Objective of the Game
The objective of Alchemists is to gain fame and wealth as an alchemist by conducting experiments, selling potions, and establishing theories about mysterious ingredients.
Components
- Game board with various areas: Laboratory (for experiments), Warehouse (for buying ingredients), Library (for theory tiles), and Exhibition area
- Alchemy Ingredients: Different types of ingredients (e.g., Toad Slime, Eagle Feather)
- Player Screens: Character boards representing alchemists, assisting players with USB-Smartphone app connection
- Action Tokens: Indicating possible actions for players
- Gold and Reputation Tokens: Signifying players' wealth and fame
Setup
- Each player receives a Playing Piece (laboratory assistant), a screen (representing their laboratory), markers, and gold
- Each player places their assistant at the starting position on the board
- Ingredients are distributed to players based on starting order
- The Alchemists App, available for download, is set up for chemical identification of ingredients
Gameplay
The game is played over 6 rounds, each consisting of several phases:
1. Planning Phase: - Players secretly choose their actions using their Action Tokens (max 4 actions).
2. Announcement Phase: - Players reveal their actions and place them in priority order on the game board.
3. Action Phase: - Players execute actions in turn order, such as: - Gathering Ingredients: Buying ingredients from the warehouse. - Experimenting: Mixing in the lab to test own theories. - Publishing Theories: Making guesses about ingredients’ alchemy. - Selling Potions: Selling to adventurers, with price contingent on required potion quality.
4. Maintenance Phase: - Players receive gold from sales and fame based on published theories. - The turn order is updated according to new standings.
Special Features
- App Usage: Enables ingredient identification using the app by covering ingredient cards for a digital response.
- Theories: Can be believed in or disproven. False theories result in a loss of reputation.
- Bluffs are strategically important: Players can intentionally publish false theories to mislead others.
End of the Game
The game concludes after the 6th round. The player having amassed the most fame through successful potions, accurate theories, and strategic bluffs, wins the game.
Have fun playing!
