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Players craft potions in a secret marketplace. Hide ingredients to deceive opponents, and use magical powers to mix concoctions. But beware – your opponents are brewing schemes of their own!
Apotheca is played on a 4×4 grid. Players gain points by making matches of three potions of the same color in a row. The first player to make three matches wins. It’s easily learned, but the combination of asymmetric powers and secret facedown potions make the game a delicious challenge.
On each turn, players take 2 of 4 possible actions:
Reveal: Reveal a secret potion and gain a gem of that color
Restock: Draw, look at, and place secret potions on the board until there are exactly 3
Power: Use one of your active apothecary powers
Hire: Spend gems to hire new apothecaries
Whenever a player makes a match, they must place it on one of their apothecaries. This removes that apothecary’s power for the rest of the game, so it’s important for players to keep revealing potions, collecting gems and hiring new apothecaries… all while keeping their opponents at bay!
Deduction is key to Apotheca. Players trap each other with clever spatial moves, bluffing and misdirection. The action economy is very well balanced, so every turn offers an opportunity for strategy and tough decisions.
The feeling of the game differs with every number of players:
2 player is the most cerebral and controlled
3 player is the most chaotic, yet still within your grasp
4 player is played in teams, offering neat collaborative gameplay
Ages | 13+ |
---|---|
Players | Solo, 2 Players, 3 Players, 4 Players |
Play Time | 30m |
Designer | Andrew Federspiel |
Mechanics | Action Points, Team-Based Game, Grid Movement, Variable Player Powers |
Theme | Abstract Strategy, Bluffing, Deduction, Puzzle |
Publisher | Knapsack Games, Renegade Game Studios |
davecharlson
This is a fairly lite game. But it is not really my forte. I don't tend to like games as well where spatial awareness is key to the game. I just have trouble seeing all the possible manipulations. But it is OK to play occasionally.
ChildeRoland1919
Not a bad two player filler but the game feels under-developed and should be better. The game claims to have four main actions every turn but really there are only two because your apothecary and his special ability get utilized and therefore eliminated pretty quick meaning there may be 5-6 more turns before you can obtain another. Still, a decent game with quick set up/teardown and one that may benefit from a future expansion. The solo variant isn't very fun and not worth the effort.
crimphoenix
It felt very similar to Splendor. If you enjoy that game, you should enjoy this game. The additional characters allowed for different strategies.