Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale
Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview
1-8 players; 45-60 minutes; ages 14+
Credits
- Game Design: Clarence Simpson
- Development & Production: Mike Gnade
- Graphic Design & Illustrations: T. L. Simons
- Cover Illustration: Boris Stanisic
- Tech Editing: Andrea Dell'Agnese & Julia Faeta
- Playtesters: Samuel Bailey, Jeremy Baker, Quentin Burleson, Matthew Cangialosi, Chris Faulkenberry, Neal Hairston IV, John Jewell, Ainsley Kalb, Ashwin Kamath, James Meyers, Joel Salda, Prem Shah, Mitch Wallace, Todd Walsh, Courtney Waterman, Ryan Ward, and Matt Wolfe
- Published By: Rock Manor Games LLC
Game Setup
1. Set Out the Components
Place the 4 dice (Leather die, Wood die, Steel die, Elemental/Arcane/Wild die) and all of the Potion tokens in the middle of the table within easy reach of all players. Shuffle the Order cards into an Orders deck and place it in the middle of the table.
2. Set Up Shoppes & Sponsor an Adventurer
Give every player a Player sheet and something to write with. They may name their shoppe if they wish. Shuffle and deal 1 Sponsored Adventurer card to each player. Return any remaining Sponsored Adventurer cards to the box.
3. Deal Orders
Deal Order cards from the Orders deck face-up to form a line above each Player sheet depending on Player count:
- 1-2 players: 4 Orders to each player
- 3-6 players: 3 Orders to each player
- 7-8 players: 2 Orders to each player
If any player was dealt 3 or more Orders with double Enchantments, return all of that player's Orders to the bottom of the Orders deck and deal that player a new set of Orders.
4. Set Out the Mastery Objectives
Shuffle the Material Mastery cards. Draw one and place it on the Master side (the one with the higher Coin value) in the center of the table. Then do the same with the Energy Mastery cards. Return all unused Mastery cards to the box.
Gameplay
Merchants of Magick is played over 10 rounds. Each round is divided into four phases: the Resource Phase, the Crafting and Research Phase, the Mastery Phase, and the Customer Phase. There are no player turns in the game. All players act simultaneously in each phase.
1. The Resource Phase
Roll all 4 dice in the center of the play area so that all players can see them. Each player should write down these results in the leftmost empty column on the top left of their sheet.
2. The Crafting and Research Phase
At the same time, each player independently chooses two results (or more, see Extra Dice below) of the results rolled this round. These results will be spent on Crafting new items for your shoppe out of Leather, Wood, or Steel (the left half of the player sheet) or Researching new spells, using Elemental, Arcane, or Wild magical energy (the right half of the player sheet). In order to spend these results, proceed as follows:
a) each player checks at the top of their sheet what result types can be spent on items listed below (these are identified by the presence of a circled number)
b) for each result spent, each player crosses off that result from the column of available results, and marks the corresponding circled number for the item they are crafting / researching
IMPORTANT: Each result may only be spent to mark a single circle.
It's recommended that players put down their pencils as soon as they are finished with the Crafting and Research Phase to indicate to the group that they are ready to proceed to the next phase.
Crafting
When a result is spent for Crafting, one circle under the Crafting section will be marked. To mark a circle you must satisfy two conditions:
- The type of result spent must match one of the types shown at the top of the material column containing the circle.
- The result spent must be greater than or equal to the number inside the circle.
When all the circles on a row are marked, that item is considered complete and crafted, and can be used to fulfill all current and future Orders requiring that Item (including for your Sponsored Adventurer) for the remainder of the game. Each time you complete a row, announce it to the table, circle the Coins for that row, and gain 1 Potion.
Spell Research
When a result is spent for Spell Research, one circle under the Research section will be marked. To mark a circle you must satisfy two conditions:
- The type or result spent must match one of the types shown at the top of the magical energy column containing the circle.
- The result spent must be less than or equal to the number inside the circle.
Example: in this example, a player is debating how to spend a 6 result rolled on one of the dice. That die can be spent in the Leather, Elemental, and Arcane columns. The 6 rolled on it could be spent on any of the circles it can legally reach on the part of the sheet shown. However, it cannot be used to mark circles whose number is too high for a 6 to satisfy. Note that although the 6 meets a circle's ≥3 requirement, it cannot be used to mark a Wood ≥3 circle on the Scroll row, because a result from that die may not be spent in the Wood column — the die type must also match the column.
There are two types of spells that can be researched: Enchantments and Charms.
Enchantments are the spells you need to turn ordinary items into magical items for Orders. There are prefix Enchantments (Fiery, Shocking, Everlasting, Divine) and suffix Enchantments (of the Elves, of the Dwarves, of the Orcs, of the Dragons). Magical items have a prefix, a suffix, or both.
Charms help your shoppe get the best deals on Potions and build your reputation with your customers for having the best wares, earning you more Coins.
When all the circles on a row are marked, that spell is considered complete and researched. Completed Enchantments can be used to fulfill all current and future Orders requiring that Enchantment (including for your Sponsored Adventurer) for the remainder of the game. Completed Charms grant you bonus Potions immediately, or bonus Coins at the end of the game for fulfilling Orders in a certain item category.
Each time you complete a row, announce it to the table, circle the Coins for that row, and gain 1 Potion.
Orders
Depending on player count, each player has 2-4 Orders in their shoppe at any given time. Most Orders represent customers looking for magic items with a single Enchantment. Some Orders require more valuable magic items having both a prefix and a suffix Enchantment.
If a player completes both the Item and all Enchantments required by a face-up Order currently in their shoppe, they immediately claim that Order. That Order is moved to the side of their Player sheet and replaced with a face-down Order from the deck. A player can claim more than one Order in their shoppe in a single round.
Example: Todd has completed the Ring, Pendant, Everlasting, and "of the Elves" rows. That means during the current Crafting and Research phase, Todd can claim the Everlasting Pendant of the Elves to score 5 Coins. Todd cannot claim the Everlasting Ring of the Orcs because the "of the Orcs" enchantment has not yet been completed. Likewise, Todd cannot claim the Backpack of the Elves because the Backpack row has not yet been completed either.
In the rare case that the Orders deck is empty, after completing an Order, no replacement Order is drawn. That player will play the rest of the game with one less Order above their sheet.
Potions
Every time a player completes a Crafting or Spell Research row, they gain 1 Potion from the supply. That Potion is available for immediate use. Potions may be spent at any time to purchase Extra Dice (see Extra Dice below) or to modify die results.
Every time a player spends a result, they may also spend any number of Potions to modify that result before marking their sheet. Each Potion adds one (+1) or subtracts one (-1) to the result spent. Note that spending potions affects only the result on that player's sheet: results on other player sheets and physical dice are unaffected by potions.
Example: a '5' has been rolled on a die this round and Todd has 3 Potions. Todd wants to complete Greaves by checking the final ≥7 circle in the Steel column. Todd discards 2 Potions back to the supply to use the '5' result and modify it +2 to mark the '7' circle in the Greaves row. Todd has completed the Greaves row, so he circles 4 Coins and gains 1 Potion.
In the rare case that you run out of Potions, use any reasonable substitute token. If you are playing with large player counts, you can assign each potion color a different value at the start of the game (i.e. red = 1, green = 3, purple = 5).
Sponsored Adventurers
Each player has one Sponsored Adventurer, randomly dealt during setup, and kept for the entire game. Sponsored Adventurers are looking for a particular matching set of magical items: 1 Accessory, 1 Weapon, and 1 Armor, all with the same Enchantment.
Sponsored Adventurers function essentially as 3 Order cards that will never leave your shoppe. You may fulfill the Adventurer's 3 Orders in any order. When you fulfill an Order, you mark the specific space on your player sheet, and then claim the corresponding reward:
- 1st Order completed – Gain 3 Potions.
- 2nd Order completed – The player marks ONE crafting or spell research circle of their choice for free.
- 3rd Order completed – The player marks ONE crafting or spell research circle of their choice for free and gains the Coin reward on their Sponsored Adventurer card.
Extra Dice
Generally, players may only spend 2 results per round. However, each player has 6 Extra Dice slots that may be used at any time they want to spend more than 2 results in a round. The first 3 extra result slots are free, but the next 3 slots cost Potions. When a player wants to spend an extra result, simply pay the Potion cost (if any) and mark the Extra Dice circle just used.
Example: if a player marks 2 Extra Dice circles, then they may spend all 4 results rolled that round.
The Mastery Phase
The Mastery cards represent a Material and Energy goal for each Merchant to pursue. Masteries are earned by marking the number of circles shown in the material column or magical energy column as illustrated on the Mastery cards currently in play. All players who meet the requirements of a Mastery card immediately gain the Coins indicated on the card. Write the Coin amount in the corresponding scoring space at the bottom of the sheet. If any player scores a Mastery card, flip that card to its Apprentice side (the lower value) at the end of the Mastery Phase. Multiple players may score the same Mastery card during the same Mastery phase, but they won't after the card is flipped (so, each player may score each Mastery card exactly once).
Example: Master Blacksmith (mark 4 circles in the Steel material column) has not been scored yet, so player(s) meeting the objective will get 8 Coins. At that point, the card will be flipped to its Apprentice side, and players that meet the requirement in a future round will only score 4 Coins. Master Enchanter (mark 6 circles in the Elemental energy column) was scored in a previous round so players will only score 4 Coins when they meet its conditions.
The Customer Phase
The Customer Phase begins after all players have marked their sheets, claimed their Orders for the round, and finished the Mastery Phase. Move all Orders one space clockwise around the table.
Finally, reveal all face-down Order cards.
Players should always have the same number of Order cards in front of them as they did at the start of the game (2-4 cards depending on player count), unless the Order deck has been emptied. No Customer Phase is resolved in the final round of the game.
End of Game
After the Mastery Phase of the tenth round, the game is over. Each player should calculate their final score by adding up their Coins in each category and writing it down at the bottom of their sheet:
- Crafting: Add up all the Coins from items you completed on the left side of your sheet.
- Material Mastery: Add the Coins from meeting the Material Mastery card requirement.
- Spell Research: Add up all the Coins from spells that you completed on the right side of your sheet.
- Energy Mastery: Add the Coins from meeting the Energy Mastery card requirement.
- Completed Orders: Add up all the Coins on the Order cards that you fulfilled.
- Charms Bonus: Add up any bonus Coins from fulfilling Orders that match completed Charms.
- Sponsored Adventurer: Add up the Coins from your Sponsored Adventurer card if you were able to complete all 3 items.
The player with the most Coins is the winner!
In the event of a tie, the player with the most fulfilled Orders is the winner. If there is still a tie, the player with the most Potions is the winner. If there is still a tie, all tied players share the victory.
Solo Variant
This variant allows a single player to enjoy a game of Merchants of Magick while trying to achieve their best score. Game plays the same as a multiplayer game with the following changes:
- The player has 4 Order cards face-up in front of them. These are the Orders in the player's shoppe.
- There are also 2 Order cards face-up to the right of the player. These are the Orders waiting to enter the player's shoppe.
- Each round, instead of rotating the Orders, all Orders shift one space to the left. The leftmost Order is discarded. A new face-up Order is added from the deck to the far right end of the line of Orders.
- You may only earn the Apprentice (lower value) side of the Mastery cards.
Solo Scoring
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| 60 | Apprentice |
| 70 | Craftsman |
| 80 | Merchant |
| 90 | Master |