Merchants and Marauders Review - Still Worth It?

Join us as we take a look at the 'sandbox' style Pirate game published by ZMan games.
Brief (ish) rules overview followed by what we do like and what we don’t like...skip the rules overview if you get bored. I did!

[@soulofastro]

We use a couple house rules with M&M: 1. You can only move twice when leaving a port. 2. Your turn ends when you enter a port. 3. Port Actions are done when it's not your turn.

[@esolo114]

It takes 1 action to enter the port, 1 to do the port action, and 1 to leave. Ending your turn in the same sea zone as you started. Most people that have problems with port hopping are just playing wrong.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

We didn’t play it wrong. People always say that when some one criticises their favourite game. It’s tiring.

[@esolo114]

You have a KZbin channel about reviewing boardgames, what'd you expect?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

@esolo114 I don’t expect to be subjected to insufferable bores

[@esolo114]

I don't what made you think that. It's the internet son.

[@GeneraluStelaru]

Funny, I dusted the M&M box yesterday. Am going to play it today. I don't agree with your criticism though. If everybody is focused on their port action simultaneously, then that means everybody has something to do. That's great! Using the variant where the port action ends your turn almost eliminates the down time. Secondly, I have played several session in which a captain's death simply delayed a winning player for a turn or two. Death is NOT game over. You retain your points and your stashed gold. Finally, port-hopping is fixed with the cut-throat variant - players can scout off-turn. The brutality is there, but who cares if it's unfair? It's bloody fun!!!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Hurrah!!! 👍🏻

[@tostare]

"a captain's death simply delayed a winning player for a turn or two. Death is NOT game over. You retain your points and your stashed gold." - I played this for the first time last night and this is the rule we played, I didn't realise it was a variant. The way we thought of it is that you're not playing the captain, you're playing his *backer* who is safe on land somewhere. Stashing gold basically means the captain is giving it to the backer.

[@GeneraluStelaru]

@@tostare That itself is not a variant. Stashing would make no sense if you would lose everything upon the captain's death.

[@tostare]

@@GeneraluStelaru I realised I mis-read your comment, sorry - it's the port action ending the turn that's the variant you meant.

[@GeneraluStelaru]

@@tostare Yes, and the off-turn scouting. Both, I think, are included in the expansion rules.

[@ProgressIsTheOnlyEvolution]

This is the best review I have seen on this game. Very good about showing both the pro's and con's. Great review!

[@ronyrodrigues1966]

I was waiting for this one haha Mate I LOVE this game... In fact that's one of my favorites. I have never seeing someone saying it is a bad game, but there are people who just don't click with it, some people sort of "like it" but find it "Strange" at least... I don't feel the game to be imbalanced, maybe because I immerse myself so much in that game that I understand it to be VERY HARDCORE; The seas were ruthless and if you make a bad move, that is it, you are done and there is no coming back, deal with it and I love it. Some points I would like to add after my so many plays (with expansions) -Downtime: If you are not playing with people that can make plans, future plans, people that have a minimum of a strategy, that don't have bloddy clue of what they want to do; That game will HALT to a point that you will wish you were dead instead playing the game. C'MON YOU HAVE JUST 3 ACTIONS MOVE-MOVE-SELL/BUY YOU'RE DONE! haha -Combat: I love the complex combat it is brutal but FAIR (lucky sometimes, but fair), and if you reach a point where eveyone are saling with sloops and 1 player is destroying everyone with a bloddy man o'war... maybe it is time to acknowledge that person as the winner and move on. -Being a pirate is absolutely worth it... you can SKYROCKET to victory, but you can screw yourself very fast if you are not buring money and going only for lucky rolls blablabla... - There is a variant to "solve" port hopping; You sacrifice 1 action on your next turn to end your turn to be always scouting eveything entering your zone during other players turn. Well I think I said too much here XD

[@chrisc1625]

"My advice to you, as in life, is don't get killed..." Love that comment.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

😂👍🏻

[@ProgressIsTheOnlyEvolution]

Yeah had a good chuckle at that one 😂

[@tostare]

I played this last night with 3 other players, it was the first time for all of us. I enjoyed it, maybe because I won. :) I think that we were mostly a bit too cautious - next time I think there will be a lot more attacking of other ships or each other.

[@Felikios]

Well... it is an amazing game when you like what you are getting. If you want to enjoy the experience of being a merchant or a pirate and you accept that you cannot calculate everything and there is a lot of dice rolls. You are up for it. Bonus if you grew up with Sid Meyer's Pirates back in the 90s :) You go out at sea and you lookout for merchants (you know there might be one) but you might NOT see one. You have to accept it. and are you failing all your rolls while the other guy succeeds all... Well... Part of M&M life. In combat the strongest will normally win, but dice will always create toothless beasts and memorable heroes. A lot will experience the sloop that took down a manowar (not very often though. Will they ever forget it? no way :) that's an experience ) If you want to do your best calxculating play and very likely win go play ...On Mars (which is a masterpiece). This is supposed to be fun. :) :) I hear the expansion fixes a lot of things. There is a suggestion to have a limit of glory points you can get with trading good so you will have to turn to piracy sooner or later :) needs a bit of modules and house ruling so that everyone is happy. but OH MY, what an experience :)

[@adamsteineke4661]

The port hopping... wouldn't a pirate ship attack you if you move out of port and into the sea space where they are? They have a chance, right?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

More often than not no…

[@VGA322]

Your definition of "port hopping" isnt exactly accurate. You are safe at ports but if you have a bounty and cross a navy ship, or you cross a pirate ship, coming out of the port into that sea area then they immediately do a scout action to try and hunt you. So while you CAN eacape with a good dice roll (dependent on their stats) you can be forced into combat you dont want to be in. However I do agree that ports take way to long per action and being a Merchant is definitely more beneficial. Overall the game has good and bad. For me, at least is does a lot right. But, even though I only played this recently, I grew up playing this sort of game back in the late 90s and early 00s so it oddly has a nostalgic feel to it that may help contribute to it not being as boring for me. Good overview of the game, ejoyed the watch!

[@bulabroha]

Nice, KZbin recommending me a 3 yo review of one of my favorite games randomly. Highly recommend the expansion.

[@stuarthollister857]

Great review, See you next Tuesday...;)

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Hehe 😉

[@vinclash7763]

I love this game! 👍

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Not quite sure what to make of it...enjoyed the nonsense of it all and the encounters etc, but the chances of losing everything after a battle is far too great. Maybe the expansion sorts this out?

[@vinclash7763]

I think the expansions might. I can't see how they can just leave the game like that. It's quite a challenge and it is a dragging annoying down time game. Not for AP players. I have the patience of an Angel and a Saint but gee wiz I tell them either shyte or get off the pot mate F@#$&$# MOVE!! 😄😄

[@vinclash7763]

For what the game is I have fun. I do understand what you mean when you were describing what you don't like about the game. I agree.

[@theshogunstein6475]

Great review, no BS.

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

Let me ask you something. Did the expansion fix the pitfalls of the base game? I heard it did but don't know for sure.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

It’s out of print mate so I dunno...maybe if someone else reads this they can give an answer?

[@Rohanfansite]

@@BoardGameBollocks It really does! You should honestly not test this game without the expansion, though I suppose it's too late to say that now 😅 Many QoL changes, new events, new special weapons for more flexibility in fights, contrabands (those are essential) new mid tier ship, balanced galleon, locations (huge gameplay addition), new ship mods.. And much more.. Find the base game to have too much luck/RNG? Use favors from expansion. (this saved the game for our group). And the expansion is Modular, so you can decide yourself what you want to add.

[@Jellytums]

I really like your review. You called out the down time , the brokenness. Your review is spot on. I find it really helpful and I will skip this game.

[@crossrhodes14]

This game has been dethroned Dead Reckoning is the new king of pirate themed board games

[@barrybadranath]

I literally just received this plus the seas of glory expansion today. Stop spying on me statham!... Ive heard all the negatives before about this one and also hope the expansion helps with these problems. I do love Xia: Legends of a drift system and Ive heard this is somewhat similar so well see...

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Let me know how the expansion improves the game. Eager to know 👍🏻

[@henrikwakman7776]

This was a hilariously fun review!

[@BoardGameBollocks]

👍🏻

[@BLDTHEGAMER]

In your opinion which pirate game is the best or the most fun, you've had with it?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

To be fair we’ve not really played that many but it will have to be Jamaica, Rum and Bones (for sheer variety) or Cartegena 4. If you count Francis Drake as a pirate game then that’s definitely up there.

[@ProgressIsTheOnlyEvolution]

@@BoardGameBollocks Have you played Dead Reckoning or Puerto Rico? I would love to try Jamaica & Rum and Bones. Thanks for the review.

[@vincent9329]

I like this game but I have the shyte or get off the pot rule. When we play we give 1-2 minutes or else they're going to have to SWAB DA' DECK!! YEEEEEEAAAR!!

[@wolvz7081]

9:09 She doesn’t like getting wood on her wedding night.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Boom boom! 🤣

[@danielmarlett1421]

Unicorns with nuclear weapons. Sign me up

[@BoardGameBollocks]

They’re in the LSD expansion 🤪

[@vinclash7763]

Dead Men Tell No Tales is a great pirate game too! 👍👍

[@barrybadranath]

It is really fun and hard!

[@vinclash7763]

It's a real challenge!

[@sunbl0ck]

If you're going to title your video "still worth it?" I suggest you throw some alternatives in there, otherwise what's the difference from a regular review?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

The difference is I say at the end whether it’s still worth playing today as opposed to not saying it.

[@sunbl0ck]

@@BoardGameBollocks what has changed though?

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Dunno what you mean mate...like/don’t like/is it worth playing still - yes or no. Simples.

[@sunbl0ck]

@@BoardGameBollocks I thought I was going to get some information as to why it's still worth playing in comparison to when it was first released. Anyhow, are there any other board games that you would suggest over this one? Something similar but better? Thank you for your review by the way, I don't mean to dis you.

[@BoardGameBollocks]

XIA is probably better than this...I wouldn’t play it with more than 3 though.

[@giacomomallamaci5649]

it looks like Port Royale's boardgame, doesn't it?

[@giacomomallamaci5649]

the iconography and the map looks like just printed from the screen :D

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Isn’t Port Royale a card game?

[@giacomomallamaci5649]

@@BoardGameBollocks I meant the offline video game, which was something I really enjoyed. This year they should release Port Royale 4 and I am buzzing for it kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmPJiZ9_mJd1gc0

[@BoardGameBollocks]

Oh I see...I don’t play video games so I’m totally ignorant of anything later than Left 4 Dead 2 🤷

[@giacomomallamaci5649]

@@BoardGameBollocks well the experience looks very similar (at a point it really feels like that Merchant and Marauders should be called PORT ROYALE THE BOARDGAME) to what you described in this review, hence if you give it a go you won't regret it (no downtime btw... yay)