- BGG rating
- 8.1
The Guild of Merchant Explorers: The Queen's Special Orders
- 1–4 players
- 30–45 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #361
- BGG rating
- 7.6
The Guild of Merchant Explorers
2022
Rules assistance for The Guild of Merchant Explorers
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 45 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for The Guild of Merchant Explorers
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Guild of Merchant Explorers is a board game released in 2022 for 1–4 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert and its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Pattern Movement.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.5
The Guild of Merchant Explorers: Party Pack
- 1–8 players
- 2025
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About the game
In The Guild of Merchant Explorers, each player starts with one city on their personal map board. Shuffle the deck of terrain cards, then reveal most of these cards one by one. Based on the terrain revealed, each player places on their board cubes that are connected to their starting city or other cubes. You want to complete areas on your board, cross the seas to new land, and establish new cities on the board. You can explore capsized ships for treasure — which gives you special placement capabilities — and create linked connections between locations to score bonus points. Common objectives can be completed by all players, with those who complete it first scoring more points. At the end of a round, all cubes are removed from each board, leaving only the cities behind, so if you don't establish new cities, you'll be stuck in the same places. The Guild of Merchant Explorers contains multiple copies of four different maps, and the game is designed so that you can play remotely with one or more copies.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- YOKA Games
- CMON Global Limited
- Alderac Entertainment Group
- Lucky Duck Games
- Skellig Games
- Origames
- Delirium Games
- 株式会社ケンビル (KenBill)
- Tabletop KZ
Questions and answers
The Guild of Merchant Explorers supports 1–4 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 The Guild of Merchant Explorers is 45 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 The Guild of Merchant Explorers for ages 14 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.
The Guild of Merchant Explorers 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.
The Guild of Merchant Explorers belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Exploration, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Network and Route Building, Hexagon Grid, and Pattern Movement. 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 The Guild of Merchant Explorers are: Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert. 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 The Guild of Merchant Explorers 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.