Strategy · Editorial advice inferred from the rules
Make Your First Decisions Count
These are starting points deduced from the official rulebook, not a tested winning build. Each note links the printed pages it leans on, so you can verify the reasoning at the table.
01 · Shield planning
Plan around a specific shield's third item
Inspect the remaining shields before committing to a route. A D.A. Coin route and a Dark Detector route are not interchangeable, and spending the Detector costs three Loyalty spaces. Pair your Book and Scroll trips with a shield you can actually pay for — never collect a third item without a destination. Rulebook pp. 11–12, 18–19
02 · Scroll staging
Stage two pawns for a Scroll
Leave one pawn in a required Location area while sending another toward the second area — sequential visits by a lone pawn never qualify. Reassess after your first Scroll replaces two Location Cards, and remember the second Scroll ends your Location supply for the rest of the game. Rulebook pp. 12, 17
03 · The Replenish question
Compare Replenish with a draw-space detour
House Replenish repairs your hand and clears stuns, but it also advances the Dark Arts Path — the game's pressure clock. A Library, Bonus Space or Event draw does not. When your pawns don't need recovery, compare the useful cards and travel cost of a draw route against Replenish's timing cost. It's a trade-off, not a rule to avoid. Rulebook pp. 10–12, 17, 22
04 · Token planning
Use a token to connect two planned card plays
Pick a token whose type matches a card you expect to use next turn — the extra Explore can sit before or after your Main Action, but not on the pickup turn, and you can carry only one. Check the matching card and your intended destination before swapping tokens. Rulebook pp. 11, 17
05 · Dark Arts timing
Weigh the target's timing against the final hand
Taking the red token and Location Card at the first red Event reveals your target but demands three pawns there simultaneously; waiting reduces it to two, then one at the final path space — at the price of more House turns and the no-Replenish phase. Don't treat an advancing path or three tokens alone as a victory; the pawns must converge. Rulebook pp. 22–23