POTION EXPLOSION

Hey there! Have you ever played Potion Explosion? It’s a super fun puzzle board game that you can enjoy with 2 to 4 players. The goal of the game is to collect ingredients by matching them by color in the dispenser. Once you have these ingredients, you can use them to craft powerful potions. These potions not only give you more points but also provide you with cool advantages to help you in the game. Plus, if you manage to craft enough of the same or different potions, you’ll even earn skill cards!

GETTING STARTED

When we play this game, each of us gets a board to use. We can decide who goes first in the game, either randomly or by choosing the person who will prepare a drink last. The person who goes first gets a special marker that shows they are the first player. Then, the game goes clockwise from that person.

Before we start playing, we need to choose which potions we want to use. There are six types of potions, but we only need to pick a few to play with. The potions that have a star on them are called starter potions. Each of us needs to pick two starter potions. The rest of the potions are set aside for later.

Once we have all chosen our potions, we place them recipe side up on our boards. The first player chooses one potion to be their starting potion. Then, starting with the last player to choose and going in the opposite direction of clockwise, each person selects their second potion.

So here’s what we do with the remaining potions: we split them into 5 stacks, with the recipe side facing up.

Now it’s time to prepare the dispenser. Pour all the marbles into it, making sure to fill all 5 columns. We’ll place the help and skill markers near the dispenser so that everyone can reach them. The number of skill markers we’ll use depends on the number of players. If there are 2 players, we’ll use 4 skill markers. For 3 players, we’ll use 5 markers. And if there are 4 players, we’ll use 6 markers.

Let’s start playing!

First, we’ll determine who goes first by giving the 1st player token to someone. Then, we’ll take turns clockwise. On your turn, you’ll get to take one marble from the dispenser and collect it. If there are any other ingredients that explode, you’ll collect those too. And here’s a cool thing: you can also use any potions you’ve previously made or use a help token to take ingredients. The best part is, using potions or help tokens never causes explosions.

When it’s your turn to choose an ingredient, you can pick any of the first 8 marbles in one of the 5 columns. Be careful, though, because picking a marble might cause an explosion. An explosion happens when removing a marble results in two marbles of the same color touching each other. When an explosion occurs, all the marbles of that color, as well as any other marbles of the same color that are touching them within the column, are collected. And guess what? An explosion can even trigger another explosion! However, explosions only happen within columns and never in rows.

If you need help, don’t worry! You can ask for assistance on your turn. But there’s a catch – asking for help will cost you 2 points. But it does come with a benefit – you can take a single marble from the dispenser without causing any explosions. You can choose to ask for help either before or after picking your mandatory ingredient.

Once you have collected all your ingredients, it’s time to use them to fill the matching slots on your potions. But be careful, once you place a marble into a potion, there’s no going back! So think carefully about the order of your actions.

If you can’t use all your ingredients or choose not to, you can save up to 3 marbles in your beaker for later turns. Any marbles that you don’t save or use will be returned to the dispenser at the end of your turn.

When you’ve filled all the needed ingredients for a potion, it’s complete! Flip it over to its completed side and place it below your board. A completed potion is worth points at the end of the game and can be drunk to use its special ability. Cheers!

When you refill the dispenser, it’s important to be as random as you can. You don’t want to have too many marbles in one track while another track is empty. In that case, you should move the extra marbles to fill the empty columns.

Ending Your Turn

After you finish your turn, there are some steps you need to follow before the next player can take their turn. First, make sure to return all unused marbles back to the dispenser. Then, if you have completed any potions and have an empty spot, you’ll need to choose a new potion from the 5 available options. Remember, the order in which you pick the potions matters because as soon as you choose one, another becomes available. Also, check if you receive a skill marker and if the end of the game has been triggered. If not, then the next player can start their turn.

Skill Marker

When playing the game, I use skill markers to keep track of my progress and earn extra points. I can earn a skill marker by making 3 or more potions of the same type, or by making 5 different types of potions. It’s pretty cool because I can earn multiple skill markers. Once I’ve earned the last skill marker, everyone else finishes their turns so we all have the same number of turns. Even during this time, I can still earn more skill markers if I complete the objectives for them. Each skill marker I earn is worth 4 points.

The End of the Game

The game ends in one of two ways. Either someone takes the last skill marker, or we run out of potions. Either way, the remaining players finish their turns so we all have the same number of turns. Once the last turn is taken and completed, we add up all our points. I have to remember to subtract any help markers and add for any skill markers I earned. The player with the most points is the winner.