
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,215
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Chaosmos
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2015

Rules assistance for GROWL: Curses + Spells
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
GROWL: Curses + Spells is an expansion for GROWL released in 2019 for 4–10 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Joey Vigour and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Player Elimination.
GROWL: Curses + Spells is a double-expansion in one box, and the expansions may be played individually or combined with each other or other expansions. CURSES allows for a more complex, longer game experience. It is recommended for 5+ players. After players have been dealt their initial card (Gold or Bite), shuffle all 14 Curses cards into the main deck. Deal the additional 3 cards to each player, prepare the Night cards, and proceed as usual. Icons only negate other icons, not the entire card. For example, if you have a Cursed Charm (adds 1 wound icon and 1 charm icon) and a Hex (negates all your charm icons), the Hex cancels the charm icon but not the wound icon. If you have a Super Salve (adds 2 salve icons) and a Cursed Gold (adds 2 gold icons and a wound icon), then one of the salve icons negates the wound icon, but you still have your gold icons and an extra unused salve icon. Holy Water symbol: (Holy Water is bad for werewolves, so if you “turn” while holding this, you might also find yourself dead!) Infinity symbol: (While in your hand, this negates ALL of a specific type of icon. Infection negates salve icons, Hex negates charm icons.) SPELLS adds static (ongoing) abilities, plus effects you can trigger by discarding Gold cards. Recommended for 5+ players. SETUP: After all players have been dealt their starting hands (but before preparing the Night cards), shuffle 3-5 of these expansion cards into the deck. Then prepare the Night cards, and proceed as usual. Cards with a [SPELL] icon in the upper right are called “spells” and never go to a hand; instead, they are placed face-up in front of the player they are given to. Their effects are either ongoing (like Wolfsbane or Tanglevine), or else may be triggered as described in the text of the card. When a player with one or more cards in front of them takes their turn, they must FIRST review and resolve their spells in any order, then proceed to draw and give a card as usual for their turn. Some spells are triggered at unusual moments, such as after a Night Phase, or at the moment a player dies. If need be, pause the game by calling out “Spell!” and resolve its effects before proceeding. The main text on a spell card is not directed at the player who draws it on their turn, but to the player they give the card to. Icons in the upper left of your spell cards are considered part of your hand, and may negate (or be negated by) icons on cards in hand. Some other cards (for example, “Silver Bullet” and “Séance”) are played as spell cards, and there are some card effects that can move or discard them. If a card effect lets you discard a card with a certain icon, you may discard any card of yours with the icon, including a spell card. If a spell is discarded, publicly remove it from play, just as you would discard a resolved Night card. TIMING: If a card says “once per turn” then it should be interpreted to mean “on your turn only.” Spells usually remain active unless the player dies. If the spells (or the players!) move positions, the spells affect new players instead. If multiple players’ cards conflict, resolve them logically and thematically. In the rare case of complex timing issues, resolve the cards clockwise from the Start Player (1). Finally, if a single player has conflicting cards, they may resolve them in the order they wish. ©2019 Joey Vigour
GROWL: Curses + Spells supports 4–10 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for GROWL: Curses + Spells is 20–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists GROWL: Curses + Spells for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
GROWL: Curses + Spells belongs to these categories: Card Game, Party Game, and Bluffing. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Player Elimination. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of GROWL: Curses + Spells are: Joey Vigour. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists GROWL: Curses + Spells as an expansion for GROWL. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need GROWL to use it. Check that your edition of GROWL is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.