Spells, generally speaking, add cards to the Communities, Pockets,

and Pots. Each Community is a pool of cards shared by all players.

Every Community has a Pot, which determines its Point value. And
finally, every player can have up to 2 Pockets, which are their private
cards they combine with a Community to form Sets to win the Pot.
There is no limit to the number of cards that may be in a Hand.
Players with no cards in Hand at the start of their turn must pass and
use no additional Spells. When only one player remains, that player
can no longer draw cards using any method.
There are two Communities in games with 2-4 players, and three
Introduction Communities with 5 players. The end of the Round is triggered when
Hocus is a classic card game beloved by ancient folk, now redesigned all Communities have four cards. When this happens, every player,
for modern humans who may or may not have the gift of magic. It is including the one who triggered the end of the Round on their turn,
about managing a limited hand of cards and wielding spells to create plays one final turn. The Round also ends immediately in the rare
ranked sets of cards that are superior to your opponents’ sets. Using case no players have cards in their Hands. After the Round ends,

d .
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elements from classic Poker games, Hocus expands and revises them

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Communities, each with a Pot, and two Pockets per player.

Components Mirage Materialize Prestidigitation

Examine up to 2
random cards
Build Community
Place 1 card from your Hand
face up in a Community.
Limit 4 cards per Community.

62 Cards 24 Advanced Spells 5 Ref. Cards 10 Score Cards

in a Pot.
Place 1 card Build Pocket
Place 1 card in one of your You may place 1 in Place 1 or 2 cards from your Hand
in a Community Pockets face up. your Hand or one of face down in one of your Pockets.
face down. your Pockets. If you do, Limit of 2 Pockets of 2 cards each.
Draw up to
place 1 card from your
2 cards. Build Pot

Here is a Round in progress, with 3 players. An Owl card has been

Hand in that Pot. Place
any other examined Place 1 card from your Hand
face down next to a Community.

Strength 11
cards back.
No limit.
I II III

Suit
14 4 Prima Materia Power Siphon
Place Power Siphon
Build Community
Place 1 card from your Hand
played to Community 1. A Sword and Cup card have been played to
12 face up in a Community.

Community 2, which also has a single card played face down to Pot 2.
next to a Community.
6 Foresight Flash Fire Limit 4 cards per Community.
You may then
Build Pocket
Points 10 Place 2 cards in
Rupture
use a Basic Spell.
Mirage
9
straight flush 7 8 9 10 11
Ascending Strength sequence of

Read Spells: Basic, Advanced, and Owls for more details.

4 Place 1 or
five2 cards
of the from your Hand
a Pot and 1 card
cards same Suit.

Enchantment: When face down

four in one
of a of kind
your Pockets.
10 10 10 10
in one of your Move
any player one
places of in
a card 8 Four cards of the same Strength.
UseReturn
an Owl Wizard
Pockets.3 cards.
Limit of 2 Pockets of 2 cards each.
Ignore Suit.
Poweryour Pockets
Siphon’s with
Community,
3 ability in Prowl
your Hand, Lightning
you immediately Strike
Draw
full house 8 8 8 4 4
Then, Return cards to a Pot. 7 Build Pot
Three cards of the same Strength

then Return the1card.

card and two cards of a different
1 card. Recover Power matching Strength. Ignore Suit.

from a Community You at

Siphon may
the then use
Start of thea
Place 1 card
6 down
from your Hand
flush 3 5 6 12 14
Return face Any fivenext
cards ofto
the a Community.
Draw
with fewer1. than Place
Round. 12 cards,
card same Suit.

Basic Spell.
Ignore Strength.

Resolve Showdowns
4I cards. then
in I place 2 cards
a Community No limit.
straight 1 2 3 4 5
5
Draw up to 4 Cards. in
faceany Pots or
down.
An ascending Strength sequence
of any five cards. Ignore Suit.

Replace with 1 card Communities. three of a kind 7 7 7

Return
from your
I
all but 1
Hand. I
4 Three cards of the same Strength.
Ignore Suit.

along with 1 more Neither placed two pair 5 5 12 12

shift:
fromDrawyour1Hand.
card. card may be the 3 Two pairs of two cards of the same
Strength. Ignore Suit.

Players use their Pockets with the Communities to build Sets to try to
I fourthI card in a one pair 3 3
2
Community.
Two cards of the same Strength.

Special Text
Ignore Suit.

Draw up to 2 cards. high card 6 10

1 The highest Strength card wins.
I I Ignore Suit.

win the Points in each Pot. There is one Showdown per Community.
First, reveal all face down cards in all Communities. Then, the first
Setup player chooses the order to resolve Showdowns. For each Showdown:
1 Give each player a Reference card and set of 2 Score Tracking
cards. Poker chips also work well! 1 Commit Pockets: Beginning with the first player
and continuing clockwise, each player chooses one Pocket to
2 Each player takes a set of 3 Advanced Spell cards of the same type commit to the current Showdown. Players may pass instead, or
(e.g., Chaos) and places the cards face up in front of them. might be forced to pass if they have fewer Pockets than there are
Communities.
3 Set up the deck: In a 5 player game, use all cards. In a 2-4 player
game, remove the 0 and 14 Strength cards. In a 2 player game, 2 Reveal Pockets: Players reveal the committed Pockets.
also remove the 1 and 13 Strength cards. Set aside the Jokers.
Shuffle the cards. 3 Determine Winner: The player with the best Set
built using 5 cards from their Pocket and the Community wins.
4 In a 2-3 player game, deal 10 cards face down to each player. In a 4-5 See the list of Sets on the next page for more information and
player game, deal 9 instead. The remaining cards form a draw deck. tiebreaker rules.
5 Randomly determine a first player. 4 Score Points: The winner adds the Point values shown
on the cards in the Pot to their current Score. They adjust their
3 4 Score Tracking cards such that the highest value revealed on the
nd ty.
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Mirage Materialize Prestidigitation Build Community

m

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Place 1 card from your Hand

I

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face up in a Community.
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random cards
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Limit 4 cards per Community.

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Place 1 or 2 cards from your Hand

Pockets face up.
s. ur

in a Community your Hand or one of face down in one of your Pockets.

your Pockets. If you do,
rd

face down. Draw up to Limit of 2 Pockets of 2 cards each.

a

1
P

place 1 card from your

2 cards.
ix
rim

Hand in that Pot. Place Build Pot

en

any other examined Place 1 card from your Hand

a

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face down next to a Community.

cards back.
9. 13 12 14
M

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No limit.

3 4 4 12 8
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3 5 4 6
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Use all 3 Basic Spells.

up E

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out the Place up to 2 cards from your Place the top card from the deck
If this Owl is played, you cannot
un Han .
it d

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look deck
2

Hand in any of your Pockets. in any Pot without looking.

s ra in
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use any other Spells this turn.

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7 4 8 12
R
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Here is a 3 player game at the start of the game. Every player has a 2 1 2 4

hand of 10 cards, 3 Spells in front of them, and the remaining deck is

set to the side.

How to Win Here is a Showdown being Resolved in a 3 player game. The players
The game ends when at least one player has 25 or more Points at the
are resolving the lower Community (surrounded in red). The bottom
end of a Round. The player with the most Points at the end of the
Build Community Mirage Materialize Prestidigitation
Place 1 card from your Hand
face up in a Community. Examine up to 2
random cards

and left players have pushed forward Pockets (face down) to use with
Limit 4 cards per Community.
in a Pot.
Build Pocket Place 1 card
Place 1 or 2 cards from your Hand Place 1 card in one of your You may place 1 in
face down in one of your Pockets. in a Community Pockets face up. your Hand or one of

game wins. In the event of a tie, tied players share the victory.
Limit of 2 Pockets of 2 cards each. face down. your Pockets. If you do,
Draw up to
place 1 card from your
Build Pot 2 cards.
Hand in that Pot. Place

the Community to build Sets. The right player only has 1 Pocket and
Place 1 card from your Hand any other examined
face down next to a Community.
cards back.
No limit.
I II III

For a longer or shorter game, modify the number of Points required has declined to play in this Showdown. They’ll compete for the other
to end the game. Community. The lower Community has 3 cards in the Pot.

How to Play Beginning a New Round

The game is played in Rounds, which consist of a series of individual If any player has 25 or more Points, the game is over and the player
player turns. Each Round, beginning with the first player and with the most Points wins. Otherwise, gather and shuffle all cards
continuing clockwise, players take turns in which they must use any except claimed Owls. Deal 10 cards (9 for 4-5 players) to each player.
one Spell, as well as optionally one Owl they own (before or after the The player with the fewest Points becomes the first player for the
Spell). Spells and Owls are explained in their own sections below. next Round, breaking ties to the left of the previous first player.
Sets
These can be played in a Showdown and are ordered from best to
worst.
9 Straight Flush Ascending Strength
sequence of five cards of the same Suit. Ties 7 8 9 10 11
are resolved by comparing the highest Strength
cards. (Ex: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 beats 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
8 Four of a Kind Four cards of the
10 10 10 10
same Strength. Ignore Suit. Ties are resolved
by comparing the Strengths of the 4 of a Kind.
(Ex: Four 6s beats four 1s)
7 Full House Three cards of the same
Strength and two cards of a different matching 8 8 8 4 4
Strength. Ignore Suit. Tied Full Houses are
resolved by the highest 3 of a Kind, then, if still
tied, by the highest Pair.
6 Flush Any five cards of the same Suit.
Ignore Strength. Tied Flushes are resolved by 3 5 6 12 14
comparing Strengths of the highest cards, then
the next, until one Set has a higher card.
5 Straight An ascending Strength sequence
of any five cards. Ignore Suit. Ties are resolved 1 2 3 4 5
by comparing the highest Strength cards.
(Ex: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 beats 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
4
Three of a Kind Three cards of
the same Strength. Ignore Suit. Ties are 7 7 7
resolved by comparing the Strengths of the
3 of a Kind. (Ex: Three 6s beats three 1s)
3 Two Pair Two pairs of two cards each of
the same Strength. Ignore Suit. Ties are resolved 5 5 12 12
by comparing the highest pairs, then the other
pairs if still tied.
2 Pair Two cards of the same Strength.
3 3
Ignore Suit. Ties are resolved by comparing
Strength of Pairs. (Ex: Two 11s beats two 7s)
1 High Card The highest Strength card 6 10
wins. Ignore Suit.
Ties: If there is still a tie after observing the tiebreaker rules for the
Set, players split the Pot evenly. Any uneven Points are not awarded.
Spells: Basic, Advanced, and Owls
Each turn, players must choose any one Spell they have access to and
resolve its text. There are 3 Basic Spells that all players have access to,
as well as their 3 Advanced Spells.
For all Spells, if the entire text of the Spell cannot be executed as
written, the Spell cannot be used. There is no limit to the number of
times a Spell can be used during a Round.
Basic Spells
Build Community: Place 1 card from your Hand in any
Community. Cards are placed face up in Communities so all cards
are visible. The Communities each contain 4 cards at maximum, and
there are multiple Communities: 2 in 2-4 player games and 3 in 5
player games.
Build Pot: Place 1 card from your Hand sideways in a stack
next to a Community as part of a Pot. Cards are placed face down in
Pots. Every Community has a Pot, which can contain unlimited cards.
Players cannot examine Pots unless a Spell specifically allows it.
Build Pocket: Place 1 or 2 cards from your Hand in one of
your Pockets. Cards are placed face down in Pockets. Every player can
have up to two Pockets, each with up to two cards. Players may only
place cards in their own Pockets. Players may always examine their
own Pockets, but may not move a card from a Pocket once placed.
Advanced Spells
In some cases, Advanced Spells will explicitly break the rules
mentioned above. When this occurs, Advanced Spells override only
the rules that are explicitly broken.
Common Spell Terms
Hand: The cards in a player’s Hand. There is no maximum limit to
the number of cards in a player’s Hand.
Draw: Draw the top card of the deck into your Hand. If the deck
is empty, no more cards can be drawn.
Return: Place a card from your Hand face down on the bottom
of the draw deck.
Enchantment and Chronomancy
These Spells are truly advanced and add strange and wondrous
concepts to the game. It is recommended you do not play with them
until you are fully comfortable with Hocus.
Enchantment allows the player to place the Spell card next to
a Community, Pot, or Pocket to gain bonuses as indicated. For
example, once Power Siphon is played next to a Community,
any time any player plays to that Community (such as Build
Community), the Enchantment player draws 1 card! At the
end of a round, the Enchantment player reclaims all played
Enchantment Spells.
Chronomancy introduces Shift, which is a bonus action. At
the start of their turns, the Chronomancy player may choose
any 1 Shift to use. Then, like everyone else, the Chronomancy
player uses one Spell and possibly one Owl. If a player chooses
to use a Shift, their chosen Spell does not have to be the one on
the same card as the Shift.
Owls
Owls are one of the four Suits of cards in the deck. Owls are claimed
by the winner of each Showdown. If Owls are present in the Pot, not
only does the winner score the Point Value of all cards, Owls included,
but they also place the Owls in front of them face up. Claimed Owls
are not part of a Hand and will not be shuffled into the deck for the
next Round.
Owls grant bonus Spells. On a player’s turn, before or after using
any one normal Spell, a player may resolve the text on one Owl in
front of them and then Return the Owl. Owls are only kept for a
single Round. If not used in the Round after they are claimed,
they are Returned to the deck before Resolve Showdowns.
10
Entropic Energy 3
Draw 2 cards:
Place 1 of them
in a Pot.
II
Draw up to 2 cards.
On her turn, Morgan chooses the Chaos Spell Entropic Energy. After
fully resolving it, she draws 2 Cards, then Returns the 10 of Owls. Note
that she could have Returned the Owl first, then chosen her one Spell.
Classic Hocus
For new players and a simpler experience, we recommend Classic
Hocus. Play only with Basic Spells: do not use Advanced Spells and
do not claim Owls from Pots (they become just like every other Suit).
Credits
Game Design & Development:
Joshua Buergel and Grant Rodiek
Artwork:
Tiffany Turrill
Graphic Design & Layout:
Adam P. McIver
Playtesters:
Miranda Antonelli, Ori Avtalion, Eric Batchelder, H.P. Canwell, Jarrett
Carberry, Jerome Collin, Jonathan Cox, Marguerite Cottrell, Andrew
DeBenedictis, Chevee Dodd, Darcy Dixon, Jennifer Freeman, Kevin
Gibson, Megan Ginter, Dave Gordon, Megan Hazen, Colum Higgins,
Patrick Hillier, Robin Lees, Cory Loewen, David Miotke, Mike Mullins,
Graham Nardone, Justin Neddo, Mike Pelayo, Marc Prindle, Tiffany
Ralph, Dylan Rodiek, Morgane Rodiek, Melinda Rodiek, Antonio
Romeo, Julia Sabin, Mathew Tate, Matt Yang
Visit HyperboleGames.com for more information, a How to Play
video, and an official Guide, including ways to use your Jokers.