Merchants of Magick vs Set a Watch: How the Tale Connects

Quick answer

Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale is a separate roll-and-write set in the same world as Set a Watch, not a replacement for it. Buy Merchants of Magick if you want a quick, crunchy dice game about running a magic item shoppe; buy Set a Watch and its Outriders expansion if you want the co-operative creature-defense game. Many players keep both because they scratch different itches.

Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale shares a setting with Set a Watch, but it is not a new edition, a sequel, or a reskin. It is a crunchy roll-and-write in which you run a magic item shoppe, crafting items and researching spells to sell to the Adventurers of the Watch. That means the honest answer to "which should I buy?" depends on what you want from a game night.

This comparison sticks to what the games actually are. It covers how the two connect in the Set a Watch universe, how Merchants of Magick plays, and which products to add if you already own Set a Watch or are deciding between the two.

How Merchants of Magick connects to Set a Watch

The connection is setting and theme rather than mechanics. Merchants of Magick is described as a crunchy roll-and-write set in the Set a Watch world, and you play the owner of a magic item shoppe who crafts items and researches spells to sell to the Adventurers of the Watch. Those Adventurers are the characters players control in Set a Watch itself.

So the crossover is narrative: the Tale shows you the economy behind the heroes you send out in the main game. Nothing in the supplied product details says you need Set a Watch to play Merchants of Magick, and nothing says the two combine into one session. Treat them as companion games in one universe, not as modules of each other.

• If you like lore continuity, the Tale rewards you with context for the Watch's gear.
• If you want one game that does both jobs, neither product does that.

Set a Watch Tale gameplay vs Set a Watch

Set a Watch Tale gameplay is a solo-friendly, low-interaction dice puzzle. Each round four polyhedral dice are rolled and you select two of them to craft items or research enchantments for your shoppe. As you craft items and research spells, you start stocking items, which is the core of the roll-and-write loop.

Set a Watch, by contrast, is the co-operative creature-defense game the world is named for, and the Outriders expansion adds 34 new creatures and 6 new Unhallowed illustrated by Alexandr Elichev, one of the artists of Gloomhaven and Frosthaven. It also introduces Creatures with the Rider ability: Riders snap together with certain creature types when they are adjacent to them, creating bigger and more powerful creatures. One game is a shared fight; the other is a personal optimization puzzle.

• Pick Merchants of Magick when you want something to play while others are busy.
• Pick Set a Watch when the table wants a shared threat to beat together.

What you can and cannot compare

A fair comparison has limits. The supplied catalog does not list player counts, play times, or ages for either game, so this article does not guess them. If those numbers decide your purchase, check the box or the product page before buying rather than trusting a comparison to invent them.

What the catalog does give you is price positioning and content. Merchants of Magick is listed at USD 20.00 against a catalog comparison price of USD 40.00. The Outriders expansion is USD 7.50 against USD 15.00, and the Set a Watch: Upgrade Pack is USD 5.00 against USD 10.00. Those are catalog figures, not promises about future pricing.

• Compare games on content and price, not on specs that were never published.
• If you already own retail Set a Watch, the Upgrade Pack is the cheaper way to add deluxe content.

Adding to the Set a Watch universe without rebuying

If you already own Set a Watch, you do not have to choose between the Tale and expanding the base game. The Set a Watch: Upgrade Pack is only for people who discovered Set a Watch and bought the retail version; it provides the extra content from the deluxe version that was not included at retail, and the deluxe edition includes everything from the original Kickstarter campaign. It is a small add-on rather than a new game.

The Outriders expansion is the bigger gameplay change, adding creatures and the Rider snap-together mechanic. Between the two, Upgrade Pack restores missing content and Outriders changes how fights play out. Merchants of Magick sits beside both as a separate experience in the same world.

• Own retail Set a Watch and want the full deluxe content? Start with the Upgrade Pack.
• Want new enemies and a new creature mechanic? Outriders is the expansion to add.

Trade-offs at a glance

• Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale: Roll-and-write about crafting items and researching spells for the Watch; four dice rolled each round, pick two. A separate game in the same universe, not an expansion. Choose it for solo or parallel play and setting flavor.
• Set a Watch: Outriders: Adds 34 creatures and 6 Unhallowed plus the Rider snap-together mechanic. Requires the base game and changes how fights escalate. Choose it if you already play Set a Watch and want more enemies and a new mechanic.
• Set a Watch: Upgrade Pack: Retail-only add-on that supplies the deluxe content missing from the retail version, including original Kickstarter material. Choose it if you own retail Set a Watch and want the deluxe content without rebuying.

Product facts behind this comparison

• Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale: A crunchy roll-and-write set in the Set a Watch world where you run a magic item shoppe, crafting items and researching spells to sell to the Adventurers of the Watch. Each round four polyhedral dice are rolled and you select two to craft items or research enchantments. It is a solo-friendly optimization puzzle in the same setting, so it complements rather than replaces Set a Watch.
• Set a Watch: Outriders: Includes 34 new creatures and 6 new Unhallowed illustrated by Alexandr Elichev, one of the artists of Gloomhaven and Frosthaven, and introduces the Rider ability, where Riders snap together with certain creature types when adjacent to create bigger, more powerful creatures. This is the content-heavy way to deepen the co-operative game if you already own Set a Watch.
• Set a Watch: Upgrade Pack: Only for people who discovered Set a Watch and bought the retail version; it provides the extra content from the deluxe version that was not included at retail, and the deluxe edition includes everything from the original Kickstarter campaign. A low-cost fix for retail owners who want the deluxe content without rebuying the game.

Which should you buy?

Best for

• Players who want a crunchy roll-and-write in the Set a Watch universe and often play solo or alongside others
• Fans of the setting who want to see the shoppe side of the Adventurers of the Watch
• Groups that already own Set a Watch and want a second, different game from the same world

Not for

• Buyers expecting a co-operative creature-defense fight, which is what Set a Watch itself provides
• Players who want one purchase to replace or upgrade the base game; the Upgrade Pack and Outriders serve those jobs
• Anyone who needs published player counts or play times before buying; the supplied catalog does not list them

Merchants of Magick: A Set a Watch Tale and Set a Watch share a universe but not a play style. If you want the co-operative fight, stay with Set a Watch and add Outriders or the Upgrade Pack; if you want the shoppe-side dice puzzle, the Tale is the one to pick up.