North Star Games has brought to the American market The Quacks of Quedlinburg ($55), winner of the 2018 Kennerspiel des Jahres (Connoisseur’s Game of the Year) award. Nothing to do with ducks, the game is about concocting miracle cures from such fantastical ingredients as toadstools, mandrake, spiders, pumpkin, and crow skull.
Each round, players draw ingredients from their personal bags and place them around the swirling spaces of their cauldrons. Depending on how far they’ve gone that round, and assuming they’ve managed to avoid blowing up the concoction, they’ll score victory points and purchase additional ingredients.
Some of the ingredients also allow for special actions when placed in the cauldron. For example, crow skulls may allow a player to draw bonus ingredients and mandrake may help prevent blow-ups. Alternate ingredient books are included with the game to vary these impacts.