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Merchants Cove box art
2021 Ranked #859

Merchants Cove

Highly asymmetric market game where fantasy merchants use distinct shop systems to produce goods and sell them to adventurers. Competing for customers, demand, staff, and sponsors makes each merchant's private engine part of a bustling shared economy.

Strategy Games Economic Fantasy Commodity Speculation Rondel

Players

1-4

Play time

60-90 min

Age

14+

Complexity

2.71/5

Rating

7.50

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.6/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

Welcome ashore! Merchants Cove is a highly asymmetrical eurogame where each player assumes the role of a different fantasy merchant with a unique shop.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

Welcome ashore! Merchants Cove is a highly asymmetrical eurogame where each player assumes the role of a different fantasy merchant with a unique shop. The merchants contend to sell their goods to the arriving adventurers at the cove’s piers—the most famous markets in the Five Realms. Each player uses their own set of role-specific components and gameplay mechanisms to produce their goods, increase their shop’s efficiency, and—most importantly—get rich! Though the merchants work independently in their specialized shops, they compete against each other to attract customers, influence the demands for goods, and secure sponsorships from the four faction halls. To get an edge, merchants can employ local townsfolk to work in their shops as staff. Or if they dare to cut corners, they can gain leverage from the corrupt lair of rogues—but at what cost? After three days of selling at the markets, the wealthiest merchant shall be declared the winner! —description from the publisher

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
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Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

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Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
1–4
Best with
1–4
Play time
60–90 min
Age
14+
Complexity
2.7/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

3
Jonny Pac Carl Van Ostrand Drake Villareal

Artists

1
Mihajlo Dimitrievski

Publishers

1
Final Frontier Games

Linked items

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