As in years past, there is money and fame to be earned from buying and selling goods along the Dark Road. This winter, however, Highreach is alive with secrets and rumors... the clever merchant who takes notice can trade in something as valuable as any goods—information. Hidden paths to three secret villages have been discovered. In each village lies opportunity for intrepid merchants willing to engage the rangers, delvers, and pilgrims who choose to live in these small settlements off the beaten path. And everyone is talking about the latest news out of Farglen—it seems the Baroness of the Bards is missing! While on business in Highreach, merchants should keep their ears open for hints of what befell her, as these rumors are of great interest at the Ringway Inn.
This game introduces 2 new modules for enhanced gameplay in the Merchants of the Dark Road game. The first module, Secret Villages, adds 3 new travel locations to the road, expanding the rewards available and increases the opportunities players have to follow one another’s travel actions. Along with rules for wagon upgrades, this module adds a light sense of engine-building to the game.
The second module, Ringway Rumors, adds rumor tokens to the game board, as everyone wonders what happened to the Baroness of the Bards. These tokens help make certain district actions (Queen’s Commissions, Ruins of Yin, Dark Market) more dynamic and rewarding. They also provide players another opportunity to maximize their sales and strategize when they sell to heroes at the Ringway Inn.
Modules can be easily integrated into the base game and are designed to be played either individually or together. The expansion also adds solo rules for using the module(s) and a new solo/adventure mini-campaign for players.
