How to Win at Merchants of Amsterdam
Merchants of Amsterdam is all based around the glory of the Dutch Auction. Unlike a regular auction that slowly builds up and everyone can keep bidding until they reach a threshold, the Dutch auction drops prices swiftly and the first person to bid automatically wins. This means that you'll have to decide what price you're willing to pay before the auction starts.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Place warehouses near bridges whenever possible. This will give you a chance to earn an extra 40,000 guilders if you can place a warehouse across the bridge.
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2
Try to get each of your four commerce goods to the second space as soon as possible, to claim the free warehouse.
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3
Try to gain a trade office majority in the most populated quadrant. Having a trade office in each quadrant is less important than getting and maintaining an early majority.
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4
Discard cards as mayor that offer a placement in an area where you only have a small lead; don't give others the chance to catch up.
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5
Put cards up for auction as mayor where you already have a strong lead. Other people may expend lots of guilders to advance themselves, but they still won't surpass you.
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6
Grab cards as mayor that you can play to good effect. As the game goes on, you should grab cards that are at all playable, since many will be completely useless.
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7
Pay attention to what scoring opportunities are coming soon on the board. If the next space rewards commerce, it may be worth bidding a bit more to move some ships.
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8
Calculate your expected value of a card before you bid on it. Winning every card at a cost of 200,000 guilders will lose you the game. Conversely, if a card is still available at 100,000, you should generally grab it.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Taking out a loan costs you 80,000 guilders in the long run, so only do so if you really need it.
Don't feel compelled to bid on everything. You can win the game without making a single bid.
