Learn Trismegistus
Learn the game in 5 short steps. Everything links to the full rules.
Welcome to Trismegistus
You are alchemists pursuing the Philosopher’s Stone. Over three rounds, draft dice to power actions, transform metals, perform experiments and complete publications. Most victory points wins.
The 2026 edition supports 1–4 players. Solo uses the Homunculus. Open the setup checklist before your first game.
Read the boards
The Main board holds dice pools, card offers, Mastery tracks and rewards. Your Player board tracks Potency, metals, Essences, Books, Mastery and Artifacts. The Publication sideboard is where Experiments and Artifacts contribute Element icons.
At setup, keep one Theory tile of each type hidden. Assign each tile to a Publication section when you cover its first icon. A completed section can score that Theory tile at game’s end.
Draft a die and take an action
If you have no active die, choose one from any pool. Its pool size sets Potency and its face grants the matching unrefined Metal (a question mark grants none). Use that die for one Main action and spend at least one Potency.
Your five choices: gain Metal, gain Essence, take an Experiment, take an Artifact, or perform Transmutations. Free actions may be used around the Potency you spend; see the official timing clarification.
Perform experiments
Taking an Experiment is a Main action. Performing one is a Free action: satisfy its Mastery requirement, pay the listed Metals and resolve its benefit. Gold can replace any Metal; refined Metals can replace their unrefined form. Aqua Regia and Books can help lower its requirement.
Cover a matching Element icon on your Publication sideboard, or a Wild. If no matching or Wild space remains, gain 1 VP. The first Experiment for each Element also moves a Book into your Study.
Finish your publications
At the end of round three, score completed Publication sections, Mastery, Books in your Study and leftover resources. A Theory tile scores only when all icons in its section are covered; multiply its value by that section’s Publication value. Seven Study Books are worth 36 VP.
Remaining Gold and Extra Potency each score 1 VP. Other Metals, Essences and Aqua Regia score 1 VP per three combined. See the scoring table.