Potions field. Board game Potions: Workshop (basic set)

2 to 6 players
40 to 90 minutes
Game difficulty: Easy
Skill development: Strategy, mindfulness

With the game "Potions" you can feel like a student at a magic school. Only the strict teacher in a black robe is not over his shoulder. Make up magic potions from unusual components and, most importantly, do it faster and better than your rivals.

About the game

Board game Potions making was invented back in 2005 by Sergei Machin, the father of many Russian board games. He does not hide the fact that he got the idea from the Harry Potter series of books. There are many names on the cards that are familiar to fans of the young wizard who dream of attending a real potions lesson. This, as well as balanced mechanics, allowed the game to gain popularity not only in Russia, but also abroad.

Its gameplay is calm, even thoughtful. It perfectly develops attentiveness and memory, as well as the ability to think through your actions several moves ahead. You can master the rules in practice in one game, but it will take time to become a real master. On average, one visit takes from half an hour to an hour.

The game has gone through several re-releases. Now her fans have access to the basic version of “Potions. Workshop" and two additions - "University Course" and "Alchemists' Guild". “Potion making. Gift set" includes all three sets.

Number of players

The gameplay is designed for the participation of 2 to 6 people, but playing together is a bit boring - there is less intrigue and dynamics. There is no lower age limit for participants, but the game is recommended only from 10 years old due to the need to constantly analyze the situation at the card table.

Player categories

Perhaps all players can be divided into two groups - amateurs who pick up the deck from time to time, and professionals who will be gladly accepted by any alchemist guild. The pros know all the cards and their combinations by heart, and real tournaments are held for them.

Purpose of the game

The winner of the game is the one who earns the most points. They are awarded for brewed potions and collected artifacts. They all have their own “price”, and you need to plan - collect several “cheap” ones or take a chance and try to get the “expensive” one.

If your goal is to make someone interesting gift, then the board game “Potion Making” will come in handy. Gift set." This is an opportunity for the whole family or a friendly group to spend many evenings learning the secrets of alchemy.

Packaging and design

The box of the basic set is 20 by 20 centimeters, stylized as a magic book in an antique brown binding. The “University Course” and “Alchemists’ Guild” add-ons are made in the form of “chained” boxes, blue and red. Addition cards also have “backs” of their own color, so they are not mixed with the main ones.

The packaging of the gift edition is a third larger in format than that of the “Practicum”, because it contains not one, but three decks.

In the basic set

• 76 cards,
• points counter,
• 6 colored chips and
• rules.

Game mechanics, rules, features

Imagine that you are in a potions class. There are strange and very strange ingredients laid out in the closet, from which you will have to create unusual elixirs. Your job is to do this as efficiently as possible. Otherwise, the alchemists' guild will not wait for you - you will remain at your student's desk.

Rules

The rules at first glance are quite confusing, but in practice one game is enough to get the hang of it.

All cards are divided into two parts and can be played either as an element or as a recipe.

An element is a component of a potion. It is indicated in the lower half of the sheet. There are 16 of them in total. Simple potions and elixirs are collected from them. In the current turn, only those elements that are in the closet are available.

The recipe is written at the top with the name and points that can be earned by collecting it. They collect recipes only on their own turn and only from elements lying on the table. Recipes vary in complexity, and they themselves can act as components of more intricate recipes. Therefore, you need to be careful and play in such a way that your opponents cannot take advantage of the results of your work.

Beginning of the game

The potions lesson begins with each player choosing a chip and placing it on the score counter. It can count up to 40 points. The first player is determined by drawing lots.

The deck is shuffled, each participant receives 4 cards. The remaining deck is placed face down, the top 4 cards are removed and laid out on the table (aka the cabinet of elements).

Move

On his turn, the player draws one card from the deck for himself and plays any one from his hand. It announces whether it is a recipe or an item. If an element, then the played card is sent to the cabinet. For each component that was not previously in the cabinet, the player receives one point. In case of duplication, points are not awarded, but the card is placed on top of the existing one, and only the top one can be taken.

If a player decides to play a recipe, he places it in front of him, takes the necessary ingredients from the cabinet and places them face down on him. When a more complex component, collected earlier, is required, it can be taken both from those lying in front of you and in front of your opponents. If recipes collected by other players are used, then the “donor” also receives points - but half as much. The elements of such a recipe go back into the cupboard. It is always more profitable to make up your own components so that your opponents do not get additional points.

Spells

Alchemy classes would be monotonous if not for the spells. They come in several varieties and can be played either as an element or as a spell. If the “spell” option is used, then the card is placed in the cabinet as an element, it does not bring points, but the player does what the spell allows.

The knowledge spell makes it possible to take any top card from the cabinet into your hand. Then the player can act as if the move had never begun.

The destruction spell destroys any of the player's collected recipes (but not other people's). The participant leaves one of the cards in front of him, and it is considered a collected recipe. When the recipe is destroyed, the remaining elements are returned to the cabinet. After that, you can play another one from your hand.

On the next turn, the player draws two cards instead of one. The spell comes in handy when you need to get already used elements or a recipe written on one of them.

The transformation spell allows you to transform one of your collected recipes into any recipe from those in the cabinet. All cards associated with the original recipe are sent to the cabinet, and the new one is considered completed, but does not earn points. Then you can continue your move.

Three more spells appear in the Alchemists' Guild expansion: the Transmutation spell, the Trismegistus spell, and the Atanorum spell. There are as many as ten new spells in the “University Course”.

It turns out that with the help of spells you can play not one, but several cards per turn. It is not a violation of the rules to use several spells on one turn. On the next turn, the player adds up to five cards to his hand.

Recipes

Making potions is not an easy process, because you can’t even make jam without instructions. Different types of recipes are assembled from different components. The higher the complexity of the potion, the more points you can earn from it.

A simple elixir requires two elements. Complex elixir - three elements. Great Elixir – two simple elixirs. The powder is a simple elixir and element. Talisman – simple and complex elixirs. The creature is a simple elixir and either a complex elixir or powder. A great talisman is any two talismans. Supreme Elixir – any two great elixirs.

To create more complex things, one can use not only the recipe that lies in front of him, but also one collected by another player.

How to determine the winner

The game continues as long as there are cards left in the deck and in the hands. The one who scores the most points wins. To see how many points you have scored, do not forget to move the chips on the counter. However, the situation can change at the last moment if someone collects the Riding Elixir and the Great Talisman of Magic from their own reserves at once and gets a solid jackpot, beating their opponents at the turn.

Add-ons

Board game “Potion making. Workshop" has two additions. Each of them significantly complicates the game, and does not simply increase the number of cards on the table. They can be used separately or both at once. “Potion making. "Gift Edition" includes all three decks, new counters and a large convenient box for storing them.

"University course"

IN extra deck 63 cards. When playing, they are not mixed with the base set, but are placed in a separate deck, and the player chooses where to draw cards from.

At the beginning of the game, participants receive 4 cards from the “Practicum” and 2 from the “University Course”. As before, 4 cards from the main set are placed in the cabinet.

The move consists of three phases. At the beginning of the player's turn, he draws up to 7 cards into his hand. If for some reason there are more of them, then there is no need to reset. In the second phase, he must either take another one (if there are fewer than 8 cards) or play the existing one. In the third phase, you must play a card.

A number of new cards appear. An elemental maghem replaces any one element in a recipe. No points are awarded for it if it is placed in a closet. Elixir of Versatility can be used in place of any two-part Elixir. Powder of life replaces any powder. A new artifact – the Piece of Conscience – allows you to subtract 5 points from the leading player.

Potions lesson begins. The best grade will be given to the student of the School of Sorcerers and Magicians who will create the largest number of magical elixirs and powders, and perhaps even be able to create magical creatures or enchanted talismans.
For each found element of a potion or successfully assembled alchemical recipe, the player receives victory points. The more complex the recipe, the more points. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

Recipes. The recipe is located at the top of the card. At the top is the name of the recipe and how many points the player who collects this recipe receives. On the left are the ingredients needed to collect it, on the right is the result obtained when collecting the recipe. The result can be: simple elixir (collected from two elements), complex elixir (collected from three elements), great elixir (collected from two simple elixirs), powder (collected from a simple elixir and an element), talisman (collected from a simple and complex elixir ), creature (collected from a simple elixir and a complex elixir or powder), great talisman (collected from any two talismans), supreme elixir (collected from any two great elixirs).
A player can collect a recipe on his turn only if all the necessary ingredients are present on the table.

How to play?

All cards are collected into a deck, which is thoroughly mixed. Each player is given four cards, after which the deck is placed face down on the table. The top four cards from the deck are then revealed and placed on the table in the element cabinet. They can be used already on the first turn.
Who goes first is determined by lot (for example, one of the players, closing his eyes, draws one of the players’ chips laid out on the counter table). The player to the left goes next, and so on clockwise.

During the move The player must take the top card from the deck into his hand and then play one card from his hand. The card can be played either as an element or as a recipe.

If a player used ready-made recipes collected by other players to collect his recipe, then each of the players whose recipe was used also receives points, but half as much as the player who collected the recipe that turn.
Even if several ingredients are taken from a player, he still only receives half the points awarded to the player who collected the recipe. If a player collects a recipe using only his own ingredients, he only receives points for collecting this recipe, but other players do not receive anything, so it is always more profitable to collect recipes using your own ingredients.

Typically, after a player has drawn one card from the deck and played one card from his hand, his turn ends and the next player takes his turn. But if a player uses spell cards, then he plays several cards per turn.

Spell Cards

There are three types of spell cards: “Spell of Knowledge”, “Spell of Destruction” and “Spell of Transformation”. These cards do not contain a prescription. Spell cards can be played as elements or as spells. In the latter case, they are also placed in the cabinet of elements, but do not bring points, after which the player can perform the actions provided for by the spell played. If the element cabinet already contains the same elements as the spell card, the spell is always placed at the bottom of the stack of matching elements.

Spell of knowledge. With the help of a knowledge spell, a player can take into hand any of the recipes (but not another spell) that are in the cabinet of elements. In this case, you can only take the top recipe in a stack of cards of the same element. After a given spell is played and a recipe is taken into hand, the player can play another card - for example, collect a recipe just taken from the cabinet, or play a card as an element, play another spell or another recipe.

Spell of destruction. This spell can destroy any of the recipes collected by the player. Recipes of other players cannot be destroyed. When destroying a recipe, a player can keep any of the recipe cards that make up the recipe being destroyed on their table. This could be one of the ingredient cards or the actual destructible recipe card. A recipe left on the table is considered collected (but the player does not receive points for it again) and can be used to create other, more complex recipes. All other cards used in the destroyed recipe are returned to the cabinet as elements. Thus, this spell allows you to throw the necessary ingredients into the cupboard without losing the collected recipe, or even get a completely new recipe, ready for further use, the card of which was previously used as an ingredient (or perhaps just as an element) of another, previously collected recipe player.

Transformation spell. The player can transform any of the recipes he has collected into another, located in the cabinet as an element. In this case, the player selects one of the recipes in the cabinet of elements and places its card in front of him on the table, all cards of the previously collected recipe transformed by the player are returned to the cabinet as elements. The recipe obtained as a result of transformation is considered collected, but the player does not receive points for it. For transformation, you can only use recipes that are on top of a stack of similar elements in the element cabinet.
After this spell is played, the player can play another card.
Since as a result of using this spell, two cards are played during a turn, at the beginning of his next turn the player takes not one card from the deck, but two.

It may happen that during a turn a player will play several spells in a row. In this case, at the beginning of his next turn, he will have to take not one card from the deck, but several, so that he has five cards in his hand.

Supreme Elixir and Great Talisman of Magic. These cards exist in a single copy. Unlike other recipes, collecting these powerful artifacts does not require specific ingredients. The Supreme Elixir can be assembled from any two Great Elixirs, and the Great Talisman of Magic can be assembled from any two talismans.
In addition, the card data includes three elements at once. Therefore, when a player plays these cards as elements, he can score from 0 to 3 points depending on which of the elements the card represents are present in the element cabinet. These cards are placed in the element cabinet separately from other elements, but it is considered that the elements they represent are already in the cabinet. The player collecting the recipe can use any of the elements (but not two or three at once) located on the Supreme Elixir and Great Talisman of Magic cards as an ingredient when these cards are in the element cabinet.

When, during the game, the ingredients of collected recipes are returned to the cabinet as elements (for example, when collecting more complex recipe or destruction/transformation of a player’s recipe), the sequence in which they are placed in piles of similar elements is determined by the player whose turn it is.

If there are no cards left in the deck, players continue the game as long as at least one of them has cards left in their hand. When all players run out of cards, the game ends. The player with the most points is declared the winner.

(c) S. Machin, 2005 (c) KB-Games, 2005 (c) DG Capital, 2005

Game example

First move. The player has cards in his hand: “Potion “Polyglotum”, “Fire Salamander”, “Spell of Transformation”, “Great Elixir of Revival”. In the cabinet of elements there is: “Wing bat", "Energy of Thought", "Fern Flower" and "Blood Stone".
The player takes a card - this is the “Elixir of Invisibility”. The player uses this card as a recipe, places it on the table in front of him, takes the “Thought Energy” and “Air Crystal” elements from the cabinet and places these cards face down on the recipe he has collected. The player created the "Elixir of Invisibility" and receives 2 points. His turn ends.

Second move. The player has the same cards in his hand as in the previous turn. The element cabinet contains: "Mandrake", "Blood Stone", "Dragon Tooth" and "Mushrooms". The player takes a “Telepathic Potion” card from the deck. He must now play a card. Since there are no ingredients on the table to assemble any of the recipes he has, he plays Fire Salamander as an element. This card features the Phoenix Feather element. The card is placed in the element cabinet. Since there is no Phoenix Feather yet, the player receives 1 point. His turn ends.

Third move. In the player’s hand: “Potion “Polyglotum”, “Telepathic potion”, “Spell of Transformation”, “Great Elixir of Revival”. The element cabinet contains: "Mandrake", "Blood Stone", "Dragon Tooth", "Phoenix Feather" and "Spring Water". The player takes a card from the deck - it turns out to be “Powder of Fate”. There is an opportunity to play a cunning combination. The fact is that on the card with the “Blood Stone” element there is also a recipe for the “Infusion of Divination”, which is necessary to create the “Powder of Fate”. How to get it? The player uses the Transform Spell. He will transform the “Elixir of Invisibility” he collected on the first turn into a “Flask of Divination”. The player announces the use of the spell and places the spell card on the table as the Mandrake element. Since there is already a Mandrake on the table, the spell card that was played (as is the case with all spell cards) is placed at the bottom of the pile of cards with the Mandrake element. Then the player exchanges the previously collected “Elixir of Invisibility” lying in front of him with a “Flask of Divination”. The ingredients of the Elixir of Invisibility (Thought Energy and Air Crystal), as well as the Elixir of Invisibility card itself, are returned to the element cabinet as elements. For all these operations the player does not receive points. However, he used a spell, which means he can play one more card this turn.

Now he collects the recipe for the “Powder of Fate”, using as the ingredients the “Flask of Divination” he just received as a result of the transformation and the “Phoenix Feather” from the cabinet of elements. As a result, the player receives 4 points.

Game with the “University Course” add-on. The university course pleases with a variety of spells that radically change the game strategy. Let's look at some of them in more detail:

Spell of the Forbidden Forest. By destroying two of his creatures, the player receives 14 points, which in conditions of fierce competition is a good help in the fight for victory. This means you can build a strategy around of this spell and creatures. It is advisable to pick it up again after playing Forbidden Forest.

The spell of diversity. Very often it is this spell that decides the outcome of the game. The secret is very simple: when there are 6-8 cards left in the deck, we play two diversity spells in a row (or we play one, select it with a magical knowledge spell and play again). Thus, we take the remaining cards into our hand, gain an advantage in the number of moves, and then leave the opponent with the elixirs and spells that came into his hand.

The spell of necessity. Using this spell, you can deprive the enemy of mana from strong cards. The most often requested elements are a Phoenix feather (to “knock out” the spell of the Forbidden Forest or the Great Talisman of Magic), a dragon tooth (to “knock out” the spell of diversity or the Great Talisman of Magic) or an elemental magem (to “knock out” Alchemikote, the talisman of Sorcery, a grain of Conscience) .
The appearance of junior talismans significantly increased the variability of strategies. If things go wrong, sometimes the only chance is to bet on them. You shouldn't always strive to be a leader. Sometimes, by “slowing down” a little and simply discarding cards, you can keep up with your opponents, since the junior talismans of growth and income will give 1 point, and the junior talisman of utility will bring 1 point for each card discarded. Thus, recipes that cannot be collected are discarded, and good cards will be left for the end of the game, where you can make a “feint with your ears” and get ahead.

Some tips when playing with the "University Course":
1. Always use the collected Elixir of Versatility on your turn, do not leave it for your opponent
2. Having received the Talisman of Sorcery in your hand, do not rush to collect it from the enemy’s junior talismans; perhaps it will be more profitable to collect it from your talismans on the last move.
3. Having received a grain of conscience in your hands, do not try to give it away right away, because... on the next turn it can be returned back. It is better to wait for the moment when it will be impossible to return it and give this “gift” to your opponent.

Game with the Alchemists Guild add-on. The main rule of the game with this addition is not to bribe your opponent. Because of this, a fierce struggle always ensues in the game.

Some tips when playing with the Alchemists Guild:
1. Try to always make 2 moves, so there is a higher chance that you will receive the cards you need for the sequence.
2. Discard the cards in your hand that are needed for your opponent's sequence and use them as ingredients for recipes.
3. To confuse the enemy, do not immediately put recipes in your sequence
4. Don’t leave the recipes collected for sequencing lying on the table - immediately put them in the sequence.
5. Collect the Supreme Elixir and the Great Talisman of Magic from those ingredients that the enemy needs for consistency
6. Don’t rush to use transmutation at the beginning of the game, since the deck contains 2-3 copies of the necessary recipes. Use this spell in cases where there are no necessary recipes left in the deck, or your recipe is part of another one and it will no longer be possible to extract it.

A game with 2 additions or UGA (University Guild of Alchemists) in the slang of potion makers. When using 2 expansions at the same time, the game becomes very diverse in tactical terms, however, it may seem a little drawn out (especially for two players). Due to the larger number of cards in the sequence, collecting the sequence becomes more difficult, which means it is necessary to obtain the necessary recipes using all available spells. Try to focus on your consistency by playing the Trismegista Spell and the Diversity Spell as soon as it comes into your hand. If you have a magical or universal knowledge spell, use it to pick up used spells and cast them again. Otherwise, use the tips for playing with the “University Course” and the “Alchemy Guild”.

Same sequence . If you and your opponent have the same sequence when playing with the “Alchemists Guild” add-on or with 2 add-ons, get ready, a great battle awaits. The transmutation spell is just a treasure for this party, save it for the final push. When placing the next recipe in the sequence, try to “hide” the previous one from your opponent. To do this, use it as an ingredient for a more complex elixir or talisman, or use a transformation spell to send it to the closet.

About the rules. In the process of learning the game, we, like many potion makers, had questions regarding some aspects of the game. For answers I had to turn to the author of the game, Sergei Machin, who dotted all the points.і , for which I thank him very much.
The following are questions and answers.authoron them:
1. New sequences have appeared and, in connection with this, the question has arisen - does the junior talisman work if it lies at the end of the sequence? - Yes
2. When an opponent plays a spell of necessity, I discard the specified element into a cabinet that does not have that element. Should I get a point for this? And if so, do usefulness talismans work at the moment? -No. No.
3. Regarding spells: on the spell of destruction, transformation, knowledge it is written “play one more card”, but on the spell of necessity, magical knowledge it is written that “the player CAN play one more card”, i.e. Is it necessary to play another card? - Yes. Exactly.
4. A game situation when my opponent uses the Sorcery talisman to take my 3 junior universality talismans. Therefore, he gets 8 points for the Witchcraft talisman, and I get 8 points for using my universalities, 3 components * 4 points * 3 minor talismans = 36 points. Is it correct? Have we understood the essence of the talisman of universality correctly? - You receive 12 points - half (8\2) ​​for each of the recipes taken from you, regardless of the number of Talismans of Universality you have.
5. The rules say that a grain of conscience cannot be given away if it is the last card in the hand. Is it possible to give it away if it is not the last one, but the opponent has already finished the game, and you still have a lot of cards in your hands? - Yes, you can.
6. You cannot give away a grain of conscience with the last card, you cannot play the anatorum spell, because For this you need at least one more map, variety and transmeisters, because There are no cards in the deck, but can I use the rest of the spells? Many of my friends are sure that the last card, if this spell can only be played as an element. So is it possible last card play the forbidden forest? destruction? transform, etc.? - “Forbidden Forest” is probably possible, but “Destruction” and “Transform” are not, due to the considerations stated in question “3”
7. When using a spell of necessity my opponents don't have the requested element and I do, should I play a card from my hand in this case? - Must.
8. I also heard from one person that a spell of necessity can be cast only if the given element is not in the closet, because this is a spell of necessity, and since it is in the closet, then there is no need to request it. Is it correct - Well, formally, there is no such condition. I think you can play anyway.
9. As it became known, the points received for each of the recipes taken do not depend on the number of Talismans of Universality available. What about the younger mascots of usefulness? If there are two or more utility talismans, does the player who owns them still receive one point for each element dropped into the cabinet? -In my opinion, the minor mascots work like this:
MT Utility - 1 point per card played as an element, REGARDLESS of the number of MT Utility the player has;
MT Universality - the player receives half the points for each element once, REGARDLESS of the number of MT Universality the player has;
MT Growth - the player receives 1 point FOR EACH MT growth;
MT Income - the player receives 1 point FOR EACH MT of growth.
I must say that some reputable judges at Potions tournaments are of the opinion that a player receives 1 point regardless of the number of Growth (Income) talismans he has.

Home rules . In our company we have made changes to the rules:
1. When playing with the Alchemists' Guild or UGA expansion, recipes cannot be placed into a sequence from your hand
2. The game continues until the cards in the decks run out.
We assure you: the game will become more strategic and fun, because there will be more opportunities for mischief, and luck will play a lesser role than before.

The School of Sorcerers and Magicians is a place where the most incredible transformations are possible. Would you like to receive the great elixir of eternal love? To do this, just mix a love potion and an elixir of fidelity. For the teleportation talisman you will need a solution of eternity and a potion of flight, and from the elixir of secret vision and telepathic potion you will get a supernatural creature - a fabulous basilisk. You can carry out alchemical experiments ad infinitum, but you should not forget about the curriculum: the schoolchildren who best masters the practical potions course will be admitted to the University of High Magic without exams.

“Potion making. Workshop" is a desktop card game, in which participants earn victory points by creating magical elixirs, potions, powders and talismans. Each such recipe consists of two or three ingredients, which can be either basic elements (such as thought energy, blood stone or snake eye) or other potions. The winner is determined by the amount of points for the recipes he collects.

The role of magical substances and their components are special cards. At the top of each of them is a recipe: the name of the elixir, powder, talisman or creature, its image, victory point value and the required ingredients. At the bottom there is one of sixteen elements - astral energy, dragon tooth, fern flower, mandrake root, etc. At the beginning of the game, participants receive four cards in their hand, and four more are laid out face up in the middle of the table - in the so-called cabinet of elements . In addition, each player places two counters of his color on the zero spaces of the victory point counters (one marks the ones, the other marks the tens).

Players take turns. On his turn, the participant first draws one card from the top of the deck into his hand, and then must play one card from his hand. This can be done in one of two ways: either place the card in the element cabinet, or collect the recipe indicated on it. When a player adds an item to a cabinet that was not already there, he receives 1 victory point. The recipe brings points according to its value (from 2 to 10 points), but to collect it all the necessary ingredients must be present on the table. Elements can only be taken from the cabinet, other potions - both from yourself and from other players, but in the latter case, the opponent from whom the ready-made recipe was borrowed will also receive points. The game continues until all cards have been played - both from the deck and from the hands of the participants. Then the one with the most points is the winner.

As a rule, recipes require strictly defined ingredients. For example, an infusion of divination can be made only from mushrooms and air crystals, and to get the powder of fate, you need to add a phoenix feather to this infusion. However, the two most expensive, “ten-point” recipes - the great talisman of magic and the supreme elixir - can be assembled, respectively, from any two talismans and any two great elixirs. In addition, at the bottom of these recipes, not one, but three elements are indicated - the player has the right to use any of them when he takes such a card from the cabinet. Other special cards- spells that allow you to get the necessary potions “in a roundabout way.” Thus, the spell of knowledge allows you to take any card from the cabinet of elements into your hand, and the spells of transformation and destruction transform the recipe collected by the player into another. Recipes purchased in this way do not give points themselves, but can be used to create more valuable substances.

"Potions" is a board game for the widest audience. It is played with equal pleasure family circle and in tournaments, children and adults, men and women. Potions has found especially many fans among fans of fantasy, science fiction, and role-playing games.

If you have any questions about the rules of our game, we will be happy to answer on a special forum about it on the international portal BoardGameGeek in Russian.

Awards and titles

Immediately after its birth, Potions, despite its popularity, did not deserve a single award - simply because in 2005 there were no awards for board games in Russia. The game received formal recognition on its fifth anniversary: ​​in 2010, authoritative bloggers called it the best Russian board game of the last five years and the most famous domestic game. At the same time, “Potion Making” received the title of favorite game at the children’s role-playing convention “Detcon” and entered the hall of fame of the Krasnoyarsk exhibition “Meeple”. In addition, Potions was included in the list of “board games that are fun for adults to play with children,” published in the Russian version of Forbes magazine.

"Potions: Workshop" makes you one of the students of the school of magic, performing practical work on obtaining elixirs, breeding magical creatures and enchanting amulets. The more healthy recipes you complete, the more points you get at the end of the game - and the greater your chance of winning.

Yes, Potions is played using cards, each containing a recipe or spell and an element. You can use any of them as a component of a new elixir - or as a recipe for assembly. In fact, every turn you will have to evaluate the table (where other players will put components and collected elixirs into the Cabinet), your hand (what is more important - get some points now - or hope for huge jackpot at the end of the game?), as well as player progress. The fact is that various elixirs themselves become components of stronger (and more complex) alchemical creations: therefore, by assembling just one simple potion, you can give your competitor the opportunity to assemble a very expensive amulet.

One game is enough to master and study the rules. In order to fully understand the beauty of Potions and appreciate the subtlest strategic points, it will take several months. To be able to win a serious tournament, you need to have not only a solid knowledge of the table of elements and a complete scheme of game recipes, but also a clear idea of ​​what exactly your opponents will do and in what situations. “Potion making” perfectly develops logical thinking, attentiveness and memory.

Equipment:

• 76 cards;
• points counter (2 fields);
• 12 chips;
• rules of the game.

Video for the board game Potions: Workshop

Reviews for the board game Potions: Workshop

Natalia

There are many board games in the house, but this one is the best. We bought a complete set of add-ons and have been playing with the whole family (from 7 to 70 years) for more than 5 years and never get tired of it. Highly recommend.

Answer: We are very, very happy for you! By the way, if you want to refresh your impressions a little, then pay attention to the game Culinarium) It’s the same thing, but in a different version)

Alyona

I liked the game Potions. The design is superb. The price and content of the gift are beyond words. Thanks to the store!

Answer: We're glad you liked the game) By the way, don't forget that it has 2 add-ons that significantly expand the game! Well, if you really fall in love with the mechanics of the game, then be sure to pay attention to the games Jam and Cooking. They are very similar to Potions!)

Elena

The game is simply great!!! People BUY this game!! This family game, which everyone will like!!!.. Thanks to my favorite store!!!

Answer: Thank you for such a warm and emotional review! We completely agree about the game. We also recommend that you get acquainted with such games as Evolution, 7 Dragons Tokaido and Carcasson https://www..php?page=edit&id=1777 Thank you for such a warm and emotional review! We completely agree about the game. We also recommend that you get acquainted with such games as Evolution of 7 Dragons, Tokaido and Carcassonne, and by the way, there are two additions to the game Potions)