Apotheca

The sixth in my series of fully scripted games, it's Apotheca ! Instructions Press the "Start Game" button when all players are seated. On your turn: Click a facedown potion to reveal it. Click the potion bag to restock potions. Click on of your apothecaries to use it's power. Click it again the cancel it's use. Click an apothecary on an apothecary station to hire it. If you want to hold 'Alt' over cards to read them, you must do it over the bottom part of the card. The top part has a button on it. That's it. The game has you covered for everything else. Enjoy! Description from BGG Players craft potions in a secret marketplace. Hide ingredients to deceive opponents, and use magical powers to mix concoctions. But beware - your opponents are brewing schemes of their own! Apotheca is played on a 4x4 grid. Players gain points by making matches of three potions of the same color in a row. The first player to make three matches wins. It's easily learned, but the combination of asymmetric powers and secret facedown potions make the game a delicious challenge. On each turn, players take 2 of 4 possible actions: Reveal: Reveal a secret potion and gain a gem of that color Restock: Draw, look at, and place secret potions on the board until there are exactly 3 Power: Use one of your active apothecary powers Hire: Spend gems to hire new apothecaries Whenever a player makes a match, they must place it on one of their apothecaries. This removes that apothecary's power for the rest of the game, so it's important for players to keep revealing potions, collecting gems and hiring new apothecaries... all while keeping their opponents at bay! Deduction is key to Apotheca. Players trap each other with clever spatial moves, bluffing and misdirection. The action economy is very well balanced, so every turn offers an opportunity for strategy and tough decisions. The feeling of the game differs with every number of players: 2 player is the most cerebral and controlled 3 playe