Quacks All In Edition & Game Artwork Redesigns

Springing out of the cauldron pot and into the board game universe is Quacks: All In Edition! This new version of the game features an entire overhaul of the artwork and design with an entirely brand new look. The title has also been reduced from the Quacks of Quedlinburg to just Quacks as I’m sure no one has ever looked up or Googled the full title. As far as it seems, the game has exactly the same rules and components, it just has had a huge visual overhaul for 2025. What do you think of the new look of the game?

For me, I couldn’t believe that there was a brand new Quack board game out there! I love the feel and finish to the original game with its style almost making it feel like a classic board game. The new style is completely different, brighter and more cutesy. There’s definitely a family-friendly feel to the game that will definitely make it more accessible to new players.

Is Quacks All In Edition the same as Quacks of Quedlinburg?

Yes, the games are the same. The new 2025 edition of Quacks features all of the same game mechanics where you are brewing potions from a variety of mystical (and questionable!) ingredients. The ingredients are displayed on chips and have values (1,2,3,4,6) and are different colours to denote their type (Spiders, Mandrakes, Raven Skulls & more). The value of the chip determines how many spaces it moves in the pot and the colour triggers a special effect or bonus during the preparation or the points scoring phase.

To play, players have an ingredient bag where they pull, at random, chips and place them in their cauldron. Players are avoiding the value of their white tokens going over 7, else BOOM. They explode and lose either the ability to score points or buy new chips this round. The key is for players to STOP before they explode allowing them to get as many bonuses as possible. The further you push your luck the bigger the VPs, rewards and purchasing power.

The new Quacks All In Edition board game features all of the same mechanics and rules. The design is vastly different with a more fun and friendly feel being injected, as well as brighter and more vibrant colours. The old-school element to the game has certainly gone and whilst that is a shame, those that like and love the old style can still buy it anyway.

As well as the design change, there are changes to the components of the game. The chips themselves are no longer popped out cardboard and instead are little plasticky chips. As someone who’s noticed wear on our current pieces this change can only be a good thing. I have noticed some comments on the quality of the ingredient bags in this new version but I’m yet to test it for myself.

Quacks Expansions: Are They Worth It?

There are two expansions available for Quacks of Quedlinburg which are either sold as a separate Herb Witch Expansion or another Alchemist Expansion. There is also a megabox expansion which includes both that I would highly recommend. The expansions both add a touch more to the existing mechanics and really add to the game’s replayability due to their ability to create infinitely more possibilities to happen during gameplay.

Quacks Herb Witches Expansion

• What Is It?: The Quacks Herb Witch expansion introduces the locoweed ingredient, an overflow bowl and 3 witch coins you can use to spend on power-ups from 3 available witches. Time using your coins on certain witches to gain the most benefits.

• Pros:

• Easy to integrate into the game whilst adding a few more ways to score points

• Locoweed is a powerful addition and can lead to fun jumps in the pot

• Cons:

• Can be unsatisfying to miss your witch coin moment and miss out on points

• Common for other of players to get the same bonus points, so not much gained

• Verdict: Easy to play and to add. Some elements of this expansion could easily be introduced to new players as a standard part of the game (namely the Locoweed).

Quacks Alchemist Expansions

• What Is It?: The Quacks Alchemist Expansion introduces a series of patients with very bizarre ailments. You receive an additional alchemist's flask where you can either gain bonuses from gathering essence or trigger your patient’s special abilities that can lead to even more chaos happening within your cauldron!

• Pros:

• Huge replayability due to the crazy bonuses found on some of the patients

• Can give the game a real twist due with more powerful patient actions

• Cons:

• Some combinations can overcomplicate and convolute some games

• Not one for newbies or beginners to due to some more in-depth mechanics

• Verdict: One to include for sure, but not straight away. If you do try it, maybe start with a patient like Chicken Eyes to get a feel of how the Essence Flask works.

However, with the Quacks All In Edition you won’t need to purchase any more additional expansions as both of the above are included in the box! The only tough decision that you will have to make is which one to try first. It would be interesting to know if the game designers will add more expansions to the game now that the initial expansions are pre-included. One would assume that all new expansions will be made with the new design - so let’s see how that goes down with the existing players who all have the old box!

Quacks All In Edition: Is It Worth It?

If you already have a copy and are thinking this is a new expansion, then no it is not worth it. This new design is tailored more to new players and even families who want to add another board game to the collection. I can understand why the old artwork may be off-putting to a new gamer as it does look a tad intimidating. I think the new feel could be a good gift to a family member who may need convincing otherwise to pick the game up.