Objective of the Game

In Quacks: All-In Edition, players take on the role of quack doctors brewing potions by blindly drawing ingredient tokens (IT) from their bags. The goal is to advance your cauldron as far as possible without exploding, while earning victory points (VP) through potion rewards, rubies, and strategic purchases. The game ends after Round 9, and the player with the most VP wins. Ties are broken by the farthest cauldron progress in Round 9.

Preparation (Setup)

1. Place the scoreboard with the flame marker on Round 1. Put the bonus dice on the dice step.
2. Shuffle the fortune teller deck, including Alchemist and Witch cards if using expansions.
3. Set up ingredient books (one per color) near the scoreboard. Match bookmark counts across books. Randomly select the locoweed book.
4. Arrange ingredient token piles (1-, 2-, and 3-level) and add locoweed ITs.
5. Each player receives:
   • A cauldron board (all players use the same side: "book" or "test tube").
   • A colored ingredient bag.
   • A score token (ST) on the 50-space.
   • A droplet token (DT) on the cauldron's 0-space and starting test tube (if applicable).
   • A rat token (RT), 1 ruby, and a full bottle.
   • One each of gold, silver, and bronze witch pennies.
   • A colored overflow bowl.
   • An Alchemist board with an essence token (ET) at 0.
6. Randomly select one each of bronze, silver, and gold Witch Cards.
7. Choose patient tokens and matching essence cards.
8. Fill draw bags with ingredient tokens as follows:
   • Level 1: 4 White, 1 Green, 1 Orange.
   • Level 2: 2 White.
   • Level 3: 1 White.
9. Randomly select the first player, who gets the fortune deck.

Game Flow

Each round consists of three phases:

1. Draw Card: The first player draws a fortune teller card and resolves it immediately (purple) or during their turn (blue).
2. Brew Potion: All players simultaneously perform steps 1-7:
   • Blind-draw 1 IT and place it on the cauldron based on its number.
   • Check for explosions (total White ITs ≥ 8).
   • Use the full bottle to redraw if desired.
   • Resolve RED, YELLOW, BLUE abilities.
   • Decide to stop or repeat.
3. Use Potion: All players resolve post-brewing actions, including essence distillation, bonus dice rolls, and purchasing ITs or VPs.

After completing the round, advance the flame marker and pass the fortune deck left.

Actions and How to Play

Brew Potion Phase

• Blind-draw ITs: Never look into your bag. Place ITs on the cauldron based on their number (e.g., 1 = 1 space ahead).
• Explosions: If White ITs total 8+, stop immediately.
• Full Bottle: Use to redraw the last IT. Cannot be used if you exploded.
• Overflow Bowl: ITs beyond the "33 space" go here. They are colorless but can still cause explosions.

Use Potion Phase

• Distill Essence: Reset ET to 0, count unique colors in cauldron (excluding White/overflow), and move ET forward. Gain rewards based on ET level.
• Bonus Dice: The farthest non-exploded player rolls for rewards.
• Ruby Rewards: Gain a ruby if your last IT is on a ruby space.
• Exploded Players: Choose between advancing VP or purchasing ITs (not both).
• Rubies: Spend 2 rubies for bottle refills, DT advances, or VPs (Round 9).
• Witch Pennies: In Round 9, spend unused pennies for 2 VP each.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after Round 9. Players tally:

• Victory Points (VP): From cauldron rewards, overflow ITs (sum ÷ 2), rubies, and witch pennies.
• Tiebreaker: Farthest cauldron progress in Round 9. If still tied, all tied players win.

Tips to Win

• Manage White ITs: Keep track of White totals to avoid explosions.
• Use Essence Wisely: Prioritize essence rewards that align with your patient card.
• Round 9 Prep: Save rubies and witch pennies for VP conversions in the final round.