Periodic: A Game of The Elements is a strategy board game designed around the periodic table of elements, as well as some of the most fundamental principles in chemistry that can be derived from the structure and function of the periodic table.
2 to 5 players, 40 to 60 minutes, Age 10+
In Periodic, you activate periodic trends (such as "Decrease Atomic Mass" or “Increase Atomic Radii”) to strategically maneuver across the periodic table, “discovering” elements to score points.
But that’s not all… You must also couple “discovering” elements with ending your turns in specific families of elements, like Noble Gases or Transition Metals. This allows you to move up the Academic Achievement Track in a race against other players for the limited spots, and additional points, at the end of the track.
On your turn, you choose between two actions. You can either:
(1) Pay energy to activate multiple trends. The first trend costs 1 energy and each additional trend costs 2 energy. For each trend, move your flask up to 5 spaces in the direction allowed from the specific trends you've activated.
Playing energy to active trends lets you move your flask multiple times, meaning you can move further and hopefully collect multiple elements.
(2) Take all the energy sitting on a single trend but you only get to activate that one trend. Then, move your flask up to 5 spaces in the direction allowed from the specific trend you've activated.
Once you've paid energy or taken energy, the goal is to end each of these trend movements on available elements, allowing you to “discover” those elements. This is one of the main ways players score points.
Elements available to be discovered are shown on the Goal Cards (four stacks, ranging from easiest to hardest, are located above the game board). On each Goal Card are a number of elements that share similarities in their properties, uses in industry, occurrence in nature, etc. Each of the elements on these Goal Cards will be marked on the game board with a cube, signalling to players that it is available that round.
When a player is the first to discover all the elements on a single Goal Card, they’ll also be rewarded with the Award Tile just above that stack. These tiles give players things like free movements, additional actions or even more energy.
There is also an Academic Achievement Track which players are competing to race up in order to acquire a limited number of points at the end of the track. To move up this track, players must end their turn in specific families of elements, like Noble Gases or Transition Metals. This means players are trying to maneuver their Scientist Flask in such a way that they couple “discovering” elements with ending turn in specific families of elements.
