There is some great news about the upcoming big-box expansion for “Merchants Cove” named “Merchants Cove: Master Craft.” The game’s publisher, Final Frontier Games, made several announcements via Kickstarter: that so far, the game has raised over $280,000, the campaign is now 700% funded and 14 stretch goals have already been unlocked at the time of writing. “Merchants Cove: Master Craft” currently has more than 3,300 backers, including 2,200 returning backers. This is a clear indication the game is doing quite well financially and enjoying well-deserved popularity.
Much like the base game, “Merchants Cove: Master Craft” will also include a Solo Mode. So far, 3 Solo Scenarios have been unlocked, but more are certainly on their way. In a 3-part campaign, players will take on the role of a merchant opening their shop for the first time. That won’t be easy, though, as they will be up against tough competition from the peddler. So far, no further details have been added.
Venture into the Cove Again – New Treasures Lie Inside!
“Merchants Cove: Master Craft” will include new merchants, new adventurers, new criminals, new inhabitants, and the “Faction Festival” expansion.
The Faction Festival will expand the game substantially. There will be a new board, which will connect to the bottom of the main game board. It will add tracks for each of the factions, along with brand new mechanics for each faction. The Wizards, for instance, will enchant the player’s goods to make them worth more. Whoever plays the Rogues will be able to frame the other players, which gets him rid of corruption by pinning it on opponents. They will have even more weapons this expansion in the form of new Rogue cards. Each of the new merchants will have new powers, which will make the game even more complex and unpredictable.
The debuting adventurers – the Paladins, come with a brand-new Faction Hall. Their mechanics have not yet been revealed, but based on their righteous nature and virtues, I’ll make an educated guess that they won’t like the Rogues’ faction very much.
“Merchants Cove: Master Craft” is being developed by the trio consisting of Jonny Pac, Carl Van Ostrand, and Drake Villareal, the minds behind the original “Merchants Cove”. The game will be published by Final Frontier Games – a board game publishing company based in North Macedonia.
Players who wish to obtain a physical copy of the “Merchants Cove: Master Craft” expansion can do so via Kickstarter, but they will have to back the project with $69 – note it will not include the “Merchants Cove” base game, which is required for playing the expansion. Should backers want both the expansion and a base copy of “Merchants Cove”, they need to prepare $79. There is also the Merchants Cove Bundle, which includes all unlocked stretch goals, the base game, all previous expansions, and a copy of “Merchants Cove: Master Craft”. The price for the Merchants Cove Bundle stands at $214. “Merchants Cove: Master Craft” is set to release in September 2023.