- Publisher(s) : Ctrl Zèbre
- Designer(s) : Alexis Aspecada, Grégoire Bravais, Aurélien Medinger
- Artist(s) : Aurélien Medinger
- Players : 2–5
- Playing time : 20 Min
- Weight BGG : 2.00
What's this?
Alchimix is a card game of drafting and ingredient placement in which you play as alchemists seeking to impress a prestigious jury. Each round, players collect ingredients with varying characteristics (type, biome, value) to create the best possible potion for their wizard or witch.
How do you play?
How a round unfolds
Each round takes place in two draft phases :
- In order of initiative (1>2>3>4>5) , each player takes 1 ingredient available on the table and adds it to their hand.
- In reverse order (5>4>3>2>1) , each player takes a second ingredient. The remaining ingredients form the discard pile of the grimoire.
Next, each player reveals the lowest-value ingredient from their two hand cards. In ascending order of value, players distribute the initiative cards for the next round (the player with the lowest value gets the next priority).
Each player places their two ingredients around their wizard or witch, stacking them if necessary. Only the top ingredient counts for the final scoring.
Once everyone has been placed, the available ingredients are replenished and a new round begins . The game lasts 5 rounds .
Bookmarks
Each player has 2 separate bookmarks , which can be used when placing ingredients. A bookmark allows you to double a scoring space—useful for maximizing combos. Note: an ingredient with a bookmark cannot be covered .
Types of cards
- Wizard/Witch : Target points per correctly placed bookmark
- Judge : target score per correctly placed biomes
- Familiar : target points per ingredient type
- Ingredient : intrinsic value according to its nature (insect, animal, essence, reptile, plant, nothingness)
- Initiative : determines the turn order and awards points at the end of the game (+3, +4 or +5 points)
Points tally
At the end of the 5 rounds, each player counts their points in this precise order (according to the score sheet):
- Ingredient placed at the top
- Ingredient placed on the right
- Ingredient placed at the bottom right
- Ingredient placed at the bottom left
- Ingredient placed on the left
- Ingredient placed with bookmark 1
- Ingredient placed with bookmark 2
- judge’s objective
- Familiar objective
- Wizard’s objective / initiative card
Is it good?
With Alchimix , the authors offer a particularly clever optimization game beneath its apparent simplicity. The rules can be explained in less than five minutes, and from the very first turn, everyone understands what they need to do.
One of the game’s greatest strengths lies in its modularity. The eight available chapters modify the maps and scoring conditions, effectively renewing each game. Some configurations favor ingredient collections, others biomes, and still others card placement. This variety encourages players to adapt their strategy from one game to the next.
The drafting system works very well and is accompanied by an initiative mechanic reminiscent of Faraway . The game offers a fairly classic tableau-building approach: you must optimize the cards you collect, their placement around your character, and the various points you can score from the judges, the wizard, or interactions between ingredients. Nothing revolutionary on paper, but the whole thing proves remarkably effective.
Some cards will need to be placed on top of other ingredients, requiring long-term thinking and strategic choices. Bookmarks also add a welcome tactical layer by allowing players to double up on certain spaces to maximize their score.
The materials are of high quality and the cartoon-style illustrations possess an undeniable charm that contributes to the game’s identity.
The scoring system can seem daunting during the first game due to the number of scoring criteria to consider. Fortunately, it all becomes second nature after a few rounds. As is often the case with this type of game, the theme remains relatively light: despite its alchemy setting, Alchimix is primarily a game of pure optimization.
Ultimately, Alchimix doesn’t revolutionize the artboard-building genre, but it perfectly fulfills its purpose. Fast, customizable, and accessible, it offers a family-friendly optimization exercise that is both enjoyable and effective.
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Alchimix Review
Positives
- Easy rules and quick games
- Good replayability thanks to the modular chapters
- Successful illustrations
- A good balance between accessibility and depth
Negatives
- Numerous scoring objectives to learn during the first part
- Primarily indirect interaction
- It will not revolutionize the genre
