WitchDraft Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Course of Play
• Potion Scoring
  • Scoring Details
• Individual Score
• Scoring Example
• Faster Game

Setup

1. Each apprentice draws one apprentice card and places it face down in front of them on the play area. This sets the starting point of the potion. (Decide together whether you'll play with the symmetrical (A) side or the asymmetrical (B) side.)
2. Each apprentice draws one recipe card and one ingredient card. Keep these secret from the other apprentices. (Optionally, you can play these cards face up instead.)
3. Shuffle all 35 companion cards and form a draw pile, then place it in the middle of the table.

Course of Play

WitchDraft consists of 2 phases and ends with the scoring of brew points. At the start of the game, each apprentice draws a certain number of companion cards into their hand. The number of companion cards depends on the number of apprentice players:

Apprentices	2	3	4	5
Cards	6	5	4	4

Now you draft a companion card simultaneously. The draft works as follows: each apprentice chooses one companion card from their hand and places it face down in front of them. Then every apprentice reveals their chosen card and places it face up on their own play area. The companion card may be rotated as desired. However, it must be placed perpendicular to a card that has already been placed, and it may not be moved or rotated later.

Repeat this process until every apprentice has only one companion card left in hand. After the first phase, each apprentice returns this last card to the draw pile.

Then shuffle the draw pile and play the 2nd phase exactly like the 1st phase. However, in the 2nd phase you draft counter-clockwise, and you also place the last companion card onto your play area.

By the end, in addition to the apprentice card, each apprentice must have the following number of companion cards on their own play area:

Apprentices	2	3	4	5
Cards	11+1	9+1	7+1	7+1

Now comes scoring and determining the best in class.

Potion Scoring

Score the cards on your play area using your recipe and ingredient cards. Use the scoring board or our digital scoring page (the link can be found on the game box).

Add up the brew points from each scoring category to determine your potion's total brew points.

The apprentice who collects the most brew points is the best in class and wins the game.

In the event of a tie, the apprentices involved jointly receive the best-in-class award and share the victory.

Scoring Details

Recipe Card

1. Companions
2. Color Pairs
3. Monochrome
4. Gems

Ingredient Card

5. Bonds
6. Dragon Scale
7. Flea Grass
8. Fire Root

Individual Score

For each category, you receive brew points equal to the value shown on your recipe or ingredient card. Score the cards on your play area accordingly.

1. Companions

You receive brew points based on the number of cards showing the companion pictured.

2. Color Pairs

You receive brew points for every indicated color pair. The cards do not have to be next to each other.

3. Monochrome

Gain brew points for each card that matches the colors shown. The cards do not have to be adjacent to each other.

4. Gems

You receive brew points for every adjacent gem pair. Score each pair separately. For example: 3 adjacent gems give 2x the corresponding brew points, while 4 adjacent gems give 4x the corresponding brew points.

5. Bonds

You receive brew points for every bond that connects two cards. The indicated ingredients do not need to match for the bond to score.

6. Dragon Scale

You receive brew points for every collected dragon scale.

7. Flea Grass

You receive brew points for every collected flea grass.

8. Fire Root

Earn brew points for every collected fire root.

For points 6–8: either one symbol in a circle, or 2 identical symbols connected by a bond, counts as a collected dragon scale, flea grass, or fire root.

Scoring Example

An apprentice has the following play area. Scoring is done using the recipe and ingredient cards shown earlier.

1. Companions (2 x 2 = 4 BP)
2. Color Pairs (2 x 4 = 8 BP)
3. Monochrome (3 x 1 = 3 BP)
4. Gems (2 x 2 = 4 BP)
5. Bonds (4 x 3 = 12 BP)
6. Dragon Scale (4 x 2 = 8 BP)
7. Flea Grass (3 x 3 = 9 BP)
8. Fire Root (7 x 1 = 7 BP)

Total score: 55 brew points

Faster Game

For 2 or 3 players, you can reduce the number of companion cards to speed up the game. To do this, simply use the instructions for 4 or 5 apprentices.