Alchemidus Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Story
• Components
• Objective
• Card Types
• Card Description
• Set Up
• Rules Regarding the Alchemical Process
• How to Play
• Effects of Special Cards

Story

Once, there was a genius alchemist who could turn Clay to Iron and Iron to Gold. You are one of his students. To promote yourself in this alchemy workshop, solve the difficult task set by your master most speedily and efficiently!

Components

• This rulebook
• 15 CHANGE cards
• 15 GET cards
• 15 REMOVE cards
• 3 Process cards
• 8 dice (orange, gray, yellow, and white dice, 2 each)
• 8 Victory Point (VP) tokens (brown: 1 VP, yellow: 2 VP)

Also, you will need a timer to hand, ready to time a minute for the task.

Objective

A task to make Gold using the Clay to Gold dice is formed randomly. Solve it quickly to gain Victory Points (VPs). The player who gains the highest points after 4 rounds wins the game.

Card Types

• CHANGE cards: Use to change one or all dice rolls.
• GET cards: Use to increase one die to two dice.
• REMOVE cards: Use to remove one of two dice.
• Process cards:
  • Clay: Place orange Clay die / dice on this.
  • Iron: Place gray Iron die / dice on this.
  • Gold: Place yellow Gold die / dice on this.

Card Description

Each card shows: the card's cost (top left corner), the card type, the card's serial number, the card's effect, a line specifying whether the card is effective for one or all dice (e.g. "ALL DICE" on a CHANGE card), and (on REMOVE cards) the conditions for triggering the card's effect (e.g. "if the two dice rolls = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12").

Set Up

1. Shuffle each group of CHANGE, GET, and REMOVE cards face down and place them separately in the play area as draw piles.
2. From the top of each draw pile, draw 5 cards and place them face up in a row.
3. Provide a time for all the players to check the effects of the cards in the play area.
4. The game is comprised of 4 rounds. Before the 1st and 2nd rounds, one of the players rolls "2 Clay dice, 1 Iron die, and 2 Gold dice". Before the 3rd and 4th rounds, one of the players rolls "1 Clay die, 2 Iron dice, and 1 Gold die". Place the rolled dice on the Process cards as shown (Clay, Iron and Gold process cards in a row with the three rows of face-up CHANGE, GET and REMOVE cards), and start the round.

Rules Regarding the Alchemical Process

1. From the starting point "Clay die / dice on the Clay card" to the goal "Gold die / dice on the Gold card", you can only hold one or two dice in your hand. The number of dice in your hand must not be 0 or 3 or more by the card's effect.
2. The dice numbering in effect wraps around, in a cycle, going up from '6' to '1', or down from '1' to '6'. For example, adding 2 to a die roll of '6' turns it to a die roll of '2', not '8'.
3. You cannot use a card unless its effect is triggered. However, you can use a card even if the dice roll remains the same as the result of applying the effect.
4. In each round, you cannot use the same card multiple times.

How to Play

1. One of the players rolls the dice and places them on the Process cards. Then begin that round.

2. Each player tries to form the alchemical process "in their heads". In the process, from among the face-up 15 cards, choose cards with effects to change the rolls and number of the Clay die / dice to match that of the Iron die / dice. Doing so turns Clay to Iron. Then do likewise to turn Iron to Gold.

3. If you manage to form the process in your head, count the total cost of the cards to be used for the process (in your head!), and then announce it.

4. After one of the players announces the total cost to all the players, the time limit of 1 minute is provided.

5. If another player who has not announced the cost finds a way to form the process with less cost, that player announces that cost. (Note: Each player can announce the cost only once in each round.) If you think that it is impossible to form the process with the current dice and cards, announce "It's impossible". (If it is the first "announcement" among all the players, count 1 minute from that time.)

6. After reaching the time limit of 1 minute, check the answers. The first player to have announced the cost and the player who have announced the least cost shall now present the process they have formed. Each presenter is recommended to arrange the cards in order to describe their process effectively. Use the White dice to demonstrate all the steps of the process, instead of using the rolled dice in the task. In this way, the presenter won't accidentally change the Clay, Iron or Gold dice as they proceed.

   If you manage to describe the process with the announced cost, you gain 1 VP if you are the first player to announce the cost and 2 VP if you have announced the least cost.

   If you have announced the cost but failed to describe the process due to miscalculation etc., the right to describe the process and receive the VPs moves to the next player who's announced the cost.

   If all the players who have announced the cost fail to describe the process or only "it's impossible" have been announced, the first player to have announced "It's impossible" wins the current round and receives 1 VP.

Effects of Special Cards

• REMOVE "any" with the condition "if (higher die) - (lower die) >= 2": When calculating the difference between two dice, be sure to subtract the lower die roll from the higher one.
• CHANGE "previous - REPEAT": Applies the effect of the CHANGE card used (and placed in the Presentation phase) just before it without any cost. If the card before it is the Iron dice placement card, the effect of the CHANGE card placed before the Iron dice placement card is applied.
• CHANGE "+1/+1/+1" or "-1/-1/-1" (ALLOCATE): You can allocate three "+1"s or three "-1"s to the dice rolls in the current process. If there is only one die in the current process, add "+3" or "-3" to that single dice roll.
• GET cards with a numbered effect: You gain / lose the die / dice with the dice roll matching the order where this card is used (placed in the Presentation phase). Do not count the Clay and Iron dice placement area cards. If this card is placed in the 7th place, its matching dice roll is "1". If placed in the 8th place, it is "2".
• REMOVE "higher" / "lower": Among the two dice in the current process, remove the die with the higher / lower die roll. If the two dice have the same die roll, remove one of them.
• REMOVE "any" with a condition (e.g. "if the two dice rolls = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12"): Remove a die according to the stated condition. The condition is specified using the two dice rolls in the current process.