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Core Gameplay Loop
Each day in Merchant Miles is divided into phases. The exact choices change as systems unlock, but the rhythm remains consistent: gather information, trade, review the result and decide where to go next.
Morning: read the situation
The morning newspaper is the main source of regional news. Its headlines highlight shortages, surpluses and political developments. The most important shortage or surplus is given the lead position.
Politics can change what is possible that day. A decree may close a market, block a road or limit purchases. Laws move through a longer public cycle before they take effect. See Politics.
Early morning: choose your activity
You normally choose between:
- Open Market: pay the permit, arrange your prices and sell to customers.
- Explore Town: visit local producers, wholesalers, auctions and other available buildings.
Exploration does not mean walking freely through the scene. It opens the town's available destinations, allowing you to investigate and buy stock.
Market: serve customers
Customers browse your barrels, form shopping lists and react to the prices you posted. Some buy immediately, some negotiate, some leave, and some carry rumours rather than making a purchase.
The fair market price can change during the market as goods are sold. Your pricing options update with it, but a customer's existing shopping list keeps the unit price already shown. See Customers and Negotiations.
Evening: learn and plan
After the market, the report explains:
- Revenue
- Cost of goods sold
- Expenses
- Spoilage
- Net profit or loss
- Demand you served or genuinely missed
- Respect earned
- Political effects on the result
The evening is also when you can inspect merchant information and enter the Map Room.
Travel: trade one opportunity for another
Select a reachable town and compare its routes. A journey may cost coins, consume days or expose cargo to theft. On arrival, the next morning begins in the destination town. If goods were stolen, a notification identifies what was taken.
Progression
Useful, trustworthy trade earns Respect. Respect unlocks new towns and goods, widening the decisions available to you. The demo ends when you reach Respect 3, but it is designed to leave the wider economy in motion rather than tie every storyline into a neat bow.
Related articles: Respect and Unlocks, Travel and Routes