Things You'll Need
Instructions
Create the Game
Develop the game concept. You can borrow it from one of the Harry Potter novels or create a story of your own. The game should require the players to pursue a quest that only one of them can finish successfully.
Decide on the final objective. The players might try to be the first to the Chamber or Secrets or Lord Voldemort's treasure. They could try to accumulate the most points as they proceed around the board.
Add rewards and obstacles. They can be as simple as going back or forward steps, earning powers to protect them from future obstacles, trips to Dumbledore's office for a boon or trips to Snape's office for punishment.
Write the game rules. Will the players advance by dice roll, or by answering Harry Potter trivia questions? Decide what happens when players land on the same space (for instance, they could roll dice for magical combat). You can model the rules on classic board games, or add a few wrinkles of your own.
Sketch out the game board. Decide at what point the players should encounter specific obstacles and rewards, and how many spaces go between the stages.
Make the Game Pieces
Make a game grid with 1 x 1 inch squares to layout the board path. Microsoft provides game board template grids online. You can modify them in Office, or export them as PDF files to use in your Paint Program. If you're drawing by hand, butcher paper provides a nice wide sheet for your game grid.
Draw the game board. You can draw it by hand or using your computer's art program. Print out or cut and paste Harry Potter images and characters to decorate the game.
Mount the game board on cardboard to make it more secure. If you made your game board on the computer, print it in sections letter paper. You can glue the game board pages side by side.
Download Harry Potter images to make tokens. Make a copy of each picture and flip it horizontally. Place the original and copy head to head.
Paste the characters to cover stock weight cardboard then cut the characters into strips about an inch longer than the characters. Fold them at the seam then fold the inch strips at the bottom into tabs. Tape the bottom of the tabs to secure them.
Find a sturdy container. A cardboard box secured with rubber bands will keep your game pieces together and in good shape. You don't want to redo game pieces every time you play.