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Send your Familiars into the forest, bring back roots and black mushrooms. Arrange them in the Alchilab seeking the perfect pattern. The poison thickens. Someone at the table laughs nervously. Someone has already lost.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Witches, ingredients, and deadly poisons in an unscrupulous alchemical race
Drops of Evil is the new game by Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva for Horrible Guild, illustrated by Weberson Santiago. You are a witch competing to create the most potent poison: dark theme, horror atmosphere, but abstract and clean mechanics. A race for optimization where every drop counts.
You send your Familiars into the woods to gather ingredients, then strategically place them in the Alchilab, a device for synthesizing lethal mixtures. Each ingredient placed in the right position increases toxicity and unlocks bonuses. You recruit ambiguous assistants, follow grim recipes, and build increasingly deadly patterns. The one who concocts the most deadly poison wins.
What they say abroad
"In Drops of Evil, players take on the role of witches competing to brew the most powerful poison."
— Horrible Guild
It's just been released, the first data will arrive. For now: dark theme, worker placement and pattern building mechanics, Hach-Silva signature. The premise is strong.
— FroGames
Drops of Evil
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · first reading: based on rules and official presentation, updated with initial playthroughsThe elements of poison
What you find in the alchemical box
Alchilab
The central device where you place ingredients. Each cell amplifies toxicity in different ways, each pattern unlocks bonuses. The heart of the game.
Familiars
Your servants in the woods. Each Familiar is a worker with specific abilities. You send them to gather ingredients, but spaces are limited.
Ingredients
Poisonous roots, black mushrooms, lethal berries. Each has a toxicity value that changes depending on where you place it in the Alchilab.
Assistants and Recipes
Shady characters who help you with special abilities. Dark recipes that give you objectives: completing them means extra points, more potent poisons.
🎲How to playThe rules in four steps▼
How to play
The flow of each round
Each round is divided into a gathering phase and a placement phase. Simple to learn, difficult to master.
In turns, place your Familiars on available spaces in the forest to gather ingredients. Each Familiar has unique abilities, each space is limited.
Take the ingredients corresponding to the occupied spaces. Some give extra resources, others unlock special actions.
Place the gathered ingredients on your personal grid, trying to create patterns that increase toxicity. Each cell has different effects.
If you complete a recipe or activate an assistant, take the bonuses immediately. Some give you points, others allow you to manipulate the Alchilab. End of round.
⏱️Your first gameThe chronicle, moment by moment▼
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Evil Setup
Everyone takes their Alchilab, their Familiars, their assistant cards. Someone reads the available recipes aloud. The first round begins and everyone realizes that the spaces to gather ingredients are very few.
Resource Blocking
You place your Familiar on the black mushroom you need. Someone at the table sighs: they really wanted that one. The first choices in the Alchilab are timid, no one knows yet which pattern to pursue. Doubt creeps in.
Lethal Patterns Emerge
Someone has completed a recipe, places ingredients in perfect sequence and unlocks a devastating bonus. You look at your Alchilab and realize you need to change strategy or fall behind. Tension rises.
Desperate Blocks
Last round. Every Familiar placed is a stab. Someone snatches the last ingredient you needed, you have to improvise. In the Alchilab, you look for a bailout configuration. Toxicity is counted.
The Deadliest Poison
Final count. Toxicity, recipe bonuses, activated assistants. Someone wins by a drop. Someone else looks at their Alchilab and understands the mistake they made in the second round. End.
🐸Good to know beforehandThree honest things, from friends▼
Good to know beforehand
Three honest things
Abstract beneath the theme
The theme is evocative, the illustrations dark, but the mechanics are an abstract puzzle. If you're looking for narrative or immersion, this is not that game. It's pure optimization.
Medium weight
It's not a gateway game. Understanding how to optimize patterns in the Alchilab takes a few plays. The learning curve is real, but not prohibitive.
Variable downtime
If someone suffers from analysis paralysis, turns will lengthen. With 4 players, time can pass between your moves. Better with 2-3 if your group thinks too much.
🏆Victory and defeatWhat the ending rewards▼
How it ends
How to win and how to lose
At the end of the game, you count the total toxicity of your poison. Whoever has the highest score wins.
Victory
- Alchilab toxicity: each placed ingredient gives points multiplied by its position
- Completed recipes: each recipe gives you fixed bonus points
- Activated assistants: some give extra points at the end of the game for specific conditions
How to fall behind
- Ignoring recipes: leaving them all incomplete means lost points
- Placing ingredients randomly: each Alchilab cell has a multiplier, wasting them is deadly
- Having key Familiars blocked: if you don't diversify options, an opponent will cut you off
Drops of Evil combines a dark theme, author's signature, and clean mechanics. It's just out: it takes time to truly understand it, but the premise is strong.
💬Frequently asked questionsQuick answers before checkout▼
Frequently asked questions
FAQ on Drops of Evil
What mechanics does Drops of Evil use?
Worker placement with different worker types (Familiars have unique abilities) and grid pattern building (the Alchilab where you place ingredients). Abstract strategy with a horror theme applied on top.
Is it a game for beginners?
No. The rules are accessible, but optimizing patterns in the Alchilab requires experience. It's designed for players accustomed to eurogames and puzzles. It's not a gateway game.
How long does a game really last?
BGG says 60 minutes. With 2 experienced players, you'll make it, with 4 and someone new expect 90 minutes. Time increases if someone thinks too much about their moves.
Does it work well with 2 players?
Yes, in fact: many worker placement games improve with 2 players because resource blocking is more controllable. With 4, chaos increases but so does downtime. 2-3 players is probably ideal.
Is it available in Italian?
The edition sold on FroGames is in English. Text on cards is present (ingredients, recipes, assistants), so game-level English knowledge is required.
The people behind the game
Who invented it, who designed it, who publishes it — and what else they've done.
Drops of Evil is a competitive board game of worker placement and pattern building for 2-4 players, ages 12+, lasting 60 minutes. Designed by Hjalmar Hach and Lorenzo Silva (Railroad Ink, The King's Dilemma) and illustrated by Weberson Santiago for Horrible Guild. You play as witches competing to create the deadliest poison: gather ingredients in the forest by placing your Familiars, then combine them in the Alchilab to maximize toxicity. Abstract mechanics under an evocative horror theme, medium-high strategy, competitive resource interaction. Available on FroGames.it.
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