S9.E06 :: The Lord of War, Fantasy Edition
Jan 26, 2015
Battle Merchants, designed by Gil Hova, is a game where players take on the unscrupulous role of war profiteers in a fantastical conflict between the orcs, hobgoblins, elves, and dwarves. Players craft weapons to sell to either (or both) sides of a specific conflict in an effort to have the most money by winter's end. The game is an economic Euro-style game despite its fantasy setting. Players buy cards to increase their crafting abilities, which allows them to sell stronger weapons that may last longer on the battlefield. The game offers a wide range of strategies from spamming the battlefield with cheap weapons to focusing on two weapon types to outlast their competitors. Last time we played, I choose the latter strategy and still came within 8 bucks of winning the game. No one can defeat my axes.
Gil provided an incredible amount of content that would be difficult to summarize here. Our discussion ran the gamut from general design to specifics about Battle Merchants. We learned about how Gil approached designing the engine of this game as well as why he chose to set it in a fantasy world.
If you wish to learn more about Gil Hova visit him on the web at GilHova.com. Gil can also be found on social media @gilhova. If you want to purchase a copy of Battle Merchants, visit Minion Games or your local gaming store.