# Distilled: Africa & Middle East Expansion ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2023 - **BGG Rating**: 8.1 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-5 (Best with: 2, 3) - **Duration**: 30-120 min - **Weight**: 2.83 / 5 - **Designers**: Dave Beck - **Artists**: Erik Evensen - **Publishers**: Paverson Games, Boardgame Mall, Choo Choo Games, Galápagos Jogos, Geekach LLC, Giant Roc, Liberation Game Design, Lucrum Games, Matagot - **Categories**: Expansion for Base-game ## Verdict Perfect for those looking to spice up Distilled's strategy with new flavors and cultural challenges.Fresh ingredient combosRich and immersive themeHigh component varietyGreat for solo playRequires the base gameModerate language dependencyRECOMMENDED ## Description If you're already a fan of Distilled and feel your distillery needs a more exotic touch, grab a glass! The 'Africa & Middle East' expansion arrives to expand the sensory horizons of the game, taking you on a gastronomic and commercial journey through vibrant regions like Tunisia, Ghana, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. This isn't just 'more of the same'; we're talking about a deep cultural immersion that shifts the rhythm of your production. What changes in practice? Well, you'll discover powerful new ingredients and exclusive recipes that weren't in the base game. Imagine distilling and selling iconic spirits like Akpeteshie or Boukha, utilizing brand-new distillery upgrades to optimize your business. The expansion brings a massive variety of components, including new distiller identities, upgrade cards, premium market items, and even new goals for solo play. The game maintains that strategic vibe of resource management and market play, but with a fresh spice. You'll have to balance the hunt for rare ingredients with the need to win flavor awards and conquer the local market. It's the perfect choice for those looking to boost the longevity of the base game by adding strategic variety and a rich theme that avoids the usual tropes. If you enjoy optimizing processes and collecting winning combinations, this expansion belongs at the top of your table. Just a heads-up: clear some space and sharpen your wits, because the new combo possibilities might make the game even more dynamic and challenging! ## How to Play Objective of the Game Distilled: Africa & Middle East is an expansion that brings the flavors of the region to your table, introducing new distiller identities with signature recipes, ingredients, and more. The game is about distilling spirits, and with this expansion, you can now collect and display more bottles. If you have at least one bottle from 4 different regions displayed in your bottle collection, you score 8 SP. If you achieve this, you do not also score the bonus for displaying bottles from 3 different regions. Preparation (Setup) Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Game Flow Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Actions and How to Play New Mechanics Double Sugars: Ingredients with two sugar icons count as 2 sugars and therefore produce 2 Alcohol when used to distill. Add one Alcohol card for each sugar icon in your washback. Note: The Distillery Manager specialist effect changes both sugar icons to the new sugar type, not just one icon. Wild Sugars: The new premium ingredient Glucose Syrup can meet any one sugar requirement. It can be grain, plant, or fruit—player’s choice. Tasting Flights There are six new tasting flights to choose from: Tasting Flight I: Balanced Play (Pairs with: South Africa, Lebanon, Canada, USA, India, Japan, Ghana, UAE, Peru, Mexico, Korea) Tasting Flight J: Balanced Play (Pairs with: South Africa, Cape Verde, Scotland, Ireland, India, China, Tunisia, UAE, Sweden, France, Philippines) Tasting Flight K: Balanced Play (Pairs with: South Africa, Lebanon, Canada, USA, Scotland, Ireland, Tunisia, UAE, Jamaica, Brazil, Sweden, Italy) Tasting Flight L: Africa & Middle East Spirits (Pairs with: South Africa, Lebanon, Cape Verde, Canada, USA, India, Ghana, Tunisia, UAE, Mexico, Korea) Tasting Flight M: Non-Aged Spirits (Pairs with: South Africa, UAE, Scotland, Ireland, India, Australia, Ghana, Tunisia, Sweden, England, Philippines, Korea) Tasting Flight N: Aged Spirits (Pairs with: South Africa, Cape Verde, Scotland, Ireland, India, China, UAE, Lebanon, Italy, France, Japan) The first three flights (I, J, and K) are the most balanced and are recommended for use in most games. The rest focus on a specific region or spirit type and are intended for experienced players who wish to mix up their game play. End of Game and Scoring If you have at least one bottle from 4 different regions displayed in your bottle collection, you score 8 SP. If you achieve this, you do not also score the bonus for displaying bottles from 3 different regions. Because of the bottle collection scoring, you can use bottle-specific goals and awards and region-specific bottles even when playing with a tasting flight that doesn’t include that region. Tips for Winning For your first game with the expansion, we suggest using Tasting Flight I and its paired distiller identities shown in the Tasting Flight section on page 6 of this booklet. If you ever draw an award or goal that involves a region not represented in the tasting flight used, discard it and draw again. ## FAQ ### Can I play this expansion solo? Absolutely! It includes specific goal cards for solo play, making the experience even more robust. ### Do I need the base game to play? Yes, this is an expansion and is entirely dependent on the mechanics and components of the original Distilled game. ### Does the game become much harder? It adds more layers of complexity and new strategic options, which might increase the challenge while maintaining the base game's balance. ### What is the average playtime with the expansion? Time may vary depending on the complexity of the new recipes, but it typically ranges between 30 and 120 minutes. ### Is language an issue? There is a moderate language dependency due to ingredient and recipe cards, so having a translation handy is a good idea. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 11.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5567389&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 14.47 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5464511&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 14.49 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5654975&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 15.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5662304&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 15.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5433130&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 16.93 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7222622&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 16.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5241119&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 17.91 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6793620&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 19.05 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6720144&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 19.90 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5445950&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/40960/distilled-africa-middle-east-expansion?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com