The Quacks of Quedlinburg

2018

Join the riveting world of The Quacks of Quedlinburg! As a quack doctor, brew potions, earn points and avoid explosions in this thrilling board game.

45
minutes

2 - 4
player(s)

10+

Medium Light

About the game

The Quacks of Quedlinburg, a thrilling and engaging board game, transports you to the whimsical and mystifying world of charlatan doctors in the town of Quedlinburg. It is a place where the quirky and the strange are commonplace, and where you, as a player, have the chance to prove your skills in brewing the most potent and effective potions.

The game is set in the picturesque town of Quedlinburg, during the era of medieval quackery. As players, you assume the roles of some of the most dubious doctors in town, each trying to create a miraculous brew that can cure any malady. The objective is to make the most powerful potion using the ingredients available to you. However, be cautious, as too much of a potent ingredient can make your pot explode!

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is an exciting board game that blends strategy, luck and a bit of bluffing. The game consists of a variety of components which work together to create the gameplay. Below is a detailed list of all the components in ‘The Quacks of Quedlinburg’ and their respective functions:

1. Ingredient Books: These are represented by four different colored books (green, blue, red, and yellow). Each book has a unique set of rules affecting how the ingredients it represents are used in the game.

Green Books: The green book signifies the pumpkin ingredient. Pumpkins are the most common ingredient and have no special effects.
Blue Books: The blue book represents the crow skulls. These ingredients have a special effect that allows the player to move their droplet marker forward.
Red Books: The red book stands for the toadstools. These ingredients can double the effect of the next ingredient drawn from the bag.
Yellow Books: The yellow book represents the mandrake. These ingredients can save a player’s potion from exploding.

2. Potion Bags: Each player has a bag that is used to store the ingredients they obtain throughout the game. Players draw ingredients from their bag during the potion brewing phase.

3. Player Boards: Each player has a board that represents their potion pot. It includes a scoring track and a pressure track that indicates the risk of the potion exploding.

4. Ingredient Chips: There are various colored ingredient chips representing different ingredients. Each color corresponds to an ingredient book and has a specific effect when used in a potion.

5. Fortune Teller Cards: These cards provide a unique rule that affects all players for a single round.

6. Ruby Gems: Rubies are a special type of resource that players can earn and spend for various benefits, such as moving their droplet marker forward or refilling their flasks.

7. Rat Tails: Rat tails are used to balance the game. Players who are behind in points receive rat tails, which allow them to get a head start in the next round.

8. Flask Tokens: Flask tokens allow players to put an ingredient back into their bag, potentially saving their potion from exploding.

9. Score Markers: These markers are used to track each player’s score on their player board.

10. Droplet Markers: These markers are used to track the pressure level of a player’s potion. The further the marker is, the more ingredients a player can add to their potion without it exploding.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a fun and strategic board game where players take on the role of charlatan doctors, brewing magical potions in a race to the finish. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set it up:

Player Roles:

Each player will take on the role of a Quack doctor. Their goal is to create the most effective potion by drawing ingredients from their bag and adding them to their pot. Players must be strategic as drawing too many cherry bombs could cause their pot to explode.

Board Placement:

Each player receives a cauldron, a flask, and a bag of ingredients. The main game board is placed in the center of the table, within reach of all players. The 4 ingredient books are placed on the bookshelves of the main board, corresponding to their color. The fortune teller cards are shuffled and one is revealed for the first round.

Initial Resources:

Each player starts with the following ingredients in their bag:

1 white 1-chip
2 white 2-chips
1 white 3-chip
4 orange chips
2 green chips
2 blue chips

Random Elements:

The game features several random elements to keep gameplay fresh and challenging. These include:

The turn order is determined randomly at the start of each round, adding an element of unpredictability.
The ingredients that players can purchase to add to their bags vary from game to game, depending on the ingredient books chosen.
When brewing their potions, players draw ingredients blindly from their bags, so they never know what they will get.

Once you’ve completed these setup steps, you’re ready to start brewing potions in The Quacks of Quedlinburg!

Game flow Round and round we go

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a strategic, push-your-luck board game where players take on the roles of quack doctors creating potions. The game is structured into rounds, each of which is divided into multiple phases. Here’s a detailed explanation of these phases and the actions players perform in each one.

Phase 1: Fortune Teller Card

At the beginning of each round, a Fortune Teller card is revealed. This card will provide a special rule that affects all players for the current round. The effect can be beneficial or detrimental, and it varies from round to round.

Phase 2: Potions Brewing

In this phase, players simultaneously draw ingredient chips from their bags and add them to their pots. The aim is to add as many ingredient chips as possible without the pot exploding. The value on the chip indicates how far it is placed from the previous chip. The phase ends when all players decide to stop or if their pots explode.

Phase 3: Evaluation

During this phase, players evaluate their potions. The player with the most valuable potion (determined by the scoring track on the pot) can roll the bonus die for additional rewards. Players with exploded pots can choose either to score points or to purchase new chips but not both. All players can spend their points to buy new ingredient chips to add to their bags.

Phase 4: End of Round

At the end of the round, all ingredients in the pots are returned to the bags. The Fortune Teller cards used are discarded, and players prepare for the next round. After 9 rounds, the player with the most victory points wins the game.

Phase 1: Reveal Fortune Teller Card and apply its effect.
Phase 2: Brew potions by drawing and placing ingredient chips.
Phase 3: Evaluate potions, roll bonus die, and buy new ingredients.
Phase 4: End the round, return ingredients, and prepare for the next round.

That’s the overall structure of a game of The Quacks of Quedlinburg. It’s a dynamic game that requires strategic decision-making and a little bit of luck.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a strategic push-your-luck board game where players take on the role of quack doctors, each making their own secret potion out of a shared supply of ingredients.

The gameplay is divided into several phases. During a player’s turn, they will typically go through the following steps:

Fortune Teller Phase: The player with the fortune teller card reveals the top card of the deck and applies its effect. This can offer a variety of benefits or challenges to all players.
Potion Making Phase: This is the main part of a player’s turn. They will draw ingredient chips from their bag and place them in their pot. The value on the chip determines how far into the pot it goes. Players continue to draw chips and add them to their pot until they decide to stop or if they draw too many cherry bomb chips, causing their pot to explode.
Scoring Phase: Players score points based on how far they were able to push their luck in the potion making phase without their pot exploding. They also gain rubies if their potion reaches certain thresholds.
Shopping Phase: Players spend their points to buy new ingredient chips, which are then added to their bag for future rounds. They can also spend rubies to take additional actions, such as refreshing their ingredients or healing their pot.
End of Round: All players clean up their area, return their chips to their bag, and prepare for the next round. The fortune teller card is passed to the next player.

The strategic choices in The Quacks of Quedlinburg revolve around managing your risk during the potion making phase and deciding which ingredient chips to buy during the shopping phase. These decisions are influenced by the current state of your pot, the effects of the fortune teller card, and the actions of other players.

For example, if your pot is close to exploding, you might choose to stop drawing chips early in order to avoid the risk. Alternatively, you might decide to push your luck and draw one more chip, hoping to score more points or gain more rubies.

During the shopping phase, you can choose to buy expensive, powerful chips that provide strong effects, or you can buy cheaper, weaker chips that let you draw more chips per turn. The right choice depends on your current strategy and the state of the game.

Overall, The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a game of risk management and strategic decision-making, with each player’s turn offering a new chance to outwit their opponents and create the most potent potion.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a fun-filled strategy board game where players play as quack doctors, each making their own secret brew by adding ingredients one at a time. The game ends after the 9th round and the winner is determined by who has the most victory points.

Victory Conditions:

The player with the most victory points at the end of the 9th round wins the game.
In case of a tie, the player with the most leftover rubies wins.
If there is still a tie, the victory is shared between the tied players.

Actions before Final Scoring:

Before the final scoring, players must take the following actions:

Each player completes the 9th round just like any other round, preparing their pot and possibly bursting.
Players must add up all the victory points they have earned from previous rounds, including those gained from special ingredient bonuses, and the points on the score track.
Players add points for leftover rubies. For every 2 rubies a player has, they receive 1 victory point.
Players add points for any money they have left. For every 5 coins a player has, they receive 1 victory point.

After all these steps, the player with the highest total of points is declared the winner of The Quacks of Quedlinburg.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the game ‘The Quacks of Quedlinburg’, players earn points primarily through brewing potions. There are several ways to earn points including selling potions, using certain ingredient effects, and through end-of-game bonus points. Let’s dive into the specifics of each method.

1. Brewing Potions

Each round, players draw ingredients from their bags and add them to their pots. The value of the last ingredient drawn and placed in the pot determines how many points a player earns for that round. For example, if the last ingredient placed has a value of 7, the player earns 7 points.

2. Selling Potions

Players can also earn points by selling their potions. At the end of each round, players have the option to sell their potions for points instead of using them for their effects. The number of points earned from selling a potion is equal to the number of spaces ahead of the player’s rat token on the scoring track.

3. Ingredient Effects

Some ingredients have special effects that allow players to earn extra points. For example, the red toadstool gives the player 1 point for each different colored chip in their pot. The blue water sprite gives the player points equal to the value of the next chip drawn from their bag.

4. End-of-Game Bonus Points

At the end of the game, players earn bonus points for certain achievements. Players earn 1 bonus point for each unused ruby they have. Players also earn bonus points based on the number of different colored chips they have in their bags; the more different colors, the more points.

Tie-Breaking Rules

In the event of a tie, the player with the most rubies wins. If there is still a tie, the player who reached the final score first wins. If there is still a tie after that, then the player with the most leftover ingredients in their bag wins.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is an exciting game of risk-taking and strategy. However, there are some special rules and exceptions that you need to be aware of to fully enjoy the game. These are as follows:

Rare Ingredient Rules:

The game includes four rare ingredients – Crow Skull, Ghost’s Breath, Toadstool, and Mandrake. Each of these ingredients has a special rule associated with them.

Crow Skull: For each crow skull in your pot, you may move one white chip (Cherry Bomb) back to your bag before you explode.
Ghost’s Breath: The ghost’s breath is placed in the pot as if it has a value of zero. However, its actual value is determined by the total value of all the white chips (Cherry Bombs) in your pot.
Toadstool: When you draw a toadstool from your bag, you may draw additional chips equal to the number of toadstools in your pot, placing them one by one.
Mandrake: The mandrake eliminates the explosion effect of all the white chips drawn before it.

Round End Rules:

At the end of each round, the following things occur, in this order:

Players reveal their flasks (if they have any), and may choose to return one white chip back to their bags.
Players check for explosions. If a player’s pot has exploded, they must choose between taking victory points or making a purchase during the purchase phase.
Players receive rubies if their pot has reached a ruby symbol.
Victory points are awarded based on the last chip in each player’s pot. If two players’ pots have the same value, the player who ended their turn earlier gets the points.
Players make purchases, buying new ingredients for their bags. Players may also spend rubies to move their droplet or refresh their flasks.

Game End Rules:

The game ends after nine rounds. At this time, players add the points from their score markers to any bonus points listed on the fortune teller cards. The player with the most points wins.

Remember, the fun of ‘The Quacks of Quedlinburg’ comes from the thrilling risk-taking and the strategic balancing of pushing your luck and knowing when to stop. Happy playing!

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is an exciting board game where players are charlatan doctors, brewing potions to win. Understanding the game’s strategies, basic tips, common mistakes to avoid, and ways to optimize gameplay will help in mastering the game. Here are some insights:

Advanced Strategies:

Plan your purchases: Buying too many cheap chips early on can fill your bag with low-value items, slowing your progression. Balance your bag with higher value chips too.
Manage risk carefully: Pushing your luck can yield great rewards, but it can also ruin your potions. Know when to stop drawing chips.
Consider other player’s progress: Monitor others and adjust your strategy accordingly. If someone is far ahead, you may need to take more risks.

Beginner Tips:

Focus on getting more chips: The more chips you have, the less likely you’ll draw a cherry bomb. This reduces your risk of your pot exploding.
Use your flask wisely: Your flask can save you from a disastrous draw. Don’t forget to use it.
Don’t forget about the Rat Tails: If you’re behind, the Rat Tails can help you catch up. Make use of them.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Ignoring the Rat Tails: They are not just for decoration. They can provide a significant advantage.
Forgetting to use your flask: It can be easy to forget about your flask, but it can save you from a potion explosion.
Not balancing your bag: Buying only cheap chips or only expensive ones can lead to a lopsided bag and suboptimal draws.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay:

Understand the chips: Each chip has its own function. Understanding how they work and how they interact can lead to more effective strategies.
Use your turns effectively: Every turn is an opportunity to progress. Don’t waste them.
Pay attention to the market: The available chips change every round. Keep an eye on the market to plan your purchases.