PotionSlingers

PotionSlingers Rulebook

Table of Contents

What is PotionSlingers?

PotionSlingers is a turn-based battle card game for two to four players. Compete to be the last one standing in a spectator packed marketplace arena! The game has two main mechanics: card drafting, where you acquire cards and build a deck as you play, and tableau building, where managing your cards and combining them is the key to victory!

Game Pieces

8 two-sided tarot cards
120 poker sized cards
1 currency counter
4 health trackers
30 essence cubes
1 rulebook

Setup

Each player picks a character, and takes a "Health Tracker" and a "Rules Reference" card.

Players start the game with their character card face up in front of them. If a character has a unique item, it is placed next to the character. Place 4 starter items in their holster face up: 2 starter potions, 1 starter vessel, and 1 starter artifact. Then place 1 starter ring in the deck.

Shuffle the 55 potion cards and place them face down. Do the same for the 45 item cards. These are the Market Decks. Take 3 cards from each deck and place them face up in 2 rows of 3. This is now the market. The trash is next to the market and starts with 0 cards.

Turn order is clockwise, and Players get 1 turn per round. Players must decide who goes first, perhaps by whoever is youngest, or by rolling the highest on the pip counter.

Players use "Essence" Cubes to keep track of their character's Health. Two players start the game with 4 cubes, three to four players start with 3 cubes. Each essence cube represents 10 HP. Players monitor HP with the numbered Health Vial. Damage reduces HP, and Heal increases HP.

Before Players begin, choose either game mode: Elimination or Capture.

Game Modes and the Health Tracker

There are two standard game modes, Elimination and Capture.

Elimination

The goal of this mode is to reduce all of your opponent's HP to zero. Since 1 Essence = 10 HP, when a player runs out of Essence, they are eliminated. The last player with any Essence in their Health Vial wins the game.

Capture

The goal of this mode is to capture 7 Essence cubes FIRST. Players are not eliminated when they run out of Essence. At the end of each turn, players add opponent's cubes they reduced to 0 HP to their collection. Any opponent that loses all of their HP AND Essence cubes drops all of their Holster to the bottom of their deck, gains 1 Essence, and puts the 5 starting items (2 potions, 1 vessel, 1 artifact, and 1 ring) into their holster and deck.

Players may discuss additional rules before playing (such as the ones on page 16), as well as add their own rules to make games even more wild and unique!

Note: You cannot collect your own Essence cubes.

Health Tracker

Turn order determines Player Number.
Essence Cubes slide down the Health Vial as the Player takes damage, and up as they heal.
The Collection stores captured Essence, or even pips here.

Remember!

A Player's Essence cubes are not collected until the END of a turn!
The Health Vial ALWAYS replaces another Essence cube if possible!

Character Info and Tips

Each character has a playstyle, a difficulty rating (shown as stars), and a proficiency.

Pluot

The Apprentice Alchemist
Playstyle: Aggressive
Difficulty: 1 star
Proficiency: Potions

Pluot's strategy is simple: Collect potions and throw them for a lot of damage! Her unique item allows you to be even more efficient!

The Twins

Foulfensa and Estrangle Morsen
Playstyle: Flexible
Difficulty: 1 star
Proficiency: Self Healing

The Twins focus on keeping themselves at a high HP, at the expense of everyone else! Flip them over to have their vessels heal them too!

Isadore

Captain of the Cherrybomb
Playstyle: Aggressive
Difficulty: 2 stars
Proficiency: Artifacts

Isa is a master of artifacts, and is extremely versatile with them. Flip her to equip her badge, and punish her foes even further!

Saltimbocca

The Scrappy Explorer
Playstyle: Strategic
Difficulty: 2 stars
Proficiency: Thrifting

With intimidation and an eye for quality, Bocca wants the best items and wants them cheap. Preferably also sharp, heavy, and aerodynamic.

Nickles

The Devilish Debonair
Playstyle: Flexible
Difficulty: 2 stars
Proficiency: Pips

Nickles can use leftover pips as an extra damage resource. Use his unique item to rustle up a couple of extra pips to sling or even to spend!

Bolo

The Gossipy Shopkeep
Playstyle: Strategic
Difficulty: 3 stars
Proficiency: Selling

Bolo is an adept salesman. He will always be able to upsell his items, and can even trade useless baubles for powerful treasure!

Reets

The Masked Mapmaker
Playstyle: Technical
Difficulty: 3 stars
Proficiency: Holster

Reets can cycle through his items much faster than the rest, and once his curse is lifted, he can find items rooting through the trash!

Sweetbitter

The Obsessive Researcher
Playstyle: Technical
Difficulty: 4 stars
Proficiency: Resilience

Sweetbitter has a strange object that prevents her from dying. She also has a nefarious plan. She just has to collect a few things...

Card Types

Character Cards. This card is unique to each player and represents them in the game. Each character's current ability benefits them during play. A player may flip the card over and use the ability on the back side once they meet certain conditions. Character cards are not item cards.
Potion Cards. Potions are the most common and most important cards in the game. They are an immediate and cheap source of damage, or fuel for more powerful items. Potion effects are not limited to damage either. They have 4 qualities: Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry.
Vessel Cards. Vessels can be a more efficient use of potions. They combine the loaded potions, return them to your deck, and give bonuses for certain combinations. Vessels require 2 potions to be loaded into them in order to be thrown.
Artifact Cards. Artifacts are reusable and have a wide range of effects. Loading specific potions give powerful bonuses. They are not thrown, and require 1 potion per use.
Ring Cards. Rings are expensive in cost and uncommon. They grant your character additional abilities as long as they are in the holster.
Rules Reference Cards. These are handy reference sheets to remind players of what is done on their turn.
Unique Item Cards. Unique items can only be used by the character that owns the item. They enter play when the conditions set by the character's ability are met.

Anatomy of a Card

Name. The name of the card.
Type and colour. The colour and symbol of a card inform what type of item it is. Potions have four different qualities and other item cards have four different symbols.
- Potion (hot): red
- Potion (wet): blue
- Potion (cold): white
- Potion (dry): yellow
- Artifact: brown-red
- Vessel: light green
- Ring: purple
- Unique Item: dark green
Card text box. The card's effects are in this box. The top right is its main effect, and the larger space has any additional effects.
Card art. Artwork only.
Flavortext. Does not impact gameplay, but provides a little taste of lore.
Buy and sell values. Items are bought from the Market with pips, and are sold from the Holster to gain more pips.

Note: the borders are also textured for further visual aid.

Layout

The Market Area

Market Decks. Cards start in the market decks, and replace empty spaces when a card is bought from the market. There is an item lane and a potion lane.
Market. The market is laid out as rows of face-up cards: the item lane (artifact, vessel, ring) and the potion lane (hot, wet, cold potions).
Trash Pile. Cards that are removed from play go here.
The bought item card goes to the top of that player's own deck.
Pips, the game's currency, are kept track of by the player whose turn it is. They can be represented by the supplied die.

The Player Area

All players have the same layout.

The character card each player picked goes near their deck, and starts on its "front" card face.
Make sure everyone can see the Health Tracker easily!
Player Deck. Cards move in order from a player's deck to their holster.
Player Holster. Remember, bought item cards go to the top of that player's own deck face up.

A Player's Turn (You Must)

At the very start of your turn, you MUST:

Fill your holster. Put cards into your holster. The holster can hold up to 4 cards (not including loaded potions). If your holster is not full, draw up to the remainder from the top of your deck. A holster may have less than 4 cards if a deck has 0 cards.
Receive pips. You are then given 6 pips to spend this turn, and may represent them with the supplied die, or any agreed upon method.

All pips you have disappear at the end of your turn.

When you have filled your holster and received pips, you may proceed to the next set of actions.

A Player's Turn (You May)

You MAY do any of the following in any order: BUY, SELL, LOAD, THROW, USE, DROP, or FLIP.

BUY cards from the market by spending pips. If you buy a card, it is placed face up on the top of your deck. Any item you buy is replaced in the market with a card from the market deck it came from.
SELL any item in your holster for its pip sell value. Sold cards are placed in the trash pile.
Buying or selling items change your pip count for the turn. Buying subtracts the card's buy cost from your pips; selling adds the card's sell value to your pips.
LOAD artifacts or vessels fully or partially. Load potion cards by placing them underneath the artifact or vessel from the holster. You do not have to use an item you have loaded with a potion.

A Player's Turn (You May), continued

THROW a potion at a player. It is placed into the trash after use.
THROW a vessel. It requires at least 2 potions loaded into it; the loaded potion cards are put at the bottom of your deck after the vessel is thrown.
USE an artifact. It costs 1 loaded potion to use and places the loaded potion card into the trash. Artifacts remain in your holster and can be reused.
FLIP your character card's face. You must meet the requirements on the card to flip. This gives you access to their other abilities.
DROP an item from your holster by placing it at the bottom of your deck (with loaded potions, in any order). Non-potion items cost 1 pip to drop. Potion drops are free.

You may choose to do all or none of the actions during your turn after you have done the actions you MUST do. You may do the actions as many times as you are able. You may also trash any items in your holster at no cost.

When any Essence cube reaches zero HP in any player's Health Tracker, it is removed at the end of the current player's turn and replaced with a new one at the 10 mark.

In a rare case that either Market deck runs out, players continue as normal until all players have no more moves left; then the game is over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I always add up the damage of the loaded potions with what the vessel or artifact does? A: The upper right part of the text box will tell you! Vessels usually care, artifacts usually don't.

Q: Can I throw a vessel with only 1 potion? Do I have to throw it once I loaded it? A: No, you cannot, two potions need to be loaded first. You can wait to throw it though!

Q: Can I load more than 1 potion into an artifact, or more than 2 potions in a vessel? A: You sure can! Artifacts use potions one at a time, but a vessel is only thrown once.

Q: Can I do anything before I refill my holster? A: Nope! You MUST do this (and gain 6 pips) before you MAY CHOOSE to do anything else on your turn.

Q: Can I use items I just bought? Can I sell them? A: You may only use or sell items that are currently in your holster and not your deck.

Q: What if my Character's Unique item drops from my holster, or is trashed? A: You can drop it to the bottom of your deck or put it back next to your character, but if it is trashed it must be placed next to your character instead of the trash pile.

Q: If Sweetbitter doesn't lose the game with her Unique item but is at 0 HP, can she still play? A: Yes, just don't let the item leave her holster at 0 HP, or she instantly loses Elimination Mode!

Q: Can I trade items with my opponents or make deals with them? A: The rules do not cover trading items at all, so use caution and only if all players agree before starting. The game was balanced without trading in mind. Make deals or break alliances all you want!

Q: If a vessel gives me a bonus for having a specific potion, do two of the same give me two bonuses? A: No, if a vessel gives +3 as a hot bonus, two hot potions only give it +3 once.

Q: Do loaded potions count as thrown? A: No, they are more like fuel for the artifacts, and mixed into vessels that can be thrown.

Q: Someone made me trash my vessel with 2 potions in it! Where do the potions go? A: Loaded potions go where the item goes; dropped, sold, or trashed. Sorry!

Q: What if I want to drop or sell loaded potions? A: You can drop them from the loaded item, but you can't sell a loaded potion.

Q: Can I throw potions at myself? A: Technically yeah, but why would you do that? You don't get to collect your own Essence this way. Those cubes are removed!

Q: What if my friends and I don't like a rule? A: This rulebook and game are all pieces of paper that do not force you to do anything. Just make sure all players unanimously agree on things, and if someone is not having fun, then things need to change so that they are.

Glossary

Ability. An effect unique to each character that benefits them during the game.
Artifact. 15 item cards that can be repeatedly used at the cost of 1 potion per use.
Buy/Sell. Items all have a set pip value and are bought from the market. Any item in your holster can be sold on your turn for pips.
Character. The player uses these to represent them in game. Each character adheres to a specific playstyle.
Damage. Reduces a character's hit points on the Health Vial.
Deck. Purchased items are placed on top and items dropped from the player holster are placed on the bottom. Cards are always face up and the order cannot be changed.
Drop. When a player removes an item card from their holster and places it on the bottom of their deck.
Essence. Each Essence is worth 10 HP in a Health Vial, and cubes are captured and collected by players.
Heal. Increases a character's hit points on the Health Vial.
Hit Points (HP). Allows the player to track the character's will to fight. A player's hit points can not go above the starting amount.
Holster. A player can only use items in their holster on their turn. Players put items from their deck into their holster to use them.

Alternate Rules

Once you are familiar with gameplay, try adding these rules to shake things up!

Advanced

Players do not begin the game with Starter Cards. Players cannot load potions together that have opposing qualities (Hot/Cold, Wet/Dry), and potions with the opposite quality of an artifact or vessel bonus also have no effect.

Cruel

If a player reduces another player to 0 HP and no remaining Essence, they get to pick any one item the defeated player owns and choose to put it directly into their holster or place it on the top of their deck. The rest of the cards go to the trash. Defeated players may reduce any player's pips by 2 on their "turn."

Over Four Players (pen, paper, or extra dice required)

5-6 players start with 2 Essence Cubes, 7-8 players have 1 cube. Last player to pick a character goes first. No Starter Cards, apply "Cruel" Rules.

Capture Mode Achievements (increasing end goal from 7 to 12 recommended)

Put one Essence cube in your collections when you...

flip your character for the first time
deal the most damage in one turn (any time the record is beaten)
damage every opponent in 1 turn
deplete an opponent of Essence
buy a ring
have 11+ pips on your turn
are the last player with Essence
spend 0 pips in a turn
(blank line on the printed page for a custom achievement)