Variants for Merchants & Marauders

Variant #1: Race Against Time (Solo)

v2.0
by Shacky22
Based on the solo variant by BGG user GreyLord
This solo variant is designed for a solitaire player game against the game itself, while trying to maintain
the challenge that can occur in a game against other players. You will be limited on turns.
This variant is not intended for use to learn the game with as some rules are changed.

Easy Level: 30 Turns

• Shuffle the event deck and remove 4 random cards. These are set aside and used if a card requires you
to draw extra event cards. For example, the “It’s Too Quiet” card.
• You should have a main Event Deck of 30 cards to represent 30 turns.

Medium Level: 25 Turns

• Shuffle the event deck and randomly draw cards from the top until you have 1 captain of any nation, and
1 pirate sloop, and put them into play at the start of the game.
• Shuffle the event deck again and remove 7 random cards. These are set aside and used if a card
requires you to draw extra event cards. For example, the “It’s Too Quiet” card.
• You should have a main Event Deck of 25 cards to represent 25 turns.
• Randomly draw 4 captains, do not look at them, and put them in the box. You will only have 12 captains
for the game.

Hard Level: 20 Turns

• Shuffle the event deck and randomly draw cards from the top until you have 2 captains of any nation, 1
pirate sloop, and 1 pirate frigate, and put them into play at the start of the game.
• Shuffle the event deck again and remove 10 random cards. These are set aside and used if a card
requires you to draw extra event cards. For example, the “It’s Too Quiet” card.
• You should have a main Event Deck of 20 cards to represent 20 turns.
• Randomly draw 8 captains, do not look at them, and put them in the box. You will only have 8 captains
for the game.

Arrrh! Level: 15 Turns

• Shuffle the event deck and randomly draw cards from the top until you have 3 captains of any nation, 1
pirate sloop, and 1 pirate frigate, and put them into play at the start of the game.
• Shuffle the event deck again and remove 14 random cards. These are set aside and used if a card
requires you to draw extra event cards. For example, the “It’s Too Quiet” card.
• You should have a main Event Deck of 15 cards to represent 15 turns.
• Randomly draw 4 captains, do not look at them, and put the other 12 in the box. You will only have 4
captains for the game.
Note: Bonus Challenges found at the end of this variant.

Game play changes:

Since you are the only one playing, and there’s a lot of ocean to cover, a few changes will need to be
implemented to make it a bit more challenging. This will also add the pressure that can come when

Merchants & Marauders and all associated properties are copyright Z-Man Games, Inc. and their respective rights holders.
BoardGameGeek.com and the creator(s) of this variant rulebook are in no way associated with Z-Man Games, Inc. For feedback,
send a message to user shacky22 on BoardGameGeek.com. Original design and English version by Christopher Ebert.
playing a multi-player game and other players hunt you.

NPC Pirates:
NPC Pirates, visiting ports, overhear rumors of your success in trading and seek you out in hopes of
finding the rumor to be true along with a ship full of loot.
Note: This is only a game mechanic for purposes of theme and will not be implemented on the board. The NPC Pirate
miniatures will not physically enter ports.
Pirate’s Get a +1 to their Scouting roll if you have over 40 gold on board your ship.
As long as you have no Bounties, and if there is only one Pirate NPC, it will hunt you at a range of two
spaces away instead one.

NPC Naval Ships:

Reports of your piracy are passed are not discreet and merchants are quick to point out your deeds
and point the navy in the last direction you had been spotted. The Navy will send out scouts in modified
sloops to locate your ship and report your location.
Note: This is only a game mechanic for purposes of theme and will not be implemented on the board. Extra Sloops
will not be added to the board.
As long as you have Bounties, Naval Ships will hunt you at a range of two spaces away instead of just
one if there are only 1 or 2 Naval Ships are on the board.
If you have a bounty of the nation of the Naval Ship scouting for you, its Scouting roll gets +1.

Ships and Ship Modifications:

Sloops and Flutes:
If you have 4+ Ship Modifications, the following changes apply.
• NPC Pirate Sloops have: Extra Cannon Port, +1 Gold Reward (6 total)
• NPC Naval Frigates have: Extra Hammocks
Frigates, Galleons, and Man-o-War:
If you buy/capture one of these ships, the following changes apply.
• NPC Pirate Sloops have: Extra Cannon Port, Extra Hammocks, +3 Gold Reward (8 total)
• NPC Pirate Frigate have: Chasers + 1 Gold Reward (16 total)
• NPC Naval Frigates have: Extra Hammocks, Extra Cannon Port
Frigates, Galleons, and Man-o-War:
If you have 4+ Ship Modifications, the following changes apply.
• NPC Pirate Sloops have: Extra Cannon Port, Extra Hammocks, Advanced Rigs & Sails, +5 Gold
Reward (10 total)
• NPC Pirate Frigate have: Chasers, Extra Cannon Port, +3 Gold Reward (18 total)
• NPC Naval Frigates have: Extra Hammock, Extra Cannon Port, +1 Cargo Card when Plundering
• NPC Naval Man of War gain: Long Guns, +1 Cargo Card when Plundering
Note: If you capture NPC ships with Modifications, you only get the ship and loot. The modifications were
destroyed beyond repair in the battle.

Merchants & Marauders and all associated properties are copyright Z-Man Games, Inc. and their respective rights holders.
BoardGameGeek.com and the creator(s) of this variant rulebook are in no way associated with Z-Man Games, Inc. For feedback,
send a message to user shacky22 on BoardGameGeek.com. Original design and English version by Christopher Ebert.
Combat:
• If the NPC Captain’s Seamanship skill or Crew are higher than your Seamanship skill or Crew and has
a Leadership at least 1 lower than yours, he will attempt to board your ship. Otherwise he will continue to
choose “shoot”.
• If NPC has less Cannons or Crew than the you, it might attempt to flee. To determine this, roll a number
of dice equal to the difference between your Leadership skill and their Leadership skill (minimum of 1). On
a success, the NPC will attempt to flee, otherwise it will choose “shoot”.
• Once the NPC ship has taken actual Hull damage and is at one Hull point he will attempt to flee. If
you have chasers, he will attempt to flee when he is reduced to two or less hull points after taking hull
damage.
• If your hit-location rolls are skull icons, which allow your target to pick it’s hit location, the NPC will
choose what ever they have the highest on. In case of a tie follow this priority list.
1) Cargo 2) Masts 3)Crew 4) Cannons
Note: They will never choose Hull if something else can be targeted.

Glory Cards:
Glory cards that can be used against other players are instead used against NPCs of the same type the
card targets (Pirate or Naval) or the Timer Cubes. You may use them in the following ways:
• To make the NPC ignore you for purposes of hunting you. On a success, the NPC ignores you and
moves according to the event card.
• If an NPC ship scouts for you and succeeds, force the NPC to re-roll his Scouting check.
• Move the Timer Cube that advanced last back down the track a number of times equal to the successes
made on the roll. Any card that targets a player may be used to do this.

To determine if you succeed or not, roll the required skill roll on the card.
For example, the Betrayed card states “Target a pirate-player after he/she selects the “port” action. The Captain must
make a Leadership check.” So you would have to roll the Leadership check stated on the card for the outcome. And
this card can only be used against a pirate.
If the roll fails, you lose the card.
If there is not a listed roll, use your Leadership skill.

Bonus Challenge: these challenges take the multiple ways to win, making them all mandatory.
On the Glory Track, put one of each colored cube.
Green represents Glory Points from Missions
Yellow represents Glory Points from Rumors
Red represents Glory Points from Marketing (Selling 3+ in-demand goods or buying a Frigate/Galleon)
Blue represents winning combat (Versus any NPC or 12+ gold in a merchant raid)

Bonus Challenge Levels Win Conditions - Can be integrated into any level of this variant
Initiation - 10 Glory points and you must have at least 1 Glory Point of each color.
Medium - 10 Glory Points of any color but all Glory Points must be within 3 points of each other.
Hard - 10 Glory Points of any color but all Glory Points must be within 1 point of each other.

Merchants & Marauders and all associated properties are copyright Z-Man Games, Inc. and their respective rights holders.
BoardGameGeek.com and the creator(s) of this variant rulebook are in no way associated with Z-Man Games, Inc. For feedback,
send a message to user shacky22 on BoardGameGeek.com. Original design and English version by Christopher Ebert.
 Variant #2: Automated Players
v1.0
by Shacky22
Based on the solo variant by BGG user boris95
This variant is designed to automate other players for if you desire the experience of playing against more
people in either a solitaire or a multi-player setting.

Setup
• Choose a color to play for yourself and follow the normal player setup. Then choose the colors for the
automated player(s), called bots, you want to play against. You can choose to play against as many bots
as you desire.
• When choosing the ship for the bot, refer to the captain skills. If the Scouting skill is 3+, give it the Sloop
and it will follow the Pirate rules. If the scouting skill is 2 or lower, give it the Flute and it will follow the
Merchant rules.

Merchant Bot Rules:

The Merchant bots follow a priority list much like you are used to with NPC ships. If the first one is not
true, then move to the next.
1. If 30+ gold is in cargo hold, will buy Galleon
2. Make any repairs in the first available port
3. Will go to closest port with cargo in demand that merchant has 3+ of.
4. If ship is Galleon and 15+ gold in cargo hold, will head to home port to stash in incriminates of 10.
5. If pirate is in Sea Zone, will scout to collect bounty. If bot ship is flute, will only scout for sloops. If bot
ship is galleon, will scout for frigates and sloops. If there is a tie between player pirate ships, follow priority
for NPC ships in rulebook.
6. Will see if rumor card is true if it has one.
7. Will go to closest port with cargo in demand that merchant has 2 or less of.

If a Merchant enters a port, it will always use it’s next action to port. Even if that means it has to wait a
turn.
When in port follow priority.
1. Sell goods in demand.
2. Repair damage if needed.
3. Recruit crew if needed.
4. Will buy goods. 3+ goods top priority. If not available, 2+. If only singles, buy one for the closest in
demand.
5. If the merchant has no rumor, and has the gold and at least one cargo card, will attempt to find a
rumor. If a rumor is drawn that will give bounties and/or benefit a Pirate, discard it.
6. If ship modification is available, roll a die, on a success the merchant will buy it.

Merchants & Marauders and all associated properties are copyright Z-Man Games, Inc. and their respective rights holders.
BoardGameGeek.com and the creator(s) of this variant rulebook are in no way associated with Z-Man Games, Inc. For feedback,
send a message to user shacky22 on BoardGameGeek.com. Original design and English version by Christopher Ebert.
Pirate Bot Rules
1. If 30+ gold is in cargo hold, will buy Frigate
2. Make any repairs in the first available port
4. If ship is Frigate and 15+ gold in cargo hold, will head to home port to stash all of it.
5. Will scout for merchant ship in Sea-Zone, merchant token or player. Will always choose merchant
token first. In the case of a tie between two player ships, follow priority for NPC ships in rulebook.
6. Will see if rumor card is true if it has one.

When in port follow priority.

1. Sell goods in demand.
2. Repair damage if needed.
3. Recruit crew if needed.
5. If pirate has no rumor, and has the gold, will attempt to find a rumor.
6. If ship modification is available and not already owned by the Pirate, and they have the gold, he/she
will buy it.
7. Roll a die to determine if the Pirate will buy a special weapon. On a success will buy the Grapeshot, on
a 4 will by the Grappling Hooks, and on a 3 will by the Chain-Shot.

Note: Both Pirate and Merchant bots will use all 3 actions available to them and will take the shortest
possible path to their priority. Even if this causes the bot to move into a Sea Zone with an NPC ship that
will scout for them.

Combat:
• If the NPC/Bot Captain has a Seamanship skill or Crew higher than his/her opponent’s Seamanship skill
or Crew and has a Leadership at least 1 lower than his/her opponent’s, he/she will attempt to board the
ship. Otherwise he/she will continue to choose “shoot”.
• If NPC/Bot has less Cannons or Crew than his/her opponent, it might attempt to flee. To determine this,
roll a number of dice equal to the difference between opponent’s Leadership skill and their Leadership
skill (minimum of 1). On a success, the NPC/Bot will attempt to flee, otherwise it will choose “shoot”.
• Once the NPC/Bot ship has taken actual Hull damage and is at one Hull point he will attempt to flee. If
opponent has chasers, he will attempt to flee when he is reduced to two or less hull points after taking hull
damage.

• If hit-location rolls are skull icons, which allow the target to pick it’s hit location, the NPC will choose
what they have the highest on. In case of a tie follow this priority list.
NPC Ship (Solo) Merchant Bot Pirate (Solo)
• Cargo • Masts • Cargo
• Masts • Cannons • Masts
• Crew • Crew • Cannons
• Cannons • Cargo • Crew
Note: They will never choose Hull if something else can be targeted.

Merchants & Marauders and all associated properties are copyright Z-Man Games, Inc. and their respective rights holders.
BoardGameGeek.com and the creator(s) of this variant rulebook are in no way associated with Z-Man Games, Inc. For feedback,
send a message to user shacky22 on BoardGameGeek.com. Original design and English version by Christopher Ebert.