Elixir is a card game where the player embodies a wizard whose goal is to cast as many spells as they can. The first wizard to exhaust all their spells is declared the winner. The game is played between 3 to 10 players.
Contents
- 56 spells of 4 different levels:
– Level 1 : 16
– Level 2 : 24
– Level 3 : 8
– Level 4 : 8
- 112 items:
– 64 ingredients,
– 9 transactions,
– 39 objects
Setup
- Randomly choose the first player.
- Play moves in a clockwise direction.
- Sort spells by level. Each level is indicated on the back of the card.
- Place each stack, face down, in the center of the table.
- The number of ingredients required to cast a spell corresponds to the level of the card, indicated on its back.
- Mix up the items.
To begin…
- Each player draws spells from the pile of their choice.
- It must constitute a hand equivalent to 9 ingredients.
Example: player n°1 has 3 spells worth respectively 4 ingredients, 3 ingredients and 2 ingredients.
- The rest of the spells are set aside.
- The first player deals 5 items, face down, to each player.
- The rest of the cards will form the draw pile.
- Each player secretly reads their spells and items.
- The game can begin.
How to Play
- A player’s turn takes place in two steps:
– They draw an item card.
– They play their cards.
- Important! A player can play as many cards as they want, in any order they want.
How to Play a Card
Type of card | Effect | What to do with the card after use |
Transaction | Immediate | Discard |
Magic | Immediate | Discard |
Spell | Have all the necessary ingredients | The ingredients are discarded.The spell is placed, face up, in front of the player. |
End of a Turn and End of a Game
- At the end of their turn, the player announces “next!”.
- As soon as a player exhausts all their spells, the game ends and they are declared the winner.
A Few Variations
- For a longer game, each player must have spells worth 13 ingredients.
- Some cards can be used when it’s not the player’s turn.
- If the draw pile is depleted, shuffle the discard pile to form a new one.
The resolving of two cards is done clockwise.