Learn how to play Stringamajig, our party game that’s part drawing game, part charades. You can watch the In A Nutshell video for a quick overview of the game, or dig in deeper for the full how to play video.
Either way, the game hits shelves on June 9, so you can be ready to prove to your friends you’re a String-a-ma-genius!
We’re thrilled with the reception that Grackles has received at Origins and Gen Con and can’t wait for everyone to have it in hand! Grackles releases September 5! Ask your local game store if you can grab a copy.
In a Nutshell Video
To learn a bit about the game before you pick up your copy, check out this video.
How-to-Play Video
To learn how to play before you pick up your copy, check out this video.
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For retailers, we have our marketing kit for Grackles as well as all our other games on our retailer page.
We have put together this FAQ page to answer the most frequently asked questions we receive, so you can get back to playing your game!
If you don’t find the answer to your question here, please contact us, so that we can help you get back on track.
Download a copy of the RULES.
Updated 1/8/18
If you have a question about Game Play for a specific game, choose your game from the list below and follow the link to that game’s specific FAQ page.
That’s a typo that will be fixed in the next printing. Page 4 (and your Character Card) are correct in that you gain a Reward token when you match 5 or 6 dice, not 4.
Continue placing flames by using face down Reward tokens as placeholders until Flame tokens become available. (Often when you run out of Flame tokens, you are about to Scorch a tile, which will return Flame tokens to the supply.)
Reuse any that are on Scorched tiles since they no longer have any effect in the game. When all are used, no more may be placed.
No. The extra movement from tokens only works on a characters own movement, not the crew bosses 1 move bonus.
No. The Crew Boss’s ability must be used to move another character.
Players can keep tokens that are in their possession, but they are removed from the game when they are played.
(UPDATED 6/23)
For a variety of reasons, we had decided not to celebrate International Panic Day this year, but after a groundswell of requests, we thought a small-scale event would be nice. One thing led to another, and now we are thrilled to report that between June 29 and July 2, we will have 137 stores spanning 44 states and 3 countries opening their doors and teaching people how to play Castle Panic and Munchkin Panic.
For the event, we’ve created a new Castle Panic promo, called Fickle Fortune. And for Munchkin Panic, we have the original Bookmark of Free Masonry.
To see if there is a participating store near you, check out the list below. Have a great time playing Castle Panic and Munchkin Panic. Enjoy the day and the promos!
Alabama
Quality Collectibles (Jasper)
Gamers N Geeks (Mobile)
Game Time Hobbies (Opelika)
Alaska
Gateway Games (Ketchikan)
Arkansas
Dragon’s Keep Gaming Room (Fayetteville)
Mena Game Lounge (Mena)
Imagine! Hobbies & Games (Sherwood)
Arizona
Imperial Outpost Games (Glendale)
WesterCon 70 (Tempe)
California
Paladin’s Game Castle (Bakersfield)
Games of Berkeley (Berkeley)
Crazy Squirrel Gaming Store (Fresno)
The Dice House (Fullerton)
Comic Quest (Lake Forest)
At Ease Games (San Diego)
Empire Collectables (San Diego)
Crazy Fred’s (San Diego)
Pair A Dice Games (Vista)
Colorado
Shep’s Games (Aurora)
Connecticut
Your Friendly Neighborhood Tabletop Shop (Newington)
Florida
Gods & Monsters (Orlando)
Kitchen Table Games (St. Petersburg)
Georgia
Tyche’s Games (Athens)
Quest Comic Shop (Carrollton)
Hawaii
Other Realms Ltd (Honolulu)
The Armchair Adventurer (Honolulu)
Idaho
Safari Pearl Comics (Moscow)
Infinite Heroes Games (Nampa)
Illinois
Castle Perilous Games & Books (Carbondale)
Da Sorce (Chicago)
Fair Game (Downers Grove)
Indiana
Reader Copies (Anderson)
Better World Books (Goshen)
Castle Comics and Cards (Lafayette)
Iowa
The Hobby Corner (Iowa City)
Kansas
Boom Comic Shop (Lawrence)
Collector’s Cache by Feral Events (Olathe)
Kentucky
Hobby Town (Bowling Green)
Comics 2 Games (Florence)
Lousiana
Plus 1 Gaming (Metairie)
Mechacon 2017 (New Orleans)
Maryland
Xpanding Universe (Aberdeen)
Canton Games (Baltimore)
Play More Games (Gaithersburg)
Dream Wizards (Rockville)
Massachusetts
Round Table Games (Carver)
Greenfield Games (Greenfield)
Michigan
Acropolis Games (Adrian)
Dreams of Conquest (Bay City)
TC Paintball (Traverse City)
TC War Room (Traverse City)
Imperium Games (Wixom)
Mississippi
maCnarB Gaming (Gautier)
Tupelo Sportscards and Games (Tupelo)
Missouri
Capital City’s Game Emporium (Jefferson City)
CCYDNE Hobbies (Lebanon)
Minnesota
Lionheart Games (Waite Park)
Montana
Orion’s Keep Games (Hamilton)
Nebraska
The Game Shoppe (Bellevue)
Game On – Grand Island (Grand Island)
Game On – Kearney (Kearney)
Hobbytown USA (Lincoln)
Gauntlet Games (Lincoln)
Game On – McCook (McCook)
Game On – North Platte (North Platte)
The Game Shoppe (Omaha)
Nevada
Little Shop of Magic (Las Vegas)
Games Galore (Reno)
New Hampshire
Double Midnight Comics (Concord)
The Relentless Dragon (Nashua)
New Jersey
The Bearded Dragon Games (Bernardsville)
Arcana Toys, Games, and Hobbies (Washington)
New Mexico
Zia Comics and Games (Las Cruces)
New York
Alterniverse (Hyde Park)
The Game Gamut (Pittsford)
The Arena (West Babylon)
Freakopolis Geekery Inc. (Whitehall)
North Carolina
Hillside Games (Asheville)
The Spot (Newton)
Red Door Games (Richlands)
The Comic Monstore (Salisbury)
DreamDaze Comics, Fun, & Games, Inc. (Wilson)
3 Blind Dice (Winston-Salem)
North Dakota
Force of Habit Hobby Shop (Minot)
Ohio
Sci-Fi City (Cincinnati)
The Rook OTR (Cincinnati)
Flying Monkey Comics and Games (Delaware)
Beyond the Board (Dublin)
Fun Factory (Mt. Gilead)
Barnes & Noble (Pickerington)
Checkmate (Toledo)
Oregon
Funagain Games (Eugene)
Guardian Games (Portland)
Pennsylvania
Mister J’s Asylum (Muncy)
Six Feet Under Games (New Holland)
AnthroCon (Pittsburg)
The Games Keep (West Chester)
South Carolina
Firefly Toys & Games (Columbia)
Boardwalk Games (Greenville)
Tennessee
Pair A Dice Games (Athena)
The Game Cave (Hermitage)
Texas
Wonko’s Toys and Games (Austin)
Clockwork Games & Events (College Station)
Cards and Comics Connection (Conroe)
Dragon’s Lair (Houston)
Ettin Games (Houston)
Flash Candy and Toys (Lockhart)
Three Suns Unlimited (Longview)
Sockmonkey Junction (Mansfield)
Fleur Fine Books (Port Neches)
The Gaming Goat (Spring)
Gerard’s Gaming and LAN Center (Webster)
Utah
Gunjah The Bead Forest (Cedar City)
Game Grid (Layton)
Blackfyre Games (Pleasant Grove)
High Gear Games & Hobbies (Salt Lake City)
Gameland World (Spanish Fork)
Virginia
The Island Games (Centreville)
Washington
Mox Boarding House (Bellevue)
Uncle’s Games, Puzzles, & More—CrossRoads Mall (Bellevue)
Diversified Games (Chehalis)
Fantasium Comics & Games (Federal Way)
Uncle’s Games, Puzzles, & More—Redmond Town Center (Redmond)
Shane’s Big League (Renton)
The Comic Book Shop (Spokane)
Uncle’s Games, Puzzles, & More—Downtown Spokane (Spokane)
Uncle’s Games, Puzzles, & More—Spokane Valley Mall (Spokane Valley)
Uncle’s Games, Puzzles, & More—Tacoma Mall (Tacoma)
Wisconsin
Lake Geneva Games (Lake Geneva)
Let’s Play (at the Gnome Games booth) (Appleton)
Pegasus Games (Madison)
West Virginia
Nerd Rage – Morgantown (Morgantown)
J and M’s Used Bookstore (Parkersburg)
Wyoming
Games of Chance (Riverton)
Games of Chance – Flying Eagle Location (Riverton)
Canada
Dragon’s Den Games (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
New Zealand
King of Cards (Auckland)
We can’t believe Origins is next week! We’re so excited to see everyone there. Come by booth 106 for free demos of Hotshots and Kaiju Crush (our new games this year), free promos and coupons for $5 off each game purchased, and special discount and sale items. We’ll also have play events every night in the Gaming Hall.
Demos: Be among the first to play our new games Hotshots and Kaiju Crush! Although they won’t be for sale until later this year, you can check them out at Origins. We’ll also have easy, step-by-step, self-guided demos of Bears! and Here, Kitty, Kitty! if you haven’t played those games.
Promos: Stop by to pick up the special River Tile promo for Hotshots and the Siphon Portal promo tile for Kaiju Crush. We’ll also give away the following promos with the purchase of the games they support.
Deals: In addition to receiving $5 off coupons for every game purchased at our booth, we will have discounted games and special items for sale.
Events: We’re also hosting play events for the first time at Origins! We’ll be in the Gaming Hall from 6:00 to midnight, and here are the games you can get in on each night.
Have you wanted to learn how to play our crazy cat collecting game, but only had 3 minutes and 47 seconds to spare? Well you’re in luck! We’ve just posted the official How to Play Here, Kitty, Kitty! video so now you can learn everything you need to know about stealing, er . . . collecting all the cats in the neighborhood in just a few minutes!
You can also find this video on the Here, Kitty, Kitty! games page.
We have put together this FAQ page to answer the most frequently asked questions we receive, so you can get back to playing your game!
If you don’t find the answer to your question here, please contact us, so that we can help you get back on track.
If you have a question about Game Play for a specific game, choose your game from the list below and follow the link to that game’s specific FAQ page.
In this case, “turn” refers to a player’s Play Cards phase.
Yes. Any combination of cards played that does at least 2 points of damage would finish him off.
If Agranok is down to his final 2 points, that would be enough to slay Agranok.
Yes, but there is a catch. Once Agranok flips to his damaged side, (with his last 4 points showing) all players must discard 1 card at random. This means there’s a chance you might play your first Slay card, and then be forced to discard your second one before you get the chance to use it.
4 points. Nice Shot doesn’t add damage; it modifies an existing hit to Slay a monster. Also, the Nice Shot card would have to be banished from the game.
No, he has to take 2 points of damage in the same Play Cards phase. In this case he would ignore the single point of damage from the attack, and then ignore the single point of damage from the fire.
He would only take 1 point each time because the movements are separate. His normal movement during the Monsters Move Phase would be completely resolved before you roll for his special effect.
Yes. On Phase 5, Agranok moves just like all the other monsters. Note: If you are playing with a version of Agranok that moves because of his special effect, then he would move again, after all the other monster movement is complete.
Yes. Once inside the Castle, Agranok moves like a regular monster, and he never takes damage from destroying a wall, tower, or fortify token.
No. Drawing a Support token still counts as one of the tokens you must draw on your turn.
Yes, Support tokens hit by Boulders are always destroyed.
The Cavalier and monster make their attacks simultaneously, so the monsters “current” health is whatever it had when a player decides to use the Cavalier to attack that monster. In other words, before the Cavalier deals any damage.
Any monster with a special ability that triggers when drawn cannot be put into play during setup. For example, Boss monsters or Heralds.
Playing cards when Barrage is played is always optional. You may play as many or as few as you choose to.
No, it only affects monsters.
That depends on player ability and which level of Agranok is in play, but most players feel The Dark Titan is more difficult than Castle Panic but a little easier than The Wizard’s Tower.
No. You can only get one effect from each card you discard. If you use discards to trigger “Never Lose Hope,” they can’t be used simultaneously to inflict wounds to monsters or to move support tokens.
There’s no reason you couldn’t play with ALL the monster tokens from the core game and expansions if you really want to! It will make the game longer, but if facing all those creatures sounds like fun, go for it!
The Village Crone releases next week (September 30) in Friendly Local Game Stores (FLGS) everywhere in the US. We invite you to immerse yourself in the medieval town of Wickersby and learn about the gameplay with our Official How to Play videos!
Not only do we have a general gameplay overview video, but we also have some break-out videos on casting Spells, moving Familiars, and Witch’s Schemes. Check them all out on our YouTube Channel. You can share the entire playlist for The Village Crone, or just video you think your friends will find useful.
Want to know what different Spells you’ll be casting in The Village Crone? Check out this video that teaches you what the Spells do, what you need in Ingredients to Cast them, and the special incantations you need to give voice to your witchy desires!
What happens when too many Familiars congregate in one place? Watch the video on Movement & Scattering, to see what happens to Villagers and Familiars when the party gets too big! You can even use Scattering to your advantage if you are clever.
Check out our Something Wicked Tour in the New England area if you want to learn to play from the designer, Anne-Marie De Witt. And be sure to visit the game’s webpage for the FREE 3D Printer Files for all the components if you want to add minis to the game!
If you order directly through our website you get the exclusive Silver coaster promo you can use in the game, or ask at your FLGS, they may have snagged a few of this promo at a recent show!
As you prepare to get your very own copy of The Village Crone, be sure to download the Book of Spells patch for the Unbinding Spell error in the first printing.
Happy Spell-Casting!!
We’ve been playing the new Castle Panic expansion, The Dark Titan, a lot recently with the official release date, the launch party, and International TableTop Day. We’ve noticed some players appreciate having a little help keeping some of the new rules in mind when they face one of the new Monsters.
We totally understand, these new threats are scary! To help you out we have more than just the Cavalier and Support Tokens. We have How to Play videos!
The official The Dark Titan How to Play video covers it all, but if you need some specific help check out these handy break-out videos dedicated to specific topics. You can also review the rulebook on the pages listed below for each new element.
1. Support Tokens – want a quick overview of how these guys work for you? Check out pages 8-9 of the rulebook and watch this:
2. The Cavalier – this fancy new defender has several special rules that apply to him. You can learn more in the rulebook on pages 4-5 and in this video:
3. The Boom Troll – support is all well and good, but what about those new threats? Learn what the Boom Troll will do in this video and on page 7 of the rules:
4. The Dark Sorceress – She’s one tough lady! Her effects are lasting. You can read about her on page 8 and in this video:
5. Agranok, The Dark Titan himself! – No matter which of the 5 levels of Agranok you face, he is sure to make your day a little tougher. He and his heralds are covered on pages 6-7 in the rulebook and by Justin in this video:
Just in case you want even more panic in your game, you CAN play The Dark Titan with The Wizard’s Tower expansion! That’s a lot of Monsters, but you can do it. We believe in you. For instructions on how to incorporate both expansions in your Castle Panic gameplay watch Justin’s video on playing the two together:
We’ve covered magic (Wizard cards) and fire. What’s left? MONSTERS!
There are many new threats in The Wizard’s Tower box, and they will test your mettle to its limits.
In this video, Justin talks about the new, standard Monsters that join the fight from Centaurs to Ogres, and Imps to Gargoyles.
You will be removing some of the base game Monsters and replacing them with these new Monsters. (See page 3 of The Wizard’s Tower rulebook for the new Monster “recipe.”) Some of these Monsters have special immunities and special vulnerabilities. Some will only spawn alongside other Monsters. Some are just really hard to kill with higher health points than you may be used to!
Flying Monsters
In the expansion there are even Monsters who fly! You have to use Archer cards to hit these Monsters. Knights and Swordsmen are useless against them. They are also immune to the perils of the Giant Boulder! Justin explains how you fight them in this video.
Mega Boss Monsters
Last, but certainly not least, are the Mega Boss Monsters. These Monsters are so big, they aren’t just Bosses, they are MEGA! Four- and five-points make these guys tough to kill, plus they come with extra abilities that stay in effect as long as they are alive. They can also move in unpredictable ways, so you’ll need to stay alert to properly strategize their demise. Mega Boss Monsters are covered on pages 13 & 14 of the rulebook. The game also comes with handy reference cards players can easily refer to when a new Monster is drawn.
You can learn more about all the Monsters in the videos shared above, as well as in the rulebook (pages 11-14). Be sure to also check out our FAQ page for specific Monster effect questions and those occasional scenarios that give you pause.
Happy Hunting! May your Wizard’s Tower remain standing & the cards be on your side!
For the complete playlist of The Wizard’s Tower videos, check out our YouTube Channel, or past blog posts.
Been wondering what this Castle Panic game is all about? Now you can satisfy your curiosity with our Official Overview video where Justin gives you a succinct explanation of the objective, the mechanics, and what you need to do to win.
This is also a great video to share with your friends to if you are already a fan of the game and want to get them into it. It does some of the preliminary teaching for you, so you can get straight into playing the game with them on your next game night!
Is your interest piqued? Then may we suggest further viewing satisfaction with our Official How To Play video. In this video, Justin takes you through game setup, the order of play on a player’s turn, and some special Monster tokens that affect how the Monsters behave and even some tokens that interact with the Castle differently than Monsters.
After watching these videos you should be fully prepared to band together with your friends and defend the Castle!
Once you’ve mastered the base game of Castle Panic, you’ll want to consider adding The Wizard’s Tower expansion! It adds magic, fire and more Monsters!
