Merchant of Venus uses many elements that come together to form a very interesting game. Players take on the roles of space traders who move their ships through interconnected systems discovering new alien worlds to trade with. As players start to make money delivering commodities in a unique supply-and-demand system, their earnings can be used to purchase better ships and equipment (shields, lasers, engines, etc...) and construct their own spaceports (which speed up trading) and factories (which create better commodities). Variations included in the rulebook allow for interplayer combat. The player who first acquires enough total value ($1000, $2000, $3000, $4000) in cash and port/factory deeds takes the day.
For the 2012 edition of Merchant of Venus from Fantasy Flight Games, the company promises that this revision "remains true to its magnificently campy core while updating the map and game components and expanding game play in surprising ways that will cause even the most hardcore fan to celebrate." That said, the player count has been lowered from six (in the Avalon Hill edition) to four, with the four races in the game being Human, Whynom, Qossuth, and Eeepeeep.
- sense of exploration and discovery
- satisfying chaining of movements
- upgradable ships and drives expand play
- drives and shields enable longer explorations
- bonus cup adds variability and keeps game fresh
- captured sense of spacefaring commerce
- roll-and-move can be punishing and feel random
- navigation spots and RNG can derail plans
- game length is long (2+ hours at 4 players)
- cultures/demands require searching 14 markers, which is tedious
- component usability could be improved (culture markers/standees)
- in two-edition box, some versions add complexity
- Trade, exploration, and spacefaring commerce
- Galaxy-spanning trade network with alien cultures
- Open-world, modular encounters via culture tiles
- Zaya: Legends of Drift System
- Embers of a Forsaken Star expansion
- Arkham Horror: The Card Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- bartering bonuses — Trade bonuses when first contacting a culture
- bonus cup — Restock and draw passenger/demand tokens, adding variability
- culture tiles and demand — Flip culture tiles to reveal demands and buy/sell goods
- green line cost — Crossing a green line costs extra movement points
- hazard spaces — Landing on hazard spaces costs credits; risk management
- navigation tokens/spots — Place a rolled die on the navigation track to influence travel direction
- Pick up and deliver — Move goods between planets for credits; central objective
- roll-and-move (speed dice) — Movement determined by ship class via dice; can be frustrating due to RNG
- ship upgrades and drives — Upgrade ships, increase cargo, drives to bypass hazards; shields absorb damage
- space ports and discounts — Trading at space ports can grant discounts
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- sense of exploration you get when you are first traversing around a galaxy discovering all the alien cultures
- bleeding roll and move
- the game stays fresh all the way through through the use of the bonus cup
- we can't really recommend Merchant of Venus
- two versions of this game in the second edition box
- I would much prefer to play Zaya Legends of Drift System
- pain in the bum bum
- the culture markers are a real pain in the bum
References (from this video)
- adds interesting race-based powers
- fun thematic flavor with TARDIS-like movement themes
- may feel overwhelming for new players
- trade routes, resource management, upgrades
- space trading universe
- classic sci-fi trading
- Cosmic Encounter (race-based powers)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- races with upgrade options and drives — pilots choose drives (red, yellow, blue) to skip spaces; upgrades influence movement and action economy
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- This is definitely a cozy game. There's no pressure here.
- The only way to find out is by playing.
- The sky's the limit.
- Will you make it in time?