e Rules of

Mystic Wood

V .

Copyright by Peter Donnelly

Contents

General description

Game components

Getting started

Knights

Movement

Spells

Denizen cards

Meeting Denizens

When there is more than one card in an area

Companions

ings

Jousts

Exchanging Cards

Power Limit

Chivalry

Ending the Game

iii

 Special Areas

Special Small Cards

Knights

Hidden Cards Variant

uestions and Answers

e Literary Background

iv

 General description
e canter di quel secondo regno
And I will sing of that second realm,

dove lumano spirito si purga

where the human spirit purifies itself

e di salire al ciel diventa degno.

and of ascending to the sky, having become worthy.

Dante, Purgatorio i. 4-6

Mystic Wood is a fantasy adventure for to players, set in an ever-changing
labyrinth somewhere between Earth and Heaven.
Each player chooses as his or her champion a Knight, who sets forth from
the Earthly Gate to full a personal quest. Moving by turns along twisting
paths, the Knights explore the Mystic Wood. In some locations, they encounter the people and creatures who inhabit the Mystic Wood. rough
encounters with these denizens and jousts with other Knights, the Knights
may acquire strength, prowess, companions, and useful things to help them
full their quests. But there are risks as well, including imprisonment in the
Tower.
A player wins the game by fullling his or her quest and leaving the Wood
by the Enchanted Gate. Alternatively, any Knight except Britomart and Marsa
can win by defeating the King and occupying the Castle. Although Britomart
and Marsa cannot win in this way, they have the special ability of being able
to ignore the King.

Game components
e base game contains the following components:

large area cards

Knight cards
Chivalry cards: Save Boy and Save Damsel
Denizen and Spell cards
Knight tokens
six-sided dice, one red and one white.

In the extension, the following are added:

area cards, including Altar, Swamp, Temple and Statue

Knight cards, Astolfo and Marsa
Spell card, Mystic under
Denizen cards, Bear, Crone, Friar, Grin, Immortal, Nymph, Ogre,
Hermit, Sorcerer, Sphinx, Tartar, Tyrant, and Wife.

e rest of these rules assumes you have the extension cards mixed in with the
base game.

Getting arted
Marfisa, sempre a far gran pruove accesa,
Marfisa, always ready to prove herself greatly, stood up,

- Voglio esser con voi (disse) a questa impresa.

- I will be with you (she said) in this adventure.

Orlando Furioso, Canto 18, 102

We suggest that you read sections through of these rules before beginning. You can learn more about individual cards (see sections and ) as
they come up.
Separate the area cards into three groups according to the designs on their
backs.
Enchanted Wood areas (only if only playing the base game)
Earthly Wood areas (only if only playing the base game)
xed locations: Tower, Earthly Gate, and Enchanted Gate.
Lay out the Earthly Gate, the Enchanted Gate, and the Tower face up as
shown in gure . If playing only the base game, remove the extension cards
and remove the le-most and right-most columns in the tile layout gure. Fill
in the two halves of the Wood by placing the area cards face down at random,
as shown below. Leave a little space between the cards so that each can be
turned over without disturbing the whole array.
For purposes of transportation, a kind of magical movement that will be
explained later, each location except the Tower has a corresponding location

in the other part of the Wood. e numbers in the gure show these correspondences. e two Gates correspond to one another.
Enchanted Forest

Enchanted Gate

Tower

Earthly
Gate

Earthly Forest
Figure : Tile Layout
Aer the players take their seats around the table, the youngest player examines the seven Knight cards and chooses one of the Knights. e player
also selects a token to show the location of his or her Knight in the Mystic
Wood, and places this on the Earthly Gate. e remaining Knight cards are
then handed to the player on the right, and so on until each player has made a
choice. Players put their Knight cards face-up in front of them. e remaining Knight cards and tokens are put back in the box.

Put the two Chivalry cards aside for now.

Shue the rest of the small cards and place them face down anywhere on
the table.
e last person to pick a Knight is the rst player to move, and turns proceed to the le (clockwise) around the table.
e starting player moves his or her token from the center of the Earthly
Gate to one of the three paths leading into the Wood. e card adjacent to
that path is then turned over. e exploration of the Mystic Wood has begun.

Knights
The knight with that old Dragon fights
two dayes incessantly:
The third him ouerthrowes, and gayns
most glorious victory.
The Faerie Queene, Book I, Cantus XI.
Each Knight has a quest as stated on the card, and an initial power made up
of two numbers:
S. Shown in the spearhead at the top right corner of the card.
Strength represents physical strength, weaponry, and ghting skills. It
is used by itself when ghting beasts, and in combination with prowess
when ghting Knights and other warriors.
P. Shown in the circle at the top le corner of the card. Prowess
represents wisdom, courage, and glory. It is used by itself in contests
with magic-users, and also comes in handy when you are trying to befriend certain Denizens. It is combined with strength when ghting
Knights and other warriors.
Guyon, who has less total strength and prowess than the other Knights, is
compensated by a special power: he may add to his die roll when greeting
any Denizen (see .). Guyons bonus is not used in ghts or in any other die
rolls.
As the game progresses, the Knights will acquire companions, things, and
extra prowess from successful adventures. Players must keep their cards neatly

arranged and open to view. Cards representing things and extra strength and
prowess should be kept under the Knight with their top edges showing. Companions should be kept separate.

George has a total Strength of and a total Prowess of .

Figure : Character and Inventory

Movement
Normally you begin your turn by moving or attempting to move your Knight
token. However, movement is voluntary. You are permitted to remain in one
place and do nothing.
Movement usually consists of moving to an adjacent area along a path.
However, it might consist of exploring an adjacent area and discovering that
it cannot be entered from this direction.

. Exploration
To explore a new area, move your token toward any path that leads from your
current location to an adjacent hidden area card. Reveal the hidden card and,
if necessary, turn it so that the arrow points to the north (the top of the map).
If there is a matching path on the new card, move your token onto the area
and immediately perform any required actions. If there is not a matching
path, leave your token where it was and end your turn.
Regardless of whether you succeed in entering the new area, it is now considered explored and the card remains face-up.
Some areas contain Denizens or Spells. In all areas except the Gates, the
Tower, the Palace and the Altar you draw one card. In the Palace and the Altar
you draw two. If you have not succeeded in entering the area, place the small
cards face-down on the area card without looking at them. Otherwise place
them face up and take further actions as described later in these rules.
Cave and Island are special cases. Since these areas can be entered from any
direction, your token always moves into the area when it is revealed. However, the small card you draw remains face-down until you or another player
actually goes inside the cave or crosses the water to the island. ese areas are
described more fully below (see . and .).
Small cards are drawn only when an area is rst turned face-up. Once the
entire Wood has been explored, all the small cards will be in play.

. Movement through previously explored areas

Instead of exploring an area, you can move your token to any adjacent face-up
area connected by a continuous path.
If the area contains any face-down small cards, these are revealed. Your
turn ends aer you have taken any further actions required or permitted by
the cards.
If the area you have entered contains no small cards or other Knights, you
can immediately take one more move, either exploring an adjacent area or
moving to an adjacent area that has already been revealed. In other words,
you can take one free move through a previously explored, empty area before
taking a normal move.

Exceptions: Any cards inside the cave or on the island, or Knights imprisoned in the
Tower, do not prevent you om taking a ee move through the area.
You cannot move into the Enchanted Gate and then leave the Wood on the same
turn.

. Tranortation
From time to time, Knights and Denizens may be transported. is means
that they move directly to the corresponding location in the other half of the
Wood. For example, transportation from the southeast corner of the Earthly
Wood is to the northwest corner of the Enchanted Wood, and vice-versa. Refer to the numbers on gure to see how the locations correspond to one
another.
When your Knight is transported during your own turn, your turn ends
immediately.
If your Knight is transported during another players turn, you do nothing
further until your next turn.
On your next turn, you explore the destination area (if necessary) and interact with any small cards in the area as usual, and then your turn ends. If the
destination area has already been explored and does not contain any small
cards or Knights, you may make a normal move, and an additional move if
possible (see .).
For what happens when a Denizen is transported to an area occupied by a
Knight, see section .

Spells
Four of the small cards are spells:

Mystic Fog (see .)

Mystic Horn (see .)
Mystic Wind (see .)
Mystic under (see .)

ese cards take eect as soon as they are revealed and are then removed
from the game.

Denizen cards
Apart from Spells, the small cards represent Denizens: persons, animals, and
supernatural creatures who may aid or hinder the Knights.
Some Denizen cards have a second function. For example, the Knight who
slays Wild Boar gains prowess. is is shown by inverting the Wild Boar card
and placing it under the Knights card with the Boar-Slayer legend showing.
Similarly, if you vanquish the Wizard he gives you the Lance, which increases
your strength.

Meeting Denizens
Quant ele fu leanz antree
When she had entered there

atot le graal quele tint,

with the Grail that she held,

une si granz clartez i vint,

such great brilliance came from it,

Quausi perdirent les chandoiles

that the candles lost

lor clart come les estoiles

their brightness, like stars

qant li solauz lieve et la lune.

when the sun rises, or the moon.

Le Conte Du Graal, 3224-3229

When your Knight enters an area that contains one or more Denizens, you
usually have two choices: withdraw or approach.
To withdraw, your Knight moves back to the area it came from, and your
turn ends. You cannot withdraw if you arrived in the area by transportation,
if Mystic Fog has blocked your retreat path, or the area contains no Denizens.

Note: You can withdraw om any Denizen, even one that cannot harm you.

An approach takes place if you do not withdraw. You must also approach
a Denizen that has arrived in your Knights area during another players turn.
In this case you must approach the Denizen in your turn, and you cannot take
a normal move aerwards.
A situation may arise where a denizen bounces back and forth between
two Knights, neither of whom can move until the denizen decides to remain,
befriend, or whatever.
In order to avoid such situations, the following optional rule may be applied: a Knight does not have to encounter a denizen which has just arrived
in the area, if the Knight encountered that denizen on his previous turn.
Exceptions: Britomart and Marsa always ignore the King. Any player can ignore
the Queen and Bishop.
If a Denizen transports away om your Knight, then comes immediately back because of an encounter with another Knight, you treat it as if it remained on your last
turn (see ..) and you can move on your next turn.

ere are two types of approach: challenge and greeting. You must challenge any Denizen that has strength or prowess, except potential companions (Prince, Princess, Sage, and Grail). All other Denizens are approached
by greeting.

. Challenge
To resolve a challenge:
. Roll the two dice. e white die gives your basic score, and the red die
gives the Denizens basic score.
. To the Denizens score, add its total strength and prowess.
. To your score, add either your strength, your prowess, or both, depending on which powers the Denizen has. Include appropriate bonuses
from other cards you hold such as Ox-slayer, Lance, or Horse. See Examples below.
. If the score is tied, re-roll until the challenge is resolved.
. If your Knights score is higher, follow the instructions on the card.
. If the Denizens score is higher, you are immediately imprisoned in the

Tower and your turn ends. Your Companions (see ) are le in the
area with the Denizen and become independent again, but you keep
all other cards (including Horse).
Exception: A Knight who is vanquished by Enchantress (see .) remains in
the area but does not approach any other Denizens. Any Companions become
independent.
Examples: Britomart, carrying the Lance (+ strength), has prowess and
strength. She challenges the Orc, who has a strength of . Add to her die roll and
to the die roll of the Orc. Britomarts prowess is ignored because the Orc has only
strength.
en she challenges the Wizard. e Wizards score is increased by his prowess of ,
and Britomarts by her prowess of . Her strength is ignored.
Finally, Britomart challenges the Saracen. e Saracens total strength and prowess
of is added to his score, while Britomart adds her total of .

. Greeting
A Denizen who does not have to be challenged is approached by greeting.
Dierent Denizens react in dierent ways to a greeting, as explained on the
cards. e reaction of some Denizens must be determined by the throw of a
die, with the result shown on the card. Strength and prowess have nothing to
do with this die roll, except prowess as called for on the Prince, Princess, and
Grail cards.
Note: Guyon can add to his die roll when greeting Denizens. He may choose aer
rolling the die whether or not to add this bonus. is makes him a skilled Horse-catcher,
because it gives him more control over the direction the Horse runs in.

e following are the most common reactions of Denizens. For details of

other reactions, see the description of individual Denizens (see ).

.. Remains
e Denizen remains in the area and ignores you. You may pass freely through
this area now or later, but you cannot greet the Denizen again until you have
challenged or greeted a Denizen in another area, or jousted with another

Knight. In the meantime you must greet other Denizens in this area (see ).
You cannot take any unowned ings (see ) that happen to be in the area.
Exception: Queen and Bishop do not prevent a Knight om picking up an unowned
thing. e King does not prevent Britomart or Marsa om picking up an unowned
thing.

.. Tranorts self
e Denizen goes to the corresponding area in the other half of the Wood.
For example, a Denizen in location of the Earthly Wood goes to location
of the Enchanted Wood (see gure ).
e Denizen takes with it any unowned ings (see ) in the area.
Exceptions: e Enchantress and Grail do not carry o ings when they are transported. Nor do the Horse, Princess, or Dragon when they run or y away.

If a Denizen is transported to an unexplored area, the area card remains

face down. When the area is subsequently explored, the Denizen is there
along with any other small cards that might be drawn.
.. Befriends
You pick up the card as a Companion (see ) and put it beside your Knight
card. e Companion remains with you until called on to part company by
some later event.

When there is more than one card in an area

Sometimes your Knight will enter an area containing more than one small
card. For example, an area might contain a card drawn when it was explored,
plus an Arch-Mage who earlier transported himself to the area. In the Palace,
two cards are always drawn together.
Multiple spells take eect in the following order:
. Mystic Horn (see .)
. Mystic Wind (see .)
. Mystic Fog (see .)

. Mystic under (see .)

Aer any spells take eect, you may withdraw from the area if possible. If
you do not withdraw, you must approach all Denizens individually, and your
turn is not over until you have done so or have been sent to another place.
First any challenges are resolved, in this order:
. Denizens who have only strength, in ascending order of strength.
. Denizens who have only prowess, in ascending order of prowess.
. Denizens who have strength and prowess, in ascending order of total
strength and prowess.
is results in the following table:
.
.
.
.
.
.

Bear, Wild Boar, or Wild Ox

Immortal or Troll
Giant or Ogre
Orc
Dragon
Illusion

.
.
.
.
.
.

Wizard
Sorcerer
Enchantress
Saracen or Tartar
Tyrant
King

Finally, if the Knight has won all challenges, other actions take place in this
order:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Greet Rogue.
Greet Arch-Mage.
Greet Prince (and resolve challenge if necessary).
Deliver Boy, Damsel, or Pilgrim and collect reward.
Deliver Crone and collect reward.
Greet other Denizens in any order.
Pick up unowned ings (see ).
Note: Unowned things are guarded by all Denizens in the area. For example,
suppose you enter the Palace and nd Illusion, Elf, and Armour (earlier revealed
to be here by Dwarf ). Aer challenging Illusion and vanquishing it, you greet
Elf. If he transports himself, he takes the Armour with him. But if he gives you
Wand, he disappears and you can take Armour.

 Companions
The Redcrosse knight to Britomart
describeth Artegall:
The wondrous myrrhour, by which she
in loue with him did fall.
The Faerie Queene, Book III, Cantus II.

e following Denizens can befriend and become Companions to a Knight:

Prince
Boy
Princess
Damsel
Sage
Pilgrim
Grail
Companion cards should be kept separately beside the owning players
Knight card.
e following events can cause you to lose a Companion:
You are vanquished by a Denizen in a challenge. Your Knight goes to
the Tower and leaves all Companions in the area where the challenge
took place.
You are vanquished by another Knight in a joust (see ) and the winner befriends one of your Companions.
You use the help of Prince or Sage in an approach. Prince is transported, and Sage is removed from the game.
You rescue Boy or Damsel (see ). Place the card behind your Knight
card as Boy-saver or Damsel-rescuer.
You do not lose companions when you are sent to the Tower aer a joust,
or when you are transported.
Once separated from a Knight, a Companion becomes independent again
and will only befriend aer the usual approach.
e Horse is not a Companion and remains with the owning Knight unless another Knight claims it as a prize aer a joust (see ).

 ings
Objects such as magical weapons come into play as they are given up by Denizens.
Once such an object has been taken by a Knight, it remains in play as a ing
for the rest of the game.
e following are ings:

Armour
Golden Bough
Key
Lance

. Potion
. Ring
. Shield
. Wand
A Knight can carry any number of ings (subject to the rule of Power
Limit, see section ) and can use their special powers any number of times.
A Knight can drop or lose a ing, in which case the card is placed on the
appropriate area card. It remains what it is (for example, Key does not become
Rogue again) and can be picked up by any Knight who enters the area, aer
any necessary interaction with Denizens in the area.

Jous
Il nome mio fu Astolfo; e paladino
My name was Astolfo; and a Paladin

era di Francia, assai temuto in guerra:

I was of France, well-feared in war:

dOrlando e di Rinaldo era cugino,

Of Roland and of Ronald I was a cousin,

la cui fama alcun termine non serra;

whose fame is without end;

Orlando Furioso, Canto 6, 33

At the beginning of a turn or aer moving, a Knight may challenge another
Knight in the same area to a joust.
Note: e Tower area is a sanctuary, and jousts cannot take place there, even between Knights who are not imprisoned.

A joust is resolved just like a challenge with a Denizen. Both Knights add
their total strength and prowess to their scores. ey may use the aid of Companions.
When you win a joust, do one of the following:
Imprison your foe in the Tower. e vanquished player keeps all cards,
including Companions.
Take one ing, Horse, or extra prowess card from your foe and add it
to your own hand.
Approach one Companion held by your foe. For Boy, Damsel, or Sage,
this means simply taking the card. Others must be approached with the
usual die roll. On a result of remains, the Companion stays loyal to
your foe. If the Prince responds by challenging and defeating you, he
remains loyal to your foe.
e challenging players turn ends aer the joust is resolved.
Aer a joust, neither player may challenge the other player to another joust
until the would-be challenger has been involved in a joust with a dierent
Knight or a challenge with a Denizen.
Note: For less competitive play, especially with young children, we suggest that jousting not be allowed.

Exchanging Cards
Knights in the same area are free to exchange any ings they hold. A Knight
may give up a Companion but the other Knight must greet it as usual, and if
the greeting is unsuccessful the Denizen responds as usual.
Example: Britomart agrees to give Golden Bough to Guyon in return for a chance
to approach Prince. On being approached, Prince challenges her and sends her to the
Tower. e Prince card is put back on the map, and Guyon must greet Prince on his
next turn.

 Power Limit
e code of chivalry forbids any Knight to grow too powerful. At the end of
any turn when your Knights combined strength and prowess exceed , you
must surrender a card or cards of your choice to bring the total to or less.
Prince and Sage, whose aid can be used only once, do not count toward
total strength and prowess in this situation. However, Princess, Grail, and
Horse do.
Surrendered cards are treated as follows:
ings are le in the area and remain ings. For example, Lance does
not become Wizard.
Any other cards, including Companions, are transported. Prowess cards
resume their original form as Denizens. For example, Boar-Slayer becomes Wild Boar. Any Knight in the area where these Denizens are
transported must approach them on the next turn, as usual.
Example: e turn order is Parsifal, George, Britomart. Parsifal, whose combined
power is , enters an area occupied by the other two Knights. He challenges George
(who holds Grail) and defeats him. Parsifal claims as his prize the right to approach
Grail, which he obtains, making his combined powers . To meet the limit, Parsifal
discards Ox-slayer (causing Ox to appear in the corresponding area in the other half of
the Wood) and either drops Ring or gives it to one of the other Knights. If Parsifal drops
Ring, George can pick it up on his turn.

Chivalry
Guyon, by Palmers gouernance,
passing through perils great,
Doth ouerthrow the Bowre of blisse,
and Acrasie defeat.
The Faerie Queene, Book II, Cantus XII.
Two denizens, Boy and Damsel, are lost in the Wood and want to be rescued.
As soon as one of these cards is revealed in an area entered by your Knight,
you fall under the obligation of rescue. is happens whether or not you are

able to greet Boy or Damsel at this time. Just seeing their distress obliges you
to rescue them! Take the corresponding Chivalry card (Save Boy or Rescue
Damsel) as a reminder of this obligation.
If you are not able to greet Boy or Damsel, the Denizen card remains in
the area. If another Knight later enters the area, the Chivalry card is passed
to that Knight. Only the last Knight to see the Boy or Damsel is under the
obligation of rescue.
Example: Roland enters the Palace and reveals Orc and Boy. He withdraws om
the area, but he must take the Save Boy card. en George enters the area, and immediately the Save Boy card goes to him. George challenges Orc, but is vanquished and sent
to the Tower. Later, Parsifal enters the area and so George passes the Save Boy card to
him. Parsifal vanquishes Orc and greets Boy, who automatically becomes his Companion. Later, Parsifal loses a challenge with Dragon and is sent to the Tower. Boy remains
with Dragon (see section ) but Parsifal keeps the Save Boy card.

If you defeat another Knight in a joust, and your foe holds Boy or Damsel,
you do not fall under the obligation of rescue unless you take that Companion
as your prize for victory.
To rescue Boy or Damsel you must deliver the Companion safely to the
appropriate area; that is, you must have dealt with all Spells and Denizens as
necessary. If you greet Damsel in an area that also contains ueen, you can
immediately claim the reward for rescuing her.
Example: George has Damsel as a Companion. He enters an area that contains
Queen and Wizard. He challenges Wizard and is sent to the Tower. Boy is now a
prisoner of Wizard. George retains the Rescue Boy card until some other Knight enters
the area, or until he goes back and vanquishes Wizard.

A player who becomes King (see .) is no longer under the obligations

of chivalry. If that player has the Rescue Damsel or Save Boy card, the card is
set aside and may later go to another player. e King can still have Boy and
Damsel as Companions, but he doesnt have to rescue them.

 Ending the Game

nemet Roulanten:
Take Roland:

er ist ein helt zu sinen hanten;

He is a very valiant hero;

die haiden furchten in harte.

The pagans fear him indeed.

Rolandslied des Pfaffen Konrad, 2939 - 2941

A Knight wins the game by leaving the Mystic Wood by the Enchanted Gate
aer fullling the other requirement of his or her quest. A player who has
become King (see section .) wins aer occupying the Castle as King for
one full turn aer defeating any Denizens or other Knights there.
Normally the game is over as soon as one player wins, but the other players
can continue playing for second and third place if they like.

Special Areas
. Cale
is increases strength of a Denizen who already has strength; it does not give
strength to others such as Wizard. If two Knights become involved in a joust
here, the rst Knight to have entered the area is considered to be defending
the Castle, and receives the strength bonus.

. Chapel
Your prowess is increased by during any challenge or greeting here. ere is
no eect on jousts.

. Cave
e cave is a separate place within the Cave area. You may freely enter and
pass through this area without entering the actual cave.
e small card drawn for this area, and any other cards that come to this
area by any means, are inside the cave. e card drawn for this area is not
revealed until a Knight enters the cave.
You may enter the cave if you have the Golden Bough, and you always end
up in the cave if you arrive at the cave area by transportation. Once inside
the cave, you cannot withdraw but must handle all Spells and Denizens in the
usual way. At the end of the turn, if you havent been sent to another area, you
are still considered to be in the cave if any ings, Knights, or Denizens are
transported there during another players turn. Another Knight who enters
the cave area by normal movement, and who lacks the means to enter the cave,
is not allowed to challenge you to a joust (see ).
You cannot voluntarily drop anything inside the cave.
Example: Roland cannot leave the Golden Bough inside the cave to prevent Guyon
om obtaining it.

. Fountain
Drinking from the fountain is always optional. You can roll the die on the
turn you enter (aer dealing with any Denizens who might have ended up
here) or later. Your turn ends aer you follow the instructions. If you end
up in an area that contains one or more small cards or another Knight, do
nothing further on this turn, just as if you had been transported (see .).

. Island
e island is a separate place within the island area. You may freely enter and
pass through this area without going to the island. You can enter the area and
go to the island on the same turn.
e small card drawn for this area, and any other cards that come to this
area by any means, are on the island. e card drawn for this area is not revealed until a Knight goes to the island.

Your Knight always ends up on the island if you arrive at the island area by
transportation. Once on the island, you cannot withdraw but must handle
all Spells and Denizens in the usual way. At the end of the turn, if you havent
been sent to another area, you are still considered to be on the island if any
ings, Knights, or Denizens are transported there during another players
turn. Another Knight who enters the island area by normal movement can
cross to the island and challenge you to a joust (see ).
Once on the island, a Knight cannot withdraw but must handle all Spells
and Denizens in the usual way. At the end of the turn, if the Knight is still in
the area, he or she is considered to be o the island.

. Sacred Grove
is increases prowess only of a Denizen who already has prowess. It does not
give prowess to Denizens such as Orc, or to Knights and their Companions.

. Tower
At no time will any Denizens appear in this area, except the Horse, which
may run here, and Companions. Illusion may not be sent here, nor may the
power of Arch-Mage or Magician be directed to or from this area. It is also a
sanctuary where no Knight may challenge another.
A player whose Knight is imprisoned in the Tower rolls one die each turn
until the Knight escapes on a roll of or . If unsuccessful aer three tries, the
Knight escapes at the beginning on the fourth turn. On escaping, the Knight
can move on the same turn.

. Earthly Gate
is is where players begin their foray into the Mystic Wood.

. Enchanted Gate
Any player who has fullled his or her quest can win the game by leaving
through the Enchanted Gate. is occurs on the turn aer safely entering

the Enchanted Gate.

. Palace
Instead of the usual one card, two cards are drawn upon exploring the Palace
for the rst time.

. Altar
Instead of the usual one card, two cards are drawn upon exploring the Palace
for the rst time.
e altar is the goal of the Pilgrims journey (see .).

. Statue
Deal as usual with denizens already here. You may spend two full turns (not
counting the turn of entry) without encountering a denizen or jousting, then
draw a card on the following turn and deal with it as usual, except that you
may not withdraw.
If you do not wish to pray, simply move on; the card can be drawn at a later
time.

. Temple
You may choose to draw a card by meeting the conditions, in this case that
you discard one extra prowess card; you may not then withdraw. is card
can be drawn on the turn of entry or later; meanwhile any other denizens in
the area are dealt with as usual.

. Swamp
On each turn aer entering, roll a die. If you are unable or unwilling to go in
the direction indicated, stay another turn. Any denizens or loose things you
nd here are dealt with as usual.

 Special Small Cards

e following cards, in alphabetical order, require some further explanation.

. Arch-Mage
You use his power at the beginning of a turn, and can use it even during a
storm. If the destination area is face up and not occupied by a Denizen, you
may move out of it on your next turn. But if it is face down or occupied by a
Denizen, your turn ends and the usual rules for transportation (see .) apply.
If it is the Island or Cave, you end up on the island or inside the cave.
Aer you use a Companion Arch-Mages power, he remains in the area
where you used it.

. Bishop
You may start praying on the turn aer approaching him. At the end of the
third turn of prayer, take Ring. You can continue moving on the following
turn. If your prayer is interrupted by a challenge or for any other reason, previous turns of prayer are lost.

. Boy and Damsel

See Chivalry (section ).

. Dragon
Any Knight can challenge the Dragon, but only George can kill it. If the
Dragon ees because another Knight vanquished it, it does not take any unowned things with it.

. Dwarf/Armour
As soon as he is encountered by a Knight, Dwarf disappears from the game
and the card becomes Armour, which is placed on the corresponding card in

the other half of the Wood. Any Knight can then pick it up as an unowned
ing.

. Elf/Wand
e power of Wand is used at the beginning of a turn, before movement.

. Enchantress
If vanquished, Enchantress transports herself but does not take any unowned
ings in the area.
On escaping from Enchantress, you must attempt to leave by any available
path, exploring if necessary. Enchantress ignores you until you succeed in
leaving the area. You may not encounter other Denizens in the area or pick
up unowned ings.

. Grail
Grail, being more a mystical concept than an object, is not a ing. Aer
befriending a Knight it is treated as a Companion (see section ).

. Horse
When Horse runs, it attempts to move to the adjacent area in the direction
indicated by the die roll. If there is no path, it befriends you (you catch it).
You may peek at an unexplored card to see if the path continues in that direction; if it does, turn the new area face up and, if necessary, draw the card(s)
for it, face-down. Otherwise leave the area face down and unexplored.
If the Horse runs to the Cave or Island, it is considered to be inside the
cave or on the island and always befriends when next greeted.

. King
When a male Knight vanquishes the King, he becomes King and takes that
card in place of the Knight card, which is discarded. e player also sets aside
any Chivalry cards in hand (these may still pass to other Knights), but keeps
all other cards, including Companions, subject to the rule of Power Limit (see
section ).
A player-King is never obliged to rescue Boy or Damsel and does not take
a Chivalry card if he subsequently meets either of them. All other rules for
Knights also apply to a player-King.
Britomart and Marsa completely ignore the King as long as no other
player is the King. ey can approach other Denizens and pick up unowned
things in an area just as if the King were not there.
Another Knight, including Britomart and Marsa, can joust with a playerKing in the usual way, and if the King is vanquished, that player is out of the
game. If the victorious Knight is not Britomart or Marsa, he immediately
becomes King. If Britomart or Marsa vanquish a player-King, the King card
is removed from play.
When a player-King is vanquished, any of his prowess cards are removed
from play. His Companions and ings remain in the area. e vanquisher
greets any Companions and then, if possible, picks up ings.
Example: Guyon vanquishes a player-King who has Ox-slayer and Golden Bough.
e Guyon and Ox-slayer cards are discarded and the player takes the King card. e
new King can pick up Golden Bough, but of course he no longer needs it, since his quest
is now to occupy the Castle rather than to visit the cave.

. Magician
If he is your companion, you can use his power at the beginning of any turn.
His power cannot be used from the Tower area or be directed at the Tower
area. For three full turns aer the turn in which he creates a storm, no one
may enter or leave the stormy area by normal movement.

. Myic Fog
Mystic Fog aects only face-up areas marked with arrows in either the Earthly
Wood or the Enchanted Wood. Each such card is rotated degrees.

. Myic Horn
See the rules for Transportation (see .). For the player who draws this card,
the turn ends immediately aer transportation.

. Myic Wind
It aects all ings held by Knights, but not Companions or unowned ings.
Remember: Grail is a not a ing.

. Prince
Aer giving his help, Prince transports himself. If you approach him again,
you must greet him in the usual way.
No prowess can be gained by vanquishing a Denizen with the help of Prince.
If a Denizen such as Giant or Saracen is slain with Princes help, the Denizen
card is removed from the game. George may not use Princes help when challenging Dragon, and no Knight can use his help when challenging the King.

. Princess
When she ees, Princess goes directly to the Gate in the other half of the
Wood. She never takes anything with her.
As a Companion, she adds her prowess to the Knights any number of
times. No Knight can use her help when challenging the King.

. ueen
[ e following text is added to the card from the rst edition:

Always remains.
Once per game you may ask for a boon. - No boon. , Sends any
Knight you choose to the Tower, or sends you to the Tower area. ]
Greeting ueen is optional; you do not have to ask for a boon, even when
delivering Damsel. You must be able to approach the ueen when asking for
a boon.
If your die roll is successful, ueen immediately imprisons the Knight of
your choice, along with his or her Companions and ings, in the Tower. You
can instead ask ueen to send you to the Tower area; in this case, your Knight
is not imprisoned and can move as usual next turn.

. Rogue/Key
If he betrays you, Rogue stays where he is. Your Knight goes directly to the
Tower but you keep all your cards in hand.
A Knight who has Key can escape on the rst turn aer being sent to the
Tower.

. Sage
As a Companion, he gives extra prowess to the Knight whenever the player
chooses, but only once. He can be used in either a challenge or a greeting.
is card is then removed from play.

. Myic under
You end up exactly where the following player was. For example, if he or she
is in the Cave area but not inside the Cave itself, you end up outside the Cave.
In his or her next turn each player must encounter any denizens in the area
as usual, and may not withdraw. If drawn with Mystic Wind, under takes
eect second.

. Crone
She tells you that she is a maiden under a spell which can be broken only at the
Palace. You have the same obligation as with Boy or Damsel. But on reaching
the Palace (where you must encounter any denizens) she may betray you; like
Rogue, she sends you and your companions to the Tower.

. Friar
He automatically befriends a Knight who has a total Strength and Prowess of
or less, not counting that of companions but including Grail, Horse, and all
things. As soon as the Knights total reaches , the Friar abandons him or her
and stays where he is at the moment.

. Grin
Until his powers of ight are used, he will follow you as a companion in the
usual way. When used, he transports himself from the destination area. He
may transport himself inside the Cave but not take a Knight inside. He can
be used to escape from the Swamp.

. Immortal
If you vanquish him, he will not keep you from delivering safely the Crone,
Damsel or Pilgrim. You must encounter him again next turn if anything happens to detain you in his area, such as the arrival of another denizen. No jousts
can take place in his presence.

. Nymph
e Crystal enables the bearer, in lieu of a normal turn, to look at any area
card that is still face down, or any small card in play that is face down under
the Hidden Cards optional rule (see section ), or the top card of the pack.
If Dwarf is in play, the Crystal reveals the location of the Armour.

. Pilgrim
ere is no obligation to rescue him, and you can leave him behind at any
time. If you leave him safely in the Altar, he gives you the Sta, which enables
you to ght any Knight as if you had equal Strength and Prowess, regardless
of any companions etc. the other Knight may have. If you are stronger than
the other Knight, simply ignore the Sta.

. Sorcerer
On the turn you vanquish him, he brings to this area any one denizen in play
(including a companion) or any one loose thing or thing held by a Knight.
You must encounter a summoned denizen in the usual way, on the same turn
and in the correct order with any other denizens in this area; but you may
immediately take a summoned thing, other than the Grail, which must be
approached as usual (see ..

. Sphinx
Guess the throw of a single die. If you fail, you may not try again until you
have had another encounter elsewhere, or a joust.

. Wife
e Broth is not a thing, and the extra Strength can never be taken away from
the Knight who drinks it.

Knights
. Aolfo
In order to visit a corner area of the Mystic Wood, he must enter the area,
draw if necessary, and encounter. It does not matter if he is vanquished or
fails to encounter every denizen in the area, provided he does not voluntarily
withdraw.

. Marsa
On leaving the Wood, she must have personal Prowess of or more, not
counting companions but including Grail if she has it. She follows the same
rules as Britomart concerning the King.

Hidden Cards Variant

For more competitive play, you can use the following rules for exploration.
When you explore a card and nd that you cannot enter it, leave it face
down without showing it to the other players.
Do not draw a small card for an area until you actually enter it.
Do not reveal the card unless it is a spell or a Denizen you will approach.
If the area contains a Denizen and you choose to withdraw, leave the
card face down.
Remember: You can withdraw om any Denizen. For example, you might withdraw om Druid just to keep Guyon om learning where to nd Golden Bough.

ueions and Answers

Q: I greet Hermit and roll a result of Remains. en I move to an adjacent
area where ueen is, but I do not ask her for a boon. Can I now go back and
greet Hermit again?
A: Yes. Visiting ueen always counts as an action that makes your Knight
eligible to approach a Denizen again. e same applies to the Bishop.
Q: Can I take a free move through an area occupied only by the ueen or
some other Denizen I do not have to approach?
A: No. You must always stop to pay your respects.
Q: What happens if a Knight becomes trapped in a part of the Wood and
cannot explore any new territory or leave the Wood?

A: e Knight must wait for relief from some event that might help: for example, the use of the Wand by another player.
Q: Is it possible to for the game to end in a tie?
A: Yes. Rarely, a stalemate may occur when no Knight can reach the Enchanted Gate or become King and reach the Castle. It is also possible for a
player to force a draw. For example, a powerful Knight who has not fullled
his or her quest might block the way to the Enchanted Gate and prevent any
other player from winning.
Q: Can a Knight drop or exchange a prowess card?
A: No. A prowess card can be taken by another Knight as a prize aer a joust,
but can never be voluntarily traded. e only time a prowess-granting card
such as Wild Ox is put back in play is when a Knight must reduce his or her
total power (see section ).
Q: Can I deliberately leave behind a Companion?
A: No. For example, you could not abandon Boy in the Cave in order to force
Guyon to take the Chivalry card. However, nothing in the rules prevents you
from making a risky challenge that might send you to the Tower without your
Companions.
Q: Im Parsifal, and Roland has Grail. How can I win?
A: ere are only two ways George can lose Grail: () he is vanquished by a
Denizen and sent to the Tower without his Companions; () you defeat him
in a joust and claim as your prize the right to greet Grail. Otherwise, your
only way of winning is to become King.
Q: Roland greets Arch-Mage and is transported to an explored area that
contains a Denizen. According to ., Rolands turn ends before he approaches
the Denizen. Britomarts turn is next, and she moves into the area. What happens?
A: Britomart challenges or greets the Denizen. Roland is still too confused
by what has just happened to do anything. On his next turn, of course, he

can challenge Britomart to a joust or greet a Denizen who remained when

greeted by Britomart.
Q: Is it possible to play with players?
A: We dont recommend a -player game, because there are not enough resources to go around, and it becomes dicult to full quests.

e Literary Background
e game was largely inspired by two romantic epics of the th century: Ariostos Orlando Furioso (Mad Roland) and Spensers e Faerie Queene. e
rst is set in an imaginary Europe of Charlemagne, the second in the realm of
a certain ueen Gloriana, and both poems concern the adventures of various
Knights in search of love and glory.
e poems are immensely long at that, Spensers is unnished and Ariostos just a continuation of another long work by Boiardo and diverse in
matter and mood. At the time of their writing they must have been read aloud
in polite circles, a canto a night, furnishing the kind of entertainment later
generations have found in novels and television.
e heroes and heroines wander through a sketchily dened landscape
punctuated by occasional palaces and cities and peopled with a host of minor
characters: wizards, crones, clerics, robbers, royalty, rustics, distressed maidens, and erce paynims or Saracens, slightly resembling the Arab invaders
of Europe. e always interesting and oen comic encounters of the Knights
with these characters and with one another form a succession of episodes only
loosely connected by a central theme or plot.
e use of magic in the stories is restrained. True, there are powerful artefacts, like Astolfos horn in Orlando Furioso, whose sound produces such terror that whole cities ee before him; and in the same poem Rogero has a shield
that so surely destroys every enemy who glimpses it that Rogero becomes disgusted and throws it down a well. ere are also elaborate illusions, magical
fountains, even (in Ariosto) a journey to the moon; but magic never displaces
virtue, strong right arm, and trusty charger as the ultimate weapons in the

quest for glory. Mostly it is used by wicked enchanters to turn the Knights
from the true path.
Similarly there are few monsters. Spensers Redcross Knight has his Dragon,
who takes three days to overcome, and in Ariosto we nd two Orcs one a
blind giant and the other a malignant sea creature who demands the sacrice of damsels in the appropriate style. But most of the conict is between
humans, and its nest form is the joust, which settles all issues.
e game also owes something to J. G. Frazers e Golden Bough, a monumental study of magic and religion. Frazers starting-point is the ritual killing
of the King in the Sacred Grove, and volumes later he concludes with an explanation of the signicance of the Golden Bough that Vergils hero Aeneas
must pluck before visiting the underworld. Fortunately, the book has been
published in an abridgment.
A word about the Knights of Mystic Wood. George is of course Spensers
Redcross, from his Book One. Britomart, the subject of Book ree, is one of
several formidable lady Knights in the two poems. ere are also several journeys to the underworld; the visit to Mammons treasure-cave made by Guyon
in Book Two of e Faerie Queene is particularly elaborate. Roland had long
been a legendary warrior before Ariosto made him the raving Orlando, lover
of the elusive Angelica, Princess of Cathay. Finally, Parsifal or Perceval is the
subject of many stories from the Middle Ages and later.
Peter Donnelly