Guide 17 of 20
Demo Progression
The demo teaches one system at a time while gradually opening the regional economy. Old Marlow provides direction, but the player still chooses prices, stock and routes.
Opening: Appleford
The first morning introduces the stall, pricing and the Open Market action. The Open Market button pulses after the lesson.
Complete the first market and read the evening report. This first report also explains Respect, the unlocks earned at Respect 1 and the quill that opens more Merchant Standing information.
The first market guarantees:
- Respect 1
- Brindleport
- Salt
- Fish
The quill pulses for that evening only. It is optional and does not block the Map Room.
First journey: Brindleport
Old Marlow directs you toward Brindleport. In the Map Room he explains how route time, cost and risk compete with one another, including the chance of cargo theft.
Arrival begins with no menu already open.
Exploring town
On the second morning, Old Marlow explains Explore Town and the range of buying locations that may appear there: producers, wholesalers and auctions. The Explore Town button pulses for this tutorial morning only.
The demo does not trigger a separate Marlow lesson merely because each of those three building types was visited.
Merchant Notebook
When the notebook appears, it pulses until opened. Its first lesson explains why it matters and introduces Purchases/Sales. Opening the Goods section for the first time explains last recorded town prices and warns that they may have changed since the visit.
If the notebook remains unopened, Marlow prompts the player after two subsequent mornings. The unlock morning itself is not counted.
Council and politics
The newspaper introduces active political developments. The Council lesson explains laws, decrees, restrictions and the policy cycle. Demo-authored policies still pass through their intended stages rather than appearing fully formed.
Contracts are outside the current demo scope: contract tutorial text, demo objectives and demo contract access are omitted without removing the system from the full game.
Respect 2
At 20 XP, Respect 2 unlocks:
- Mosswick
- Sunmere
- Meat
- Firewood
Marlow makes the final objective explicit: reach Respect 3 before he leaves. The largest new opportunities tend to point toward towns the player has not yet visited, especially Mosswick and Sunmere.
Respect 3 and the ending
At 40 XP, Respect 3 unlocks Highbridge. Old Marlow gives his ending speech, followed by an editable end-of-demo card thanking the player and previewing selected full-game features.
The card links to the Merchant Miles Steam page and invites the player to wishlist the game. Ongoing political stories may continue in free play even after the guided demo concludes.