Gameplay
Dale of Merchants is a deck-building board game with an animal theme. Players take on the roles of animal merchants and compete to build a good deck of cards by acquiring new animal cards and using them to build the best market stal of 8 cards in the shortest amount of time.
The game features a variety of different animal cards, each with their own abilities and strengths, and there are different modules that can be added to the game to change up the gameplay. The goal of the game is to be the first player to successfully build and showcase a stall of goods in ascending order.
Thoughts
Dale of Merchants is a delightful and charming deck-building game with a unique animal theme. The game is easy to learn, yet challenging to master, with a variety of animal cards to choose from, each with their own abilities and strengths.
I really appreciate how the gameplay is not about building the best deck alone, but also handles building up a stall in front of you. This separates this game from the other deckbuilding games.
One of the standout features of Dale of Merchants is the beautiful and whimsical artwork. The animal characters are well-designed, and the cards are colorful and engaging. The game is well-balanced, and the strategy of building the perfect deck of cards makes for a fun and competitive experience. I just learned the designer of the game is also the designer of the artwork, I'm always a great fan of such games!
Overall, while Dale of Merchants is a fun and engaging game, it may not be for everyone due to the luck-based gameplay and limited player interaction. Additionally, some players may find that the game loses its replayability after multiple plays.
A copy of this game was provided to me by Myself, Lotte ;) for the purpose of writing this review. My opinion however remains my own.
BGG