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Battle Merchants: New Kingdoms
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- 2015
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- BGG #7,882
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Battle Merchants
2014
Rules assistance for Battle Merchants
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.9/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Battle Merchants
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Battle Merchants is a board game released in 2014 for 2–4 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Gil Hova and its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Open Drafting, and Action Points.
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About the game
In a faraway land, the Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Hobgoblins stand on the brink of war. After years of failed peace negotiations, they have finally decided to take up arms and stand ready to fight – which is great news for you because you'll be selling them their weapons. Battle Merchants is an economic game set in a fantasy land in which players manufacture four different weapons, then sell them to various warring races. Demand for each type of weapon differs throughout the game, but a well-crafted weapon will last longer. On each turn, players can forge weapons, sell a weapon, upgrade craft (to build better weapons), or take a Kindom Card (for special powers); for players with a high-enough level of craft, a fifth action is available: forge and sell a weapon in the same turn. Players earn money by selling weapons, and it's permitted (nay, encouraged!) to sell your weapons to both sides of the same battle. The game takes place over four seasons in one game year. At the end of each season, the races fight with the weapons that the players sold. Weapons are at risk of being destroyed in battle, and surviving weapons earn money for surviving. After all, someone has to get paid to sharpen all of those weapons... At the end of the game, the player with the most money wins.
Designers
Publishers
- Minion Games
Questions and answers
Battle Merchants supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Battle Merchants is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Battle Merchants for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Battle Merchants has a complexity rating of 2.9 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Battle Merchants belongs to these categories: Fantasy and Economic. Its main mechanics are Area Majority / Influence, Open Drafting, and Action Points. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Battle Merchants are: Gil Hova. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Battle Merchants as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.