Description
In Alchemists, two to four budding alchemists compete to discover the secrets of their mystical art.
Points can be earned in various ways, but most points are earned by publishing theories – correct theories, that is — and therein lies the problem.
The game is played in six rounds.
Players declare all their actions by placing cubes on the various action spaces, then each action space is evaluated in order.
Players gain knowledge by mixing ingredients and testing the results using a smartphone app (iOS, Android, and also Windows) that randomizes the rules of alchemy for each new game.
And if the alchemists are longing for something even more special, they can always buy magical artifacts to get an extra push.
There are 9 of them (different for each game) and they are not only very powerful, but also very expensive.
But money means nothing, when there’s academic pride at stake! And the possession of these artifacts will definitely earn you some reputation too. Players can also earn money by selling potions of questionable quality to adventurers, but money is just a means to an end. The alchemists don’t want riches, after all.
They want respect, and respect usually comes from publishing theories.
During play, players’ reputations will go up and down.
After six rounds and a final exhibition, reputation will be converted into points. Points will also be scored for artifacts and grants.
Then the secrets of alchemy are revealed and players score points or lose points based on whether their theories were correct.
Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins.
Solo Rules
There are several fan made solo versions. Links are provided in the feedback and file section below the review videos.
Dice Tower Reviews: Alchemists
Official Short Rules Overview Video
Player feedback
The forums at BoardGameGeek often have good discussions about gameplay.
We have selected some of the best links below. (Links will open in a new window or tab)
Solo ideas and discussions
A selection of posts specifically about solo gameplay or solo variants
- Alchemists Investigations – A short solo puzzle
- Solo variant — the thieving little brother
- Solo Rules – The Copycat
- Mystic ingredient – Solo variant (no automata)
- solo variant – no dummy player
- Solo non-contested variant
Files
A selection of files from BoardGameGeek. Links will open in a new window or tab.
Solo Rules
A simple solitaire variant with modifiable difficulty levels. Try the Grand Master variant for an added challenge.
>> Click to download PDF <<
Alchemists rulebook – English
>> Click to download PDF <<
Potion player aid
What gives a potion in a color with sign + or – ?
What gives a neutral potion ?
Overview of the 6 different potions, neutral potion, ingredients card and the alchemical tokens.
>> Click to download PDF <<
Alchemists – Investigations
These are the rules for a short puzzle you can play by yourself. Enjoy!
>> Click to download PDF <<