How do you set up Defenders of Hogwarts?

1. Choose roles and count pawns

One player must take Dark Arts. For a first game, the rulebook recommends the person most familiar with the rules. Put unused Houses back in the box.

Four Dark Arts pawns begin on the four Deployment Spaces; any additional pawns wait in the Dark Arts player’s pool.

2. Build the shared table

Original orientation diagram, not a map of playable spaces. Use the publisher’s diagrams for exact component positions.

1. Put the Main Board centrally. Shuffle the six Shields and deal one face-up to each Shield Space. Put the seven Hogwarts Tokens in their marked positions.
2. Put three pawns from each chosen House in the Great Hall. Place its fourth pawn at the start of the Loyalty Track.
3. Place the Side Board above the map. Reveal two Library Books and two cards in each House acquisition row. Set the Dark Arts Marker, Progress Tokens, Dark Detector, Scrolls and location decks in their marked spaces.
4. Keep the Room of Requirement piece and D.A. Coins nearby for later use.

3. Prepare starting hands

Each House: shuffle its starter deck, put its House Marker in its Items Space, take three House Location Cards and draw five starter cards.

Dark Arts: shuffle its starter and acquisition decks separately. Sort event cards into white, orange and red decks and shuffle each. Draw five starter cards.

4. Start the first turn

The House player to the left of Dark Arts begins; turns proceed clockwise. Check everyone understands their own objective before starting.