A sorcerer adds 2 to a force’s range. When alone in a space a sorcerer has a die range of 2.
o A force with a sorcerer can attack the dragon and can attack the wizard.
If the sorcerer is part of the attacking force then all of the defender’s lost pieces are dispersed by the
attacker instead of being removed from the board.
If the sorcerer is part of the defending force only then any losses inflicted by that defending force on
the attacker’s force are not dispersed but are removed from the board as in a normal battle.
Sorcerer is part of attacking and defending forces: Disperse all losses on both sides. Attacking player
disperses the losses he or she inflicted, then defending player disperses defender-inflicted losses.
How To Disperse: The player who inflicted the loss distributes each defeated piece to any other space
occupied by the owner of the dispersed piece or to any unoccupied space.
If a sorcerer force defeats the dragon or wizard: Move the dragon or wizard to a random 1d6 territory
in the region of attacker’s choice. There the dragon gobbles 1d6 men/orcs; the wizard adds 3 men/orcs.

SPECIAL SET-UP FOR 2 PLAYERS

Place Treasure: If placed in a space occupied by a player add +5 men to defend that space.
Fortify Forces: Instead of each player placing 10 men, follow the steps below.
1st player places 10 men, then 2nd player places 20 men, then 1st player places a final 10 men.

OPTIONAL DECOY TREASURE PLACEMENT

Place the 4th blank treasure secretly along with the others. At most 1 treasure per castle. The blank
treasure is a dummy decoy, need not be captured to win, and does not give any reward when captured.

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WIZARD’S QUEST PLAY SUMMARY Refer to the main rules for greater detail

INITIAL SETUP Do these steps in order

st
1. All Players Roll Dice: High roller goes 1 in each player step below, then other players clockwise.
2. Castle: Each player choose an empty castle space and place one man on it.
3. Orcs: Give each empty castle 2; Give each region 4 orcs by giving 2 distinct random spaces 2 each.
4. Deploy Men: Each player put 1 man on any unoccupied space. Repeat until no empty spaces remain.
5. Deal Treasure: Each player randomly deal their 3 treasures face down to other players; each player
will wind up with 3 treasures belonging to other players. The treasures can be secretly looked at.
6. Castle Treasure: Each player put 1 treasure face down in any castle not occupied by treasure owner.
7. Place Remaining Treasure: Each player put 1 treasure face down in any territory not occupied by
the treasure’s owner. Repeat until all are placed. Remember: a space may never contain 2 treasures.
2 Player: Add 5 men to any space receiving a treasure that is occupied by a player.
8. Fortify Forces: Each player distribute 10 men in one shot to their occupied castles and/or territories.
2 Player: 1st player distribute 10 men, then 2nd player distribute 20 men, then 1st distribute 10 men.

PLAY Order Of Play: Orcs, Dragon, Wizard, Players

ORC PHASE
1. Orc Generation: Each player roll 1d6. Put 1 orc in each orc-occupied territory in that region, and
in each orc-occupied castle adjacent to the region’s territories, unless the space already has 4 orcs.
2. Orcs Frenzy: Orcs attack from all spaces with 4 orcs, until 1 or zero orcs remain.
3. Orcs Population: Orc Phase ends by placing 1 orc on each unoccupied space on the board.
DRAGON ATTACK PHASE
The dragon flies to a random territory within a random region, where he gobbles up 1d6 orcs or player
pieces. Repeat moving randomly unless and until the dragon gobbles at least 1 man, hero, or sorcerer.
WIZARD PROSPER PHASE
The wizard moves to a random territory within a random region, which, if occupied by orcs or player
forces, gets prospered by adding 3 orcs or men. Unoccupied spaces receive no units. Any region
containing the wizard is protected from all attacks; territories within cannot be attacked into.
FIRST PLAYER DETERMINATION PHASE High roller is 1st player until this phase next turn
INDIVIDUAL PLAYER PHASE Begin a new Orcs Phase after each player takes a turn
1. Petition Card Selection and Play: Can only play cards now. May hold up to 2 cards in hand.
2. Reinforcement: Get 1 man for each kingdom space; minimum of 4. Hero or sorcerer costs 2 men.
3. Attack Campaign: Make an attack from 1 space to one adjacent space.

Magic Ring Draw a petition card

Treasure
Crown Get 3 men to place in any space(s) you occupy
Rewards
Treasure Chest Put 4 men in the space where chest was located

Unit Die Range Unit Die Range Unit Die Range

Orcs 1 per Orc, max 4 Dragon 6 Hero Men +1, or 1 alone
Men 1 per Man, max 4 Wizard 6 Sorcerer Men +2, or 2 alone

Defending in Forest or Mountain +1 die range to defender

Defending in Castle +2 die range to defender
Defending against attack across Bridge/Tunnel +2 to defender, instead of forest bonus if any
Fellow Wizard’s Quest Gamers,

Recently I purchased a near mint copy of the game, Wizard’s Quest, 3rd Edition rules, and we have
been having a blast with it. It’s been 20 years since I played this game; it’s more fun now than it was
then. In the first game we replaced all the chits with the orcs and elves from LOTR Risk, and used the
Gandalf from LOTR Trivial Pursuit as Peacemaker The Wizard, a Dragonlance Boardgame dragon
for the dragon, and other random figures for the heroes and sorcerers. This added 3rd dimension
modernized the game and enhanced the fun factor to no end. The flat cardboard counters have no stats
on them, making this replacement a no-brainer.

I noticed that the rules were garbled, poorly organized, and repeated differently in different places.
BoardGameGeek.com contains several rules updates and summaries, all of which contain various
inconsistencies and omissions, and some information that is just plain wrong. A prime example of this
is “If both sides miss then the attacker loses 1 piece.” This rule is left out of every fan-created labor of
love I have seen. So I was driven to create my own version.

This document accurately contains the complete rules for Avalon Hill’s 3rd Edition Wizard’s Quest
game. The rules are complete, accurate, and should be considered a 4th edition of the game. The errors,
omissions, and poor organization of the original rule sets and of the files uploaded to Board Game
Geek have all been fixed, clarified, and better organized herein. At least I think so, your mileage may
vary. The only constraint I placed on myself was to make it fit into 3 double-sided printed pages. If this
forced terseness leads to any questions let me know – I’ll expand these rules to another printed page.

The only change I made to the actual rule set is in the setup phase, Deal Treasure. In the original rules
each player simply passes all 3 of their treasures to the player on the left. With my change, a player’s
treasure gets dealt around the table, so that the job of divvying a player’s treasure will fall on multiple
people. We found this way more fun, and it overcomes the problem whereby a given player is simply
lousy at placing other people’s treasure. Yes, the players are allowed to discuss where each treasure is
placed and coordinate if desired.

Another change worth considering, and which we like, is to the setup phase, Place Remaining
Treasure. The official 3rd edition rules state that in a 2-player game, “Add 5 men to any space
receiving a treasure that is occupied by a player.” This rule can work well regardless of the number of
players, and should not only be limited to a 2-player game. I have not made this change to this 4th
edition of the Wizard’s Quest rules.

I only included the official variants (decoy treasure placement and the 2-player changes). I didn’t waste
any time on the silly unofficial variants regarding the blank petition card and rolling on a chart for a
horrific event. I put all connected information in a single place, as well as I could. Thus all sorcerer
information is included in the Sorcerer section, including the sorcerer’s die range. I created the die
range tables, a strange omission from the original rules. And I managed to force the whole thing into 6
pages, for 3 printed double-sided sheets, plus the summary page handout, and finally this page.

Feel free to contact me with suggestions for any updates to this rule set. There are no errors, but please
report any you find.

Life is good!

Chris Conboy
chris@ageofgods.com
August 11, 2005
(v4.1 June 23, 2006)