# Merchants & Marauders

Merchants & Marauders is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 180 minutes and is meant for ages 13 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 6.6 out of 10 by 36 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $91.65 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 180 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 13+
- **Complexity:** 3.3 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2010
- **Categories:** Fighting, Pike and Shot, Transportation, Adventure, Nautical, Pirates
- **Mechanics:** Pick-up and Deliver, Area Movement, Race, Action Points, Variable Player Powers, Dice Rolling, Events, Variable Set-up, Bias
- **Ludoya rating:** 6.6 out of 10, from 36 reviews
- **Owned by:** 49 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 138
- **Unique players:** 125

**Designers:** Kasper Aagaard, Christian Marcussen

**Artists:** Chris Quilliams, Ben Nelson

**Publishers:** Z-Man Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alphaspel | 669 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/8941-merchants-marauders |

## Expansions

- [Merchants & Marauders: Seas of Glory](https://www.ludoya.com/games/merchants-and-marauders-seas-of-glory)

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## Rules questions

### How do I win the game and how does stashing gold work?

You win by reaching 10 Glory points on the Glory track; Glory is gained for actions like defeating foes, selling goods in demand, completing missions, and other feats, and the game ends after everyone has had their turn once someone reaches 10 (page 3). You can stash gold in your home port: every 10 gold stashed counts as one secret Glory point (up to 5 points), and stashed gold is counted secretly toward your total (page 3).

### If I move into a port, can I do port actions that same turn?

No — moving into a port uses an action but any port activities (the Port action) can only be taken once while you are in port and if you moved into that port on the same turn you must wait until your next turn to take Port actions; the Port action itself is taken instead of Move/Scout actions and Sell Goods must be the first port activity when you do take a Port action (pages 7–8).

### Can I scout for or attack a player who is in a port?

You may not scout for a Player Captain who is in port — Scouting can find a Player Captain only if they are in the same Sea‑Zone and not in port (page 7).

### How do Merchant Raids work and how do I earn the 12+ gold Glory point from them?

A Merchant Raid draws Cargo Cards to reveal Hits, Escapes, and Plunder Values: you draw 3 cards, roll Seamanship and use successes to draw/discard/exchange, apply Hit/Escape icons, and then sum the Plunder Values on the remaining cards for the gold you take (page 10). If you plunder 12 or more gold from the raid you gain a Glory point (page 10).

### What happens if a hit‑location is destroyed — can I still do Merchant Raids or certain actions?

When a hit‑location is destroyed you suffer its listed effect (e.g., destroyed Cannons reduce cannon hits, destroyed Masts limit Seamanship dice, destroyed Cargo reduces cargo capacity; further hits to destroyed locations transfer to the Hull) and you cannot perform Merchant Raids while any hit‑locations are destroyed (pages 14 and 10).

### When do I get Bounties and what do they do to me?

You immediately get a bounty when you start combat with a non‑pirate (including Merchant Raids) or when you defeat a Naval ship; each nation's bounties are tracked separately and increase along the Bounty Track (page 11). Bounties make you a Pirate (any player with at least one bounty) meaning Naval ships will hunt you and you are generally barred from entering that nation's ports, and each bounty is worth 5 gold as a reward if another player defeats you (pages 11 and 3).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/merchants-and-marauders)
- [Merchants & Marauders in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/merchants-and-marauders)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25292)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._