Logo and link to home page

SHAWNA BROWN

Cures & Curiosities

Cures & Curiosities

A Healthy Dose of Strategy

Cures & Curiosities is a strategy and resource management game for 2 - 5 players which will appeal to hobby gamers who enjoy Flamecraft, Quacks of Quedlingburg and euro games with indirect player interaction, such as Wyrmspan. This is a strategy game that is not complex, yet is immersive, rich in theme, and perfect for game night.

Components of Cures & Curiosities board game

The Story

Those with the gift of understanding the natural world are few, and villages count themselves lucky if they have access to a witch/shaman/magical healer of any type in their area. There is high demand for potions, enchanted items, and spells to help ease the lives of hardworking peasants. You have set up shop in the ideal location: a bustling village right outside of a forest, from which you can sense strong natural power.

But there is a problem. Other healers have been crowding into the region and the village has decreed that only one of you may stay. You have just over a fortnight to prove your worth. It all comes down to how much influence you can garner amongst the villagers via your magical remedies, effective cures, and of course, monetary success.

Each day at dawn you go foraging in the forest to find certain willow twigs, clovers, bones, lightning bugs, and feathers - anything that radiates with a natural force of magic. You collect these raw sources of magic and bring them back to your apothecary where you use your skill to brew them into potions or refine them into crystals of pure magic, which you can imbue into everyday items or weave into spells. As soon as you open for the day, your clients come to purchase these wares in your shop, or to get an appointment at your magical practice for advice and treatment for their more serious ailments.

The more you sell and the more patients you treat increases your influence and your chance for the right to provide your magical services in this village. Choose how you will use your resources, money and equipment to make sure you win your place!

Hand of cards in Cures & Curiosities board game

Cures & Curiosities is a board game played over a pre-determined number of rounds, or "days". Each day has a Dawn Preparations phase, where players forage to find sources of the 5 different natural magics: moon, luck, life, earth and spirit. These are taken back to the players' workshop to be brewed into potions, woven into spells or enchanted into everyday objects. Players can also schedule patient appointments and order new inventory from the market.

Then follows the Workday phase. The scheduled patients come in to be treated and clients come to peruse the items and remedies for sale.

Finally, during the After Hours phase, players reset and refresh for the next day.

Want to Know More?

Get in touch with me to see the Sell Sheet, Overview Video, or How-to-Play Video.

...the theme is very well integrated into the mechanics of the game. The idea of being a magical healer who has to balance magical preparations with the demands of running a small business is attractive and interesting. There are a bunch of options for players on their turn, which feels like it well represents the juggling and decision making of the character you are playing.”
Incredibly cozy and mechanically rich. Theme is perfectly matched to the mechanisms, yet still seems very playable and easy to understand.”
There is a lot going on in this game and it all is very wonderful. First the theme of crafting cures and the draw from the bag for resources has been matched very well with the economic side of this game to provide a great experience. I like the heavy resource management aspect with the selection matrix of what clients t help and how you can integrate them with multiple pathways to truly have a unique approach to strategy. The components are very well made and this title will make a fabulous addition to a table. Also, the timing elements for the game seem well balanced. Like I said, a lot going on here, but even by description it seems as though it would be easy to learn and not too overwhelming or intimidating given the level of interface.”
I think all of the machanics...fit together fairly intuitively and I like the mix of the randomness of the magic acquisition with the strategic planning of the other elements.”
...you've got a bunch of systems all working well together to create a pretty layered strategic experience.”
The theme and mechanics work beautifully together to support a really fun and engaging game experience for the player.”