Merchants of the Dark Road
Sarah Vasa: Hey Pete, did you hear that?
Pete: Hear what?
Sarah Vasa: I heard heavy breathing.
Pete: Transient auditory hallucinations. They’re quite common. We all get them from time to time.
Sarah Vasa: No, I definitely heard it.
Pete: Well, I am getting over a head cold. Still doing mouth breathing. It could’ve been me.
Sarah Vasa: Holy crap! Something just moved past my leg! I’m telling you there’s something out there!
Pete: Um, okay, lady.
Sarah Vasa: I mean—do you ever get the sneaking suspicion that we’re being followed?
Pete: Sarah, I know we’re being followed. In fact, I track those metrics daily across all of the Corax & Coffee social media platforms! So, yeah, I know we’re being followed. In fact, it would be nice if we got followed even more.
Sarah Vasa: Pete! Something just brushed up against my leg again! DO SOMETHING!
Pete: Sarah! We’re sitting in your apartment! I’m pretty sure that it was your own cat that just hugged your leg. Chill! Why are you so on edge?
Sarah Vasa: I’ve just been thinking about Merchants of the Dark Road (2022), designed by Brian Suhre and published by Elf Creek Games. It’s a game about merchants traveling through perilous woods on dark roads to sell their wares, having only their lanterns to light up the night. Then breaking for the night after a long day’s journey, setting up camp in the clearing in the snow, and telling stories of merchant fairs and deals gone bad. It’s spooky. It’s enchanting. But, basically, it’s an action-selection, pick-up-and-deliver game.
Pete: Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…
Sarah Vasa: Oh my gosh. Did you just hear that? Someone just said my name. Three times!
Pete: Uh, yeah. Yea—yeah. That was me. I just said your name three times. Focus, Sarah. You’re a little jumpy. Stop playing horror games with Keegan. They don’t suit you.
Sarah Vasa: Maybe you’re right. So…maybe you should do this unboxing?
Pete: I’m on it…Sarah…Sarah…Sarah.
Sarah Vasa: Well that was just mean and unnecessary.
Pete: I know. That one was just for me.
