MERCHANTS OF INFINITY is a merchant trading game, with a steampunk twist, set in spaaaace! Players are influential merchants on the fractal space station Mandelbrot, who send their traders (meeples) out into the Technobazaar, where they collect resources to fulfil valuable ship orders, complete side-quests and gain extra advantages to score the most platinum and win the game! From the creative team that brought you TOP HATS AND TREACHERY, get ready to plan, scheme, laugh and rake in the rewards as you become the best MERCHANTS OF INFINITY!
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BOARD IN AWESOME 3D NOW!
The amazing SELWYN from BOARD'S EYE VIEW has created a wonderful 3D experience of seeing the game! You can click on the photo above to enter the rabbit hole and also check out his review of the game HERE!
Merchants Of Infinity (MOI) is at heart a Euro-style worker-placement / resource-management / set-collection game, wrapped around the theme of space adventures and steampunk inventions.
Trader meeples can be placed on resources spaces (Eg: Tech, Souvenirs, Ore), sent to the Space Docks to collect a Ship Order, go to the Vortex Bar to collect a bonus side-quest, hire an extra Apprentice trader, visit Station spaces for extra advantages or (in a more player-vs-player) game, visit the optional Nova spaces to enact shenanigans against their rivals.
If you miss out on the combination that you wanted, you can bid at the Auction for an extra resource or go to the Steam Lab at the heart of the station and combine your resources to make and sell a mad steampunk invention to earn you platinum instead!
This is a great "safety net" so that everyone can achieve something each turn and you always feel like you're accomplishing something!
Every game is different and there is loads of replayability because every round, the Market wheel turns and the values of the goods changes, plus the Fractal Mirror introduces new effects each turn (eg: temporarily blocking a resource or giving bonus points to ship orders). It really feels great when you find a winning combination and plan out your strategy to succeed in a record-size profit!
You can download an "in-progress" copy of our rules HERE. Since then, we've been working with playtesters and rules editors to iron out any ambiguities, add extra explanation - and there is all the bonus content and expansion pack information to finalise, as well as extra content from the special "Legendary" and "Notorious" pledges and, of course, the names of the backers! Sebastian has been brilliant at pulling everything together and we will be producing the final version once the campaign is complete, so think this version but MUCH BETTER, really clear and with lots of extra material.
THE BEST THING ABOUT MERCHANTS OF INFINITY IS..!!!
As a quick summary of the game and in honour of the first ever "gamer's game" that was close to my heart, let me ask and answer a question: What is the best thing about MERCHANTS OF INFINITY?
High-quality components (eg: 300gsm White-core card, with plans to upgrade to Black Core with linen-finish), amazing graphics, everything that you need to play! The graphic design work by SEBASTIAN KOZINER and our gorgeous art from TAN HO SIM and ENGGAR ADIRASA has been absolutely excellent and really brings the game to life!
Guess who’s just arrived! Yes, we're adding even MORE to the game!
We have created several mini-expansions to add extra content and challenges, from high-risk, high-reward orders to protoplasmic ooze and space pirates! These add new dimensions to the game, allow you to bend rules and introduce extra ways to play!
THE VICTORIAN IMAGE STEAM YACHT brings in LUXURY orders: High-risk, yet high-reward, that will let you jump forwards in your score - if you can score it in time!
THE PROTEUS ASTEROID is the source of the protoplasmic OOZE that acts as a super-valuable chameleon resource which will not only fill any gap in your order requirements, but can actually be stockpiled over to another turn, allowing you an opportunity to complete multiple ship orders in a single turn!
THE TIMBERWOLF DREADNOUGHT brings high-value WEAPONTECH orders that need three goods - and a trip to the SteamLab! With a random element thrown in, you could score big!
Finally, LA DUENDE'S REVENGE is the harbinger of what else but PIRATES! No, better than that: SPACE PIRATES! No, even better than that: SPACE PIRATE GHOSTS! As they begin to haunt the station and steal loot, will you be the one to lay them to rest and steal their treasure?
If you'd like to watch a great 2-player PLAYTHROUGH of the game, please check out this video from Johannes and Sunniva of BOARD GAME RAMBLINGS!
Solo gaming is becoming more and more popular, so why not take on The Game and try to out-wit Mandelbrot yourself! THE HUNGRY GAMER did a really fun play-through of the solo mode, which had some hilarious twists and turns. Mark from NOT BORED GAMING also produced good feedback and stunning photos. Finally, I received a wonderfully detailed review from Jason Moore, famed for his DECK OF FIFTY-ONE reviews. Thank you, guys. From your feedback, I have improved the AI, adding random elements to the COGS mini-game to keep things challenging. I have also even added a special ADVERSARY MODE (suggested by my wife!), which brings new challenges, as the game itself is actually out to *get you*! This brings in more competition, adds in the Nova Spaces and more! It should really keep the Solo Mode challenging and fun to play!
Here is Jason's solo playthrough review and it is a *joy* to read. It feels like a great sci-fi short story and could be told by a visitor to Mandelbrot, hanging out and shooting the breeze!
We love our massive chunky meeples and we’re not alone! The reviewers love them!
PLAY
***LEGENDARY ACCESS AND NOTORIOUS ACCESS ALSO INCLUDE A COPY OF:
THE DELUXE MODE!
We knew as soon as we were taking this to Kickstarter that we wanted to be able to offer the backers something really special if they wanted to upgrade their gaming experience. The first idea was deluxe metal coins. The second was 3D miniatures. The third was upgraded components.
We spent half a year on research, asked a thousand questions and this is what we've come up with:
A) YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, WE'RE GOING FOR DELUXE METAL COINS!
When we saw the "GLOOMHAVEN" deluxe coin-set, we went "YES!" This was what we were thinking about for the game. A deluxe velvet bag of beautiful deluxe custom metal coins, all ready to turbo-charge your game. We'll ask the backers to help choose our metal finishes (GOLD/SILVER/BRONZE, etc).
B) 3D PRINTED SHIPS...
We loved the idea of being able to offer backers not just tokens of the EXPANSION PACK ships but actual 3D models of them that they could add to their game. So... We designed. We bought 3D models. We researched. We asked many, many questions. The answers were... tough. It would take WAAAAAYYYY more than our Funding Goal (plus a massive delay) to be able to offer 3D miniatures. But then we came up with another idea.......... We give you the files. You print them yourselves. (And yes, we very quickly realised that this means that you could print yourself a FLEET of ships for your own purposes, if you so desire..! You know... for reasons...)
C) UPGRADED COMPONENTS
That's one of the odd things about MERCHANTS: It's a resource-management game without the hassle of having hundreds of resource tokens: chunks of ore, styalized bricks, etc. We'd already made AWESOME meeples, improved the coins and upgraded the ship tokens. So what was left? Oh, yes. The Expansion Pack resources...
So, we sourced delightful purple gemstones for the OOZE tokens and 3D pirate tokens! Muahahahahah!
PUT YOURSELF INTO THE GAME!
One of the most sought-after pledges in our previous game, TOP HATS AND TREACHERY (THAT) was the change to put yourself in the game. Therefore, we created two sets of opportunities to put your own creative spin and personality on Merchants of Infinity:
LEGENDARY: NAME & CREATE OUR CHARACTERS!
First (and this was INCREDIBLY hard!) we held off naming any of the amazing characters from the Technobazaar - the ten shop owners and the six Vortex Bar contacts... because we wanted to give YOU the chance to name them yourselves and create their backstories! You'll be credited for it and have your ideas showcased in the rules book alongside the character artwork. If there's a favourite that you have, make sure to get in first! You'll work with Andrew to create their identity and see them really come to life! Want to see who we're talking about? Well, here we go!
PLAY
+ ARE YOU NOTORIOUS?
Secondly, we have created a set of WANTED cards, which are like super-valuable BOUNTY card but very hard to get. If you go for this pledge, you'll be able to send us a suitably Steampunk or Sci-Fi photo of yourself and we'll create your very own card! You could come up with your own dastardly crime... or are you an innocent fugitive out to clear your name? It's up to you to decide!
We will be working with the excellent pledge manager GAMEFOUND to handle the logistics of collecting details and organising shipping after our campaign with GAMESQUEST to fulfil the games all around the world. Our goal is to get the game to everyone by May 2021 (COVID complications allowing) but the sooner, the better. We're also doing our best to give extra discounts where possible - see our shipping estimates below! Once the campaign has been completed, you’ll need to input your address details and add shipping to your pledge as appropriate. We'll get all the details completed and get things in motion as soon as possible, so thank you in advance for your help!
THE TRAPPINGS OF FAME!
Yes, we've been on the TV again... Great thanks to Sean Evans, and Tycko Constam from OMG NEXUS / KICKING TABLES and Mark Cooke of AIRECON and BOARDGAMETV fame! It was such a pleasure to talk about MERCHANTS and get extremely geeky and excited describing how the ideas for the game came about, extra "behind-the-scenes" secrets and all about the Expansion Packs! Thanks, guys!
BoardGameTV interview: Interview starts at 49 seconds when we went live!
PLAY
Please back us to keep up to date with all the latest news on the project. You can find the main game page at www.merchantsofinfinity.com and our Board Game Geek page at https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/306287/merchants-infinity
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rogueartistcreations
Get in contact via email at gmfirst@rogueartistcreations.com
Find us on Twitter at @RogueACreations
…and please, please, please help us to spread the word on social media, blogs, YouTube, BGG, Reddit, Instagram and more! MANDELBROT NEEDS YOU!
Risks and challenges
THE STORY SO FAR: MERCHANTS OF INFINITY has been in development for three years and has been through lots of improvement, playtesting, expansion, review and thousands upon thousands of hours of hard work. Gameplay has been honed, extra optional content has been developed and so much research and investigation has been done to create the best possible version of the game to get into the players’ hands. We would have loved to have been out and about at conventions, meeting & greeting people and demo’ing the game but this has, of course, not been possible due to COVID.
For this reason, we need your help more than ever to help us get the word out about MERCHANTS and make the game a success. If all goes well, we hope to see you at the UK GAMES EXPO next year! The extra content of the LEGENDARY and NOTORIOUS pledges will be completed ASAP and we’ll get everyone’s details sorted via GameFound and GamesQuest, so that we can get production and fulfilment started as soon as possible. We’re still not sure exactly what restrictions and added complications COVID will bring over the next few months but stick with us and we’ll keep you up-to-date with news and updates.
BEHOLD! The updated Kickstarter Video for MERCHANTS OF INFINITY, coming ASAP for Tuesday 22nd September!
ROGUE REVIEWS RPGs!
#29 SKÅL!
“SKÅL!” Raise your cup and shout a toast to the Norse gods and goddesses! Drink to friendship, drink to victory, drink to glory!
“SKÅL!” (Cheers! in Norse)
SKÅL! is a Norse-themed dice-stacking, card-collecting game. It can be played as a fun game for all the family or (if you choose) a rowdy adults-only drinking game!
www.skalgame.com
ROGUE REVIEWS RPGs!
#28 MERCHANTS OF INFINITY
It's here at last! Coming to the UK GAMES EXPO in June for your delight and delectation. The sc-fi, worker-placement / resource-management board game from Rogue Artist Creations Ltd. It's a great game with beautiful art, fantastic meeples, great components and gameplay that gives a really good depth of strategy while being simple enough to play from the get-go!
Find out more at www.merchantsofinfinity.com !
So, what’s SKÅL! all about?
It’s a Norse/Viking dice-stacking game where warriors are sitting in the mead-hall, laughing and joking with each other, casting runestones (dice) and offering toasts of “SKÅL!“ (Pronounced SKALL = “Cheers!”) to their gods and goddesses. Each turn, you draw a card, then race to be the first person to stack your dice to match the design, raise your cup and call out, “SKÅL!“ Fastest player claims the card and whoever gets 9 points of cards first wins!
PROTOTYPE PLAYTESTING UNDERWAY NOW!
Here's the mood board for our artwork so far.......
ROGUE REVIEWS RPGs!
#27 CRYSTAL HEART
Originating from the wonderful webcomic UP TO 4 PLAYERS, Crystal Heart is a variation of the SAVAGE WORLDS ruleset. In a world where people literally have hearts of stone, the players are heroes/heroines (...or are they?) who scour the land for lost crystals of power, which transform them into superpowered beings! Are they the saviours of the land or troublemakers who leave chaos in their wake? It is up to you to discover that for yourselves!
ROGUE REVIEWS RPGS!
#26 MOUSE GUARD
The next chapter of ROGUE REVIEWS starts off with a personal favourite! Yes, we're now reviewing RPGs and one very close to my heart is MOUSE GUARD, based on the wonderful comics created by David Petersen and adapted for RPG play with Luke Crane. MOUSE GUARD takes you into a world where someone with a heart as brave as a mouse can make all the difference to a world in peril. Whether you face the evil machinations of weasels, fight off ravening foxes or (in my case) bring your players to the brink of all-out war, espionage, apocalyptic struggles and riddles within riddles within riddles, it is a JOY to play!
ROGUE REVIEWS #25
ABOVE AND BELOW
A richly-illustrated and beautiful game with great mechanics and a brilliant blend between resource management, worker placement and role-playing game RPG goodness! Gather villagers to build huts, collect resources, then go adventuring into the caverns far underground in search of glory! We really love this one at home and each game is a treat! Please check it out, like, share and subscribe now!
ROGUE REVIEWS #24
LIBERTALIA
Have you ever wanted to be a pirate? YARRRRRRR!!!
This week, we play LIBERTALIA, a brilliant [card/worker-placement?] pirate-themed board game, where you loot, plunder and settle down after a life of roguery. Will you pick up a chest of gold, follow maps to untold riches or be stuck with a pile of cursed relics! Adventure awaits, so let's set sail!
ROGUE REVIEWS #23
CENTURY SPICE ROAD
Who's up for a brilliant deck-building, spice-trading game, set on the fabled Spice Road? We have cinnamon, cardamom, saffron and turmeric to trade and a whole host of places to take it to! Build your game engine, cycle through your deck, upgrade your resources and fulfil contracts in this excellent game, which comes with metal coins and even sculpted resource bowls! Lovely!
ROGUE REVIEWS # 22 YEDO
YEDO! What a game! Have you ever wanted to play Samurai Lords Of Waterdeep in overdrive? Then welcome to YEDO! Plan, scheme, buy, trade, negotiate and rise to power in this absolutely stunning game! With incredible artwork, great components, wonderful depth of strategy, very deep gameplay and extremely rewarding play!
ROGUE REVIEWS #21
braggart
Come and get your BOAST ON! What happens when the heroes and heroines have returned from the dungeon, slain the monsters and looted the bodies? Well, they head straight for the tavern and boast about it! In this charming and silly little game, the ale flows and the tales grow ever-taller as you see who can become the greatest BRAGGART!
ROGUE REVIEWS #20
WAGGLE DANCE
BEE our guest, BEE our guest, as this game now we will test! Build your hive and lay your eggs to make your honey; it's the best! (Odd. Anyway..!) WAGGLE DANCE brings a new twist to resource management, from Queen Bee cards to collecting pollen - and did we mention the gorgeous BEE DICE?! Buzz on by and watch this little gem of a game now!
ROGUE REVIEWS #19
DOMINION
Long, long ago, someone decided to create a whole new type of game, a game where you didn't just play with a deck of cards, you BUILT YOUR OWN. DOMINION was the great-grandaddy of all the deck-building games around today and it has quite the reputation (plus a million add-ons and expansions). However, is the original game itself a joy to play or a relic of the past? Well, get ready to choose between your Feasts and Festivals, Militia and Mines, because we are about to venture into DOMINION!
ROGUE REVIEWS #18 SHERIFF
OF NOTTINGHAM
"WHY A SPOON, COUSIN?!" "BECAUSE IT'S DULL, YOU TWIT. IT'LL HURT MORE!" If you, like me, were first introduced to the amazing Alan Rickman not as Severus Snape but rather as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the utterly wonderful Robin Hood, Prince Of Thieves, then you have a soft spot in your heart for Nottingham and its Merry Men! This game is a brilliant push-your-players-to-near-breaking-point in social deduction and is a squirmtastic lot of fun!
ROGUE REVIEWS #17 ESCAPE
FROM THE ALIENS IN OUTER
SPACE
This was INSANE to film and is ridiculously funny to watch! Stuck in an attacked space station, with lights flaring, monstrous sounds in the darkness and hideous beasties hunting you, it's time to ESCAPE FROM THE ALIENS IN OUTER SPACE! This is a VERY intense game and sure to create hair-raising tension!
ROGUE REVIEWS # 16
SMALL WORLD
A packed-in-like-sardines, adventurous fantasy romp, SMALL WORLD plays fast and dirty with area-control and smash-your buddies... but all in the best possible taste! An entertaining and exciting game that is keen to remind you that you can't spell "slaughter" without "laughter"!
ROGUE REVIEWS #15 SUSHI GO
If you do not already own this game, order it NOW from your Friendly Local Game Store! SUSHI GO is a brilliant little "take one, pass them on" set collection game with super-kawaii artwork and massive replayability. Perfectly pocket-size and great for any audience, this is a much-treasured part of our game collection!
ROGUE REVIEWS #14 DIXIT
"Is this your card?" This isn't some vaudeville card trick, it's DIXIT! A bizarre, artistic French guessing game that is in fact a BRILLIANT gateway game, provided huge amounts of replayable interactive fun and make a beautiful present for those acquaintances of yours who should really, really PLAY MORE GAMES!
ROGUE REVIEWS #13
BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL
Welcome to our first horror spooktacular! BETRAYAL A.H.O.T.H. is such a fantastically wicked piece of entertainment. Mixing together the creeping horror of a collaborative trip to a haunted house with the panicking terror of competitive player-versus-player thrills. Whether you're facing the WOLFMAN, DRACULA or the dread PIRATE QUEEN, you have FIFTY DIFFERENT POSSIBLE ENDINGS! (Plus even more with the WIDOW'S WALK expansion!)
ROGUE REVIEWS #12
= CHRONONAUTS
Great Scott! This is heavy! Welcome to a time-travelling adventure that throws you back in time into the 20th Century, where you will re-write history, travel through reality, loot the past (and the future), fulfil your mission and go home!
SEASON 2
ROGUE REVIEWS #11
= ALIEN FRONTIERS
We're back! Starting over Christmas and progressing into the New Year of 2021 and what a year it's turning out to be so far. It almost makes you wish that you were far, far away in the distant future: journeying and exploring beyond the stars, in a land of ALIEN FRONTIERS!
ROGUE REVIEWS #10
= SEASON 1 FINALE!
= LORDS OF WATERDEEP !
Here we are at the end of our first season already and we are finishing (for the moment!) on a bang! The utterly amazing LORDS OF WATERDEEP is a titan amongst worker-placement / resource management games. It is much-beloved and justly so, for it combines excellent theme with great mechanics, so much depth and detail, wonderful artwork and also an excellent (and thematically appropriate) expansion! So, become a power behind the throne, a schemer in the shadows and get ready to steer the quests and destinies of the little people as you rule from above as a Lady or Lord of Waterdeep!!!
ROGUE REVIEWS #9 - PLANET
A unique game of tactical kinaesthetics, can YOU hold and build a WHOLE WORLD... IN YOUR HAND? Planet is a game of literal world-building, terrain mapping, set collection (and set avoidance), spatial reasoning and global safari challenges. When you hold the fate of the world in your palm, who will be the winner?
ROGUE REVIEWS #8 - VICEROY
Here is a game that many of you will not have seen before. It takes elements of several other successful games such as 7 Wonders, Splendor and Kingsburg and mixed them together. There is resource management, character powers, auction bidding and multiple victory goals. If you like the idea of this, then not only should you watch this, but also check out our previous videos on those excellent games
ROGUE REVIEWS #7 - 7 WONDERS
Take on the power and might of ancient empires and build their glory for yourselves. Become a military general, a great architect, a cunning trader and a supreme ruler. The mechanics are simple, but there is layer upon layer of strategy, different routes to victory and plenty of replayability!
Both in the family game and in the DUEL version (plus lots of expansion packs!) From the birth of civilisation, construct magnificence in a race to complete... the 7 WONDERS!
ROGUE REVIEWS #6 = KINGSBURG
KINGSBURG! A beautifully balanced game between theme and mechanics, with worker-placement/resource-management strategies, great production value, really fun gameplay and LOTS of replayability, especially with the absolutely cracking expansion!
ROGUE REVIEWS #5 = NOCTILUCA
Noctiluca is a delight of a game - wonderfully colourful, with so many beautiful dice to play with. The strategy is fairly simple but it's so much fun to play and we've come back to it again and again! A great experience for 2-4 players with lots of dice-wrangling fun and bonus points aplenty!
ROGUE REVIEWS #4 = FIVE TRIBES !
FIVE TRIBES - the game that gives you MORE and MORE and MORE and MORE !
A game which changed the way that we played and learned games. It also features a cracking expansion that we now ALWAYS play with (and three more that we use to varying degrees). A really good family game and one that works well with 2, 3, 4 (or even 5) players. Five tribes is a frequent and very welcome visitor at our table! Check out our BIGGEST REVIEW YET !
ROGUE REVIEWS #3 = SPLENDOR !
The absolutely brilliant small box game of jewel collection - THIS IS A GREAT GAME! Light on theme, simple on mechanics and infinitely playable! We have made people gamers by playing this game with them! Whether for a Christmas present, a family treat or just to reward yourself, you need this game in your lives!
ROGUE REVIEWS #2 = CARCASSONNE !
IT BEGINS! Episode #1 went up OK so let us now begin the ride! For our first independent review, we're looking at CARCASSONNE - a true classic game that spawned a thousand expansions and has seen game table time all over the world. Do we like it? Would we recommend it? Well, let's have a look!
ROGUE REVIEWS #01 -
TOP HATS AND TREACHERY !
This was our first attempt - to see if the format works and to play around with all our lovely video effects and animations. If you already know about T.H.A.T, then feel free to get onto our first independent review below = CARCASSONNE! If you'd like to hear us explaining where this strange and wonderful ride began, then head on in and check out TOP HATS AND TREACHERY!
SEASON 1 GAMES
01 - PILOT = TOP HATS AND TREACHERY
Our trial run, you might say. People say, "Write what you know,", so to test out the format, we reviewed own Victorian card game of prestige, backstabbing and hilarious shenanigans.
02 = CARCASSONNE
Some games become classics for good reasons and Carcassonne for many is where their journey into the hobby began. So let's discover the birth of the MEEPLE and adventures in medieval France!
03 = SPLENDOR
A wonderful little game of gem and jewel collection that has seen more than 100 plays in our house since we bought it! A definite must for any game shelf!
04 = FIVE TRIBES
An absolutely BRILLIANT game of genies/djinns, palaces, viziers, traders, camels and assassins! Well-worth watching and playing!
05 = NOCTILUCA
A fun, engaging and extremely colourful game of about a billion dice! Explore the wild pools, feel the magic and collect the NOCTILUCA to brew potions and win the game! A fun and easy-to-pick up game that will give you a lot of enjoyment!
06 = KINGSBURG
A beautifully balanced game between theme and mechanics, with worker-placement/resource-management strategies, great production value, really fun gameplay and LOTS of replayability, especially with the absolutely cracking expansion!
07 = 7 WONDERS! A truly great game and probably the most-awarded one that I know! A simple play mechanic but lots of strategy and massive replayability - both with and without the expansions!
08 = VICEROY = A game that combines several mechanics from other successful games... but will it be successful in its own right? Known in our house as "Seven Splendid Kingsburgs", will this game of empire building, character powers, auction, resource management and set collection be a royal treat for you?
09 = PLANET = To hold the whole world in the palm of your hand... That would truly be a marvel. Well, it is your opportunity to be great and powerful in this wonderfully tactile game of terrain mapping, spatial awareness, progressive scoring, set collection and kinaesthetic exploration!
10 = LORDS OF WATERDEEP! = THE MIGHTY! THE GLORIOUS! THE END OF SEASON 1 SPECIAL!
LORDS OF WATERDEEP!!! I wanted to finish Season 1 with a really special game and this is a legend of a worker-placement game to which many other games owe their allegiance. Steeped in theme and a brilliant example of its genre, this game is a worthy finale episode to our first Season of Rogue Reviews!
