
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,188
- BGG rating
- 7.5
National Economy
- 1–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2025

2019
Rules assistance for 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant)
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) is a board game released in 2019 for 2–5 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by 西村裕 (Hiroshi Nishimura) and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding.
In 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant), players are the heads of trader caravans who try to accumulate the most valuable goods like gold, spices, and jade. Each round, they have to outbid each other backwards so that the least greedy one may choose the first cards of the current pool; more specifically, each player in turn declares how many cards they want to take, and whoever declares the smallest number takes that many cards. (A player can declare 0.5 less than the number they want to take, and if they do so, they return one card from their hand to the center.) The remaining players then bid for the rest of the cards, with this process repeating until each player takes cards. Each treasure has its own scoring rules depending on how many you have or how they combine with other cards in your collection. After resolving all cards this way, the player with the highest value of goods wins.
翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) supports 2–5 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 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) is 20 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 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) 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.
翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
The main mechanics of 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) are Auction / Bidding. Mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns, such as rolling dice, drafting cards or placing workers. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you enjoyed 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) and want something comparable.
The credited designers of 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) are: 西村裕 (Hiroshi Nishimura). 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 翡翠の商人 (Jade Merchant) 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.