Apothecaria Explained

Apothecaria
Designer:	Anna Blackwell
Date:	2021
Genre:	Tabletop role-playing game, fantasy
Players:	1

Apothecaria is a single-player, journal-writing, fantasy tabletop role-playing game by Anna Blackwell about working at a village apothecary as a substitute for its mysteriously missing witch. Gameplay focuses on brewing potions to heal fantasy illnesses. It was inspired by Studio Ghibli films and the video games Stardew Valley and Theme Hospital. Apothecaria was published in 2021 after raising £19,066 on Kickstarter.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Gameplay

The object of the game is to forage recipe ingredients, then brew potions to heal villagers. The central game mechanic is drawing cards and writing responses to prompts in a dedicated journal. The game includes farm life sim, exploration, and crafting elements.

Reception

Chase Carter for Dicebreaker recommended Apothecaria for fans of Pokémon Legends: Arceus and wrote that, "There’s an overarching narrative to Apothecaria, but the game plays just as well if approached as a thematic journaling exercise."^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Carter . Chase . 2021-02-08 . Apothecaria mixes Theme Hospital and Stardew Valley for a potent solo journalling RPG . 2024-11-20 . Dicebreaker . en.
2. Web site: Jarvis . Matt . 2022-06-01 . Snuggle up with this cozy bundle of non-violent, wholesome tabletop RPGs . 2024-11-20 . Dicebreaker . en.
3. Web site: Carter . Chase . 2022-10-24 . Bundle of Holding’s NaNoWriMo collection is an author’s trove of journaling tabletop RPGs . 2024-11-20 . Dicebreaker . en.
4. Web site: Cullen . Maddie . 2023-02-21 . 10 magical school tabletop RPGs that will cast a spell on you . 2024-11-20 . Dicebreaker . en.
5. Web site: Carter . Chase . 2022-02-24 . 3 tabletop RPGs to play after catching ‘em all in Pokémon Legends: Arceus . 2024-11-20 . Dicebreaker . en.