Little Alchemists

Little Alchemists is a family-friendly potion-brewing and deduction game for 2-4 players, ages 7 and up. A session takes about 20-40 minutes. It’s a streamlined, kid-friendly standalone take on Czech Games Edition’s Alchemists, designed by Matúš Kotry.

You and your friends have found a dusty pile of beakers, boilers, and strange-smelling ingredients in the basement, and it turns out you have a knack for alchemy. Now you’re all racing to become the best alchemists in the land.

On your turn, you secretly pick two ingredient tiles, place them in your holder, and scan them with the free companion app on a phone or tablet. The app reveals what potion they make, and you record the result on your hidden tracker. Over time you work out what each ingredient does, then use that knowledge to fill customers’ potion orders, earn coins, and buy new ingredients from the market. The app also works as a spoken rulebook, so setup and learning are quick.

The game grows with you. The first game is deliberately simple, with just six ingredients and three potion types. As you meet your goals and earn keys, you unlock sealed mystery boxes and new chapters (seven in all). Each adds new ingredients, mechanics, and challenges, so the game gets deeper as your group gets more confident. Finishing the chapters also prepares players for the original Alchemists.

The box includes 33 ingredient tiles, 4 player screens with holders, 4 trackers, 60 result tokens, a market board, customer tiles, coins, tiny bottles, key stickers, and 6 sealed mystery boxes. A smartphone or tablet is required.