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- BGG #1,035
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Dale of Merchants
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,572
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters
2016
Rules assistance for Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters is a board game released in 2016 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Sami Laakso and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection.
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About the game
The world has grown smaller. Civilizations around different continents have established independent free trade cities in order to ease trading between distant lands. One of those cities, Yengzuh, is now looking for a new ruler – a new Trade Master. The post is only open every ten years and the selection of the said individual is no small task. It’s handled by holding a trading competition as it’s in everyone’s best interest to get the best merchant chosen for the job. All the participating merchants are prestigious, but the competition also tests their ability to deal with unexpected situations. After all, the winner will be responsible of keeping the global prices more fair and stable for years to come. There are only twelve free trade cities in the world. Yengzuh near Pandala is one of the oldest. The Guild of Extraordinary Traders from Dale promoted the founding of the city after the trade wars in Asia had spread too wide. The city’s harbour has tens of great ships all the time, loading and unloading passengers and cargo. In Dale of Merchants 2, players take the roles of those participating merchants learning new techniques, trading goods, and managing their stock. The player who first manages to complete their astounding merchant stall wins the game and gets access to the guild! Dale of Merchants 2 contains six new decks and can be played by itself or combined with the decks from Dale of Merchants. The game includes a new ruleset for four players that introduces team battle! These new rules greatly enhance the four-player experience by adding cooperation between teammates and cutting downtime. These rules can also be used with the original game's six decks. The new decks are: 1)Crocodiles disturb other players 2)Platypuses have more control over cards 3)Polecats have a die 4)Owls are moved to action by things that happen (mostly what other players do) 5)Fennec foxes affect all players 6) Sloths do things at the start of your next turn
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Devir
- Popcorn Games
- Vendetta
- Reflexshop
- Games7Days
- Lotus Frog Games
- Fullcap Games
- HOT Games
- Board Game Leisure
- Schwerkraft-Verlag
- Snowdale Design
- Bragelonne Games
Questions and answers
Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters 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 Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters is 30 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 Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters 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.
Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters has a complexity rating of 2.1 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.
Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters belongs to these categories: Card Game, Fantasy, and Animals. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Set Collection. 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 Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters are: Sami Laakso. 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 Dale of Merchants 2: The Era of Trade Masters 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.