Dale of Merchants

Dale of Merchants came from a trade and, for about a month, sat in the “to read/play” pile with the look of a game that makes you wonder why you bought it, especially when you already own loads of similar things. After the play, though, I remembered immediately. Pangolin power!

At its core, it is a relaxed deck builder in a Dominion-style vein: you play cards, gradually build up your set, and try to make the best use of what it gives you. Explaining the basic flow takes practically three minutes, which makes it very easy to get onto the table without any ceremony.

Where it becomes interesting is in the characters and sets, which give each play its own flavour. Some of them are a little fiddly and need extra attention, but without becoming unreasonable or weighing the game down. Interaction mainly comes through how each player builds and uses their own collection of cards, so there is room to watch what everyone else is doing without losing that relaxed feel.

For me, within this category of light deck builders, Dale of Merchants jumped straight into second place, behind only Trains. Trains keeps the lead thanks to its theme and map, but Dale of Merchants is distinct and clever enough to fully justify its place in the collection—especially if you are a fan of the genre.