Unpub Preview: Alchemy Bazaar

As we move towards upcoming Unpub events we’re going to preview some of the games which will be exhibited.

Michael Iachini has a thing for Alchemy. You may recognize his name from Chaos & Alchemy, which appeared at Unpub 3 at the Game Salute table. The Enchanted Grounds Unpub Mini on Saturday April 6, 2013 from 1pm to 7pm is your chance to try Michael's latest game: Alchemy Bazaar! This game is billed as a worker placement/worker movement game, but it also includes tiles which are used to create the ever growing bazaars of exotic shops and other wonders that you and your rival alchemists will be building.

Michael has a better handle on it, it's his game after all, let's have him fill us in on the development of Alchemy Bazaar...

What was your inspiration for Alchemy Bazaar? I love worker placement games, and I wanted to make a game that took the buildings element from Lords of Waterdeep and expanded it into a full game experience.

What is your favorite part of Alchemy Bazaar? The decisions of where to move your workers each turn, when to pay to keep moving and when to stop to block off a shop.

To your knowledge, What do other people find most interesting about Alchemy Bazaar? The worker movement mechanic seems to be the most interesting to other players as well. They've also enjoyed the "toy value" of the components (beads that represent Metals, Gems and Spirits for mixing in alchemical formulas).

What has been the most challenging part of designing Alchemy Bazaar? Balancing simplicity with complexity. Over time, I've removed several elements that were interesting but that didn't really contribute to the core fun part of the game, which was tough to do. But it's made Alchemy Bazaar a better game

What advice would you give to players attempting Alchemy Bazaar for the first time?Recruit your first extra apprentice as early as possible. Also, Formula cards are important to get! You don't want to be in a situation where you have plenty of ingredients and no formulas to complete.

What has surprised you most in play-tests of Alchemy Bazaar? Players have found creative ways to use their action cards that I never envisioned. This has led to some really slick moves.

People who like___________ will like Alchemy Bazaar. Why? Lords of Waterdeep and Agricola, because the worker placement mechanics there are related to the worker movement mechanics in Alchemy Bazaar. Lords of Waterdeep lovers in particular will enjoy Alchemy Bazaar because not only do new "buildings" enter the game over time, but the idea of collecting resources (adventurers / ingredients) to complete lists (quests / formulas) is common between both games.

What do you hope to accomplish at the Enchanted Grounds Unpub Mini on Saturday April 6, 2013 from 1pm to 7pm? I hope to get the game play really polished (it's far along in the development process already), and I hope to get people excited about Alchemy Bazaar! I'm also always open to suggestions for creative names to give the shops, formulas and actions in the game, and enthusiastic players are a great resource for that sort of thing.

Tell us anything else you want to say about Alchemy Bazaar that I haven't asked or you haven't said already. I've loved designing a real strategy game in Alchemy Bazaar as a change of pace from the luck-heavy nature of Chaos & Alchemy (my first game). I'm very excited about this design, and I think the players at the  Enchanted Grounds Unpub Mini are going to have a good time.

I couldn't agree more, Michael. I think players at the Enchanted Grounds Unpub Mini on Saturday April 6, 2013 from 1pm to 7pm are going to have a good time. It might become a "bizarre" time when they play Alchemy Bazaar!