The Quacks of Quedlinburg Rules – How to Play, Setup, and Ingredients Guide

Last Updated on October 13, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Number of Players: 2–4 Players | Ages 10+

The Quacks of Quedlinburg is a lightweight, family-friendly, and engaging bag-building game with a strong push-your-luck element. It blends the strategic aspects of deck-building (but with ingredient chips in a bag) with the exciting tension of deciding how far to push your luck each round. The game’s whimsical theme and accessible mechanics make it a hit with both casual and seasoned board gamers.

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How to Play The Quacks of Quedlinburg

Game Overview

In The Quacks of Quedlinburg, players are miracle doctors—quacks—who mix bizarre ingredients to brew potions. But beware: too many of the wrong ingredients and your potion could explode!

Over nine rounds, you’ll draw ingredient chips from your bag to fill your pot, earn coins to buy better ingredients, and score victory points. The player with the most points after nine rounds wins.

Components

4 Player Pots (Boards)
1 Scoring Track with Turn Indicator and Flame Marker
4 Flasks
8 Ingredient Books (Yellow x2, Green x2, Red x2, Blue x2, Black x1, Orange x1, Purple x2)
215 Ingredient Chips + 3 Replacement Chips
24 Fortune Teller Cards
4 Bags
4 Rat Stones
8 Droplets (4 for the variant side)
20 Rubies
1 Bonus Die
4 Scoring Markers
4 0/50 Seals
1 Almanac of Ingredients

Story

Each year, Quedlinburg hosts a 9-day bazaar for the country’s most eccentric miracle doctors. From curing smelly feet to heartbreak, each quack claims to have a cure for everything.
Your task is to concoct the most valuable potion without letting it explode. Do you risk one more ingredient for a big gain—or play it safe for steady progress? The choice is yours.

Setup

Determine the Start Player:
The last person to cook something goes first. That player shuffles the Fortune Teller deck and places it face down.
Place the Scoring Track:
Put it in the center of the table. Place the Flame (turn marker) on Turn 1 and the 0/50 seals with the “0” side facing up.
Lay Out Ingredient Books:
- Orange and Black ingredient books are always used.
- The Black book has different rules depending on player count—use the correct page.
- Other ingredients come in sets numbered 1–4 (green, blue, red, yellow, purple).
  - Use Set 1 for your first game.
  - Introduce Sets 2–4 in later games.
- For the first round, only use the green, blue, and red books.
  - The yellow book enters play in Round 2,
  - The purple book enters play in Round 3.
Sort Ingredient Chips:
Separate them by color and place them near their corresponding books.
Give Each Player:
- 1 Pot (front side for first games)
- 1 Bag
- 1 Flask (full side up)
- 1 Rat Stone
- 1 Scoring Marker (place on your colored seal on the scoring board)
- 1 Droplet (place on the “0” space of your pot)
Starting Ingredients:
Put the following chips into your bag:
- 4 white 1-chips
- 2 white 2-chips
- 1 white 3-chip
- 1 orange 1-chip
- 1 green 1-chip

A close-up photograph of a player's board from the board game The Quacks of Quedlinburg. In the foreground, a round player board (cauldron) shows a line of numbered spaces with various colored ingredient chips placed on them, including red, yellow, and white tokens. A blue wooden droplet marker sits on the initial space. In the background, a central circular game track holds the score markers for all players, represented by small, colorful wooden rats and discs. The image emphasizes the colorful components and the layout of the cauldron track.

Preparation Phase

Before the first turn begins, players complete a short Preparation Phase to ready the round. The first card from the Fortune Teller deck is drawn and read aloud by the start player. This card may introduce new ingredients, one-time effects, or special conditions that apply for the round.

Resolve any immediate effects listed on the card before continuing. If a Fortune Teller deck runs out, reshuffle the discard pile to form a new draw pile for future rounds.

Next, check that all ingredient books match the current round. As the game progresses, new books—such as yellow and purple—are added, giving players access to new ingredients and abilities that expand the strategy each turn.

This setup step ensures all players begin the round equally prepared. Once everyone has reviewed the new cards and ingredients, proceed to the Potion Phase at the end of the phase.

Gameplay

The game lasts 9 rounds. Each round consists of these phases:

Fortune Teller Card
Rat Bonus (from Round 2 onward)
Potion Phase (Draw Ingredients)
Evaluation Phase (Scoring & Shopping)
End of Turn

1. Fortune Teller Cards

At the start of each round, the current start player draws and reads the top Fortune Teller card aloud.

Purple cards: Resolved immediately, before the round starts.
Blue cards: Apply for the duration or end of the round.
If a card offers a yellow or purple chip, you can only take it if that ingredient book is already active.

2. Rats (from Round 2 onward)

Players behind the leader can move their rat stone forward to catch up.

Count the number of rat tails between you and the leading player on the scoring track.
Move your rat stone that many spaces forward in your pot.

Each space gives you a head start for your potion this round.

3. Potions Phase (Drawing Ingredients)

All players now brew their potions simultaneously.

Draw Chips One by One:
Place each drawn chip in your pot a number of spaces equal to its value from your droplet (or rat stone).
- Example: a 2-chip is placed 2 spaces ahead of your last chip.
Decide When to Stop:
After each draw, decide whether to stop or keep going.
Explosions:
If the total value of your white chips exceeds 7, your potion explodes.
- You must stop immediately, but still place the last chip drawn.
- Only white chips count toward explosion limits.

4. Chip Actions

Most colored chips grant special abilities when drawn:

White & Orange: No effect
Blue, Red, Yellow: Trigger immediately when drawn
Green, Black, Purple: Activate at the end of the phase

Example: If you draw a blue 2-chip, you may draw 2 more chips, keep 1, and return the other to your bag.

(Refer to the Almanac of Ingredients for detailed chip effects.)

5. Flask Use

If the last chip drawn is white, you can use your flask to return it to your bag.

You cannot use the flask if your potion explodes.
Flip the flask to the “empty” side after using it.
You can refill it later for 2 rubies.

Evaluation Phase

Once all players stop drawing (either voluntarily or by explosion), evaluate in order:

A) Bonus Die

The player who reached the highest scoring space without exploding rolls the Bonus Die for a reward.
If tied, all tied players roll.

B) Chip Actions

In turn order, resolve any green, purple, or black chip effects.

C) Rubies

All players whose scoring space shows a ruby earn 1 ruby.

D) Victory Points

Each player gains the number of victory points shown on their scoring space.
(Exploded pots must choose between this step and shopping next.)

E) Buying Ingredients

Spend the number of coins shown on your scoring space to buy new chips.

You can buy 1 or 2 chips (of different colors).
Chip costs are shown on their ingredient book.
Add purchased chips to your bag.

F) End of Turn

Players may spend rubies to:

Move their droplet forward 1 space (2 rubies)
Refill their flask (2 rubies)

Reset your rat stone, pass the Fortune Teller deck clockwise, and move the Flame to the next turn on the indicator.

Turn Indicator & Progression

Turn 2: Add the yellow ingredient book.
Turn 3: Add the purple ingredient book.
Turn 6: Each player adds one white 1-chip to their bag.
Turn 9: Final turn — during the potion phase, everyone draws simultaneously when the start player says “Stir!”
At the end of Turn 9, players can exchange:
5 coins or 2 rubies = 1 victory point (repeat as desired).

End of the Game

After Round 9, the player with the most victory points wins.
Ties are broken by who filled their pot the furthest in the final round.
If still tied, all share the title of The Biggest Quack of Quedlinburg.

Game Variations

Once familiar with the base game, you can:

Mix and match ingredient sets to create new combinations.
Play on the test tube side of the pot for advanced play:
- Each player places a second droplet at the far left of the test tubes.
- When advancing a droplet, choose which one to move (pot or test tube).
- The test tube droplet grants immediate bonuses like rubies, chips, or victory points.

Explosion rules still apply when using the test tube side.

FAQ

How many players can play The Quacks of Quedlinburg?

The game is designed for 2–4 players. The ingredient books and the black chip rules vary slightly depending on whether it’s a 2-player game or a 3–4-player game. Always check the black ingredient book for the correct setup based on your number of players.

How many chips are used in the game?

There are over 215 ingredient chips in total, divided by color. Each color corresponds to a specific ingredient book. Players start with a standard set of white, orange, and green chips, but they can purchase higher-value chips later in the game to fill their bags with better ingredients.

Where should the ingredient books and components go during setup?

The scoring track and ingredient books are placed in the middle of the table for everyone to reach easily. Each player’s pot sits in front of them, and the center area holds shared items such as the Flame turn marker, rubies, and Fortune Teller deck.

What is the purpose of yellow chips?

Yellow chips are introduced in the second round, once the yellow ingredient book is revealed. Their effects depend on which set of ingredient books you’re using, but they generally provide powerful additional actions or bonuses when drawn into your pot.

What does the green chip do?

Green chips activate their special effect at the end of a round during the evaluation phase. The exact benefit depends on the green ingredient book you’re using, but they usually provide rubies or other bonuses for being placed near the end of your pot.

What happens when it’s the next player’s turn?

Turns advance in a clockwise direction around the table. The start player role (the one who draws and reads the Fortune Teller cards) also passes clockwise each round. However, during the potion-brewing phase, all players draw chips simultaneously.

What is the player’s pot and what does it represent?

Each player’s pot is their personal board where ingredients (chips) are placed during the potion phase. The numbered spiral spaces track how far your ingredients progress. The middle of the pot is where your droplet starts — it determines the starting point for your first chip each round.

What is the first chip in a turn and where is it placed?

The first chip you draw from your bag is placed immediately after your droplet (or rat stone if it’s present). If it’s a 1-value chip, it goes on the first open space. Each subsequent chip is placed a number of spaces forward equal to its value.

What happens when you draw too many white chips or cherry bombs?

White chips are known as cherry bombs. If the total value of all white chips in your pot exceeds 7, your potion explodes. You must immediately stop drawing chips, though you still place the last one drawn. Exploding limits your options later in the round, such as losing the chance to roll the bonus die.

Can you draw chips at the same time as other players?

Yes. Although players draw chips from their own bags independently, most groups draw simultaneously to keep the game flowing. During the last round, everyone must draw in unison whenever the start player announces “Stir!”

What are higher value chips, and why should I buy them?

Higher value chips (like 2-, 3-, or 4-value versions) move you farther around your pot per draw, potentially leading to better bonuses and more coins for future purchases. They also often improve the effects of ingredient books, especially green and blue chips whose power scales with chip value.

How does the 2-player game differ from the 4-player game?

In the black book, there is a page for a 2-player game, as well as one for a 3- and 4-player game. The number of pots depicted at the bottom indicates the number of players.

Final Thoughts

Having navigated the simultaneous push-your-luck brewing and the careful process of buying different ingredients, you are now prepared for the full nine rounds of The Quacks of Quedlinburg. Remember that every chip, from the point-scoring pumpkin to the basic white chips—the sum of all of which determines an explosion—is a risk and a reward on your player boards.

With the ability to stop brewing, and the help of your trusty spoon to save you in a pinch, the focus is now on smart bag-building and maximizing your progress in the following rounds. After the last turn, the most potent potion wins, so may your concoction be powerful and your luck hold out!