Harry Potter - Hogwarts Battle: The Charms and Potions Expansion

The Lessons Go On with Harry Potter Hogwarts™ Battle: The Charms and Potions Expansion!

Kami Mandell Crafts Excitement into the Second Add-On for The Op’s Cooperative Deck-Builder

Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle: The Charms and Potions Expansion, the highly anticipated second expansion to Usaopoly (The Op)’s original deck-building game Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle, has fans’ wands at the ready for more adventure. The immersive cooperative tabletop card game lets 2-4 players continue their roles as students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to enhance their abilities and defend their locations from He-Who-Must-Not-Be Named! With this expansion, the Hero count is up to 5 with the addition of Ginny Weasley™ as a new playable character. Heroes will also find all new Villains, Spells, Items, and Allies in four packs of content for those who can’t get enough of the thematic core game and its award-winning mechanic!

The Op’s esteemed Game Designer and wizarding world superfan, Kami Mandell, shares how The Charms and Potions Expansion carries on the fun and surprise for Hogwarts Battle enthusiasts, who will also be pleased to learn about The Op’s new accessory line addition! Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle protective card sleeves will also ensure the collection stays in top magic-making condition.

What are you most excited about in The Charms and Potions Expansion?

Kami: Without spoiling too much, everything! This expansion introduces several things I wish were part of the game from the very beginning. Since my personal favorite isn’t introduced until the fourth box of the game, I can say that I’m thrilled to have Ginny Weasley join in as a playable Hero in this expansion. She is a strong-willed, incredibly versatile member of Dumbledore’s Army, and I’m excited for fans (including my daughter) to have the opportunity to play as her. Like all of our Heroes, Ginny has cards that are unique to her deck, including an eighth Spell card! That’s right, from the very beginning, her deck will play a little differently.

Another exciting new feature that you’ll discover with the first pack of this expansion are Charms boards. Made of the same thickness as the player boards, they “nest” right into the top of them and give the Hero an additional action to take each turn. Unlike the cards that were packed in Game 6 of the main game, or Box 3 of the Monster Box of Monsters Expansion, these have three possible abilities you can take on your turn and can be used in conjunction with those cards. Only one of the three abilities can be used per turn, and activating the best one may require a few sacrifices. I think that is all I can say without giving too much away on these.

I haven’t forgotten to mention the “Potions” part of this expansion’s title! They’ll be featured prominently in the game, but you’ll have to beat the Villains in the first pack to find out more.

What are you hoping that players experience with these new additions to the game?

I think their love of playing this game will be revived by some of the new cards, they’ll be surprised at some of the Villains, and able to make different choices than maybe they would have in previous games. Like the Monster Box of Monster Expansion, Charms and Potions also includes deck-thinning cards and Encounters, offers new choices to make on your turn, and rewards you for doing what you are already doing. Surprisingly, there will be times—many times—when your fellow Heroes will specifically ask you not to heal them!

Do you have any tips for experienced players as they get ready for Charms and Potions?

Brush up on your spell casting! This game expects players to have at least played through all seven boxes inside the core game. If you haven’t had a chance to finish, now is a great time!

Charms and Potions can be played either with or without the Monster Box of Monsters Expansion. While I recommend playing through Monster Box first for the most immersive experience, they can be played in either order. Luckily, players struggling with the first expansion may have an easier time by playing through this one first and using some of the content in this game to go back and try to defend Hogwarts from all the Creatures.

Additionally, with five players, teamwork is important! It is paramount to help all players as often as possible to keep He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named from taking over the wizarding world.

What have you enjoyed most about creating these adventures in the wizarding world?

I love getting to weave a beloved story into a game. Hogwarts Battle was designed for those who are still waiting for their acceptance letter! This expansion is really created to bring players back to the classroom with both Professors Flitwick and Snape, and offer some difference to make the game come alive to players once again.

Hogwarts Battle Card Sleeves are also coming soon. What will a set of those do for the game? 

Games are made to be played, and with so much unlockable content that comes in both the core game and each of the expansions, Hogwarts Battle was designed for endless replays. With the new card sleeves, these games will be protected and even more durable for years to come.

Navigate Dark Arts events, battle Villains, and conjure even more victories with the help of others when Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle: The Charms and Potions Expansion comes to your favorite local game stores this summer! To find out where to buy and information on other officially licensed Harry Potter board games and puzzles, visit TheOp.games. Keep an eye out for updates leading up to this release on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @TheOpGames.

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