About The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Spiel des Jahres 2018. Push-your-luck bag building. Draw chips one at a time adding them to your pot — stop when you feel risky, or keep going until it explodes. Then spend earnings on better ingredients.
Is The Quacks of Quedlinburg Right for You?
Best for
The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a joyful pick for two to four players who love press-your-luck thrills and the tactile fun of drawing chips from a bag. As the Spiel des Jahres 2018 winner it is a brilliant family and gateway game, easy to teach yet full of agonising one-more-chip decisions. A game runs under an hour and the table gets loud as pots bubble toward exploding.
Maybe skip it if…
If you dislike luck and want full control over your outcomes, the random chip draws can feel cruel when your pot explodes early. Heavy-strategy gamers may find it too swingy to take seriously.
How to Play The Quacks of Quedlinburg
Setup
Each player gets identical starting bag of chips. Set out the ingredient books.
On Your Turn
- Draw chips one at a time from your bag — add to your pot spiral.
- If white chips sum over 7, your pot explodes (you get points OR buy ingredients, not both).
- Score pot position + buy new ingredients for future rounds.
How to Win
9 rounds. Score pot position, rubies, and bonus droplets.
💡 Strategy Tips
Upgrade your bag strategically. Black cherry bombs are a trap for beginners.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting the explosion rule: if your white cherry-bomb chips total more than seven, your pot explodes and you lose part of your turn's reward.
- Not buying upgraded ingredients between rounds, leaving a weak bag that can never push far.
- Ignoring the rat tails catch-up bonus that lets trailing players start further along the track.
- Overloading on white chips' value while neglecting the colour engines that actually generate points and money.
Advanced Strategy
- Track your white-chip total as you draw and stop while you are safely under eight if the reward no longer justifies the risk.
- Invest early in the ingredient that synergises with your chosen book so your engine compounds over the nine rounds.
- Use the rubies wisely, whether refilling your flask for a single safe re-draw or upgrading a droplet for better pot positioning.
- Balance buying points versus money each round; cheap money chips early can snowball into stronger buys later.
Variants & House Rules
The Herb Witches
An expansion adding new ingredient books, the seal of quality, and witch tiles that grant powerful once-per-game bonuses.
The Alchemists
An expansion introducing alchemist tokens and additional ingredient options for more variety and player powers.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
We think Quacks is one of the best modern push-your-luck games, with the bag-building twist giving real long-term strategy beneath the gambling. It is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and we recommend it warmly for families and gateway groups alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many rounds is Quacks of Quedlinburg?
Nine rounds, after which the player with the most victory points wins.
Is Quacks good for two players?
Yes, it plays well from two to four; with fewer players turns are quicker, though the lively shared tension is strongest with more.
What happens when your pot explodes?
If your white chips exceed seven the pot explodes, and that round you may only either score points or earn money, not both.
Is Quacks family-friendly?
Very; it won the 2018 Spiel des Jahres, the top family-game award, and the rules teach in a few minutes.