Wicked Witches Way
Wicked Witches Way Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board, which represents the course on which the race takes place.
- 6 cardboard witch figures (1 for each player) and their plastic stands.
- 1 "Curse" token.
- 9 "Magic Formula" dice, each of which has an orange or black symbol on every face.
- 6 sets of 9 cards (one set for each player), which represent the 9 symbols found on the dice.
- 27 "Black Magic" cards, which will let you help yourself or hinder your opponents during the race.
- 1 box (and its lid), which serves as the dice track and represents the great book of magic.
Here are the 9 different symbols (which come in black or orange) that can appear on the faces of the "Magic Formula" dice: ear, star, skull, spider, spider web, eye, lightning bolt, cloud, and burst.
Each of the 9 cards in a player's own set bears one of these symbols along with a magic syllable (such as Ziiim, Shaaa, Miiin, Lashlâ, Foulzz, Boulgâ, Biiih) — a witch calls her syllables aloud as she recites her formula.
Objective
Each witch's goal is to score the greatest number of prestige points, both by finishing as well as possible in the flying broomstick race and by pulling off daring aerobatic figures. The game ends when, at the end of a game turn, one or more pawns have crossed the finish line. Each player then totals the points corresponding to their finishing position in the race and those earned along the way by performing aerial acrobatics.
The player with the highest total wins the game.
Setup
Unfold the board and place it on one side of the table (the center of the table is reserved for the box and the dice, so that everyone can perfectly observe the dice being thrown).
Shuffle the "Black Magic" cards and form a face-down draw pile with them (next to the board).
Each player takes a witch figure that will represent them during the game and places it on the starting line.
Each player receives a set of 9 cards (the backs of the cards show the same character as their figure).
Place the 9 dice in the box in the center of the table.
Place the "Curse" token next to the board.
THE GREAT RACE CAN NOW BEGIN!
Playing the Game
During each game turn, to make their broomstick fly, apprentice pilots must recite a magic formula glimpsed on the sly in the great book of magic...
But beware, not every syllable is safe to speak, and if you get the magic formula wrong, your broomstick won't move... while with a perfect formula, the result will be fantastic!
So stay alert... and be quicker than your opponents!
Phase 1 - Look in the Great Book of Magic
The player in last position in the race (or chosen at random for the first turn) takes the 9 dice in the hollow of both hands, and throws them into the bottom of the box.
All players then look at the visible symbols to memorize the formula that seems most appropriate to them: you must try to memorize the symbols of a single color (orange or black) that are NOT present in the other color.
As soon as one of the players believes they are able to put together a valid formula, they close the book (they actually close the lid) and the first phase ends.
Phase 2 - Write a Formula
Each player chooses, from among their 9 cards, the ones with which they will write their magic formula. To be valid, a formula must contain only symbols appearing in a single color on the dice after sorting (only orange, or only black).
They line up face down in front of themselves the cards chosen this way (the order does not matter).
Unused cards are placed face down in a separate pile.
Phase 3 - Check Your Formula
Once every player has finished, each player reveals their formula and speaks it aloud, and then the lid is removed to check whether the formulas are valid.
To do this, proceed in the following order:
- Group the dice by identical symbol, without regard to their different colors.
- Then eliminate all groups that contain the same symbol in both orange AND black.
- For all remaining groups, keep only one die: the fact that a symbol appears several times changes nothing.
Phase 4 - Apply the Effects of Your Formula
Each player, starting with the one who closed the box, then continuing in order of their positions on the board, reveals their formula and applies its effects:
- If their formula contains at least one forbidden symbol (that is, a symbol that is absent from the valid dice, or present in both colors): the witch falls off her broomstick. She does not move this turn.
- If their formula contains only valid symbols (of a single color, not present in the other color) but is missing some valid symbols: the witch moves forward a number of spaces equal to the number of cards she played.
- If the formula contains every valid symbol of a single color: the witch achieves a PERFECT formula. She moves forward a number of spaces equal to the number of cards she played, and gets a bonus:
- for a perfect formula in orange: she moves 2 additional spaces;
- for a perfect formula in black: she draws as many "Black Magic" cards as there are symbols in the perfect formula and keeps one. The other cards are shuffled back into the draw pile.
Penalty
Be careful not to confuse speed with haste: if the formula written by the player who chose to close the lid is not valid, they move back 2 spaces. This is in fact what the "-1" and "-2" spaces behind the starting line are for. A player on the "-2" space can no longer close the box.
Curse of the Lead Witch
At the end of each turn, after all players who have completed a formula have moved their figure, the "Curse" token is placed on the space where the player or players in the lead of the race are located. This curse has the effect of cancelling the bonus for a perfect formula for any player on that space. To win, a profitable tactic can therefore be to stay in ambush right behind the leaders...
Black Magic Cards
There are 2 types of "Black Magic" cards:
- "Aerial acrobatics" bonus cards (they all have a printed value). They are revealed at the end of the game and add points to the score of the witch who holds them.
- "Spell" cards (all the others) are used by players during their figure's movement phase, and only at that moment. However, there are several special cards (Decree, Magic Fog, etc.) that are played at particular moments indicated on the card itself.
The complete list of "spell" cards and their effects can be found at the end of the rules.
End of the Game
The game ends when, at the end of a game turn, one or more figures have crossed the finish line.
The first to have crossed the finish line scores 25 points. If other players reached the finish in the same turn, the second scores 24, then 23 for all the others.
Players who have not crossed the finish line score as many points as the number of the space their figure is on.
Everyone adds to the result above the total of their bonuses from aerial acrobatics cards.
The highest score wins the game (in case of a tie, the player who went the furthest is declared the winner).
Balancing the Odds
Novice pilots: a novice pilot (a child, a beginner, a bad headache...) is allowed to place their pawn on space 5, 6, or 7 at the start of the game.
Expert pilots: to make the challenge harder for an expert pilot, an expert pilot can never benefit from the bonus granted by a perfect formula.
It is entirely possible to mix skill levels, for example with a novice player, two players who know how to play, and an expert all at the same table!
Example of a Game Turn
1 - THROW the dice
2 - CLOSE the box and COMPOSE your formula
3 - SORT the dice (group the dice with the same symbol, regardless of their color)
4 - ELIMINATE the groups with at least one orange die and one black die, and keep only one die per group. All other symbols are forbidden for this turn!
5 - APPLY the effect of the formulas
- Ursule moves forward 2 spaces.
- Cunégonde moves forward 5 spaces (3 cards + "perfect formula" bonus).
- Sofia moves forward 2 spaces and draws 2 "Black Magic" cards (but keeps only one).
- Augustine does not move, because her formula contains both orange and black symbols!
- Renée's formula is invalid: the skull symbol is not allowed this turn. She moves back 2 spaces, since she was the one who closed the lid.
Spell Card List
Attraction (x2)
Move all other pawns 1 or 2 spaces toward yours. This card must be played after your movement.
Blockade (x1)
No player can pass you this turn. This card must be played after your movement.
Magic Fog (x2)
Cancel the effect of the spell played by your opponent. This card can be played at any time.
Decree (x2)
Play this card after all the other players have composed their formula. You then get 10 extra seconds to look at the dice before writing yours. An expert pilot only gets 5 extra seconds when using this card.
Double Cross (x3)
This turn, you may write 2 formulas: one orange AND one black. If both are perfect, you get the bonuses of both formulas. You move your figure forward a number of spaces equal to the sum of the cards used to write the two formulas. This card must be used at the moment you apply the effect of your formula.
Bad Spell (x1)
Move the lead pawn back 3 spaces. This card must be played after your movement.
Repaired Oversight (x2)
Add to your formula a card from your hand. This card must be used at the moment you apply the effect of your formula.
Rectification (x2)
Exchange a card from your formula with a card from your hand. This card must be used at the moment you apply the effect of your formula.
Tailwind (x3)
Move forward a number of spaces equal to your position in the race. This card must be played after your movement.
Example: you are in 3rd place, move forward 3 spaces.
Witches
Character notes printed in the rulebook margins, for the pawns players race with.
Ursule Crochetout — Winner of the 1775 Golden Broom, she unfortunately had to stop her career after having a hand cut off during a chance encounter with a mechanical demon of the second circle. 1781 marks her big comeback in the championship.
Renée Tranchegorge — On the circuit since 1779, Renée has so far won only a single grand prix. And even then, only because her two main rivals were found the night before the race, drained of their blood, in their cabin. Her signature item is a perfectly sharpened dagger that never leaves her side.
Cunégonde Besnard — A new entrant on the professional circuit, Cunégonde rides a scythe converted into a racing broom. Her greatest strength is a charm made from the skull of her late husband.
Pic, Ful, Glloq, and Raoul Verbouteille — These four individuals are merely the current form of the all-category grand champion Germaine Petipas. A terrible magic-potion accident gave her this rather unfortunate appearance. She has nevertheless kept her passion for broomstick racing.
Sofia Beaumorceau — Long confined to the starting gates, Sofia decided to take her future and her broom into her own hands by winning her first race in 1779. However, her greatest achievement to date is having made the cover of "Sports and Sorcery" magazine four times in one year without ever having won a single race.
Augustine Mangetout — Augustine is the oldest competitor on the pro circuit, having won her first race back in 1610. Her longevity and her performances are thanks to a delicious brew of her own recipe, which she always carries with her during races.
Credits
Du balai ! is a game by Bruno Cathala and Serge Laget, illustrated by Stéphane Poinsot and published by Asmodée Éditions — ZAC le Mérantais, Angle rue aux Fleurs / rue des Tilleuls, BP 00037 - 78960 Voisins le Bretonneux.
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