Tabletop Tuesday - Potion Explosion

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of colorful combos to concoct for in Potion Explosion.

Players: 2-4
Time: 45-90 minutes
Genre: Strategy



Potion Explosion is a colorful and creative package, taking the familiar concept of many mobile tile-matching games, but converting such into physical realization for that of the tabletop world.  Using a custom built box divided into several slanted columns, many colorful marbles are randomly sorted, rolling down and colliding with other marbles as players remove marbles from their neat rows.  When two marbles of the same color collide, that player is allowed to also pick up the colliding marbles.  With enough careful thought and setup, players can create crafty combos for big reward.  The marbles collected are then used to craft potions, of which players can work on brewing two at a time.  Potions are the main means in which to score points in the game and earn victory.  But there is more to consider than just points when selecting potions, as each potion comes with varied complexities of needed ingredients, as well as unique powers that can dramatically swing a turn in a player's favor.

Pull that red marble in the second left-most lane, and you'll net yourself a hearty six marbles from chain reactions.

Upon completing a potion, players have at their reserve a powerful one-time use ability to be deployed when they feel necessary.  These abilities can vary from stealing ingredients from opponents, ignoring color requirements for incomplete potions, to grabbing one of each color from the bottom of the dispenser.  And as one last rule, players can ask the professor for assistance once per turn if needed, which allows them to take one marble from the dispenser, but does not trigger explosions and subtract one point from their final score.  As such, this tactic is used sparingly mainly to setup combos, or maybe even remove potential combos for opponents.  With so many elements to consider, potions to brew and powers to decide when to use, combos to setup and block, Potion Explosion is a game full of interesting choices to make.  But every turn, be it a small or large combo, offers the rewarding satisfaction to be had of clattering marbles to be gathered and held in your hand.  I recommend this game for those who are looking for an accessible strategy game and enjoy tactile components.

If you have any questions about Potion Explosion, let me know in the comments.  Otherwise, look forward to future installments of Tabletop Tuesday!