Rogue Merchant

Play as the merchant instead of the hero in this Shopkeeper Roguelite RPG!

Run your shop, read your customers, and talk your way to riches in this cozy, quirky merchant roguelite! Haggle with fantasy characters of all different sorts from Gnomes to Ogres using charm, wit, or a well-placed insult!
And if profits a little dicey, you can always raise the stakes by picking a fight of stealing from a customer's pack!



PART ROGUE, PART MERCHANT

Every run, customers cross your path while wandering down the road of fortune! Nobles, Wizards, Guards, Bandits, and much worse. Your job is to buy low, sell high, and keep your shop afloat through clever conversation and shrewd trading. Measure your opponents- I mean, customers by their stats, personality, wares, and wallets to decide if it's more worth it to Trade, Haggle, Battle, or Steal from them!

Rogue Merchant is a mostly-cozy but calculated roguelite about reading people, managing your resources, and weighing your options based on what is more scarce: Blood or Gold?






HAGGLE YOUR WAY TO RICHES!

FLATTER: Flattering your customers will cause them to buy your wares at higher prices, and lower their attack, making it useful even for combat!

INSULT: A well-timed jab at a customer's pride can cause them to doubt the value of their own goods, as well as lower their defense. But be careful, as it is much riskier than flattery, and customers may walk away from you completely rather than continue to do business with you.

TAUNT: Not every wanderer comes to give you gold. Some come to TAKE it from you! Guards may come to collect a bribe. Bandits may come to steal an item from you. But an assertive taunt can send the right kind of ruffians packing before things escalate. No gold lost, no blood spilt.

THE CATCH?: Every customer is different! A Vain customer will adore your flattery, whereas a grumpy customer may respond with violence, or walk away from you immediately... Gauging your customer's mood and personality traits is the key to knowing which approach is best.

BATTLE AND STEAL!

Most encounters in Rogue Merchant can be resolved peacefully. But sometimes the gold runs dry, the inventory runs thin, and you find yourself needing to get creative...

BATTLE: Combat is quick and brutal. Both characters exchange blows simultaneously, trading damage based solely based on Attack, Defense, and HP. But here's where your merchant instincts are tested! Every piece of gear you choose to equip instead of sell makes you tougher, but that's gold walking out the door. Choose wisely!

STEAL: High risk, high reward. Attempt to steal an item straight from a customer's inventory and you might walk away with free loot... or you might find yourself taking damage before they leave you high and dry! Measure your marks wisely by looking at their stats, traits, inventory, and wallets!

META PROGRESSION VIA... RUCKSACK?!

Each run ends, but not everything is lost! After beating a level, you can visit the Shopkeeper, a special NPC who gives you the chance to store your most valuable and influential items into your Rucksack. A small collection of relics, weapons, armor, and consumables that carries over into future playthroughs, giving your next merchant a strong headstart.
But be careful... if you take too much and somehow end up fumbling the bag (literally) by not paying attention to your customer's traits, they might just take you by surprise and you'll lose all your stuff! But honestly, it's more fun that way!