How to Play Magical Athlete Online

Magical Athlete is a racing game that Richard Garfield updated from the original design by Takashi Ishida, and CMYK publishes it. We found no official online version of Magical Athlete on Board Game Arena, Steam or the Apple App Store (checked 12 October 2026). We make Dashwick on Tavernly.

The short answer (checked 12 October 2026)

• Official version: Our checks found no official online version on Board Game Arena, Steam or the Apple App Store.
• Online alternative: Dashwick on Tavernly is free, with no account, for friends or bots.
• Learn first: Use Learn by playing to begin a real game with a coach.

Which way is right for you?

You want to	Choose
Play the original	The physical Magical Athlete game from CMYK
Play online with friends, no account	Dashwick on Tavernly, Play with friends
Play alone with bots	Dashwick on Tavernly, Play now
Learn first	Dashwick on Tavernly, Learn by playing

Is there an official online version of Magical Athlete?

Our 12 October 2026 checks found no official online version of Magical Athlete on the pages listed below. CMYK's product page also mentions no app or online version. These checks cover the named stores and list, not every website offering online play.

• Board Game Arena game list: 1,403 games listed, none named Magical Athlete. A known game, used as a control, was on the same list.
• Steam store search: no game with that name returned.
• Apple App Store search, US store: no app with that name returned.

Tip: CMYK's physical game page lists 2 to 6 players, 30 minutes, age 6 and up, and a $29.99 list price.

We did not check Google Play.

Method 1: A Magical Athlete alternative: Dashwick on Tavernly

A Magical Athlete alternative is Dashwick on Tavernly, our free browser game. You can race against bots, open a private table for friends, or use a coach to learn through play. The page says a game takes about 20 minutes.

You need: A browser; no account; players aged 13 and over. The birth-date screen asks When were you born? Enter Month and Year, then press Continue.

Play against bots

1. Open the game page. Go to Dashwick on Tavernly.

2. Pick your opponents. Under Opponents, choose 1 to 5.
3. Pick the bot level. Under Bots, choose Easy, Medium or Hard.
4. Press Play now. Bots take empty seats within five seconds.
5. Select a racer. Tap your choice in the face-up row.
6. Take the racer. Press Take a racer (Space).
7. Select your racer for the race. Tap an unused racer in your hand.
8. Confirm your secret pick. Press Pick a racer (Space); the button now shows your racer's name.
9. Roll. Press Roll (Space) when Your turn. Roll the die. appears.

Play with friends

1. Press Play with friends. You open the private-table setup.
2. Pick your seats. Under Seats at the table, choose 2 to 6.
3. Press Start a private table. You enter the waiting room.
4. Share the invite. Use Share invite to invite friends.

5. Press Start now: bots take the empty seats. Start when your friends are in.

Your turn has a Roll (Space) button beside the course and a What happened move record.

Try the guided lesson

1. Press Learn by playing. Your first race opens with you and two bots. The draft is done, so you begin at the secret pick.
2. Select Farmer Bigboots. Tap him when the coach asks you to pick.
3. Press Race with Farmer Bigboots. This confirms your choice for the race.
4. Tap the die. The coach explains movement and powers.

The coach has Next, Back one step and Skip lesson buttons. After the notes, your table continues through race 4. We did not time the lesson.

Learn the rules of Dashwick on Tavernly

In Dashwick on Tavernly, you draft racers, pick one in secret, and race for points. Each racer has a power and runs only once, so your choices carry across the game. A die sets your main move; the course and powers can change what happens.

Plain word	Our name
A board side with no special spaces	the Green
A board side with special spaces	the Fair
The space that moves you forward	downhill
The space that moves you back	goose
The space that makes you miss a move	puddle
A small bonus point	toffee
Missing your next move	tripped
Your normal move after the roll	main move

1. Draft. Take a face-up racer in snake order, which reverses at each row's end. Everyone sees rows, takes and hands; there are three rows at 2 to 5 seats, two at 6. The 26 racers each have one power; each seat gets 5 racers, or 4 at 6 seats.
2. Pick in secret. Choose an unused racer simultaneously before each race; picks show together. Each racer runs once; the unpicked racer stays benched and scores nothing. At 6 seats, your last racer runs in race 4.
3. Roll and move. Roll your six-sided die for your main move; move that many spaces unless powers change it.
4. Powers. Apply effects in order: the space first, the racer on turn next, then other racers clockwise. Farmer Bigboots adds 1 to rolls, but a 6 trips him; Shelly the Snail always moves 4 without rolling.
5. Trips. Skip your next main move when your racer is tripped, then get up.
6. Places. Reach Finish first for 1st place. The second racer takes 2nd and ends the race; only those two score.
7. The Fair. Apply space effects: downhill moves you forward 3; goose moves you back 2. Puddle trips you; a toffee stall gives 1 toffee, worth 1 point.
8. Races and the end. Play 4 races: 1 and 3 use the Green, 2 and 4 the Fair. The course has Start, 29 lane spaces and Finish; the furthest-back racer's seat starts next. After race 4, most points wins; equal totals share the place.

Race	1st	2nd
1	4	2
2	5	2
3	6	3
4	7	3

Our version: The powers, numbers and course in Dashwick on Tavernly are ours.

Tips and warnings

• Read a power before picking. Early Sparrow moves to space 3 before the race. Tunnel Mole may skip his roll to jump 5 spaces forward once per race.
• Check your standing. Open Scores before choosing your next racer.
• Check a rule. Open How to play, or read the Dashwick rules.
• Use preset chat. Choose a phrase under Say something.

Warning: A take and a pick have 30 seconds; a roll has 20 seconds. If time runs out, the server plays a safe move for you.

Questions people ask

Is there an official online version of Magical Athlete?

We found no official online version of Magical Athlete on Board Game Arena, Steam or the Apple App Store (checked 12 October 2026). We did not check Google Play. CMYK's product page describes the physical game and mentions no app or online version. Dashwick on Tavernly is our own browser alternative.

Can I play Magical Athlete online for free?

CMYK lists the physical Magical Athlete game at $29.99. Dashwick on Tavernly, our free Magical Athlete alternative, costs nothing and needs no account. You can race against bots or open a private table for friends. Its powers, numbers and course are our own, so it is not a copy of the original.

Do I need to download anything?

No. Dashwick on Tavernly, our Magical Athlete alternative, runs in your browser, so you install nothing. Before your first game, a birth-date screen asks for your month and year, because Tavernly is for players aged 13 and over. Check everyone's age before you invite them to a private table.

Can I play alone against the computer?

Yes. On the Dashwick page, the Play against bots card lets you pick 1 to 5 opponents and a level: Easy, Medium or Hard. Press Play now, and bots take the empty seats within five seconds. This is our Magical Athlete alternative, so the original rules do not apply.

Can I play with friends?

Yes. Press Play with friends on the Dashwick page, pick the number of seats and start a private table. Use Share invite to send the link, and start when your friends have joined. Bots take any seat that stays empty. Nobody needs an account, so this works as an online alternative to the physical Magical Athlete game.

Can I play on my phone?

Dashwick on Tavernly runs in a browser, so a phone browser is the place to try it. We did not test a phone for this Magical Athlete guide. The pictures show the game page, the waiting room and a race table as we saw them on a computer, so we cannot say how the controls feel on a phone.

How many players?

CMYK's product page lists Magical Athlete for 2 to 6 players. Dashwick on Tavernly also seats 2 to 6 players. On the private-table screen you pick 2 to 6 seats under Seats at the table, and bots fill every seat your friends leave empty before the game starts.

Sources

• CMYK: designers, publisher, physical game details, and no app or online version mentioned.
• Asmodee USA: list price and publisher; we use CMYK's page for players, play time and age.
• Board Game Arena: game count and name check, with a known game as a control.
• Steam: store-search result.
• Apple App Store: US app-search result.
• Dashwick on Tavernly: setup, lesson, rules and timer.

We checked all outside pages on 12 October 2026. We did not check Google Play, and we did not test a phone.

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Dashwick is not affiliated with or endorsed by the owner of Magical Athlete. Magical Athlete is a trademark of its owner. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

If you want the physical game, here is Magical Athlete on Amazon.