Last Updated on August 20, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

In Wandering Towers, wizards from across the land must gather at Ravenskeep before their big magical exam. Unfortunately, they’ve procrastinated, wasted all their potion supplies, and now must scramble to arrive on time. To succeed, they’ll need to use cunning movement, tricky tower manipulation, and clever spellcasting. This page provides a detailed breakdown of the the Wandering Towers rules and how to play:

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How to Play Wandering Towers

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Components

• 1 Ravenskeep miniature
• 9 Towers (5 raven towers, 4 normal towers)
• 4 Landscape tiles (arranged into a circular track of 16 spaces)
• 90 Movement cards (with die or number symbols)
• 24 Wizard meeples in 6 player colors
• 36 Potion tokens (front = empty, back = full)
• 8 Magic spell cards
• 1 Die (values 1–6)
• 1 Starting player raven shield token

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Goal of the Game

To win Wandering Towers, you must:

1. Fill all of your potion bottles by trapping wizards beneath towers.
2. Move all of your wizards into Ravenskeep.

It doesn’t matter which goal you complete first—both must be fulfilled to win. If multiple players achieve both in the same round, the tiebreaker is the number of full potion bottles remaining.

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Setup

1. Build the Path – Arrange the 4 landscape tiles into a circular path. Place Ravenskeep in its starting position (marked with black crumbling walls).
2. Place Towers – Going clockwise from Ravenskeep, place 9 towers in alternating order: Raven, Normal, Raven, Normal, Raven, Normal, Raven, Normal, Raven.
3. Assign Starting Wizards – Each tower space has ghost-light icons (3, 2, or 1). These indicate how many wizards begin there. In turn order, players place wizards until all are placed.
4. Choose Spells – For your first game, use “Advance a Wizard” and “Advance a Tower.” For advanced play, select or randomize more spells.
5. Shuffle Cards – Shuffle the movement deck. Each player draws 3 cards.
6. Set Player Pieces – Each player selects a color and takes the number of wizards and potions based on player count:

Players	Wizards	Potions
2	5	6
3	4	5
4	4	5
5	3	4
6	3	4

7. Potion Setup – Place potions empty-side up in front of you.
8. Starting Player – Give the raven shield token to the starting player.

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Gameplay

Play proceeds clockwise. On your turn:

1. Play Two Cards – You must play 2 cards from your hand, one at a time, resolving each fully.
   • If you cannot or don’t wish to play normally, discard your hand and move one tower forward 1 space.
2. Movement Cards
   • Wizard cards – Move one of your visible wizards forward the indicated number or by die roll. If they land on a tower space, they go on top of the tower. If they reach Ravenskeep, they enter and your turn ends immediately.
   • Tower cards – Move any tower (except Ravenskeep). If it lands on wizards, those wizards are imprisoned beneath it. If it lands on other towers, it stacks on top.
   • Dual cards – Choose to move either a wizard or a tower.
3. Imprisoning Wizards – When a tower covers one or more wizards, those wizards are trapped until freed. You immediately flip one empty potion to full.
4. Casting Spells – At any time on your turn, you may spend full potions to activate one available spell. Potions used for spells are returned to the box.
5. Draw Back Up – After finishing, draw back to 3 cards.

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End of the Game

The game ends when a player has:

• Filled all potion bottles and
• Moved all wizards into Ravenskeep.

If multiple players finish in the same round, the player with the most full potions left wins. If still tied, victory is shared.

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Variants

• Solo Mode – Control 12 wizards and try to enter Ravenskeep in under 30 cards.
• Cooperative Mode – Work as a group to beat the 30-card challenge. No table talk is allowed!
• Nasty Variant – Cast spells even during other players’ turns.
• Team Play – In 4- or 6-player games, play in teams of 2. Share potions and exchange cards.

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Wandering Towers FAQ