Quacks of Quedlinburg | Game over

[Snakes]

Is it best to be acquiring rubies > making buys and what are the pros and cons of cashing in one’s rubies?

There are two things you can spend your rubies on: moving your start token, and refilling your potion.

You haven't used your potion, so if you're going to be spending rubies, you can only spend it on moving your start token. Also, at the end of the game, you get a victory point for every 2 rubies you still have. So it's up to you if you want to use it now or save it for later.

[Farren]

Whatever chip(s) you buy will go into your bag (and *only* your bag), where you can try to draw them next round (and every other round - once you buy them, they're yours until the end of the game). Having more things-that-don't-explode is always a plus, as it'll increase the likelihood of making more progress during the next round.

Higher numbers mean more progress, but the special powers the chips can come in handy as well.

PEdit> Pros of cashing in your rubies - improving your starting position means extra progress (and thus, extra buys and/or VPs!) every round for the rest of the game.
Cons of cashing in your rubies - rubies also refresh your Potion if you use it, and it really helps to be able to refresh it if you use it.

Rubies are worth 1 VP for every 2 left over at the end of the game, but saving them for end-game isn't usually all that helpful.

Acquiring more of them is definitely helpful, but it's variable at times whether having one more ruby or one more buy can be helpful. Like, I was happier with 10 buys / 0 rubies than 9 buys / 1 ruby, because 10 buys got me the Black 1 - which can pick up rubies and improve starting position by itself.

[Nancy Drew 39]

Inspriatieloos draws a

Bomb 2

and his cauldron explodes!

It is now the evaluations phase.

• Nobody has their green chip in one of the last two positions, and there are no purple or black chips, so we will skip that step.
  
• Because they landed on a spot with a ruby, Nancy Drew and Felissan receive
  1 ruby
  .
  
• Nancy Drew and Felissan earn
  1 victory point
  . Farren earns
  2 victory points
  . Because his cauldron exploded, Inspiratieloos does not earn any victory points.

All players can now buy chips. Nancy Drew and Felissan each have

9 buys

and Farren and Inspiratieloos each have

10 buys

. Players can buy 1 or 2 chips, which will be placed in their bag for the rest of the game. If you're buying 2 chips, they can't be of the same color.

Additionally, Felissan and Nancy Drew have the option of spending

2 rubies

to move their start token one space forward.

Finally, since he made it the furthest without his cauldron exploding, Farren gets to roll the bonus die.

Spoiler:

Dice number	Result
1	1 victory point
2	1 victory points
3	2 victory points
4	1 ruby
5	Orange 1
6	Move start token 1 space forward

Players have (expired on 2021-03-08 20:00:00)

Chips

Spoiler:

Chip	Price	Effect
Blue 1	5	Draw 1 chip from your bag. If you wish, you can place it into your cauldron
Blue 2	10	Draw 2 chips from your bag. If you wish, you can place 1 of them into your cauldron
Blue 4	19	Draw 4 chips from your bag. If you wish, you can place 1 of them into your cauldron
Orange 1	3	None
Red 1	6	If there are 1 or 2 orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra space. If there are 3 or more orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra 2 spaces
Red 2	10	If there are 1 or 2 orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra space. If there are 3 or more orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra 2 spaces
Red 4	16	If there are 1 or 2 orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra space. If there are 3 or more orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra 2 spaces
Green 1	4	For each green chip that is the last or next-to-last chip in your cauldron, receive 1 ruby
Green 2	8	For each green chip that is the last or next-to-last chip in your cauldron, receive 1 ruby
Green 4	14	For each green chip that is the last or next-to-last chip in your cauldron, receive 1 ruby
Black 1	10	If you have more black chips in your cauldron than one of the players above or below you in the player list, move your start token forward 1 space. This means that in all future rounds, you will start 1 space further ahead. If you have more black chips than both of the players above and below you in the player list, you get to move your start token forward 1 space and receive a ruby

Cauldron

Spoiler:

Buys	Victory Points	Ruby?	Players	Buys	Victory Points	Ruby?	Players
0	0	No	Farren Start, Nancy Drew Start, Felissan Start, Inspiratieloos Start	21	6	No
1	0	No		21	6	Yes
2	0	No		22	7	No
3	0	No		22	7	Yes
4	0	No		23	7	No
5	0	Yes		23	8	No
6	1	No		24	8	No
7	1	No		24	8	Yes
8	1	No	Nancy Drew, Felissan	25	9	No
9	1	Yes	Farren, Inspiratieloos	25	9	Yes
10	2	No		26	9	No
11	2	No		26	10	No
12	2	No		27	10	No
13	2	Yes		27	10	Yes
14	3	No		28	11	No
15	3	No		28	11	Yes
15	3	Yes		29	11	No
16	3	No		29	12	No
16	4	No		30	12	No
17	4	No		30	12	Yes
17	4	Yes		31	12	No
18	4	No		31	13	No
18	5	No		32	13	No
19	5	No		32	13	Yes
19	5	Yes		33	14	No
20	5	No		33	14	Yes
20	6	No		35	15	No

Farren

Spoiler: Bag

Dice number	Chip
1	Bomb 1
2	Bomb 1
3	Bomb 1
4	Bomb 1
5	Bomb 2
6	Bomb 2
7	Bomb 3
8	Orange 1
9	Green 1

Spoiler: Chips Played

Bomb 1

,

Orange 1

,

Green 1

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 2

,

Bomb 3

Victory Points:

2

Bombs:

7

Potion:

Full

Rubies:

1

Nancy Drew

Spoiler: Bag

Dice number	Chip
1	Bomb 1
2	Bomb 1
3	Bomb 1
4	Bomb 1
5	Bomb 2
6	Bomb 2
7	Bomb 3
8	Orange 1
9	Green 1

Spoiler: Chips Played

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 2

,

Orange 1

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 3

Victory Points:

1

Bombs:

7

Potion:

Full

Rubies:

2

Felissan

Spoiler: Bag

Dice number	Chip
1	Bomb 1
2	Bomb 1
3	Bomb 1
4	Bomb 1
5	Bomb 2
6	Bomb 2
7	Bomb 3
8	Orange 1
9	Green 1

Spoiler: Chips Played

Orange 1

,

Bomb 2

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 2

,

Bomb 1

Victory Points:

1

Bombs:

7

Potion:

Full

Rubies:

2

Inspiratieloos

Spoiler: Bag

Dice number	Chip
1	Bomb 1
2	Bomb 1
3	Bomb 1
4	Bomb 1
5	Bomb 2
6	Bomb 2
7	Bomb 3
8	Orange 1
9	Green 1

Spoiler: Chips Played

Green 1

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 2

,

Bomb 1

,

Bomb 2

Victory Points:

0

Buys:

10

Bombs:

8

Potion:

Full

Rubies:

1

How does what’s currently in my bag affect things?

[Snakes]

I just reposted everyone's bags so they could see what they had. And once you buy something, it'll go into your bag where it has just as much of a chance to get drawn as any other chip.

Edit: what's already in your bag can make chips a better or worse deal though. For example, if you're the only one with black chips, then another black chip isn't as valuable.

[Nancy Drew 39]

I just reposted everyone's bags so they could see what they had. And once you buy something, it'll go into your bag where it has just as much of a chance to get drawn as any other chip.

Edit: what's already in your bag can make chips a better or worse deal though. For example, if you're the only one with black chips, then another black chip isn't as valuable.

I honestly have no idea what to do here or what to base a decision on.

[Snakes]

I'll just post the chip list again, but only with the chips that you can afford, and then give my thoughts on the different colors.

Chip	Price	Effect
Blue 1	5	Draw 1 chip from your bag. If you wish, you can place it into your cauldron
Orange 1	3	None
Red 1	6	If there are 1 or 2 orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra space. If there are 3 or more orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra 2 spaces
Green 1	4	For each green chip that is the last or next-to-last chip in your cauldron, receive 1 ruby
Green 2	8	For each green chip that is the last or next-to-last chip in your cauldron, receive 1 ruby

Blue chips are good because they basically mean that you can look into the future, see what chip you're going to draw next, and redraw if it's a chip that you don't want.

Orange chips don't do anything, but they're still a positive since they take up space in your bag, which means you're less likely to draw a bomb.

Red chips go well with orange chips. You could draw a red 1, but actually move forward 2 or 3 spaces depending on how many orange chips you've drawn.

Green chips can get you rubies, but it's not a guarantee. Nobody got a ruby from a green chip this round. But, like orange chips, they're cheap and take up space in your bag even if they don't get you a ruby.

[Nancy Drew 39]

Would a blue chip tell me if the next die will cause my cauldron to explode and is there any benefit to saving up for next round?

[Snakes]

Yes, it will. Let's say your cauldron has 6 bombs and you draw a Blue 1. You draw another chip, and it's a Bomb 2, which would make your cauldron explode. If you choose not to add the Bomb 2 to your cauldron, then you have the choice of stopping or continuing to draw. If you continue to draw, then you could draw a non-bomb chip...or you could get the Bomb 2 again, and still explode.

Are you asking about saving up buys for next round or saving up rubies? If you're asking about saving up buys, then no. Anything you don't spend will be gone.

[Nancy Drew 39]

So if I had a blue last round, would I have been able to risk possibly rolling a 4, then rejecting it? I currently have a green in my bag and one orange or have I already played it, because if so I could also go for the red but I obviously can’t pick both blue and red.

[Snakes]

If you had just drawn a blue chip, then yes, you could have drawn another chip and redrawn or stopped if you didn't like it.

If you had drawn the blue chip earlier or the blue chip was still in your bag, then you would have had to play normally.

Your bag is reset at the start of every round. So right now, you have 9 chips in your bag, including an Orange 1 and a Green 1.

[Nancy Drew 39]

Oh so my buying the blue chip would be pointless then? It’s only actually useful when it’s drawn.

[Nancy Drew 39]

I'll just post the chip list again, but only with the chips that you can afford, and then give my thoughts on the different colors.

Chip	Price	Effect
Blue 1	5	Draw 1 chip from your bag. If you wish, you can place it into your cauldron
Orange 1	3	None
Red 1	6	If there are 1 or 2 orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra space. If there are 3 or more orange chips in your cauldron, move forward an extra 2 spaces
Green 1	4	For each green chip that is the last or next-to-last chip in your cauldron, receive 1 ruby
Green 2	8	For each green chip that is the last or next-to-last chip in your cauldron, receive 1 ruby

Blue chips are good because they basically mean that you can look into the future, see what chip you're going to draw next, and redraw if it's a chip that you don't want.

Orange chips don't do anything, but they're still a positive since they take up space in your bag, which means you're less likely to draw a bomb.

Red chips go well with orange chips. You could draw a red 1, but actually move forward 2 or 3 spaces depending on how many orange chips you've drawn.

Green chips can get you rubies, but it's not a guarantee. Nobody got a ruby from a green chip this round. But, like orange chips, they're cheap and take up space in your bag even if they don't get you a ruby.

Wait, I’m confused by this. Does buying a blue chip help me or not?

[inspiratieloos]

Oh so my buying the blue chip would be pointless then? It’s only actually useful when it’s drawn.

All chips are only useful when drawn.

A blue chip is the best one for making sure you don't explode if you draw a blue you're guaranteed not to blow up on your next draw, orange is the cheapest but doesn't do anything on it's own, red is the most effective for scoring when combined with orange but doesn't do anything else, green gives you rubies if you get lucky with them.

[Snakes]

Oh so my buying the blue chip would be pointless then? It’s only actually useful when it’s drawn.

All chips are only useful when drawn.

A blue chip is the best one for making sure you don't explode if you draw a blue you're guaranteed not to blow up on your next draw, orange is the cheapest but doesn't do anything on it's own, red is the most effective for scoring when combined with orange but doesn't do anything else, green gives you rubies if you get lucky with them.

That's a good, succinct way of putting it.

I have a question for everyone. Right now, the turns are structured like this:
Draw a chip
Post whether you're continuing to draw or stopping

Would it make more sense if they were structured like this?
If you're stopping, post that you want to stop
Otherwise, draw a chip

[Farren]

It makes sense to just commit to drawing instead of actually drawing if you're waiting for others to catch up and don't want them to be able to act based on what your draw is. I'd like to retain that as an option.

[inspiratieloos]

I've played the game only once, but I that time when it was relevant the thought was usually "I'll draw if they draw" and iirc the rule for those situations is that you both reach into your bag and if you want to pass you don't pick up any chips and reveal an empty hand.

I think the equivalent would be PMing the mod whether you want to draw of pass and if it happens someone can just say they'd like to draw/pass by PM, otherwise everyone just does their own thing in thread.

[Farren]

Wait, I’m confused by this. Does buying a blue chip help me or not?

Buying chips is

always

helpful when it's possible to do so. Some chips are more helpful than others.

Normally, when you draw a chip, you have to immediately play it, like so:

Farren draws an Orange 1; Farren plays an Orange 1 and moves forward 1 step in the cauldron.
Farren draws a Bomb 3; Farren plays a Bomb 3 (whether he wants to or not), moves forward 3 steps in the cauldron, and is 3 steps closer to exploding.

etc etc.

When you draw a blue chip, you can choose not to play the next chip you draw. That chip goes back into the bag instead (where it could be drawn again on a future turn).

Farren draws a Blue 1; Farren plays a Blue 1 and moves forward 1 step in the cauldron.
Farren draws a Bomb 3. Farren uses the Blue 1 to toss the Bomb 3 back in the bag instead of playing it. Farren does not move forward in the cauldron, but does not get closer to exploding either.

It only applies to the next chip, so in circumstances like these, its power doesn't help.

Farren draws a Blue 1; Farren plays a Blue 1 and moves forward 1 step in the cauldron.
Farren draws an Orange 1; Farren could use the Blue 1 to throw the Orange 1 back in the bag, but why would he do such a thing? Farren plays the Orange 1 and moves forward 1 step in the cauldron.
Farren draws a bomb 3; Farren plays a bomb 3 (whether he wants to or not), moves forward 3 steps in the cauldron, and is 3 steps closer to exploding.

[Farren]

I've played the game only once, but I that time when it was relevant the thought was usually "I'll draw if they draw" and iirc the rule for those situations is that you both reach into your bag and if you want to pass you don't pick up any chips and reveal an empty hand.

I think the equivalent would be PMing the mod whether you want to draw of pass and if it happens someone can just say they'd like to draw/pass by PM, otherwise everyone just does their own thing in thread.

Yeah, that's how I play it in-person. Usually a free-for-all, unless it's round 9 - then closed hand reveal with either a chip to press on or an empty hand to bow out.

[Snakes]

I thought it was kind of awkward to draw and then have to declare whether you're stopping before your turn was actually over. But you guys have good points too.

[Nancy Drew 39]

I’m still not clear. Red and blue are obviously the best options but I don’t have enough buying power for both. Once I can determine which makes the most sense, it’s easy to decide the other.

[Snakes]

That's correct. If you buy the Red 1, you'll only be able to buy the Orange 1. If you buy the Blue 1, you'll only be able to buy the Orange 1 or the Green 1.

Let me know if there's anything I can clear up.

[Nancy Drew 39]

I’m trying to decide between red and blue chip, once I’ve figured that out the next decision’s easy.

[inspiratieloos]

I’m trying to decide between red and blue chip, once I’ve figured that out the next decision’s easy.

Have you considered flipping a coin?

Though seriously, there isn't really a wrong option here, they're two different strategies and both are viable, just depends on whether you're rather have more control over your cauldron and thus decrease the risk of exploding or whether you'd rather have more straight points.

[Snakes]

Now prodding Nancy Drew. This is her second prod, so she has (expired on 2021-03-09 20:00:00) to finish her turn.

[Nancy Drew 39]

Now prodding Nancy Drew. This is her second prod, so she has (expired on 2021-03-09 20:00:00) to finish her turn.

Okay blue and green then. Sorry, I’m just trying to understand the game.