Merkator Game Rules

Hello there! I’m here to guide you through the wonderful world of Merkator. Excited? I know you are. So, let’s dive right in and discover the amazing rules of this game.

Goal

First things first, let’s talk about the goal of Merkator. In this game, your main objective is to become the greatest merchant in all the land. Yes, you heard that right! You’ll be traveling to different cities, buying goods, and selling them at a profit to earn victory points. Keep an eye on your opponents, as they’ll be trying to do the same.

Setup

Now that we know the goal, let’s set up the game. Each player starts with a player board, a set of action cards, and some starting resources. The game board, which represents the cities and their connections, is placed in the center of the table. The market board, where you’ll be trading goods, is also placed nearby. Make sure all the resources, cards, and tokens are within reach of all players.

Turn Structure

Ready to start your quest for merchant glory? Great! The game is played over a series of rounds, and each round consists of the following phases:

1. Draw and play an action card: Start by drawing an action card from your deck. These cards represent the actions you can take during your turn. Choose one card to play and place it face down in front of you.

2. Reveal and resolve action cards: Once all players have chosen their action card, everyone reveals them simultaneously. Starting with the first player, resolve each action card one by one. These actions can include traveling between cities, buying goods, selling goods, or obtaining victory points.

3. Pay your expenses: Being a merchant isn’t all profit. After resolving your action card, you’ll need to pay your expenses. This includes maintaining your caravans, hiring workers, and more. Make sure you have enough resources to cover these costs.

4. Pass the starting player marker: After everyone has finished resolving their action cards and paying their expenses, the starting player marker is passed to the next player. Now, it’s their turn to shine!

Game End

The game continues until a certain number of rounds have been played. At the end of the final round, the player with the most victory points is declared the winner and crowned the greatest merchant.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it! The rules of Merkator, explained in a simple and straightforward manner. Remember, becoming the greatest merchant requires strategy, cunning, and a bit of luck. So, plan your moves wisely, adapt to changing circumstances, and may your journey to merchant glory be filled with success. Good luck, and happy trading!

• 1 rulebook and 1 game setup sheet
• 2 game boards
• 4 office boards
• 4 scoring overview tiles
• 4 supply tiles
• 1 time chart
• 1 white Merkator token
• 16 Bonus cards
• 26 Building cards
• 78 Contracts
• 320 wooden cubes
• 66 cardboard tiles

Setup

First, I want to tell you about all the cool things you’ll find in the box. There’s a rulebook, a game setup sheet, two game boards, four office boards, four scoring overview tiles, four supply tiles, a time chart, a white Merkator token, 16 Bonus cards, 26 Building cards, 78 Contracts, 320 wooden cubes, and 66 cardboard tiles. It’s like opening a treasure chest filled with adventures!

Now let’s get to setting up the game. Start by punching out the overview cards and assembling the sorting boxes. The game board has two parts, and you should place them next to each other. And see those colored boxes? Put them in their slots, matching the colors. Finally, take all the wooden cubes, separate them by color, and put them into their respective boxes. Everything is coming together!

When it’s time to set up the game board, I have a simple guide to follow. Take the ULTIMO side of the time chart and place it next to the game board. Now, depending on how many players there are, we need to fill it with Time counters.

If there are 4 players, we need to fill all the rows. If there are 3 players, leave the top row empty, and if there are 2 players, leave the two topmost rows empty.

Any remaining Time counters that we have should be put in the sorting box, unsorted.

Hey there! Let me walk you through the setup and gameplay of the exciting game called Merkator. It’s really easy to dive into, so let’s get started!

To prepare for the game, we need to follow a few simple steps. First, we’ll sort the Contracts by their value, which you can find in the lower left corner or on the back of the cards. Once sorted, we’ll create stacks for each value: 2, 3, 4, and 5. You’ll then deal four Contracts to each player, making sure to give them one from each stack. Keep the stacks face-up for everyone to see.

Next, we’ll take the remaining value 2 Contracts and turn them face down to create a discard pile. We won’t be using those cards again, so they can take a break.

Now, let’s get to the Bonus cards. They have coin values in the lower left corner. We’ll sort them into two piles based on their values, and then shuffle each of those piles. Each player will receive one card from each pile.

Once everyone has their Bonus cards, we’ll mix the two piles together to create one big deck. We keep this deck face down.

We’re almost ready to start the game! Let’s set up the Building cards. We’ll place four of them face up next to the face-down stack.

Lastly, we’ll shuffle the Building cards that are left and keep them face down.

Also, don’t forget about the Bonus cards. We’ll place four of them face up next to the face-down stack as well.

Alright, we’re all set up and ready to begin playing!

Now, let’s talk about the gameplay. In Merkator, we take turns in a clockwise order. It’s as simple as that!

Wasn’t that easy to understand? Get ready to have a blast playing Merkator!

The person who was in Hamburg most recently will be the one to start. But if there is a tie or none of us have ever been to Hamburg, then the player who ate a hamburger most recently will start.

The starting player doesn’t get any Time counters. The player sitting to their right gets 2 Time counters, and everyone else gets 1 Time counter from the supply.

When you play the game, you’ll go through four steps on your turn. These steps are played in a specific order. Take a look at the overview on your office board to get a quick summary of what you need to do. It’s right there for you! 2

1. Making Investments

So, in the first step, I have a chance to make some investments. Now, I have a choice here. If I have 5 or fewer Contracts, I can choose whether or not to invest. It’s up to me. But, if I start off with 6 or more Contracts, well, then things change. I’m required to sell some of them and invest the money I make. Yeah, it’s a little pushy, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Now, each Contract has a value, and you can see that value right on the card. So, when I sell one of these Contracts, I get paid that amount in Taler. It’s kind of like a little payday.

But wait, there’s more! I also have the option to invest in Bonus cards and Building cards. These cards can really come in handy. Bonus cards help me collect extra goods, while Building cards give me Victory Points. And, who doesn’t love a few extra Victory Points, right?

In this game, each player can’t have more than 15 Taler. If they have more, they must immediately spend their money on Bonus cards or Building cards, or get rid of extra Taler.

When a player buys a card, they place it face up next to their office.

After a player buys a card, another card of the same type is immediately turned face up. There are always 4 cards of each type available for purchase. The player can choose to buy another card, including the new one.

Sold Contracts are put on the face down discard pile.

A player can buy more than one card during this step.

It’s important to note that a player cannot sell their last remaining Contract, as there are no new Contracts available.

When I’m playing this game, I have to make sure I don’t have more than 15 Taler. If I do, I need to spend my money on Bonus cards or Building cards right away, or get rid of the extra Taler. I put the cards I buy face up next to my office, so I can see them.

Whenever I buy a card, another card of the same type appears right away. There are always 4 cards of each type available, so I can buy more than one card if I want to. The cards I sell go on the discard pile, face down.

It’s important to remember that I can’t sell my last Contract. Once I sell it, there’s no way to get another one. That’s why I have to be careful with my Contracts and make sure I complete them before I sell them.

No matter where I keep my Contracts – whether on the office board or beside it – they all hold the same value. It’s not their physical location that matters, but their significance in the game.

2. Setting Out

Once I have my Contracts sorted, I move on to the next step, which is choosing my destination on the board. There are 12 different locations to choose from, and I can place the white Merkator token on any of them. It’s worth noting that I don’t have to physically move the token – it can stay in the same place as the previous player.

However, if I decide to travel to Spain, Italy, or Newfoundland, there’s a cost involved. I have to pay Time counters for the journey, and this cost falls only on me as the active player. Other players can join me on the journey, but they don’t have to pay anything. It’s important to note that if I don’t have enough Time counters for a specific destination, I won’t be able to travel there.

Traveling is a vital part of the game and plays a key role in determining my success. Although I won’t go into the details here, just know that it’s a crucial aspect of the game that deserves attention.

1. When I’m at a location, I grab all the goods there, including any bonus goods from Bonus cards.
2. Next, I distribute the new goods I collected onto the Storage (A-D) and Depots (E-F) spaces in my office.
3. As I continue playing, I can acquire Time counters from the time chart 7. But be careful, sometimes I might have to pay for them.
4. If I take the last Time counter from a row on the time chart, I have to do a loss-of-goods check.

3. Fulfill Contracts

Now, it’s time to fulfill Contracts. Remember, I can only fulfill a Contract if the location written on the card 8 matches where I currently am.

When I need to complete a Contract, I have to bring back all the items that are listed on the card from my office board to the general supply. It’s important to remember that I can only fulfill a Contract if I have all the necessary goods in my possession.

Once I’ve returned the items, I receive a reward. The reward is the topmost Contract from the stack of the next higher level. This new Contract card goes onto my office board, right next to the others, unless all 5 slots are already full. In that case, I can put it next to my office board.

The Contract that I fulfilled doesn’t get thrown away. Instead, it stays in my office and can be fulfilled again on future turns if the same items are available. It’s like a never-ending loop of fulfillment!

• You can complete each Contract once per turn.
• If you have multiple Contracts for the same location, you can complete them all at the same time.
• Even if you just gained a Contract, you can still complete it.

If there are no more Contract cards of the required level in the stack, you need to search the discard pile for all the cards of that level.

Shuffle those cards and make them the new stack. Then, draw a Contract from the newly formed stack.

If there are no Contracts of the required level in the discard pile, you need to draw a new Contract of the same level as the one you just completed.

It doesn’t matter where you place the Contracts – whether on or next to the office boards. It also doesn’t matter if the new Contracts you receive are placed on or next to the office board.

Trading 4:1

When I need to complete a Contract, I often find myself in need of specific goods. Luckily, there are a few ways to acquire these goods. One option is to trade other goods I have for the ones I need. For example, I can trade four goods of the same kind for one good that I need for my Contract. It’s important to note that the four goods I trade must all be of the same kind. I can’t mix and match different goods of the same color for this trade.

Another option is to trade four Time counters in exchange for one good. This can be a useful alternative if I don’t have the specific goods required for the Contract, but I do have enough Time counters. By understanding these trade options, I can ensure that I have the necessary resources to fulfill my Contracts and progress in the game. So, next time you find yourself needing certain goods for a Contract, remember these trading strategies and make the most of your resources!

In this game, there are certain rules when it comes to trading. First off, you can only trade for goods that you need to complete your contract. You can’t trade for time counters, though. And here’s the interesting part – even if a good is still in storage, in a depot, or on the Supply tile, you can still trade for it. So there’s no need to worry about those goods being out of reach.

Now, when it comes to trading, there’s no limit to the number of 4:1 trades you can make for a single contract. So go ahead and make as many of those trades as you need to get the goods you require.

Moving on to the next step – Joining Travels. This is where things get really exciting. After the active player has made their move, it’s time for other players to decide if they want to join in on the fun. And if they do, they’ll have to pay the active player. The amount they pay will depend on the rules of the game, so make sure you know what you’re getting into before you decide to join.

• You will find a time counter if you are in a major location.
• If you are in a minor location, you will find two time counters. Find map 12 to see these locations.

Major locations are colored and have larger frames. For example, France has a blue large frame and is a major location. Italy has an uncolored small frame and is a minor location.

If you join the travel, you can complete contracts at the current location. However, if you have bonus cards from this location, you will only receive 1 good instead of the usual 2.

The active player cannot stop other players from joining the travel.

Before the active player chooses the destination, it is possible to negotiate joining the travel with other players. However, any agreements made are not binding.

There is one action that any player can do at any time during the game:

When you play Merkator, you have the option to take a cube from the supply tile 13 and place it in a storage or depot area. This transforms the cube into a good, which is important because it allows you to fulfill a contract right from the start.

In the game, each player begins with one cube of each color. Here’s a visualization:

[image of a table with a picture of colored cubes]

Now, let’s dive into the Travel Phase, which is the most crucial part of the game. I’ll provide you with a detailed description so you can navigate it successfully. Once you’ve chosen a location for your turn, here’s what you need to do:

1. Taking Goods:

If the location you’re currently at is a Major location, you get to collect all the cubes that have accumulated there. Then, you transform these cubes into goods by placing them onto the office board in storage or depot areas. Each good has its own designated space on the board.

If you’re at a Minor location, you won’t find any goods available there. They’re exclusive to Major locations.

In the game, there are certain rules that govern the conversion of cubes into goods. Let me explain them to you:

• If you have 1 cube, you can convert it into either Copper or Iron.
• If you have 2 cubes, then you must convert them into 1 of each good available.
• If you have more than 2 cubes, the distribution between the two types of goods is up to you. Just make sure to create at least one of each type of good.

When you’re in Sweden and you collect 2 black cubes, one of them will be Copper and the other will be Iron.

Remember, once you collect goods during this action, you cannot put them back onto the Supply tile. Keep that in mind!

Now, here’s an additional bonus for you. If you have a Bonus card showing your current location, you will receive 2 goods. Make sure to place them in the appropriate space in your office.

Just to reiterate, when you collect 2 black cubes in Sweden, one will be Copper and the other will be Iron. Got it? Good luck!

Hey there! I wanted to talk to you about this cool Bonus card that I found. It gives you 2 yellow cubes to use on the Saltpeter space every time you visit Hamburg.

2. Get New Goods

When you go to different places, you’ll find new goods waiting for you. These goods will be placed on certain Major locations. And each location will get cubes that match its own color.

• If you’re at a Major location, you’ll see a new cube appear on each location that’s connected to it. Locations are considered connected if there’s a line connecting them. Just like in this example: Russia is the location I chose, so new cubes would be placed on Sweden and Danzig.

If the location I’m currently at is a Minor location, I’ll add one cube to each Major location that already has at least the number of cubes shown on the Minor location. Let’s say Bohemia has 3 or more cubes. If I go there, all Major locations with at least 3 cubes will get an additional cube. On the other hand, Newfoundland has 0 or more cubes, so going there won’t have any effect on the Major locations. Take a look at the example below:

The supply of goods is unlimited, but in case we need more than the approximately 40 cubes of each color, we can use proxies.

Now let’s talk about Time counters. Some locations give the active player Time counters when they travel there. You can identify these locations by the + sign next to the hourglass symbol.

When you’re picking countries like Sweden, Danzig, the Dutch Republic, Bohemia, and Denmark, you earn 1 Time counter. But if you choose Hamburg, you get 2 Time counters. The Time counters come from the Time chart, always taken from the row with counters left at the top. It doesn’t matter if you choose the same location as the previous player, you still get the Time counters.

If you go to other locations, you have to pay Time counters to travel there. You can tell these locations by the – sign next to the hourglass symbol. The counters you pay are returned to the supply.

• When you want to travel to Spain, it costs 1 Time counter. Italy costs 2 Time counters, and Newfoundland costs 3 Time counters.
• If you don’t have enough Time counters to travel to a location, you must choose another location.
• You always have to pay Time counters to go to Spain, Italy, and Newfoundland – even if the previous player went to the same location before you (because it’s considered a new travel).

4. Loss-of-goods Check

When all the Time counters in a row are taken, I flip over the last Time counter and reveal the letter(s) written on it.

• When the letter on the counter shows which storage or depot will lose goods, everyone who played the game has to return one of their goods from that column in their office.
• This loss of goods affects all players, not just the one who triggered it.
• If there is only one letter on the counter, players can choose to disregard the result and instead flip over the first counter in the next row. The letter(s) on that counter will be used instead. The replacement counter is then placed back on the time chart.
• If a player has no goods in the affected column, they don’t have to give up any goods.
• If a player has only one good in the affected column, they only have to give up that one good, even if a double letter is flipped.

Cubes on the Supply tile never get impacted when we’re checking for lost goods. So you don’t have to worry about that!

Now, let’s talk about the final round. The game wraps up with a final round if one of two things happens:

1. The first situation is when a player places their last cube on the board. That means they’re done placing cubes and it’s time to wrap things up.

2. The second situation is when someone runs out of cubes in their personal supply. In that case, we also move into the final round.

Either way, these two scenarios mark the end of the game. So make sure you keep an eye out for them!

When I fulfill a value 10 Contract, I earn the coveted Peace of Westphalia card. It’s an exciting achievement! One of the value 10 Contracts requires me to deliver 12 different goods to Hamburg. Among those goods could be Cattle and Muskets. I wonder what other valuable items I’ll need to collect for this specific Contract. It’s like solving a puzzle, trying to figure out the winning combination.

In the game, there is a time chart that keeps track of the number of Time counters available. When a player takes a turn to travel to Hamburg and there is only one Time counter left on the chart, they can take the second one from the supply. This happens only during the last turn of the game, which includes the player who caused the final round.

During this final round, there are a couple of important rules to note. First, the Forced investment rule does not apply. Second, players can acquire Time counters from the supply.

Now, let’s talk about a special scenario. If the final round is triggered by the last Time counter, and during that round, a player gains the Peace of Westphalia card, this doesn’t have any additional effect. The same is true if the Peace of Westphalia triggered the final round and the last Time counter is taken during that round.

Finally, when it comes to the end of the game, we have reached our conclusion.

Once the final round is over, we calculate the scores. The player who has the most VP wins the game. If a player has more than 5 Contracts, they need to choose the 5 most valuable ones, including the Peace of Westphalia card, and place them on their office board. The remaining Contracts are placed next to the board.

(Keep in mind that there are no mandatory investments during the final round, so players can have more than 5 Contracts in total).

• For each Contract placed on the office board, you score VPs equal to its Taler value. This applies even to the Peace of Westphalia card, which is worth 14 VPs.
• Each additional Contract placed next to the office board scores you half a VP per Taler value (without rounding).
• You also receive VPs based on the Building cards you have.

When it comes to scoring points in the game, most buildings will give you Victory Points based on the goods and Time counters you have. You can use your goods and Time counters to score for multiple Building cards, which is great for maximizing your points. Don’t forget that you can still move cubes from the Supply tile onto the office board to help score some buildings.

But keep in mind that coins and Bonus cards don’t give you any VP value. They’re still useful in other ways, but they won’t increase your score. Now, when we talk about scoring “per type of good,” it means that you get points for each different type of good you have in storage or depot.

At the end of the game, you can’t make any trades that will improve your score by a 4:1 ratio. However, you can still make 4:1 trades to fulfill Contracts, which you’ll find on page 3.

And if there’s a tie, the tiebreaker is the number of Time counters you have. So, make sure to keep an eye on those. With these rules in mind, you’re all set to play and score big!