Which Quacks of Quedlinburg Expansion Should You Buy?
The best Quacks of Quedlinburg expansion for most players is The Herb Witches. It adds new ingredients, witch abilities, overflow bowls, and support for a fifth player – all without overwhelming the table. If you want more complexity and decision-making after mastering the base game, The Alchemists is a strong second pick.
Quick answer at a glance:
| Expansion | Best For | Key Addition | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Herb Witches | Most players, beginners | Locoweed, witches, overflow bowls | Low |
| The Alchemists | Experienced players | Essence phase, patient charts | Medium |
The Quacks of Quedlinburg is already a beloved game. It won the 2018 Kennerspiel des Jahres – one of the most respected board game awards in the world. The core loop is simple: draw ingredient chips from your bag, push your luck on a potion spiral, and try not to explode.
But after a few plays, you start to wonder: what’s next?
That’s where the expansions come in. Picking the right one matters for keeping your game nights fresh and engaging. This guide breaks down both expansions clearly, so you can spend less time second-guessing and more time brewing.
The Herb Witches: The Best Quacks of Quedlinburg Expansion for Beginners
If we had to pick just one “must-have” addition, The Herb Witches takes the prize. Released in 2019, it quickly earned the Diamond Climber Award for Best Expansion, and for good reason. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel; instead, it adds more of what we already love while fixing the minor frustrations of the base game.
The expansion introduces three main modules that we can mix and match. First, there are the Witches themselves. Each game, we select one of three different types of witches (bronze, silver, and gold). Each player receives a special “Witch Penny” for each type. These pennies allow us to trigger a powerful, one-time ability during the game. If we decide not to use a witch’s help, that penny is worth victory points at the end of the game. It is a classic risk-reward decision that fits perfectly with the boardgame geek spirit of the base game.
Next, we get “Locoweed.” This is a new ingredient that doesn’t have a fixed value. Its power depends on the specific recipe book in play, often scaling based on other chips in our pot. We also get 6-value pumpkins, which are expensive but help us zip around the spiral track much faster. For more general advice on how these additions fit into the broader world of gaming, you can check out our board game expansions review guide.
Why Herb Witches is the Best Quacks of Quedlinburg Expansion for Variety
The real magic of Herb Witches lies in the new recipe books. The expansion provides two new sets of books for every single ingredient from the base game. This exponentially increases replayability. We found that these new recipes often provide more “luck mitigation,” giving us more control over our bag than the base game allowed.
One of our favorite additions is the “Overflow Bowl.” In the original The Quacks of Quedlinburg Rules, if we reached the end of the spiral, any extra movement was essentially wasted. Now, with the overflow bowl, we can keep going. For every two points of movement beyond the final space, we earn another victory point and more buying power. This makes high-value chips much more attractive in the late game.
Essential Components for Five Players
For many groups, the biggest draw is the 5th player support. The expansion includes a black cauldron, a matching bag, and all the necessary tokens for a fifth person to join the festival. It even includes extra white “cherry bomb” chips, which is helpful if you’ve lost a few from the base set over the years.
While adding a fifth player does increase the game length slightly – mostly during the scoring phase – the core “Preparation Phase” remains simultaneous. This means we don’t feel much extra downtime. If your gaming group has grown, this is easily the best Quacks of Quedlinburg expansion to keep everyone at the table. You can explore more about new expansion packs for board games to see how other titles handle player count increases.
The Alchemists: Adding Complexity and Essence
If Herb Witches is “more of the same, but better,” The Alchemists is “something brand new.” This expansion introduces a whole new phase to the game: the Essence Phase. It’s designed for those of us who have played the base game dozens of times and want a bit more “crunch” to our strategy.
In this expansion, we aren’t just brewing; we are also working in laboratories to treat exotic ailments. We each get an “Alchemist’s Flask” board that sits next to our cauldron. As we pull chips from our bag, we track how many different colors we have and how close we came to exploding. This determines how far we move up our “Essence Track.”
This expansion also introduces “neighbor explosions.” In the Alchemists’ world, if the player to our left or right explodes, we actually gain a bonus on our essence track. It’s a thematic touch – learning from the “quackery” of our rivals. For those looking for a deeper dive into these types of mechanics, see our new expansion packs for board games-2.
Is Alchemists the Best Quacks of Quedlinburg Expansion for Experienced Players?
The Alchemists has a higher complexity rating (roughly 2.29/5 on BGG) compared to Herb Witches. It forces us to think about bag diversification. In the base game, we might just “spam” one color of chip. In Alchemists, we want a variety of colors to move our essence marker higher.
The rewards for moving up the essence track are significant. We can earn extra victory points, rubies, or even the ability to ignore certain cherry bombs. It adds a layer of “thinkiness” that wasn’t there before. While some might find it a bit “fiddly,” many experienced players consider it the best Quacks of Quedlinburg expansion because it rewards clever planning over pure luck. We have more tips on choosing the right level of complexity in our new expansion packs for board games-3.
Treating Exotic Ailments in the Laboratory
The theme in Alchemists is fantastic. At the start of the game, we choose a “Patient Chart” to treat. These patients suffer from wonderfully weird conditions like:
- Witch’s Hump: Requires careful balancing of ingredients.
- Chicken Eyes: Focuses on the number of chips in the pot.
- Vampirism: (Often misdiagnosed as light sensitivity!) This patient rewards us for high-value chips.
Each patient provides a different way to score or gain bonuses on the essence track. This modular setup means every game feels like a different puzzle to solve. We found ourselves leaning into the “mad scientist” vibe, trying to distill the perfect essence to cure our patients while our cauldrons bubbled away.
Comparing the Brews: Herb Witches vs. Alchemists
Choosing between these two depends entirely on your group’s personality and how much of a mental challenge you’re looking for. Herb Witches is a “no-brainer” for almost everyone. It integrates so seamlessly that many players just leave it in the box and use it every time. Alchemists, on the other hand, is a “variety variant” – something you pull out when you want a more involved session.
| Feature | The Herb Witches | The Alchemists |
|---|---|---|
| Player Count | Increases to 5 | Stays at 5 (if using Witches) |
| Setup Time | Minimal extra time | Adds 2-3 minutes |
| Game Length | +5-10 minutes | +10-15 minutes |
| New Mechanics | One-time abilities, overflow | New “Essence” phase |
| Best For | Casual play, families | Strategy fans, veterans |
We generally recommend Herb Witches first because the “Overflow Bowls” and “Locoweed” are such fundamental improvements to the game’s balance. However, if you find that the base game has become too “autopilot” for your group, Alchemists is the perfect cure for that boredom. You can read more detailed head-to-head comparisons in our board game reviews section.
Frequently Asked Questions about Quacks Expansions
Can you combine both expansions?
Yes! In fact, we highly recommend it once you are comfortable with the rules. The components are fully compatible. Using the “Overflow Bowls” from Herb Witches alongside the “Essence Track” from Alchemists creates the ultimate Quacks experience. Just be prepared for a slightly longer game and a lot more table space being used.
Does the expansion increase player count?
The Herb Witches increases the player count from 4 to 5. The Alchemists does not include a 5th cauldron, but it does include the essence flasks and markers for a 5th player. This means you need Herb Witches (or the Big Box edition) if you want to play with five people.
Which expansion should I buy first?
We almost always suggest The Herb Witches first. It provides the best value for money by adding the 5th player components and the most “essential” gameplay tweaks. It’s the best Quacks of Quedlinburg expansion for building a solid foundation before moving on to the more complex laboratory work of Alchemists.
Conclusion
Whether you are looking to add a fifth friend to the table or want to dive deep into the science of essence distillation, both expansions offer something special.
The Herb Witches is our top pick for its accessibility and “must-have” components like the overflow bowls. It’s the perfect gift for someone who just got the base game. The Alchemists is the choice for the group that has “seen it all” and wants to turn the complexity dial up a notch.
Ready to upgrade your cauldron? For more hobby and lifestyle content, visit iBest Health Insurance. You can also explore our board game expansions review guide-2. Happy brewing!
