
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,793
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Little Alchemists
- 2–4 players
- 20–40 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2024

Rules assistance for Alchemists: The King's Golem
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Alchemists: The King's Golem is an expansion for Alchemists released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Matúš Kotry and its main mechanics are Hand Management, End Game Bonuses, and Deduction.
Alchemists: The King's Golem, an expansion to Alchemists, brings you a new logic puzzle with new rewards and consequences. Can you figure out how to animate a golem? And equally important, can you convince the king you are making progress? The King's Golem actually contains four expansions: In Startup Funding, players get a chance to customize the initial resources in their laboratories. The Busy Days expansion makes each round different by offering new rewards (and new costs!) on the order spaces. The Royal Encyclopedia is an entirely new venue for publishing your research. And in The Golem Project, players have the challenge of animating a creature made from magic and clay. The expansions are presented in order of complexity. Startup Funding and Busy Days will be just fine for beginners. The Royal Encyclopedia is for players accustomed to the logic puzzle of the base game. The Golem Project is for advanced players who want a new deduction challenge.
Alchemists: The King's Golem supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Alchemists: The King's Golem is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Alchemists: The King's Golem for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Alchemists: The King's Golem has a complexity rating of 4.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a heavy game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Alchemists: The King's Golem belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Deduction, and Puzzle. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, End Game Bonuses, and Deduction. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Alchemists: The King's Golem are: Matúš Kotry. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Alchemists: The King's Golem as an expansion for Alchemists. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Alchemists to use it. Check that your edition of Alchemists is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.