# Merchants Cove: The Oracle ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2021 - **BGG Rating**: 7.9 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 1-5 (Best with: 3) - **Duration**: 60-90 min - **Weight**: 2.33 / 5 - **Designers**: Carl Van Ostrand, Drake Villareal, Jonny Pac - **Artists**: Mihajlo Dimitrievski - **Publishers**: Final Frontier Games, Devil Dice Games, Fabrika Igr, Galakta, Mosaico Jogos, Pegasus Spiele, Super Meeple, TCG Factory, TLAMA games - **Categories**: Economic, Expansion for Base-game, Fantasy - **Mechanics**: Commodity Speculation, Dice Rolling, Line Drawing, Turn Order: Time Track, Variable Player Powers, Worker Placement ## Verdict Perfect for those who love asymmetric gameplay and the tactile feel of a premium Roll & Write.Unique and immersive componentsInnovative rune-throwing mechanicGenuine asymmetric experienceEasy reset with dry-erase boardRequires the base game to playDice luck can be frustratingRECOMMENDED ## Description Ever thought about making a living by selling hope (and maybe a bit of questionable mysticism) to desperate adventurers? In 'The Oracle', you step into the shoes of Haggatha, a seer who doesn't shy away from an opportunity to empty the gold pouches of anyone walking through her door. The goal is simple: read the stars, divine the future, and, if necessary, add a touch of voodoo to ensure the customer leaves satisfied—and you leave much wealthier. But it's not just about mysticism; it's about management! You'll need to balance the offering of lucky charms and horoscopes while making sure your 'darker' practices (or the pile of dirty dishes in the sink) don't scare away the honest clientele. The real twist here is that the expansion transforms the experience into a 'Roll & Write' style game. Forget boring paper notes; you get a dry-erase board, a marker, and a custom dice tray. The gameplay flow is dynamic: you throw a handful of runes—including a coin, a bone, a voodoo meeple, and a die—into a divided dish. Depending on where each item lands, you record the results on your board, performing strategic actions and attempting to predict what's coming next. It's the perfect blend of luck, planning, and the tactile satisfaction of manipulating unique components. If you love asymmetric games where each character plays in a completely different way, Haggatha is the perfect addition to your table. Prepare your crystal ball, organize your shop, and remember: destiny is malleable, especially if you have the right runes! ## How to Play Game Objective As Haggatha the Oracle, you run a shop where you deal in fortunes for the unfortunate. Your goal is to read the stars, divine the future, and twist fates to part customers from their gold by offering lucky charms and horoscopes. You must balance your pursuit of profit with your "dark dabblings" and the maintenance of your shop to ensure you don't scare away honest customers. Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção regarding specific victory conditions. Setup Place the Oracle Shop board, Staff board, Sale Shelf, and the dry-erase pen on the table in front of you. Roll the 5 Runes into the Divining Dish. If all 5 Runes fall on the same side of the Divining Dish, roll again (this rule only applies during Setup). Keep the Charms (small Goods) and Tomes (large Goods) nearby and ready for use. Place the Oracle figure onto the Activate Staff action space. Game Flow The game progresses through turns. Before each of your turns, you must gather all 5 Runes and roll them into the Divining Dish. This roll determines your available options for the turn. Rune Roll Result: If all 5 Runes fall into the same side of the Dish, you must draw 1 Corruption card. Rune Placement: If a Rune misses the Divining Dish entirely, place it in the half it landed closer to without changing its value. If a Coin or Die result is unclear, gently shake the Dish until it settles. Your choice of action space is limited by how the Runes fall. Most actions require two specific Runes to lie in the same half of the Divining Dish. The strength of an action often depends on the result of the Die or Coin. Actions and How to Play Twisting Fates (Cost: 1 Hour) Requires the Coin to lie on the same side of the Divining Dish as the depicted Rune. If the Coin shows the Skull face, you must also draw 1 Corruption card. Choose one of the following: Fill in two ±1 bubbles. Fill in two Move 1 bubbles. Immediately draw an X in either the Horoscopes or the Faction Area. Star Charting (Cost: 2 Hours) Requires the Bone and at least one Die to lie on the same side of the Divining Dish. If both Dice are on the same side as the Bone, use the higher result. Draw a number of lines equal to the Die result, connecting two adjacent dots orthogonally. Enclosing Areas: Enclosing a 1×1 area: Fill it in and move a Charm (small Good) of the matching color from your supply to your Sale Shelf. Enclosing a 2×1 area: Fill it in and move a Tome (large Good) of the matching color from your supply to your Sale Shelf. Restrictions: No Goods are gained for other sizes or 2×1 areas containing two different colors (though these may be subdivided later to gain 2 Charms). Corruption: Draw 1 Corruption card if you enclose an area using any lines from the Corruption Cross. Divination (Cost: 1 Hour) Requires the Voodoo meeple and one Die to lie on the same side of the Divining Dish. If both Dice are present, use either one. Count a number of Customer icons equal to the Die result (starting from the top-left or the right-most drawn line) and draw a vertical line after the last one. This is your Active Prediction. Choose a Customer color by filling in all non-matching colored bubbles in that Active Prediction. Resolving Predictions: Every time an Adventurer is pulled from the Adventurer bag: If the Adventurer does not match the color of an Active Prediction, cross out one Customer icon within it. If the Adventurer matches, the Divination is a success. Circle the remaining non-crossed out Customer icons and select a bonus: 3+ icons: Move 1 Tome of any color to your Sale Shelf (or a lower tier bonus). 2+ icons: Move 1 Charm of any color to your Sale Shelf (or a lower tier bonus). 1+ icons: Draw a Market icon in the Faction Area or an X in a Horoscope sequence or Faction Area. Horoscopes (Cost: 2 Hours) No Rune combination requirement, but more efficient if both Dice lie together. Select one side of the Dish and write each Die result into the leftmost empty box of either Horoscope line. Top Sequence: Numbers must be exactly 1 higher than the previous (after 4, reset to 1 or X). Bottom Sequence: Numbers must be exactly 1 lower than the previous (after 1, reset to 4 or X). X Bonus: An X can begin a sequence, follow any number, or be followed by any number. Bonuses: Filling a box with a bonus above/below it grants that bonus (e.g., moving Charms or Tomes to the Sale Shelf, drawing X or Market icons, or discarding a Corruption card). Faction Area Contains Sponsorship Icons for each Faction: X: Gain Immediate Sponsorship from the matching Faction Hall. Market Icon: Gain a Market Phase Sponsorship from the matching Faction Hall. Staff Actions Recruit/Replace Townsfolk: Recruit from the Town Square and assign them to a Staff Ability. Activate Staff (Cost: 2 Hours): Activate each Staff Ability that has a Townsfolk assigned to it. Examples include the Exorcist (draw an X), Astrologist (draw 2 lines on Star Chart), Palm Reader (fill 2 Twisting Fates bubbles), and Security (discard 1 Corruption card). Twisting Fates Bonuses You begin with one of each bonus filled. You can use them by crossing out a bubble: ±1: Increase or decrease a die value by 1 (1 can become 4 and vice versa). Move 1: Move 1 Rune to the other half of the Divining Dish (values are preserved). End of Game and Scoring Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção regarding the game end trigger, specific point counting, and victory/defeat criteria. Tips for Winning Manipulate your Fates: Use Twisting Fates bonuses to change Die values or move Runes to unlock more powerful actions, such as increasing the number of lines for Star Charting or the size of a Divination. Strategic Divination: When performing Divination, remember that larger Active Predictions (higher Die results) provide higher tier rewards, such as Tomes instead of Charms. Manage Corruption: Be mindful of the Corruption Cross during Star Charting and the Skull face during Twisting Fates, as both force you to draw Corruption cards. Use Security staff or Horoscope bonuses to discard them. ## FAQ ### Do I need the base game to play? Yes, this is an expansion. You need Merchants Cove to use the Oracle. ### Is the game complex? If you're already familiar with the base game, the learning curve is smooth. It introduces Roll & Write mechanics, which are intuitive but strategic. ### What's in the box? You get the dry-erase board, a marker, a custom dice tray, and the runes (coin, bone, voodoo meeple, and die). ### How many people can play? The expansion allows for changes in player count, making the game more flexible for different group sizes. ### Is it a fast game? A full game of Merchants Cove takes between 60 and 90 minutes, depending on the number of players. ## Price Comparison ### Best Offers in Brazil - **Taverna Real**: R$ 124,19 (https://www.tavernareal.com/tabuleiro/enseada-dos-mercadores-a-oraculo-expansao?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Caixinha Boardgames**: R$ 124,62 (https://www.caixinhaboardgames.com.br/produtos/a-oraculo-expansao-enseada-dos-mercadores/?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Leão Livros**: R$ 167,29 (https://www.leaolivros.com.br/enseada-dos-mercadores-a-oraculo?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **Bravo Jogos**: R$ 231,57 (https://bravojogos.com.br/jogos-de-tabuleiro-e-cardgames/expansoes/expansao-enseada-dos-mercadores-a-oraculo-p?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on Compara Jogos: https://www.comparajogos.com.br/item/enseada-dos-mercadores-a-oraculo ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 12.62 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3921681&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 13.76 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=4169351&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 19.27 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3019727&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 19.36 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6546909&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 19.38 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5283594&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 20.69 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6722317&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 21.74 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=2652422&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 22.26 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=2799785&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 23.49 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7155396&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 24.00 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=5420203&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/31171/merchants-cove-the-oracle?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com