Merv - The Heart of the Silk Road
🐸 Dettagli da BoardGameGeek
Game info
Design & Art
Lingua & Editore
⚠️ Avvertenze
Pairs well with
Merv – The Heart of the Silk Road
In Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road , created by Fabio Lopiano and illustrated by Ian O'Toole, you find yourself in the city that was the richest and most contested crossroads of the medieval world. Merv is splendor and intrigue, wealth and ruin: every choice you make determines whether you become a powerful merchant or end up crushed by the weight of history.
This strategic board game for 1-4 players presents you with difficult decisions: invest in trade along the Silk Road , build walls to defend the city from the Mongols, collect lucrative contracts, or gain religious influence by donating to the great mosque. But beware: every turn spent on defense is a missed opportunity to enrich yourself, and every selfish choice leaves the city vulnerable to plunder.
What makes Merv special
- 🌍 Unique setting : Experience the golden age of the Silk Road with stunning illustrations by Ian O'Toole.
- ⚖️ Strategic dilemmas : defend the city or accumulate personal wealth?
- 🏛️ Refined mechanics : contracts, set collection and rondel management to optimize every move.
- 🔥 Constant tension : the Mongols are advancing and any mistake can cost you dearly.
- 👤 Solo Mode : Perfect for those who enjoy individual challenges and want to master the art of planning.
Merv is a game that combines elegance and depth, with games lasting around 90 minutes that leave no room for wasted moves. Every turn is a crossroads, every decision an investment in the future of the city and your prestige.
Will you defend Merv with sacrifice or will you exploit it to the last, letting it burn for your personal glory?
Merv - The Heart of the Silk Road
Product Details
🐸 HOW TO PLAY
The most prosperous city on the Silk Road
In Merv, players compete for wealth and prestige in the beating heart of global trade. The city is a mosaic of opportunities: markets, courtyards, mosques, and caravan routes that can transform a merchant into a legend.
Court intrigues and religious alliances
Every choice is crucial: cultivating influence at court, donating to the great mosque, or gaining religious support to climb the power ladder. Your moves determine not only your earnings, but also the stability of the city's political relations.
Trade along the world's richest routes
Trade is the lifeblood of your growth. Expanding your trade connections allows you to accumulate resources, strike deals, and turn every shipment into a stepping stone to economic supremacy.
Walls or personal ambition?
The Mongol threat looms, and Merv's walls must be strengthened. But contributing to the defense means forgoing valuable opportunities for personal development. Neglecting them, however, puts the entire city at risk, and with it your progress.
He who resists the fire of history wins.
In the end, those who have successfully balanced prosperity and security, expanding their influence without falling victim to invasion, will triumph. Merv is a tense and relentless strategy game, where every decision is a gamble between glory and ruin.
📦 BOX CONTENTS
Board (Scoreboard)
25 Tiles
48 Cards (48 cards)
205 Wooden Pieces
110 Tokens (110 markers)
🃏 SACHETS
44x67mm - Quantity 42
56x89mm - Quantity 6
The sleeve sizes listed are based on data from BoardGameGeek.com (BGG), the global board game community.
🐸 We at FroGames strive to provide useful information, but we cannot guarantee the complete accuracy of the data reported.
We always encourage you to check them based on the edition and specific content of the game. 💬
✨ If you have any further questions, please contact us: we'll be happy to help!
ITA REGULATION
Download the Regulations Here
Merv - The Heart of the Silk Road
In Merv, you can become legend… or ashes in the wind.
A labyrinth of power, trade, and survival in the heart of medieval Asia.
Merv – The City That Made the Silk Road Fall in Love
Imagine a city so rich, so majestic, that it is considered the very heart of the Silk Road. In Merv , you are not a simple merchant or builder… you are a puppeteer in the shadows, moving power within the city walls.
Between auctions, intrigues , contracts and sacrifices to faith, every turn is a crossroads: protect Merv or exploit it to the last penny , risking the Mongols reducing it to ashes.
Luxury tempts you, glory calls you… but at what price?
An elegant, deep eurogame by Lopiano and O'Toole
Merv: The Heart of the Silk Road is a strategic board game for 1-4 players , set in the ancient city of Merv, a hub of trade between East and West.
Created by Fabio Lopiano and illustrated by Ian O'Toole , Merv offers a refined combination of placement, resource gathering, contracts and geopolitical decisions in a medieval setting inspired by true history.
The mechanical heart of the game is a modular grid system, where each choice unlocks new opportunities but blocks other paths.
You can accumulate wealth through trade, gain religious influence in the mosque, and protect the city by building walls . But every action comes at a cost.
With a well-thought-out solitaire mode and a learning curve that rewards experienced players, Merv is perfect for those looking for an intense, elegant, and immersive Euro challenge .
We played it… and it challenged us like few others. 🐸
Merv is one of those titles that seems simple at first glance… until you realize that every move is a sacrifice.
We loved the interplay between the various strategies: trade, religion, defense, and urban development intertwined like the patterns of a Persian carpet.
The calculated risk is constant, and the threat of the Mongols adds considerable narrative tension.
If you love games where every turn makes you think for minutes , where every mistake is paid for and every success is earned with sweat, Merv will leave you satisfied and happy.
A pearl of the Euromodern school, with an ancient soul.
Other imported board games for strategic minds:
🛡️ Hadrian's Wall – A Roman defense that needed to be planned with discipline
🏛️ Sankoré – Academy, knowledge and glory under Mansa Musa
🧱 Pillars of Heracles – Prophecies, Monuments, and Domination of the Aegean
🌱 Biome – Natural Balance and Animal Survival
🧠 Recall – Lost Tribes, Technologies, and Civilizations
🏺 Thebai – Cadmea, gods and noble blood
Aldebaran Duel – Galactic clashes and interstellar civilizations
📚 Kinfire Delve: Callous' Lab – Cooperative Dungeons and Skill Combinations
I giochi da tavolo non servono a passare il tempo. Servono a viverlo meglio. – La Rana Saggia
Ogni regola è un’opportunità nascosta. Scoprila con occhi nuovi. – Il Girino Curioso
Non so come ho vinto. Ma è stato divertentissimo. Rigioca, se hai il coraggio. – La Ranarock Ribelle
Una buona mossa è silenziosa. La vittoria, inevitabile. – Ranaldo Stratega
Non serve vincere per giocare bene. Serve giocare per stare bene. – Zio Rospo Zen
I giochi da tavolo non servono a passare il tempo. Servono a viverlo meglio. – La Rana Saggia
Ogni regola è un’opportunità nascosta. Scoprila con occhi nuovi. – Il Girino Curioso
Non so come ho vinto. Ma è stato divertentissimo. Rigioca, se hai il coraggio. – La Ranarock Ribelle
Una buona mossa è silenziosa. La vittoria, inevitabile. – Ranaldo Stratega
Non serve vincere per giocare bene. Serve giocare per stare bene. – Zio Rospo Zen
FAQs
Read our FAQs page to learn more!
📸 Do the game images on the website exactly match the product I will receive?
The images on our site are often taken from BoardGameGeek (BGG) , the world's largest board game community. These photos are intended to give you an idea of the game, but may differ slightly from the version you receive, especially in the case of localized editions, reprints, or manufacturer updates.
The actual contents of the box always adhere to the specifications provided by the official publisher. If you have any questions or would like further details, please don't hesitate to contact us: we're passionate about board games and happy to help you choose the perfect game for you!
📦 Does the indicated contents correspond exactly to what I will find in the box?
We always indicate the contents of the box on the product sheet, but there may be small variations due to reprints, updated editions, or last-minute editorial changes.
💬 The information we report comes directly from the publishers and official distributors, but if uncommunicated changes occur, there may be discrepancies.
🎯 Our goal is to always provide you with an accurate and transparent description, but the actual contents of the box you receive always prevail .
Have questions or need confirmation on a detail? Talk to us! We're here to help you choose with confidence 🎲🧡
⏳ How do pre-orders work on FroGames?
Pre-orders allow you to reserve an upcoming game before it officially hits the market.
As soon as it arrives from the distributor, we'll ship it right to your home! 🚚✨💳
Payment is processed immediately upon ordering, so the game is reserved for you and no one else can steal it from you.
Sometimes distributors may notify us of delays or last-minute date changes: in these cases, we will update you promptly.
You deserve clarity and respect.
At FroGames, every order is a promise we cherish... even if the game is still on its way! 🧡🎁
If your pre-ordered game doesn't meet the free shipping threshold, no problem: just choose "Pick up in store" at checkout.
We'll contact you before shipping: you can decide whether to add more games to get free shipping, or just pay the shipping cost for the pre-ordered game. 🎯
🔒 Can I trust purchasing from FroGames?
Absolutely! FroGames is a project created with passion and care by true board game enthusiasts.
We are an Italian business, with a real headquarters, VAT number and a customer service that really responds 😊
📦 All games are new, original and sealed , shipped via tracked courier in 24/48 hours.
📬 You'll receive email updates, and we're always available to answer any questions you may have, before and after your purchase.
With us, you're not just an order number: you're a player, a collector, a dreamer. And we want to treat you as you deserve. 🧡🎲
🛠 What happens if there's a problem with my order?
We do our best to make every order perfect, but if something goes wrong—a damaged package, a missing game, or any other unexpected issue— don't worry: we're here for you!
💬 Write to us now and let's solve the problem together: we are people, not an automated call center.
📦 We can replace, refund, or find a suitable solution. The important thing is that you're satisfied.
For us it doesn't end with "thank you for the order" , but with "see you soon"