How to Play Merchants Cove: Game Maker

Objective of the Game

In Merchants Cove - Game Maker Merchant, you play as Johann S. Pach, a game maker racing to get your games to market before your campaigns close. Your goal is to cleverly build your tableau of possible actions by melding and rotating Design cards to create games. You must keep a close eye on the boats, as they will dock and lock down your campaigns, preventing you from adding more content. The player who best manages their campaigns and earns the most points wins.

Preparation (Setup)

To set up the game:

1. Place the three Stall cards in front of you horizontally.
2. Place your two starting Action cards (marked with a checkered flag) and one starting Staff card (marked with a checkered flag) in front of you horizontally.
3. Construct the Building Pile by combining the remaining Action and Staff cards into a face-up deck, and set it nearby.
4. Shuffle your Design cards into a face-down deck and set it nearby.
5. Draw and place 2 Design cards into the Logistics Stall (leftmost). Do not flip or re-orient them.
6. Add the 4 Closed Campaign cards (closed dock) above the corresponding Open Stalls (docks).

Flow of the Game

The game progresses through a series of actions where players draw, lay, flip, and meld Design cards to target specific games to markets of customers at each pier. Players must manage their campaigns carefully, as docking boats will close campaigns and lock down further additions. The game continues until a specific end condition is met, triggering the final scoring phase.

Actions and How to Play

Players can take various actions during their turn:

• * ? Hours: Recruit Townsfolk - Recruit Townsfolk to your Staff board.
• * 2 Hours: Activate Staff OR Build - Activate Staff actions or build new Action or Staff cards.
• * 2 Hours: Draw & Meld 3 - Draw 3 Design cards and meld them into open stalls.
• * 2 Hours: Move & Meld 1-5 - Move and meld 1-5 cards from one stall to an adjacent stall.
• 1 Hour + 1 Corruption: Draw & Meld 2 - Draw and meld 2 Design cards.
• 1 Hour + 1 Corruption: Move & Meld 1-3 - Move and meld 1-3 cards.
• 1 Hour: Recruit Rightmost Townsfolk - Recruit the rightmost Townsfolk.
• 1 Hour: Activate 2 Staff - Activate 1-2 Staff actions.

Staff Actions allow players to perform unique actions that bypass normal restrictions on melding, placing, and moving cards.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when a specific condition is met (consult the manual for details). Points are scored based on the games created, sponsorships earned, and other criteria. The player with the most points wins.

Tips for Winning

• Keep a close eye on the boats and plan your campaigns carefully to avoid being locked out of adding content.
• Use Staff Actions strategically to bypass restrictions on closed campaigns.
• Focus on melding cards efficiently to maximize your points during the Market Phase.