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Welcome to the boundaries of space. Where worlds meet and collide. Where mysteries abound and fortunes are there to be made – destinies to be forged, aboard the Mandelbrot space station. Do you have what it takes to beat the technobazaar, get the best deals, fulfill ship orders, trade, scheme and outwit all the other Merchants of Infinity?
Merchants of Infinity is a space-bound game of resource-management, worker-placement, hand-management, set-collecting, auctioning and making lots and lots of money! Will you have the cunning and skill to master the markets, buy, trade and profit from the wildest dreams of spacers far and wide? You will need to use strategy, guile, quick-thinking and planning ahead to amass a fortune and win the game!
M.O.I takes place on Mandelbrot: a space station on the more-pleasant reaches of fractal space. Traders, adventurers, travelers and tourists explore its crowded streets, sample its strange foods and trade and negotiate their way to profit and prosperity. Gameplay is in several phases: First player is determined by a separate card-slinging round; second, the real trading begins then lastly, scores are resolved and we begin again! Whoever makes the most profit and gains the most Platinum (Victory Points) in a set number of rounds wins the game.
Players are influential merchants with wide-ranging influence and money to invest, to maximize profit. Should they trade in technology or navigational charts this cycle or put their money into spices, jewelry and food? Will they win their desired resources at a bargain price at the auction or secure a valuable order for goods at the spaceport? The clock turns, the warp winds and fractal space unfolds..!
—description from the designer
- Turn order minigame seems interesting.
- Vying to get the most valuable resources first becomes very cutthroat.
- Steampunk theme mixed with space is interesting.
- Includes solo variant (rules coming soon).
- Space merchant, negotiating and attaining goods at the best price to maximize profits
- Mandelbrot, a space station in the pleasant region of fractal space
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Players choose three cards in total from any combination of ship orders and/or vortex cards.
- Dice Rolling — Steam labs involve rolling a d-10 to determine trade value.
- Player order bidding — Using cog cards to determine player order, with values and effects.
- Resource Management — Managing goods to fulfill contracts and score points.
- Set Collection — Gathering specific goods to fulfill contracts.
- Take That — Nova spaces have a more take that element that affect other players.
- Worker Placement — Players will place one trader at a time on available spaces.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- The game has a steampunk theme mixed in with space - which I find interesting.
References (from this video)
- Tight interaction in two-player mode
- Fast rounds and quick setup
- Multiple scoring paths via contracts, side quests, and market actions
- Aesthetically appealing, especially for a prototype with strong components
- Prototype components with stickers and placeholders
- Two-player variant may have less interaction compared to higher player counts
- Some randomness from dice/draw mechanics
- Uncertain publisher/designer details in early prototype phase
- Trade and negotiation in a developing, spacefaring market
- Industrial marketplace with a steampunk vibe, exploring a circular resource economy
- Abstract/eurogame-like with thematic flavor tied to market activity and contracts
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- contract fulfillment — Players complete contracts and can convert resources into higher-value outputs.
- Contracts — Players complete contracts and can convert resources into higher-value outputs.
- Dice Rolling — Certain actions involve rolling a die to determine outcomes or bonuses, adding an element of randomness.
- Market Pricing/Manipulation — Resources are sold to a market whose prices fluctuate over the course of the game.
- market-driven pricing — Resources are sold to a market whose prices fluctuate over the course of the game.
- Steam Lab / dice-based resolution — Certain actions involve rolling a die to determine outcomes or bonuses, adding an element of randomness.
- Turn order bidding with cog cards — A bidding phase determines the order of play, adding strategic choice and interaction.
- Two-player variant with a dummy/dedicated spaces — The two-player setup introduces a simplified/dummy player mechanic and limited spaces to reflect reduced player count.
- Worker Placement — Players place a worker on market spaces to gain resources, bonuses, or actions.
- Worker placement (work replacement) — Players place a worker on market spaces to gain resources, bonuses, or actions.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this game is a work replacement game
- it's a prototype, so everything you see here is prototype components
- the rounds go fast
- I will win by one point
- I enjoy the artwork here I think it's really a fun science fiction artwork