
- BGG rank
- BGG #603
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Shadows over Camelot
- 3–7 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2005

2018
Rules assistance for Heirs of the Wizard King
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 1 player

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Heirs of the Wizard King is a board game released in 2018 for 1–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Jonathan Politis and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection.
The Wizard King has selected you and your rivals to be his Heirs. He plans to teach you everything he knows and select the best of you to be the next king. Your training had just begun when a Black Wizard murdered the Wizard King to fuel an evil ritual. Unguided, you must complete your training to be able to stop the Black Wizard. You must stop the ritual, and do it quickly, because not only could the ritual destroy this way of life, someone less worthy might rise and take the throne before you. In Heirs of the Wizard King, each color of Wizard uses a unique type of spell that you can choose to command or absorb. Commanding a wizard allows the player to use their spell one time. If absorbed, you can then permanently use a reduced version of that spell. This absorbed power starts small, but you can continue to invest in, and eventually master, that spell. To defeat the Black Wizard, players forge Chains of Wizards by matching any combination of color/number. This task appears simple, but with each completed Chain, the difficulty increases as each Chain requires one additional card. The first player to reach the top of the score track defeats the Black Wizard and becomes the next Wizard King. Meanwhile, the Ritual of the Black Wizard is not an idle threat. On every player's turn, the Black Wizard's Chain is dealt one card from the deck. If that weren't bad enough, whenever the Deck runs out of cards, the Black Wizard advances one spot on his score track. Unchecked, the Black Wizard would quickly overwhelm and destroy the players. Players must work together to stop the Black Wizard, but in the end only one can be crowned the next Wizard King. What type of King will you be?
Heirs of the Wizard King supports 1–4 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 Heirs of the Wizard King is 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 Heirs of the Wizard King for ages 14 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.
Heirs of the Wizard King has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Heirs of the Wizard King belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Print & Play. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection. 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 Heirs of the Wizard King are: Jonathan Politis. 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 Heirs of the Wizard King as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.