Battle Merchants

About this board game

Battle Merchants is a 2014 economic board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 120 minutes. Set in a fantasy land on the brink of war, it puts players in the profitable position of manufacturing weapons for Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Hobgoblins.

Players produce four different types of weapons and sell them to the various warring races. Demand for each weapon changes throughout the game, while carefully crafted weapons can survive longer. You are even encouraged to sell weapons to both sides of the same battle, turning conflict into a commercial opportunity.

On a turn, a player can choose from several important actions:

• Forge a weapon
• Sell a weapon
• Upgrade craft to build better weapons
• Take a Kingdom Card for a special power
• At a high enough craft level, forge and sell a weapon in the same turn

The game unfolds across four seasons in a single year. At the end of each season, the races fight using the weapons players have sold them. Weapons may be destroyed in battle, but those that survive earn money for their owners, representing the ongoing value of keeping them sharpened and ready.

Battle Merchants combines production, sales, upgrading, and changing demand with the uncertainty of seasonal warfare. Each sale can bring immediate income, but the weapons that endure the fighting can provide further rewards. When the year ends, the player with the most money wins.