Potion-Making: University Course

Potion-Making: University Course Rulebook

Table of Contents

Start of the Game

The card decks from Practice and University Course are not shuffled together. Place them on the table separately so that during play a player can choose which deck to draw from.

Before the game begins, each player is dealt 6 cards from the top of the decks: 4 cards from the base deck (Practice) and 2 cards from the additional deck (University Course). Then turn over the top four cards of the Practice deck and place them on the Desk of Elements as the starting elements.

Victory Conditions

The game continues until the cards in both decks and in all players' hands have run out. The player who has the most points at that moment wins.

Addition to the Rules 1

Each player's turn now consists of three action phases.

In the first phase the player must draw a card from one of the decks of his choice. If at the start of his turn he has fewer than 6 cards in hand, he must draw several cards so that he has 7 cards in hand in total. He may draw from one deck or from both decks. If at the start of his turn he has 8 or more cards in hand, he does not draw a card and skips this phase.

In the second phase the player must draw one more card or play a card. Whether to draw or to play is the player's choice, except when he already has 8 or more cards in hand. In that case he may not draw a new card in this phase and must play a card from his hand.

In the third phase the player may not draw any cards under any circumstances and must play a card.

In other words, the phases of the turn look like this: draw – draw – play, or draw – play – play. A player may not skip any phase except the first one, and only when he has 8 or more cards in hand at the start of that phase.

Addition to the Rules 2

When playing with the University Course, the rule from the Practice rulebook that spell cards must always be placed at the bottom of an element pile does not apply. Now played spell cards are placed on top of the element pile, like all other cards.

Addition to the Rules 3

A Talisman of Sorcery may be used as an ingredient of the Supreme Talisman of Magic, but the minor talismans may not.

New Cards

New Element – Elemental Magema

When this element is placed on the Desk of Elements as an element, the player does not gain any points.

The Elemental Magema may replace any other element when composing a formula. Only one element in a formula may be replaced by the Elemental Magema.

If another player uses, as an ingredient, a formula that was composed with the Elemental Magema, the player from whom that formula was taken does not gain any points (not even half of the points for the other player's formula).

New Elixir – Elixir of Universality

The Elixir of Universality may be composed by a player from any two elements.

The Elixir of Universality may be used as an ingredient, replacing any simple (two-component) elixir.

If another player uses an Elixir of Universality composed by a player as an ingredient for his own formula, the player who composed it does not gain any points.

New Powder – Powder of Life

This powder may replace any other powder when composing a creature.

Talisman of Sorcery

The Talisman of Sorcery is composed from any three minor talismans. It must be composed from minor talismans specifically.

Minor Talismans

Minor talismans give certain advantages to the players who have composed them. The properties of a talisman may be used starting from the player's next turn.

Minor Talisman of Utility

The player gains 1 point for every card he plays as an element and places on the Desk of Elements, even if an element of that kind is already there. The player also gains 1 point when he places an Elemental Magema.

Minor Talisman of Universality

For EACH of the player's formulas that is used as an ingredient to compose a formula by someone else, the player gets half of the points that the player composing that formula receives. So if two of the player's formulas are taken and used as ingredients for a new formula, he gets the same number of points as the player who composed it. If three of his formulas are taken, for example three minor talismans, he gets one and a half times as many points. This rule applies even if this talisman itself is used as one of the ingredients. The player also gets points for the Elixir of Universality and for formulas composed with the Elemental Magema.

Minor Talisman of Growth

If at the start of a player's turn any other player has more points than he does, the player gains 1 point. When this talisman is applied, only the points at the start of the turn are counted, that is, before the player plays any cards. If the player has no cards in hand (this can happen at the end of the game, when the decks have run out), he skips the turn and the described property of the talisman does not apply, so the player does not gain the point.

Minor Talisman of Income

If at the end of a player's turn any other player has more composed formulas than he does, the player gains 1 point. When this talisman is applied, only the number of composed formulas at the end of the turn is counted, that is, after the player has played his third phase of the turn. If the player no longer has this talisman by that point, he of course does not gain the point. Also, if the player has no cards in hand (this can happen at the end of the game, when the decks have run out), he skips the turn and the described property of the talisman does not apply, so the player does not gain the point.

New Artifact – Grain of Conscience

The player may use this card in his second or third phase of the turn. It counts as a card played. The Grain of Conscience is passed, at the player's choice, to any other participant in the game who has more points than the player has at that moment. The player who receives the Grain of Conscience takes the card into his hand and at the same time loses 5 points. It follows that the Grain of Conscience cannot be played by a player who has more points than anyone else. If the Grain of Conscience is the last card in the player's hand, it must be played as an element.

New Spells in Potion-Making

When a player plays any spell card, he shows it to the other players, and then the spell's effect is carried out. After that the spell card is placed on the Desk of Elements.

Spell of Universal Knowledge

The player takes any card from the Desk of Elements. He may take only the top card of an element pile.

Spell of Magical Knowledge

The player takes from the Desk of Elements any card that contains a spell. He may take only the top card of an element pile. He may not take the "Spell of Magical Knowledge" card. The player who plays this spell may play one more card in this phase of the turn.

Spell of Overthrow

The player must destroy one formula that any player (or he himself) has composed: a creature, a Supreme Elixir, a Talisman of Sorcery or the Supreme Talisman of Magic. The player takes one of the ingredient cards of the destroyed formula into his hand (but not the formula card itself). The other cards are returned to the Desk of Elements.

Transfiguration Spell

The player must immediately (that is, within this phase of the turn) compose some formula from his hand. One of the ingredients of this formula may be replaced by any card with any formula taken from the Desk of Elements. The player receives the points due for the formula he composed with the help of the transfiguration.

Spell of Diversity

The player may take 3 cards from either deck. He may take cards from different decks, but no more than three in total. In this case the player may have more than 8 cards in hand.

Spell of the Forbidden Forest

This spell may be played only if two or more creatures have already been composed at that moment. The player destroys two composed creatures of his choice. All the cards (the creature formulas and all their ingredients) are placed on the Desk of Elements. The player who played the spell gets 10 points. In addition, each player whose creature was destroyed (including the player who played the spell, if he destroyed his own creatures) gets 2 points for each creature destroyed.

Spell of Acceleration

The player may play two more cards in a row. All of these actions make up one phase of the turn.

Spell of Necessity

The player names an element. The other player sitting to his left must place on the Desk of Elements a card with the named element, if he has such a card in hand. If there are several such cards, this player chooses which of them to place. If he has no card with the named element, he shows all his cards to prove it, and then the player sitting to his left must place a card with the named element. If that player does not have it either, the next player must place it, and so on. This continues until one of the players can place the named element, or until it turns out that no player (including the player who played the spell) has a card with the named element. This requirement also applies to cards on which three elements are shown at once (the Supreme Talisman of Magic and the Supreme Elixir). The player who played this spell may play one more card in the same phase of the turn.

Spell of Creation

One formula of any player's choice, from the player's hand or from the Desk of Elements, is placed on the table. This formula counts as composed. The player does not gain any points for it.

Magic Whirlpool

ALL the ingredient cards of the formulas composed by the players must be placed on the Desk of Elements. The formula cards remain on the table as composed. Each player places the ingredient cards of his own formulas on the Desk himself, starting with the player who played this card and continuing clockwise.

"The Game Seems Too Long. How Can It Be Shortened?"

If you are short on time, you can set a points limit. The first player to reach the required number of points is considered the winner. The game can be limited to 40, 60 or 80 points.

Team Play in Potion-Making

With an even number of players (4 or more), the game can be played in teams of two.

Members of one team should sit next to each other at the table so that, first, one team member plays right after the other and can help him with formulas and elements, and second, so that the players can more easily discuss the Clever Plan that will lead them to Victory.

In team play, in the second or third phase of the turn, a player may pass 1 card from his hand to another member of his team. It counts as if he has played one card. Cards may not be passed to a player who already has 8 or more cards in hand.

In team play, the team wins whose member has the most points at the end of the game.

Playing With Both Expansions: University Course and Guild of Alchemists

Potion-Making: Practice may be played together with both expansions at once: University Course and Guild of Alchemists. In that case the game is played with three decks. At the start of the game each player takes 4 cards from the Practice deck, 2 cards from the University Course deck and 2 cards from the Guild of Alchemists deck. The same number of cards is placed on the Desk of Elements before the first turn.

When playing with both expansions, a player may not draw cards in the corresponding phases of the turn (except through spells) if he has 10 or more cards in hand. If in the first phase of the turn a player has 8 or fewer cards in hand, he must draw cards until he has 9 cards in hand.

In addition, when playing with both expansions:

The minor talisman of Universality also applies to formulas that are in the player's Sequences.
When counting the number of composed formulas for the minor talisman of Income, all formulas in all of the player's Sequences are also counted.
The Spell of the Forbidden Forest may not be applied to creatures that are in the player's Sequences.

Have a pleasant game!