Gather your courage, merchant! In Merchants of the Dark Road, you lead a caravan through dangerous, monster-filled lands during a perpetual dark season. It's a strategic Euro-style board game for 1 to 4 players, ages 12 and up. The heart of the game is a clever rondel (a circular action selection wheel) in the capital city. You'll move around it, gathering resources, hiring famous heroes, buying and selling goods, and manipulating market prices. You need to prepare your caravan with lanterns for the journey and then venture out onto the dark roads to deliver goods and heroes to distant villages. The twist? Your final score is based on the LOWER of your two totals: Fame and Money. So you can't just hoard gold or chase glory - you have to carefully balance both to win. With beautiful artwork, immersive theme, and deep strategy involving resource management, pickup-and-deliver, and set collection, games run about 60 to 120 minutes. It's a fantastic choice for gamers who love thematic, thinky games with tough decisions and a unique scoring challenge. Will you become the most legendary merchant?
