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[philosophyguy]

This is a puzzle rather than a challenge because I don't have a specific answer in mind…I just want to see what the community comes up with.

The puzzle: is there a board where the game could plausibly end with the Potion pile depleted? The game doesn't necessarily need to end on piles, but at the end of the game the Potion pile must be empty.

Bonus points is emptying Potions is not only plausible but in fact the best play in the situation.

[AdamH]

4 or 6 player Vineyard + Alchemist + supporting board might be a good start?

[ehunt]

ambassador punishment if you're too lazy to buy a curse.

[AdamH]

ooh! That could be a thing! 6-player game where everybody needs a potion card to start (Apothecary?) and then wants to ambassador away their potions after the Apothecaries run out. It likely only takes three plays of Ambassador on potion to run out the pile.

[DG]

Swindlers and jesters can empty the potion pile. In a game with potion cards and spies for example the spies can target an opponent's spies for swindling to potions.

Talismans can empty big piles of cards so that could feasibly be the potion supply if there are no easier cards to exhaust.

Using an ambassador to distribute potions seems unlikely but if your opponent has sages or ventures then perhaps it becomes a good idea.

[Davio]

Jester for sure in, like, 4p Alchemist/Vineyard games, wouldn't be that out of the ordinary.

[jomini]

Jester and Ambassador can both go crazy passing potions to 3 other players.

Similarly, if an opponent goes Kc/Sab and you have Vineyards and some nice 2 coin actions, you want as many potions as possible - Sab will turn them into actions and you  want a steady supply so you can buy vineyards whenever the opponent misses his Sab.

Other possible shots:
Workshop/Forge/Watchtower/Hamlet - you have no other 4 cost cards and for some reason the most efficient setup is to gain 2 pots and forge them every turn.

Upgrade/Develop/Remake with no other 4 cost card out. Something like Workshop/Upgrade/Watchtower/Grand Market/Border village could make for a strong setup for Workshop (gain Pot) -> Upgrade (Pot to 5, reveal Wt) -> Upgrade (5 to Gm or Bv). Again, rare, but possibly the best move.

[Davio]

We also must not forget that the Potion pile isn't very deep (16?) so once a bunch of Potions have gone out, the pile may become a target for a 3-piler, accelerating it's depletion.

[DStu]

Develop into awesome $5x2+awesome$3x2, Potion being the only $4?  Something like FV+Wharf+Rabble+Village (+Bank, Vineyards)

[werothegreat]

ambassador punishment if you're too lazy to buy a curse.

I've totally done this before.  With both Potions and Curses.

[blueblimp]

Using an ambassador to distribute potions seems unlikely but if your opponent has sages or ventures then perhaps it becomes a good idea.

It's a reasonable play if both amb and alchemist are present. You want 1-2 potions to keep your alch stack going, but more than that just gets in the way. Since you have potion(s) anyway, you don't need to junk yourself with a curse.