Have you ever wanted a glimpse into the life of an owner of a magic item shop? Wondered how the potions are crafted? How the weapons are sourced? Well, in August 2021, you can get a chance to get behind the counter as Rock Manor Games is set to release Merchants Of Magick - a  crunchy polyhedral roll-and-write where you take the mystical and magical business into your own hands.

Up to 8 players in one game can take the role of a merchant of items of magic and mystery and will be required to craft weapons, gear, and armour. Crafting with leather, wood and steel and burying your head in books to research spells, to create the best that the fantasy realm can offer.

The game is set in the same universe as Set a Watch - a fantasy card and dice game which requires adventurers to take on many an enemy across several locations within the Kingdom. You as a merchant will be crafting and creating items to sell to these brave and noble adventurers. Also known as "Adventurers of the Watch".

At the start of a round, players will roll 4 polyhedral dice. Picking two of the four to go off and go about your shop running business, by using them to either craft items or research spells to hold in your store. The more you do this, you can begin to stock up your store and earn new tactics that will allow the dice to be in your favour, to ultimately become the best magical store in the kingdom.

You are required to serve customers and as you can guess, they are certainly not patient! You will be provided with order cards, where you will need to construct the item that the customer is looking for. If you have it in stock or is a quick craft - hooray! - you make an exchange of cash and you are on to the next customer. However, if you take too long crafting their item, they will decide to shop elsewhere!

The player that has earned the most coin after undergoing ten different rounds, your champion will be the person who has raked in the most magical currency, proving them to be the most successful business across the kingdom.

I really like the concept of this card game, it tells a story within a bigger wide world. I have played so many food-related serving games where you are required to take orders and construct the meals to serve. But the fantasy take on Merchants of Magick gives that theme a refresh. As it is intertwined in a bigger world, it makes the concept feel like it belongs to a bigger picture.

What would be the first thing you would craft if you owned your own magic store? I always wondered how much admin work Giles had for the Magic Box...