Merchants of Amsterdam

About this board game

Merchants of Amsterdam is a 2000 board game for 3–5 players that takes about 90 minutes to play. Players compete to become first- or second-place majority holders across Amsterdam’s commodity markets, trading colonies, and warehouses.

On each turn, the active player draws three cards and chooses how to resolve them. A card may be removed from the game, kept by the player, or offered to the other players in an auction. Cards let players advance or place markers in the game’s various categories, making each decision important to the struggle for majorities.

The game’s distinctive feature is its spring-driven auction clock, which runs the Dutch auctions. The clock starts at a higher price and ticks downward as players wait. When someone decides the current price is right, they slap the clock to stop it and pay the amount shown, creating a tense contest of timing and value.

• Compete for first- and second-place majorities.
• Develop positions in commodity markets, trading colonies, and Amsterdam warehouses.
• Choose whether to remove, keep, or auction drawn cards.
• Use the spring-driven clock for descending-price Dutch auctions.

Time-marker cards move the game through historical phases based on Amsterdam’s history. These phases can have no effect, trigger scoring for particular categories, award bonuses, or introduce penalties as wars begin to disrupt business markets. As the final phase arrives, the changing historical situation brings the game to its conclusion.

With its blend of majority competition, card choices, shifting historical phases, and real-time auction tension, Merchants of Amsterdam turns every purchase into a test of judgment and nerve.