In Compounded, players take on the roles of lab managers, hastily competing to complete the most compounds before they are completed by others — or destroyed in an explosion. Some compounds are flammable and will grow more and more volatile over time; take too long to gather the necessary elements for those compounds, and a lot of hard work will soon be scattered across the lab.
Although Compounded does involve a fair share of press-your-luck tension and certainly some strategic planning, the most successful scientists will often be those who strike a good trade with their fellow lab mates. Players are able to freely trade elements, laboratory tools, and even favors — if there is truly honor among chemists!
In the ten years since Compounded debuted, designer Darrell Louder and publisher Greater Than Games have developed and refined the design to streamline gameplay, increase player interaction, and include more real-world facts. Compounded: The Peer-Reviewed Edition is a game about scientists grappling for recognition on the edge of known chemistry and getting credit for their discoveries, all while competing for limited resources and striking deals with the competition to ensure their work gets done.
Compounded: The Peer-Reviewed Edition features new compounds, new tool tiles and rules, revised lab fire interaction, redesigned lab benches, and more. Everything in this new build of Compounded has been tweaked in some way.