Quick Specs
Family / Push-Your-Luck / Co-op-ish Race
6+
~1.4/5 (Light)
2–4 (best at 3–4)
~25–35 min
Push-Your-Luck, Bag Building (light), Set Collection, Track Movement, Shared Progress Goal, Catch-up Helpers
Quacks & Co. is the “kids and families” cousin of Quacks of Quedlinburg—same silly potion energy, way less rules weight, and a big focus on everyone moving forward together. You’re little quack doctors brewing remedies, tossing ingredients into a bag, and pulling tiles out one by one to see how far your cart can travel. It’s cheerful, easy to run, and perfectly designed for that age where “I made it explode!” is not a failure… it’s a highlight.
What it is
This is a light push-your-luck game with a gentle cooperative feel. Players race along a path to reach a shared goal, but the game is structured so nobody gets left behind for long. You’ll be pulling ingredients from your bag to move, collecting goodies, and upgrading your bag over time—without needing deep math or complex combos.
The setup
Each player has a bag with ingredient tiles and a little cart on a path. The board shows spaces with bonuses and events, so progress feels like an adventure. There’s also a shared goal at the end of the path, and the game length is friendly—short enough for kids, long enough for “one more game” energy.
How it plays
On your turn you draw tiles from your bag and place them, trying to move your cart forward. Some tiles are helpful, some are risky, and if you push too far you can “bust” and lose out on the best rewards. But because it’s Quacks & Co., the consequences are kinder than the original Quacks—more “oops, try again” than “you’re doomed forever.”
Between turns, you’ll earn rewards that let you improve your bag: add better tiles, remove weaker ones, and set yourself up for bigger runs later. The tension comes from the classic push-your-luck question: do you stop while you’re ahead, or keep pulling because you can practically taste that bonus space?
Why the pacing works
- Early game: kids learn the rhythm fast—pull, move, laugh, get a reward
- Midgame: bags improve, turns get more exciting, and everyone starts taking “just one more” pulls
- Late game: the path gets dramatic—big pushes, big cheers, and the game ends before anyone burns out
Table feel
This one is energetic, supportive, and low-stress. It creates that great family-game vibe where everyone is invested in everyone else’s turns because the suspense is fun and the progress is visible. It’s best at 3–4 because the cheering and shared momentum really land, but it plays smoothly at 2 as well.
Who it’s for
- Families with kids who want push-your-luck without harsh punishment
- Kids who love drawing from a bag, taking risks, and seeing immediate results
- Best for ages roughly 6–10 as a gateway to slightly “gamier” systems
- You’ll like it if you want something lively, colorful, and easy to teach
Less ideal for
- Not great for players who dislike luck-driven outcomes
- Avoid if your group wants deep strategy or lots of control
- Also note: if you’re buying it for adults who already love Quacks of Quedlinburg, this will feel lighter and gentler by design
Desert Meeples Beginner Tip + Verdict
New to Quacks & Co.? Teach one simple rule: stop while you’re happy. Kids often bust because they’re excited, not because it’s correct—so encourage “smart stopping” and celebrate the good pulls, not just the biggest pushes. Also, upgrading your bag matters more than one heroic turn, so grab improvements whenever you can.
Verdict: Quacks & Co. is a great family-friendly push-your-luck adventure: quick to learn, fun to watch, and kind enough that kids stay smiling even when the bag goes rogue. It’s the sort of game that turns “taking a risk” into a safe, giggly lesson—and somehow still makes adults whisper, “One more tile… one more tile…”
