Board Game Review: Potion Making Practice—Adding a Pinch of Fun
In Potion Making Practice, by Right Games, the players become Alchemists attempting to concoct various elixirs, dusts, talismans, and even fantastical creatures. The game blends a communal play environment with individual hands to bring a lot of indirect competition and interesting choices to bear.
The Basics. In Potion Making Practice, the players are dealt a hand of four cards. Each card represents some alchemical concoction with a recipe on the left. It also has a single element (such as phoenix feather or snake’s eye) on the bottom. It can seem a little overwhelming at first, but is actually very simple.
Each turn is draw one, play one. A player can gain a single point by playing the card to the “Desk of Elements”— a common playing area. If he does so, that element is now available for use by any player in creating their potions. Alternatively, he can grab the necessary components from the Desk of Elements and create a potion or item in his hand, playing it in front of him.
The neat thing about PMP is that the potions continue to grow from there. Elixirs will actually take two completed potions to create. You can grab them from items you’ve created or from your opponents (and share some points). The game ends when the deck runs out and the point leader is the winner.
Now with more Salamander!
The Feel. The game is definitely on the lighter end of the gaming spectrum, but it is still quite enjoyable. Building the Desk of Elements with your opponents means that certainty is unattainable. An opponent may snag your coveted Astral Burst before you can get to it. Or the player on your right may play the final element you need for a potion.
As a result, luck is prevalent. If you abhor all games of chance, then I’m not sure PMP will tickle your fancy. Still, hand management is an important aspect of the game. The player has to do their best to maximize their opportunities. And that can be an interesting challenge with only four cards in hand.
Plus, when you do manage to build that Gryphon or Unicorn, it just feels good. Any game with Basilisks and Homunculi is going to carry through thematically. In fact, I could easily see this same mechanical game getting a Harry Potter retheme and doing well in the mainstream market.
The most important aspect is that, despite the semi-random nature of the play, the game doesn’t outstay its welcome. It has just enough cards to end at about the right time. Part of that may be that I find the theme really enjoyable—and excellently executed. But I’ve never felt it to be overly long.
The mighty Desk of Elements.
Components: 4 of 5. The cards are standard size and come with a nice gloss. They will hold up to many plays and frequent shuffling. It also comes with pawns to track scores and two scoring pads. The back of one pad shows the combinations to create the items. The artwork is also generally good and goes a long way to evoke the theme.
Strategy/Luck Balance: 3 of 5. Luck is prevalent. It’s definitely possible that the cards you have don’t match the elements available. And it can be particularly frustrating to only have Elements that are already out on the Desk so you can’t even get your one point. But, that isn’t the norm. The strategy involves which cards to keep in the hope that elements will appear, and which to abandon. I found it an enjoyable exercise and the game ends quickly enough that the luck element isn’t overbearing.
Mechanics: 4 of 5. I like a lot of what this game brings to the table. The Desk of Elements introduces indirect competition as well as a lot of suspense. You have to hope that no one steals your elements even as you add them to the Desk yourself. The hand size of four, while limiting, also forces the player to make important decisions and best guesses.
But there are two minor flaws. The first is that there are several special cards which allow you to take additional actions. These are great additions and fun to play. But after playing them, you’re down to three cards in your hand. Play two, and you’re down to two cards, and so on. The rules don’t say that you draw up to four. In my plays, we house-ruled that you do. Having fewer than four cards makes the game far less interesting.
Also, the game says that even after the deck is run out, you continue to play cards in your hands. In general, these last few go ’rounds were uninteresting and prolonged the game. We played until the deck ran out and then called it.
Replayability: 4.5 of 5. I could see this being an excellent short game that would come down from the shelf with frequency. Coming up with the different combinations, and the tension as other people compete for elements, won’t get old quickly. Plus, the special cards give unique opportunities that keep the game changing.
Spite: 0.5 of 5. Spite is very low in PMP. All players are competing indirectly for the elements in the Desk, but there’s no way to determine the precise items needed by another player. So you can’t target and steal. And, although you can use items from other peoples’ play areas, doing so gives them points. So it barely registers on the spite meter.
The many possible creations in Potion Making Practice
Overall: 4 of 5. I really enjoyed my plays of Potion Making Practice. Its short playtime allows for a fun amount of luck without it become too obtrusive. Although it is lighter, it is a great diversion while waiting for the rest of your gaming group to show up, or to play while a few players are absent to make a burger run. And with the prevalence of the Potter, I think it would make an excellent game to play with children.
(A special thanks to Right Games, who can be found at Essen in Hall 7, Booth 7-05, for providing a review copy of Potion Making Practice)
