Harry Potter Defenders Components & Card List
Defenders of Hogwarts comes with a gold-accented map of Hogwarts, a side board for the Dark Arts Path, and about 218 pieces. Here is what each part does in the game.
Cards per deck
153 cards in total, split by who uses them.
Show data table
| House Players | Dark Arts Player | Shared / board | Cards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Acquire deck | 42 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| House starter decks | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 (4 × 7) |
| House Location deck | 21 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Dark Arts Acquire deck | 0 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Event cards | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15 (3 × 5) |
| Library Books | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Dark Arts starter deck | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Player Aid cards | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Dark Arts Location deck | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Boards and pawns
| Component | Count | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Main Board | 1 | A map of Hogwarts Castle and grounds where all the pawns move. |
| Side Board | 1 | Holds the Dark Arts Path, the Hogwarts Loyalty Track, the Library and the Acquire rows. |
| Room of Requirement piece | 1 | Added to the map once someone reaches space 5 on the Loyalty Track. |
| House Player Boards | 4 | Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Hold your deck, discard pile and items. |
| Dark Arts Player Board | 1 | The Dark Arts Player's deck and discard area. |
| House Player Pawns | 16 (4 per house) | 3 move on the map, 1 tracks loyalty. |
| Dark Arts Pawns | 7 | 4 to 7 are used, depending on player count. |
Card decks
| Deck | Cards | Use |
|---|---|---|
| House Player Starter Decks | 4 × 7 (28) | Each house's opening deck. All four are identical. |
| House Player Acquire Deck | 42 | Cards House Players buy with the Learn action. Feeds the Acquire Row and Advanced Acquire Row. |
| Dark Arts Player Starter Deck | 7 | The Dark Arts Player's opening deck. |
| Dark Arts Player Acquire Deck | 20 | New Dark Arts cards, gained after bumping a House pawn. |
| Event Cards | 3 × 5 (15) | White, orange and red decks, drawn when the Dark Arts Marker lands on an Event Space. |
| House Player Location Deck | 21 | Secret targets. Reach 2 of your 3 to earn a Parchment Scroll. |
| Dark Arts Player Location Deck | 4 | The final target the Dark Arts pawns must reach to win. |
| Library Book Deck | 11 | One of the three items for a Defence Shield. Taken from the Library; effect resolves immediately. |
| Player Aid Cards | 5 | Turn summary and icon reference. |
The 7 card types
Every House card belongs to one of seven types, and each type has a matching Hogwarts Token on the map. Holding a token lets you return it for an extra Explore action, but only with a card of the same type.
- Charms
- Potions
- Herbology
- Defence Against the Dark Arts
- Transfiguration & Spell Casting
- Magical Creatures & Beings
- Hogwarts Items & Artefacts
Example from the rulebook: a Ravenclaw player holding the Charms token returns it and plays Alohomora (a Charms card) as an extra Explore action to get a pawn out of the castle.
What a card shows
- Movement value (top left): a number of spaces, a Fly Off Point, or a specific location. Two numbers mean a multi-move.
- Card type icon (House cards) or zone colour (Dark Arts cards). Dark Arts effects only work once the path has reached that colour.
- Effect text. A lightning bolt marks a Reactive Effect you can play outside your turn.
- Narrative text at the bottom, referencing a moment from the films.
Named cards confirmed in the rulebook include Alohomora (Charms) and the Dark Arts card Confundo, which can make a House Player skip a turn.
Tokens and markers
| Token | Count | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Hogwarts Tokens | 7 | One per card type. Pick up on the map, return to take an extra Explore action. |
| Defence Shields | 6 (2 types × 3) | Collect 2 to win as a House Player. |
| Parchment Scrolls | 8 | Shield item, earned through Location cards. |
| Dumbledore's Army (D.A.) Coins | 4 | Shield item, found in the Room of Requirement. |
| Dark Detector | 1 | Shield item, held by the leader on the Loyalty Track (space 5+). |
| Dark Arts Progress Tokens | 3 | Giant, Acromantula and Dementor. The Dark Arts Player needs all three. |
| Dark Arts Marker | 1 | Moves along the Dark Arts Path. |
| House Markers | 4 | Taken by the Dark Arts Player when they bump that house. |
Map features
- Obstacles: Locked Doors, Protective Spells, Physical Objects and Water. House pawns need a card to cross; Dark Arts pawns ignore them.
- Protected Areas: 4 spaces with a blue shield, including Hagrid's Hut. Dark Arts pawns can never enter.
- Fly Off Points inside and outside the castle, plus 3 Secret Passageways (red, green, blue) for House Players.
- Bonus Spaces: acquire a card, draw a card, or play again.
- Named locations in the rules: the Great Hall, the Library, the Charms classroom, the Astronomy Tower, Hagrid's Hut, the Room of Requirement and the White Tomb.
Kickstarter upgrades (not in the retail box)
Backers could add these extras. They don't change the rules.
- Wooden token upgrade (25 tokens: shields, house markers, Hogwarts tokens, scrolls)
- Metal pawn upgrade (23 pawns) and a metal Dumbledore's Army upgrade (4 counters), due March 2027
- Card sleeves (160), deluxe box sleeve, luxury token bag, player pin set
- Signed artist's portfolio and gold-foil art print
See editions and prices for which tier included what.
FAQ
How many pieces are in Defenders of Hogwarts?
Counting from the rulebook's component list: 153 cards, 23 pawns, 34 tokens and markers, and 8 boards or board pieces, about 218 pieces in total. That matches MinaLima's description of 200+ components.
Are the four houses different?
Only in colour. All four House Player starter decks are identical, and no house has a special power. The game is about your choices, not your house.
Do you play as Harry, Ron or Hermione?
No. There are no character cards. You play a Hogwarts house with 4 pawns. Characters and moments from the films appear in card art and flavour text.
Is there a full card list?
MinaLima has not published a full card list. We list the decks and card types here and will add individual cards as players document them.