Tabletop games
The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Schmidt SpieleWolfgang Warsch2018
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 45
- years
- 10+
In the box
1 board · Individual cauldrons · Ingredient tokens · Cloth bags · Ingredient books · Fortune Teller cards · Flasks, droplets and rubies
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Wolfgang Warsch
- Artwork
- Dennis Lohausen
- Publisher
- Schmidt Spiele
- Mechanics
- Bag BuildingPush Your LuckSimultaneous Action SelectionRace
- Expansions
- The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Herb Witches · 2019
- The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Alchemists · 2020
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
Each player brews potions over nine rounds, drawing ingredients from their bag. Everyone fills their pot at the same time: draw one chip at a time and move forward as many spaces as its value, until you stop, or until the pot explodes if the white cherry bombs add up to more than 7; you then score the points of the space reached and buy new ingredients (an exploded pot gets only one of the two). After the ninth round, the most victory points wins.
The rules, step by step
Setup
1 pot each, Droplet and flask, Bag of ingredients
- Each player takes a pot, a droplet, a flask and a bag filled with the starting ingredients, including several white cherry bombs.
- Choose the ingredient books (the beginner side for a first game).
- Score markers start at zero.
How to play
Draw 1 chip at a time, Explodes above 7, Stop when you like
- Reveal a fortune teller card, then everyone fills their pot at the same time.
- Draw one chip at a time and move forward as many spaces as its value, counting from the last chip placed.
- If the white cherry bombs in the pot add up to more than 7, the pot explodes.
- You may stop whenever you like. The flask lets you put a cherry bomb back in the bag.
- Evaluation: the player furthest ahead rolls the bonus die, ingredients trigger their effects, a ruby for each player whose scoring space shows one, then victory points and ingredient purchases.
Scoring
Space after last chip, 5 coins = 1 point, 2 rubies = 1 point
- Each round, you score the victory points of the scoring space just after your last chip.
- A player whose pot exploded chooses: victory points or purchases, not both.
- Rat tails help players who are behind to start further along.
- At the end of round 9: 1 point per 5 coins and 1 point per 2 remaining rubies.
End of the game
9 rounds, Most points, Tie: furthest pot
- The game lasts nine rounds; the most victory points wins.
- In a tie, the player whose pot went furthest wins.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
What exactly happens when a pot explodes?
The player stops drawing. During evaluation, they choose between scoring the victory points of their space or buying ingredients with their coins. The other effects apply as normal.
What are rubies for?
Refilling your flask or moving your starting droplet forward, so you start further along in the following rounds.