Harry Potter: Unmask the Death Eaters

Harry Potter: Unmask the Death Eaters Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

1 Game Board
8 Wands
8 Role Cards (2 Hogwarts Alumni, 2 Ministry of Magic Employee, 2 Diagon Alley Shopkeeper, 2 Hogsmeade Resident)
100 Wizarding World Cards
32 Encounter Cards
4 Turn Order Cards
16 Loyalty Cards
1 Expelliarmus! Card
1 Revelio! Card
6 Dice
5 Beginning Tokens
6 Second Wizarding War Tokens
1 Snake Standee

Set-Up

Sort Role cards by Location (four stacks of two each). Players must choose a Role from one of the stacks with the most remaining Cards. This ensures a roughly even distribution of all the Locations.
Place the game board in the center of the table. Place the Snake Token on the Start space of the Threat Track.
Sort the Encounter cards based on the number of players. For a 6 to 8 player game, use all the cards. For a 4 or 5 player game, remove all cards noted 6+ and return them to the box. Shuffle the cards and place the Encounter deck face down.
Each player chooses a wand, putting it face down in front of themselves.
Shuffle the Wizarding World cards together. Deal each player five (5) cards. This is the player's hand. Each player's hand is secret and may never be shown to other players. Put the rest of the deck next to game board face down.
Shuffle the Beginning tokens and place them face down near the game board. Do the same for the Second Wizarding War tokens. Set the Expelliarmus! and Revelio! cards nearby. They will be claimed when the corresponding tokens are revealed.
To start, each player rolls two dice. The highest rolling player becomes the first Leader and flips their wand face up. This Leader will set up the Loyalty card decks as described on the next page.

Loyalty

Create two decks of Loyalty cards as shown in the chart below. The first set of Loyalty cards are dealt, face down, one to each player. Players look at their Loyalty card but may never voluntarily show it to others. The second deck of Loyalty cards is shuffled and set to the side until needed.

Players	Phase 1: Order of the Phoenix	Phase 1: Death Eaters	Phase 2: Order of the Phoenix	Phase 2: Death Eaters
4	3	1	3	1
5	4	1	4	1
6	5	1	5	1
7	6	1	5	2
8	7	1	6	2

Phase 1 is "The Beginning". Phase 2 is "The Second Wizarding War".

Order of the Phoenix

You must determine who amongst you is a Death Eater as you complete Encounters and engage in battles with Dark Creatures.

Victory Condition: To win, submit the names of all the Death Eaters to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. (See Order of the Phoenix Victory on page 18.)

Death Eater

As a Death Eater, your goal is to deceive the others of your true Loyalty as you prepare the way for Lord Voldemort's domination of the Wizarding World.

Victory Condition: If even one Death Eater avoids being sent before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for questioning, all Death Eaters win. (See Death Eater Victory on page 18.)

Objective

Play as a witch or wizard who claims they are loyal to the goal of Order of the Phoenix — to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters during the Second Wizarding War. Complete Encounters and Battle some of the foulest creatures that Lord Voldemort can get to serve him in the war including giants, Dementors, and inferi. In the end, you must determine the Loyalty of those around you. Who among you is pretending to be loyal to the Order but is a Death Eater spying for Lord Voldemort? Submit their names to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to win... Unless you are actually a Death Eater, you must do whatever it takes to avoid going to Azkaban.

Playing the Game

To ensure they don't spend years languishing in Azkaban, Death Eaters loyal to the Dark Lord will need to blend in with the witches and wizards who are loyal to the Order of Phoenix. The Death Eaters won't always be playing nice though. They will cast curses and provide false items to make sure that they, and most importantly Lord Voldemort, will be victorious. After The Beginning phase of the game is completed, the Dark Lord will return, and may coerce more players to join the Death Eaters! Will the Order determine who can be trusted and who must be sent before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, or will Voldemort and his Death Eaters take control?

As the Leader

In clockwise order starting with the highest roller, players will take turns being the Leader for a turn. Each Leader will follow the same steps.

Leader Abilities are unique to each Location. These abilities can help you greatly on an Encounter or Battle. The Leader is the only player who may use an ability and they choose only one of their two abilities to use per turn.

1. Reveal an Encounter

The Leader draws an Encounter card and places it face up in front of them.

2. Gather Your Group

The Encounter card details the number of players needed to join the group. This group always includes the Leader. The number of players (including the Leader) required for each group is shown on the Encounter card, as are any players needed from specific Locations. The Leader must choose players matching these requirements when possible. (See page 19 if you cannot meet a requirement.) Once the initial location requirements are met, the remaining group members can be from any Location.

Encounter name and directive (e.g. "Reveal all cards. To win, their total value must be 9 or more.")
Number of Players required for the group (e.g. 6)
Location Requirements (e.g. 1 Ministry of Magic Employee, 1 Hogwarts Alumni and 1 Diagon Alley Shopkeeper)

Table Talk

While playing, talking about the current Encounter is expected. Players can share information (which may or may not be true). In the end, this table talk is all you have to go on. The Leader must make decisions during their turn based on what they believe, and players must do their best to unravel who may not be telling the truth.

Players can choose one of three rules to dictate how much information may be discussed at the table when the Leader solicits volunteers for the Encounter.

The Basics: Players may not discuss the cards in their hand at all. Nor can they indicate to the Leader whether or not they are able to provide assistance in the current Encounter. They can indicate a preference to join or not. This mode eliminates the need for the players to lie to one another and is a good introduction to the game's mechanics.
The Essentials: When the Leader is selecting a group for an Encounter, players can say if they "can help" or "can't help" with the task. However, players may not state explicitly what cards are in their hand, such as "I have a Galleon" or "I have a +3". Players can coordinate their actions in this mode but also open themselves up to more deception.
The Works: Players may freely discuss the contents of their hand or lie about anything and everything. With a subtle touch, Death Eaters can use this to their advantage to pin the blame of Encounter failures on other players. However, this level of deception requires more experience and may be intimidating for first time players.

Keep in mind that discussing who you think MAY be a Death Eater between Encounters is highly encouraged in any of these modes. In the end, the players will need to determine who among them has been assisting Voldemort and needs to be brought before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

3. Hand in a Wizarding World Card

Each player chosen for the Encounter including the Leader, hands in one Wizarding World card face down to the Leader, unless a Leader ability allows them to turn in an extra card. The Leader keeps these cards separate from their own cards creating an Encounter Pool. The Leader can remind players what is required to pass the Encounter directive, and players can talk about the card they hand in, following the agreed upon Table Talk rules. Do not reveal the cards yet.

What to Hand in: Players will most often want to hand in any card(s) they promised to turn in. Curse cards can be played by Death Eaters to subvert the efforts in an Encounter, but their use carries the risk of discovery. Only when out of options will a member of the Order of the Phoenix hand in a Curse card. Cards with a high Dice Value are useful to hand in for some Encounter directives, and all Battles.

Cards are submitted face down to the Leader, who shuffles them together with their own card.

4. The Leader Shuffles and Secretly Looks at the Cards

Once all the players in the group have handed in a card, the Leader shuffles them. (This should be done below the table, out of sight, making the small number of cards easier to mix up.)

After shuffling the cards, the Leader looks at them. Any Curse cards are revealed and resolved immediately. Once a Curse is dealt with, discard it. Continue the Encounter with fewer cards in the Encounter Pool.

Curses! Curse cards are dangerous. They must be revealed immediately when discovered, and their directives dealt with before the Encounter (or Battle) can proceed. If multiple Curses are revealed, the Leader determines the order in which the group will deal with them.

5. Swap a Wizarding World Card (Optional)

Once all curses have been resolved, the Leader may swap a Wizarding World card out of the Encounter Pool. During this swap, a single card is discarded. The Leader draws a new card, places it in the Encounter Pool without looking, and shuffles the pool again.

Discard: Discarded Wizarding World cards are placed face down next to the draw deck creating a discard pile. It is helpful to turn the discard pile sideways to keep it separate from the draw deck.

When a Death Eater is the Leader, discarding useful cards during a swap can be a good way to influence the other players' perceptions. If someone commits to contributing Veritaserum, it's possible to discard the Veritaserum then lay the blame at their feet when the Encounter fails. Of course, that player will be positive that you're a Death Eater!

6. Reveal Wizarding World Cards

The Leader only reveals as many cards as instructed by the Encounter card directive. If less than the full amount is to be revealed, the Leader flips over one card at a time, stopping immediately once the directive is fulfilled or the maximum number of cards are revealed.

If a Curse card is revealed (added because the Leader swapped a Wizarding World card), it must be resolved immediately, or the Death Eaters win.

Some Encounters require the Leader to roll dice. The number of dice they are allowed to roll is equal to the total number of dice shown on all cards (maximum 6). The Leader rolls those dice then compares the result to the requirement on the Encounter. If additional rolls are allowed, the Leader chooses which (if any) of the dice they want to keep after each roll. Dice are not locked in, and the specific dice kept may be changed between rolls.

7. Success or Failure?

Success: If the group completes the directive on the Encounter card, they win the Encounter and may continue to step 8, Reveal a Token.
Failure: If the group did NOT meet the requirements of the directive (or were stopped by a Curse card), they have failed. Go straight to step 10, The Escalating Threat.

Discard the Encounter card face up near the draw deck.

8. Reveal a Token

After a successful Encounter, choose any token for the current Phase (Beginning or Second Wizarding War) to flip over.

A. If a Spell (Expelliarmus or Revelio) is revealed, the Leader takes the appropriate card and places it in front of them. Go to End of an Encounter (step 11).
- Expelliarmus grants the player the power to skip one player's turn or leave a player out of an Encounter.
- Revelio fulfills an objective in the Second Wizarding War, and allows the player to peek at the Loyalty cards of up to two players.
B. If the Token is Discard and Redraw, everyone in the group may choose to discard one Wizarding World card and draw a new one. Go to End of an Encounter (step 11).
C. If a Dark Creature is discovered, a Battle begins. Continue to step 9.

9. Resolve Battles with Dark Creatures

When a Dark Creature is revealed, the group chosen for the Encounter must immediately battle it! All group members hand in a card to a Battle Pool, much like resolving a directive for an Encounter. In a Battle, the Wizarding World cards handed in should have high Dice values, as the Leader will need to roll a particular combination of dice to successfully defeat the Dark Creature. It is normal to discuss these contributions, but as before, never show what card you are contributing.

Cards with a high dice value are good, but the Leader can only use 6 dice, so larger groups may easily reach six, and exceeding the cap may waste valuable cards.

A. The Leader shuffles the Battle Pool, thoroughly mixing up the cards. The Leader looks at the pool. Curse cards are revealed immediately and must be dealt with or the Battle fails.
B. The Leader may swap any one pool card, discarding it in exchange for another from the Wizarding World deck.
C. All cards are revealed. Add the card values together to determine the number of dice to roll. A maximum of 6 dice may be used for the roll. After the tally, the cards are discarded.
D. The Leader must roll either 3-of-a-kind or 4-of-a-kind depending on the Creature to defeat it. (The game board displays these requirements.) Dice are rolled, and the Leader chooses which (if any) they want to keep after each roll. Dice are not locked in, and the specific dice kept may be changed between rolls.
E. Win: Defeating a Creature allows a matching empty spot in the current Phase to be filled with the Creature token. If the matching space is already filled, discard the Creature token. Go to End of an Encounter (step 11). Lose: If the Creature is not defeated, flip the token back over and shuffle that token with the others from the same Phase. You will have to try again to defeat it. Go to step 10, The Escalating Threat.

10. The Escalating Threat

When the group fails an Encounter or is unable to defeat a Dark Creature in a Battle, the Snake is moved to the next space on the Threat Track.

Most times when the Snake moves forward, there is no immediate threat. When it reaches the fourth space on the track, players may not draw back to a full hand of cards. This penalty lasts for exactly one Encounter (and ensuing Battle), then players can redraw up to a hand of 5 cards again. If the Snake reaches the final space, immediately go to Before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (step 13).

Each time an Encounter or Battle fails, move the Snake forward one space on the track.

11. End of an Encounter

Each turn ends the same way.

A. All players should redraw to have five cards in hand. Any players who did not participate in the Encounter may discard one card and draw a new one.
B. Anyone who had Expelliarmus cast on them regains their wand. They may not exchange a card but they do discard the Expelliarmus card, returning it to the box.
C. Check to see if an earned token fills the final requirement of The Beginning. If so, proceed to step 12. If it fulfills the final requirement for The Second Wizarding War, or if the Snake reached the end of the Track, proceed to Before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (step 13).
D. The current Leader flips their wand face down and the player to their left flips their wand face up to begin their turn, taking the same steps.

12. A Shift in Loyalties

As soon as the second token is added to The Beginning, loyalties may shift. The Leader deals one card from the secondary Loyalty deck to each player. Players pick up both of their Loyalty cards, mix them up, then return one face down. The following rules apply.

Anyone loyal to the Order of the Phoenix that is dealt another Order of the Phoenix card has not been coerced. They simply return one of the Order of the Phoenix cards, keeping the other, and are still part of the Order of the Phoenix.
A Death Eater, whether they are dealt another Death Eater or Order of the Phoenix card, remains a Death Eater. They always keep a Death Eater card, simply returning the other card.
Anyone loyal to the Order of the Phoenix that is dealt a Death Eater card must switch their Loyalty! They return the Order of the Phoenix card, keeping the Death Eater card, and are now considered a Death Eater!

Once all cards have been handed back in, the Leader returns the cards to the box.

13. Before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

As soon as the last token space for The Second Wizarding War is filled on the game board, or the Snake reaches the end of the Threat Track, game play immediately proceeds to determining who needs to be sent before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for questioning! This is the time to identify which witches and wizards amongst you are not loyal to the Order of the Phoenix but actually Death Eaters aiding Lord Voldemort!

Revelio!

The player who collected the Revelio card casts the spell. Based on where the Snake is on the Threat Track, they may choose 0, 1, or 2 player's Loyalty cards to peek at. This is not public knowledge. The player may tell the truth, lie, or even choose to withhold all information about what they have seen.

Armed only with the knowledge of what has transpired in the game and what has been shared from the casting of the Revelio spell, the player who was the Leader of the final Encounter nominates another player to be the final Leader. All players must vote on whether or not to elect the nominated player as the final Leader. This player will be responsible for selecting the names of known Death Eaters to submit to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Important: The Final Leader cannot choose themselves, so this should be the player the group considers most likely to be loyal to the Order of the Phoenix. Once the players have had a chance to offer their thoughts regarding the nomination, the current Leader calls for a vote.

All players hold out their fist, thumb extended sideways. The Leader counts down, "3, 2, 1," and the voters each display a thumbs up ("yes") or thumbs down ("no"), with the majority carrying the vote.

If a "no" or tie happens, the player to the current Leader's left becomes current Leader, and must nominate a player who has not previously been nominated. Once a "yes" majority is reached, the final Leader flips their wand face up.

The Final Leader is responsible to listen to the other players, but ultimately, they must choose who they believe to be the Death Eaters amongst the other players. The Final Leader selects as many players as shown in the chart below.

The Moment of Truth

One at a time, each player reveals their Loyalty card.

Order of the Phoenix Victory

If all Death Eaters have been sent to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for questioning, the Order of the Phoenix are victorious. Witches and wizards everywhere are safe from Lord Voldemort and his followers. For now...

Death Eater Victory

If any Death Eater has avoided being questioned by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the Death Eaters win!

Players	Names to submit	Order of the Phoenix: Perfect victory	Order of the Phoenix: Partial victory	Death Eater: Victory
4, 5 or 6	1 or 2	All (and only) Death Eater names are submitted	The only Death Eater and an Order of the Phoenix name is submitted.	Any Death Eater not sent before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
7 or 8	2 or 3	All (and only) Death Eater names are submitted	Both Death Eaters and an Order of the Phoenix name are submitted.	Any Death Eater not sent before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

FAQ

Q. If I am a Death Eater, can I throw away my rolls while Leader?

A. No. The Leader represents the efforts of the whole group. You must also take any extra rolls afforded you. You do not have to use your Leader Powers to increase the chances of success.

Q. What do I do if the Encounter or Battle Pool gets mixed up?

A. If the pool gets mixed up with your own hand, discard the entire pool and your hand, then redraw the correct number of cards. Have every player who put cards into the pool draw replacements. Reform the pool with cards from the correct players then continue play.

Q. What happens if multiple Curse cards are revealed and we can't deal with any of them?

A. You face defeat only once a turn. Even if two Avada Kedavra cards with the "Encounter automatically fails" directive are revealed, you only move the Snake one space on the Threat Track.

Q. What happens if I can't fulfill a location requirement for an Encounter because Expelliarmus has been used?

A. You still must do the Encounter with as many players as possible. The Leader will not have the ability to swap cards. You cannot choose to not fulfill a location requirement.

Q. What happens if our total dice pool is higher than 6?

A. Some Encounter cards require you to build a pool larger than 6 to pass, but in these Encounters you do not need to roll the dice to pass. When an Encounter requires dice rolling, the largest number of dice you can add to the pool is 6. Any extra dice value on the cards is ignored and only up to 6 dice may be rolled.