The Quacks of Quedlinburg
75 questions players ask about The Quacks of Quedlinburg, answered in plain words and graded by where the answer comes from. See also the full rulebook.
Updated 2026-10-30.
75 questions players ask about The Quacks of Quedlinburg, answered in plain words and graded by where the answer comes from. See also the full rulebook.
Updated 2026-10-30.
Several sources agree, including publisher staff replies, but no officially tagged post.
Yes — each player begins with 1 ruby. Early English translations, including North Star's, left this line out. A North Star rep said the omission was unintended and the game plays fine either way, but the starting ruby is the intended rule. The German rulebook states it, and a CMYK rep says the current North American rules include it.
Several experienced players agree and report playing it; the rules set no player-count chip limit.
Use every chip you own and combine two copies of the base game (Herb Witches adds the pieces for a fifth player). Chip counts do not depend on player count, so there is no per-player reduction; the only real limit is the physical chips, which cannot be proxied. With two copies, keep scoring markers distinguishable.
No — use all the chips in the box at every player count. The supply is the same whatever the number of players, and when an ingredient runs out it simply cannot be bought. Repliers also report the designer saying the cap came from production cost, not balance.
The rulebook says experienced players can put together their own sets.
Yes — the rulebook says each set's ingredients blend well, but experienced players can put together their own sets. Start with Set 1 for your first game; the orange and black books are used every game.
The rulebook states yellow and purple chips can only be taken once their books are uncovered.
No — yellow and purple chips cannot be taken or bought until their ingredient books are put out (yellow before turn 2, purple before turn 3). A card offering a chip of your choice in round 1 excludes them.
The turn indicator section of the rulebook calls for the extra white 1-chip before turn 6.
They cover the white 1-chip each player adds to their bag before turn 6, on top of the four everyone starts with. The three reserve white chips are spares in case any get lost.
The rulebook's Game Variation section describes the test-tube side.
It is an advanced variant, not expansion content. After a few plays you may use the test-tube side; whenever you could move your droplet you may instead move the test-tube droplet one glass right and immediately take the bonus shown.
Several players agree; icons on the cards mark the expansions.
Cards with no expansion icon are base-game cards. A hat icon marks Herb Witches cards and a flask icon marks The Alchemists cards; leave those out when playing the base game alone.
The rulebook says the action read out applies for all players.
They affect every player. The card is read aloud, laid face up, and the action applies to everyone; only the deck holder reads it. Purple cards happen right before the turn starts, blue cards last the whole turn or apply at its end.
The rulebook describes the deck passing clockwise and the start player acting first in later phases.
The start player is whoever holds the Fortune Teller deck: the last person to cook goes first, and the deck passes clockwise at the end of every turn. They read the card, go first in chip actions, buying and scoring order, so it matters mildly for purchase order.
Several sources agree, including publisher staff replies, but no officially tagged post.
No — per the Herb Witches Fortune Teller clarification, a chip drawn and placed by these cards cannot make the pot explode and its action is not carried out. Placing the chip is optional (you may place one of the drawn chips). A 2019 email from North Star said otherwise, but the published clarification and Schmidt's reply agree on no explosion.
Players quoting the Herb Witches clarification agree, but no official post covers the edge cases.
After you place your fifth chip you may return all five to the bag and start again; the chips drawn for the card cannot explode the pot. Restarting needs five chips placed, so if you explode before the fifth you cannot restart. A Mandrake as your fifth chip still counts, so you may restart after it.
Yes — the white 1-chip is removed from your bag for the rest of the game, not just the round, and it must be a white 1-chip.
Only a lone reply addresses it, supported by one more.
Yes — you take the results of both rolls rather than choosing one.
Several players agree; no official ruling.
No — white chips are not coloured ingredients, so effects that let you upgrade a chip cannot upgrade them.
Several players agree and one reports a developer reply; the card does not require tails for the chip.
Yes — the choice is a 4-chip or 1 victory point per rat tail, and the 4-chip is open to everyone, including the leader. Only the victory-point option depends on tails. You still take the rat tails you would normally get.
Explained in the rulebook's Rats section.
From turn 2, everyone except the leader counts the rat-tails shown on the Scoring Track between themselves and the leader. Your rat stone is placed that many spaces past your droplet before you draw, so your first chip lands further along the pot. At the end of the turn the stone returns to its trivet.
The rulebook says everyone except the player in the lead throws rat tails.
No. Everyone except the player in the lead can throw rat-tails into their pot, counting the rat-tails between them and the leader on the Scoring Track.
It depends on the edition. In the original, rat tails are placed after the Fortune Teller card resolves, so a card that moves your droplet also shifts the rat stone. A CMYK rep says the 2025 edition moved the rat phase to the end of the round, and players following the newer rules report that a droplet-moving fortune then does not move the rat stone. A rat stone can share a space with the droplet and does not push it.
The rulebook says the droplet moves forward and chips are returned to the bag after the turn.
No — the droplet stays where it is; it only moves forward through rubies, Fortune Teller cards, chip actions and the bonus die. The pot's chips are emptied each round and go back into the bag together with purchased chips.
Spelled out in the rulebook's explosion section.
Your pot explodes as soon as the white chips you have drawn total more than 7. Only the numbers on white chips count; coloured chips never add to the total. You stop drawing, but the last chip is still placed, and your scoring space is still the space after it. Chip and Fortune Teller actions are unaffected by the explosion.
The designer ruled on this in the Alchemists thread.
No — once your pot has exploded it stays exploded, even if a later effect returns a white chip and drops your total back under the limit.
The designer answered this directly, and the rulebook only forbids looking into the bag.
Yes, counting is allowed; the designer said so directly and the rules do not forbid it. The rule against looking into the bag is a separate one.
The Turn Indicator section requires simultaneous drawing only on turn 9 and allows it earlier.
Only the last turn requires simultaneous drawing, with the start player calling out Stir. In turns 1 to 8 players may draw at their own pace and may look at other pots, but the group can agree to draw simultaneously at any time, even every turn, to avoid anyone gaining an edge from seeing others' choices.
The rulebook's Flask section says only a white last-drawn chip can be returned.
Only the chip you have just drawn, and you must decide right away, not after drawing more. The rulebook says the last chip drawn must be white. A returned chip goes back in the bag and can be drawn again; it counts as never drawn for effects that look at the last chip in the pot.
The Flask section states it cannot be used on an exploding chip.
No — if the last chip drawn makes the pot explode, the flask cannot be used. The Herb Witches silver witch is a specific exception that lets you ignore the white chip.
The rulebook's Flask and End of Turn sections describe it.
Once per turn. Turn it to the empty side after use, and refill it in the end-of-turn step for 2 rubies so it is ready next turn. It can only be refilled once per turn because it is empty only after being used.
The designer clarified the exact order of chips.
Only if the chip drawn immediately before the yellow one is white. Red, white, yellow works; white, red, yellow does not. The value on the yellow chip is irrelevant, and returning the white chip is optional.
The designer ruled that no ingredient means no action.
No — a book's action applies only to players who actually have that chip. With no black chips, the black book does nothing, even in 2-player games where a strict reading had suggested the droplets would move.
Only the players sitting directly to your left and right.
Several players agree and quote the German almanac; no official post.
It doubles only the printed value of the next chip you place. The yellow chip's own value is not doubled and it moves normally: yellow 2 then white 2 moves 2 spaces and then 4, 6 in total. The doubling waits for the next chip actually placed, so a red chip set aside does not use it up.
Several players agree, one relaying North Star; no official ruling.
Red chips set aside are not placed and do not count as played for card effects until laid in the pot. After you stop drawing in a later potion phase you may lay each set-aside red chip, choosing chip by chip, and a pending yellow doubling still hits the chip you lay. Unused ones stay beside your pot.
No — they overlap rather than add. Only the strongest remaining protection counts, so a Crow Skull 4 followed by a 2 still covers the remaining chips of the 4. You still stop drawing when you would explode; you just suffer no penalty.
Several players agree and the Almanac states the return of unplayed chips.
You draw the shown number of chips (1, 2 or 4), may place one of them in your pot, and the unplaced chips go back into the bag. This is one draw per blue chip, not repeated redraws, and placing a chip is optional.
No — per the Almanac, yellow chips beyond the stated bonus steps get no further bonus and move only by their printed value.
Several players and a publisher rep agree; the wording is 'increased to'.
The limit goes from 7 to 8 with the first yellow chip and 9 with three or more; it never exceeds 9. It raises the limit to a value rather than adding to it, so a card that already sets the limit to 9 is not stacked on, and it never lowers an existing limit.
Several players agree and quote the Almanac.
Only if your white chips total exactly 7. Then, in Evaluation Phase B, add up the values of all your green chips and move your last-placed chip (any colour) forward that many spaces. Follow the Almanac rather than the book tile's wording about doubling. It resolves after the bonus die is settled, so the move affects your scoring space but not who rolls the die.
The rulebook says you may pass up on actions.
Yes — you may pass on any chip action you could take, including red, blue, yellow, green, black and purple effects such as returning a white chip or moving your last chip.
The rulebook's Chip Actions section says so.
Only white and orange chips have no additional action. Blue, red and yellow actions trigger when drawn; green, purple and black ones resolve at the end of the potions phase.
This is the order printed in the rulebook and on the scoring banner.
A) the bonus die for the furthest non-exploded player(s); B) black, green and purple chip actions, starting with the start player; C) rubies from your scoring space; D) victory points from your scoring space; E) buying chips with the coins of that space; F) spending rubies and ending the turn. Exploded players skip A and must choose between D and E.
The rulebook warns that exploded players choose between D and E.
No — an exploded player must choose either the victory points of the scoring space (step D) or buying chips with its coins (step E). You still get the ruby on the scoring space, chip actions and any card bonuses, but not the bonus die.
The rulebook states tied players all roll and exploded pots do not.
Only players who did not explode are considered; the one on the highest scoring space rolls, and everyone tied on that space rolls too. Anyone who reaches the last pot space also rolls if their pot has not exploded.
Once you roll, you take the result, and there is no reroll. The rulebook words the droplet face as 'can move', so that one can be read as optional. Whether you may decline to roll at all is not settled.
The rulebook places the bonus die before chip actions.
No — the bonus die is settled in step A before chip actions are resolved in step B, so moving your last chip later only changes your ruby, victory point and coin results. A green effect that moves you into the lead does not earn the roll.
The rulebook says chip actions are not affected by an explosion and the ruby space applies even if the pot exploded.
Yes — chip actions (green, black, purple) and the scoring-space ruby still apply. What you lose is the bonus die and either the points or the purchases.
Stated in the rulebook's Victory Points step.
Place the chip on the last space (33) and take what the spoon shows: 15 victory points and 35 coins to spend, plus a bonus die roll if you did not explode. You do not need an exact count, and no ruby is gained there. The Herb Witches overflow bowl is what lets you keep drawing past this point.
The designer's answer is only relayed secondhand and other players disagree.
The rulebook does not mention a limit. A thread poster reports that the designer said rubies should be considered limited by the supply in the box, which should be enough; other players simply track extra rubies with another token.
The designer and a publisher post both say you cannot buy the same chip colour twice, matching the rulebook.
At most two per round, and two chips must be different colours, so you can never buy two chips of the same ingredient in one turn. Buying zero is allowed, and you get one buying turn in player order from the start player; coins you do not spend are lost.
The rulebook says shopping goes in order from the start player and left-over coins are lost.
Buying goes around in order from the start player, one at a time, so chips running out favours earlier players. Unspent coins are lost; there is no saving them for later rounds.
The End of Turn section lists both ruby actions.
Two things, 2 rubies each: move your droplet forward one space, or refill your flask. You can spend rubies on these any number of times as long as you can pay, except that the flask can only be refilled once because it only becomes empty by use.
The rulebook states chips are limited and an empty ingredient cannot be bought.
You can't buy that ingredient; the rulebook says once an ingredient has no more chips, you may not buy it.
The End of Game section states the winner and tiebreaker.
The player furthest along the Scoring Track after turn 9 wins. Ties go to whoever filled their pot the most in the last turn, meaning the furthest space reached; the rulebook does not exclude exploded pots here, and players read it that way. Players still tied share the title of biggest quack.
The rulebook's Turn Indicator section states the 5 coins or 2 rubies rate.
At the end of turn 9, you may buy 1 victory point for 5 coins or for 2 rubies, as often as you like and in any mix. The coins are those from your scoring space, replacing the chip purchase of that turn.
The designer ruled that buying victory points after taking the pot's points is not allowed.
Partly. You must choose between the points on your scoring space and the coins for buying; the designer ruled you cannot take the pot's points and then also buy 5-coin victory points. Rubies are not affected, so you may still turn rubies into victory points.
Several players agree and cite the expansion rules timing; one dispute about colour rests on a secondhand claim.
In the Locoweed book that copies, it resolves immediately when drawn: it has the action and value of the most recent coloured (non-white) chip already in your pot, skipping white chips. With no coloured chip yet, it counts as 1 with no power. Most players treat it as keeping its own colour, though one second-hand report claims the designer said it copies the colour too.
The designer confirmed this directly.
Several players agree; nothing in the rules delays it.
Yes to both. Locoweed is an extra colour on top of the seven others, can be bought from the first round, and can be combined with any base or expansion book sets.
Several players agree and cite the expansion rules; no official post.
No. The overflow bowl is a separate zone: chips there only count toward explosions and victory points, trigger no actions, are never the last or next-to-last chip, and give no coins for buying. Everyone who reaches the last pot space still rolls the bonus die, regardless of the bowl's contents.
Several players quote the Herb Witches rulebook on this.
No. Upgrade effects from witches, books and Fortune Teller cards never apply to orange pumpkins, so a 1-pumpkin never becomes a 6-pumpkin. The pumpkin you get from the bonus die is a 1-pumpkin.
Players split between two readings with no official answer.
You draw six, choose which to place, return the rest to the bag, and each placed chip resolves as it is placed. Players differ on whether returned chips go back before or after resolving extra draws, so agree on one method.
Yes, only with that witch. Pay her at the moment you explode; the white chip is ignored and returned to the bag, so you have not exploded unless you reach the limit again. For the bonus die you count as not exploded if you stop under the limit.
Yes — every non-white chip counts, including purple and Locoweed.
Yes. The doubled coins can be spent in the Buy Chips phase of turn 9 and also on buying victory points at the end.
Several replies agree.
Yes. Either expansion black book (5 or 6 bookmarks) may replace the base black book, and neither depends on player count.
Players agree from repeated threads; no official ruling.
Yes. Black chips count however you obtain them, so they pass to your left neighbour and trigger the purchase effects, and a bonus black chip triggers the book again. Your own black chip is not needed for a black 5 that rubies from your left neighbour's black chips.
The designer note is relayed secondhand.
Not while they are set aside; once placed they count. A relayed designer note says a pot can never hold more than 7 white chips in total.
The designer answered this directly in the Alchemists thread.
Each player chooses for the player on their left: that neighbour either removes a white 1-chip from their bag or takes a chip. If a chip is taken, the neighbour picks which chip (yellow and purple only once their books are out); the giver only decides which of the two options the neighbour gets.
Several players agree, quoting the expansion rulebook.
The Essence Phase sits between the Preparation Phase (drawing) and Evaluation (bonus die and scoring). Essence you earn pays its bonus right then and can be spent in the next round; the marker returns to 0 at the start of the next Essence Phase, so unspent essence is lost. It cannot be spent in round 1, and in the last round essence only scores points.
Several replies agree, citing a rulebook note.
No, only the space where the marker lands applies, and you may move the marker to a lower spot first if that reward suits you better. The bonus is received once when brewed, not again when essence is later spent.
The designer confirmed it directly.
Yes. The designer confirmed that Locoweed counts as a colour, as shown on the Alchemist board. It moves your essence one space per unique colour in the cauldron, counting its own colour. Powers that return a coloured chip can generally return it, but Forgetfulness cannot.
The designer ruled that an explosion cannot be undone.
No. Once exploded, always exploded, even if a later effect returns a white chip. You may still use essence abilities after exploding, unless that essence's own text forbids it, and white chips cannot be returned by Forgetfulness.
Several players agree and one cites the expansion rulebook.
You may use it repeatedly, returning coloured chips whose total value fits within your essence, so essence is the limit rather than once per turn. White chips cannot be returned. Your essence stays usable through your Preparation Phase, even after you stop or explode, and is reset when the Essence Phase starts.
Several players agree; no official post.
On the next free ruby space; the ability replaces normal placement, ignores the printed value, costs 2 essence and is optional.
Yes. Use each card with the other's tile; a CMYK rep said they would send updated cards once reprinted if you email them.
Players state this and the Alchemists rulebook agrees it plays with the base game alone.
No to both. The Alchemists plays on its own, though a few event cards only work with Herb Witches, and it adds no fifth-player cauldron; Herb Witches supplies that.