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Games like Quacks of Quedlinburg: Quacks, designed by Wolfgang Warsch and winner of the 2018 Kennerspiel des Jahres, turns potion brewing into a tense bag-drawing gamble. You pull ingredients one at a time into your pot, hoping to brew something powerful before too many cherry bombs blow it up. If your group loves that mix of push-your-luck and steady improvement, these five games capture the same feeling in different ways.
Our top pick: Quacks
If you do not own it yet, start here. The current edition is sold simply as Quacks, plays 2 to 4 players in about 45 minutes and costs about $40.
Price band: $30+ (about $40) · Check today’s price on Amazon
What makes Quacks so fun
- Push your luck: every draw could be the one that explodes your pot.
- Bag building: you buy better ingredients each round, so your bag gets stronger over time.
- Simultaneous play: everyone draws at once, so there is little waiting.
- Catch-up help: players who fall behind get a boost, which keeps games close.
1. Clank! Catacombs — players who want push-your-luck with adventure
Players: 2 to 4 · Price band: $30+ (about $53) · Pick for: Players who want push-your-luck with adventure · See Clank! Catacombs on Amazon
Clank! Catacombs is a deck-building dungeon crawl. You sneak through a tile-based catacomb, grab treasure and try to escape. Every noisy move adds your cubes to a bag, and when the dragon attacks, cubes are drawn out to deal damage.
The more greedy you get, the more you risk, which is exactly the feeling of one more chip in Quacks.
Skip it if: you want a short game; it runs closer to an hour.
2. Potion Explosion — families who love the potion theme
Players: 2 to 4 · Price band: $30+ (about $38) · Pick for: Families who love the potion theme · See Potion Explosion on Amazon
In Potion Explosion you take marbles from a dispenser. When removing one causes marbles of the same color to collide, they explode and you take those too. You use the marbles to complete potion recipes, and finished potions give one-shot powers.
It shares the alchemy theme and the joy of a big chain reaction, with a satisfying tactile twist.
Skip it if: you dislike fiddly components; the dispenser needs a little care.
3. Dice Forge — players who love improving their tools
Players: 2 to 4 · Price band: $30+ (about $60) · Pick for: Players who love improving their tools · See Dice Forge on Amazon
Dice Forge lets you physically pop faces off your dice and snap better ones on. Each round you roll for gold, sun and moon shards, then forge new faces or perform heroic feats for points.
It is the dice version of bag building: you start weak and steadily craft an engine, just like upgrading your Quacks bag.
Skip it if: you want lots of player interaction; most of the game is about your own dice.
4. Flip 7 — a cheap push-your-luck filler
Players: 3 or more · Price band: Under $10 (about $8) · Pick for: A cheap push-your-luck filler · See Flip 7 on Amazon
Flip 7 is a simple card game where you flip cards one at a time and add them up. Flip a number you already have and you bust for the round. Collect seven different numbers and you earn a bonus.
It distills the Quacks gamble into a ten-minute card game and costs less than a pizza.
Skip it if: you want any long-term strategy; it is pure risk and nerve.
5. Camel Up — big groups who want gambling chaos
Players: 3 to 8 · Price band: $30+ (about $43) · Pick for: Big groups who want gambling chaos · See Camel Up on Amazon
In Camel Up you bet on a camel race where dice pop out of a pyramid one at a time, and camels stack and ride each other. Our games like Camel Up list has more in this family.
Like Quacks, it rewards nerve and laughs, and it scales to a bigger table.
Skip it if: your group wants control; the race is wildly random.
How these games compare with Quacks
| Game | Players | What it shares with Quacks |
|---|---|---|
| Quacks | 2 to 4 | Draw ingredients and risk an explosion |
| Clank! Catacombs | 2 to 4 | Greedy moves feed a bag of danger |
| Potion Explosion | 2 to 4 | Potions and chain reactions |
| Dice Forge | 2 to 4 | Upgrade your tools each round |
| Flip 7 | 3 or more | Pure push-your-luck |
| Camel Up | 3 to 8 | Big swings and loud tables |
Which Quacks alternative should you buy?
- For the closest engine-building feel, choose Dice Forge.
- For a bigger adventure, choose Clank! Catacombs.
- For a stocking stuffer, choose Flip 7.
New to Quacks? Read our how to play Quacks guide, then browse the best push-your-luck games.
Games like Quacks FAQ
What type of game is Quacks of Quedlinburg?
A push-your-luck bag-building game. You draw ingredient chips from a bag and improve the bag over time.
What game is most like Quacks?
Dice Forge for the steady upgrades, and Clank! Catacombs for the bag of danger.
Is there a cheap game like Quacks?
Flip 7 delivers the same bust-or-bank tension for under $10.
