2019 · Dice
Trismegistus: The Ultimate Formula
Players take the role of alchemical adepts vying to reproduce the Philosopher’s Stone across three rounds of play. Each round begins with custom dice rolled and grouped by material; on a turn a player either drafts a new die or uses the potency of a previously drafted die to take actions tied to that die’s material and color. Actions let players collect raw materials and essences, transmute materials into higher-value goods, buy and activate artifacts, and run experiments that advance four mastery tracks. Players also build a hidden hand of publication cards; final scoring combines publications, experiment values, completed formulas, and collected gold to determine the winner. A solo mode is included.
- Players
- 1–4 best 2
- Playing time
- 90–120 min
- Age
- 14+
- Complexity
- 4.2 / 5
About the game
Expansions
See them in Ludoya
Photos from Ludoya tables
All photos in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 134
- Plays logged
- 145
- Players
- 1h 43m
- Average play
- 61
- In collections
- 10
- On wishlists
7.4/10
from 29 Ludoya reviews
Garfield8.0 #50 What a thinky beast! Every action must be well thought otherwise you have no chance in this game. Don't play it with AP-players! [c] Theme: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Little --> Gameplay: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good amount of meaningful choices --> Interaction: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Very little --> Artwork: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Nice --> Luck: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]No --> Strategy: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Pure strategy --> Components: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Play duration: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good for such a game --> Easy to teach: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Totally ok (30min) --> Rules quality: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Setup time: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]A lot to setup --> No downtime: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]AP possible --> Replay value: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Different tableaus, random cards --> [/c]
No plays logged
FinnTroll10.0 Come on, 874th place? While Dune Imperium (actually, 2 of them) is in the top-10? Travesty.
No plays logged
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Do reactions cost Potency or use my die?
No — reactions are free and do not cost Potency; when you react you use the active player’s drafted die color (not your own) to determine available reaction transmutations (p.12, p.15).
Can I transmute along any arrow or only arrows that match my die’s color?
You must perform transmutations along arrows whose color matches the color of the die on your Potency track (unless you have a wild transmutation, which skips the color check) (p.15–16).
If I transmute and gain materials or essences, can I use those gains later in the same action?
Yes — when performing multiple transmutations as part of a single Action you may use any gains from earlier transmutations in subsequent transmutations resolved within that same Action (p.19).
Can I use refined materials as raw (or vice versa) when paying costs?
A refined material may always be used in place of its raw counterpart, but raw materials cannot be used as refined (p.15, p.27).
Can I unlock more than one Formula from the same Experiment column?
You cannot repeatedly unlock formulas from the same column by performing Experiments (the first Experiment in a column unlocks one), and unlocking/purchasing has per-column limits — see the unlocking rules and the one‑per‑column notes (p.18, p.27).
Do Artifacts exhaust when triggered by a transmutation, and can they be recharged by others?
If a transmutation passes over an active (face‑up) Artifact you may use its ability and then flip (exhaust) it face‑down; exhausted Artifacts can be recharged by flipping them (a player may spend Potency to recharge their own Artifact on their turn, and other players may recharge an exhausted Artifact as a reaction) (p.16, p.11–12).
Free, on web, Android and iOS
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.