Quacks of Quedlinburg

Review: Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Alchemists

This week Matt takes a look at the chunkier expansion of The Alchemists for one of his all-time favourites – Quacks! But do these additions sweeten or sour the cauldron? Also, how many more times is he going to use that footage of him and Quinns being hit in the face with a paint cannon? Truly, NOBODY COULD KNOW. How did you folks get on with the expansions?

The Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Alchemists introduces nightmares, obsession, and hysteria to The Quacks of Quedlinburg base game, with players working in new laboratories to distill essences that can free the citizens of Quedlinburg from these afflictions. The Alchemists can be played with just the base game or combined with The Herb Witches expansion.

In this FESTIVE 163rd episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast, the whole gang’s here to talk you through all kinds of games, big and small, that they reckon you should buy for your loved ones this holiday season! A bumper list of 13 entire boardgames; there’s got to be something for everyone, even if one of them is – of course – Quacks of Quedlinburg.

Fancy something we mention in this episode? Tap here for shopping links, videos, and brief written details of every game we’ve recommended in this episode.

Have a lovely weekend, folks!

Tap below for full timestamps and more info!

This week we assembled the whole editorial team for our 2021 Christmas Gift Guide – with everyone picking a small handful of games that are excellent gifts AND currently actually available to buy!*

Below you’ll find links and a brief description of each game, but for more detailed explanations and recommendations, be sure to listen to the podcast episode that’s paired with this post – in which the whole team go through these individual choices. Thanks for reading and listening along, and do share the article or podcast if you think it’s a valuable resource for others this year. Much love from all of us – LET’S GO!

Ava: Hey there peoplefolks, welcome to another bright, shining week on Shut Up & Sit Down. We’re nearly at the end of the wintery void, and right now there’s sun falling on me and it feels like hope. Wahey! What are we hoping for this week? We’re hoping for a stream, a review and a podcast, and you know what, it’s all actually going to happen. (Terms and conditions may apply) On Tuesday we’re streaming the potion-popping extravaganza that is Quacks of Quedlinberg, and we’re even going to chuck in the currently German-only Alchemists expansion. We promise it won’t be as chaotic as when we tried to do this with Excalibohn. We’ll be slightly more prepared for those explosive potion notions. Wednesday is review day, and all I am permitted to say is that Matt will be talking about a game that got him so excited he dressed up all fancy, and may have an appearance from the newest, least-living member of the team. Finally, on Friday we’ve got a lovely little podcast special, with Tom, Quinns and myself having a chat about what we’re planning and dreaming of for our first, perfect game night once all this *gestures vaguely* is a bit less diseasey. Without wanting to get too serious, what hopes are you hoping right now, folks?

WELCOME to the 125th SU&SD GAME OF THE YEAR PODCAST! Because technically, every game is a game of the year! Why? Because it came out that year, dummy! That’s just maths!!! On this timely episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Podcast, the four musketeers gather once again to chat about just one game that they each think deserves Game Of The Year status in 2020. Who will win? Will their game be from this year? Will they even chose a game at ALL! Answers to these questions and more can be found… right here!

In The Quacks of Quedlinburg, players are charlatans — or quack doctors — each making their own secret brew by adding ingredients one at a time. Take care with what you add, though, for a pinch too much of this or that will spoil the whole mixture!

Each player has their own bag of ingredient chips. During each round, they simultaneously draw chips and add them to their pot. The higher the face value of the drawn chip, the further it is placed in the swirling pattern. Push your luck as far as you can, but if you add too many cherry bombs, your pot explodes!

At the end of each round, players gain victory points and also coins to spend on new ingredients to add to their bags. But players with exploded pots must choose points or coins — not both! The player with the most victory points at the end of nine rounds wins the game.

December 4, 2020 Specials

Welcome one, welcome all! It is officially the most December-est time of the year, and that might mean you’re on the lookout for the perfect gift for the board gamer in your life? The board gamer in OUR life wants “an egg timer”, so there’s really no knowing if you’re barking up the right tree – but the whole SU&SD team is on-hand this week to give you great suggestions for great games that are currently in stock! Enjoy!

0:54 My City
1:51 Tournament at Camelot / Tournament at Avalon
2:35 Gùgōng
3:10 Undaunted: Normandy / Undaunted: North Africa
4:06 Pandemic Legacy Season 0 / Pandemic Legacy
4:28 Quacks of Quedlinberg
4:54 Oceans
5:19 Monikers: Serious Nonsense
6:03 Patchwork
6:22 The Mind
6:41 No Thanks!
7:00 The Crew
7:35 Ghost Blitz
8:24 New York Zoo
8:54 Modern Art
9:27 Solo RPGs: 9:41 Artefact, 9:58 The Sealed Library & The Wretch3d, 10:18 Thousand Year Old Vampire
10:38 Senet Magazine

A few more worth a look!
Little Town
Unmatched
Junk Art
Paris: La Cité de la Lumière
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Watergate
Insider

Tactics & Tactility #5 – The Clairvoyance of Failure

[Tactics and Tactility is our column about the feelings, details and pleasures of tabletop gaming. This week Ava is looking at Quacks of Quedlinberg and the perils of prediction.]

Ava: I’m a potion maker, I’ve got a bag of secret ingredients. There’s magic spilling everywhere. In this moment, I know the exact odds of failure, and I make the fatal mistake. I say it out loud.

‘There’s only one thing that can kill me, and there’s loads in here. Knowing my luck, I’m doomed.’

I pull out that one ingredient, my cauldron explodes, and so does the table. A wave of sympathy and laughter. Of course I did the thing. A one in six chance was the only possible outcome.

Quacks of Quedlinberg is a simple push your luck game wrapped in the right trappings to take it off the table and into your hearts. It’s built out of simple probabilities, a little calculation, and the illusion of control. You pull tiny cardboard chits out of the soft, black bag you’ve built for yourself. You always know exactly how many of the dreaded berries inside can ruin everything.

Having just arrived back from Belgium’s fantastic Zomerspel tabletop convention, Matt and Quinns were inspired by Belgian chips to create this episode of our award-winning podcast. It’s long, crunchy, filling and if you eat nothing except this podcast then you will probably die? Games discussed in this episode include the fascinating Taverns of Tiefan Thal (01:51), the taut little Feld game Carpe Diem (13:48), the simple-yet-delightful Luxor (26:47), the gross-yet-charming Silk (33:13) and the simply superb Rail Pass (49:37). Matt and Quinns also discuss some of the video reviews they’ve been working on, including Pipeline (1:00:58) and Too Many Bones (1:06:54). Enjoy, everybody!

Review: Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Alchemists

Quacks of Quedlinburg: The Alchemists

Podcast #163 – The 2021 Christmas Gift Guide

Christmas Gift Guide – The 13 Best

This week on Shut Up & Sit Down…

Podcast #125 – The 2020 Game Of The Year Special

The SU&SD 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

Tactics & Tactility #5 – The Clairvoyance of Failure

Podcast #98: Seize My Silky Rails

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