MM - Traders After AP 1


Rules Questions and Gameplay Discussion


Is anyone else finding it hard to use traders after AP 1? In AP 2 you need to have at least two AP 1 or 2 cards that you can return to the box. I’m finding these hard to come by. Most of the AP 1 or 2 cards in my decks are there because I want them there which means I need to find AP 1 or 2 cards in the scenario. If I’m lucky I’m finding enough to make 1 trade… by the time I’m hitting AP 3 its becoming rarer. It seems the farther you go into the AP the more diluted the box will become with untradeable cards. The removing of basics and elites will help but in AP 3 right now I’ve only gotten to use a trader 1 time. Generally I haven’t had the cards to spend.

Anyone else experiencing this? Is this the intent? Am I just unlucky?


I will occasionally trade up for a 2nd-tier card I don't plan to keep in order to use it for a top-tier trade after the next scenario.


First of all: You mean "Adventure", not "AP". AP stands for Adventure Path, which number 1 is Rise of the Runelords. Mummy's Mask is AP 4.

Second: Yes, we've been experiencing this too, so we decided to do a second playthrough and use the Organized Play rules of "Gaining a card" after each scenario in stead of the Boons we normally get, this smooths out the overal 'feeling of leveling', but also makes traders more accesible instead of just being able to trade once in 5 scenarios, and most of the time we're even then trading Loot-Cards away.


Maybe it depends significantly on the size of your party?

In a party of 6, we find we often acquire 1-2 cards of the AD level, and 1-2 of AD-1. So we make at least one trade every scenario. Some scenarios are better, sometimes we don't have a trade.

You know you don't have to turn in the same boon type the trader is giving you, right?

Lone Shark Games

Just in case, note this errata for Traders.

In testing across several tables, traders saw a great deal of use even at higher AD. It is perhaps worth note that for AD-1 boons, you can trade out AD-2 boons. This is particularly helpful at higher ADs when you can replace missing boons with AD-2 boons.

There were times I lost an AD-1 boon I wanted, in order to get an AD boon now, then replaced the AD-1 boon. Seemed acceptable to me, but your mileage may vary.

Grand Lodge

So based on the errata, in AD2, traders will have AD2 and AD1 cards, so you might need two 1s-or-higher or two Bs-or-higher, depending on the AD of the card you desire.

I absoLUTEly am running into this. When I play OP, I'll go for higher-AD boons just because I want to use them for deck upgrades. Until now, I never worried about that with AP. But now, I start pondering putting effort into getting boons that I wouldn't ordinarily want because they can be used for trading. I like that it adds that element to the game.

Lone Shark Games

In OP, I have a couple cards that I normally use for loot swaps that I've upgraded purely to use for boon trading.

Shadow Lodge

James McKendrew wrote:

So based on the errata, in AD2, traders will have AD2 and AD1 cards, so you might need two 1s-or-higher or two Bs-or-higher, depending on the AD of the card you desire.

I absoLUTEly am running into this. When I play OP, I'll go for higher-AD boons just because I want to use them for deck upgrades. Until now, I never worried about that with AP. But now, I start pondering putting effort into getting boons that I wouldn't ordinarily want because they can be used for trading. I like that it adds that element to the game.

I'm not sure you can use the cards you trade for to upgrade your deck. They go back in the box at the end of the scenario. Though if I'm wrong and you've seen official word otherwise, I'd love to know as it would actually make us use traders other than the Sunburst Market...

Grand Lodge

Eric Clingenpeel wrote:
James McKendrew wrote:

So based on the errata, in AD2, traders will have AD2 and AD1 cards, so you might need two 1s-or-higher or two Bs-or-higher, depending on the AD of the card you desire.

I absoLUTEly am running into this. When I play OP, I'll go for higher-AD boons just because I want to use them for deck upgrades. Until now, I never worried about that with AP. But now, I start pondering putting effort into getting boons that I wouldn't ordinarily want because they can be used for trading. I like that it adds that element to the game.

I'm not sure you can use the cards you trade for to upgrade your deck. They go back in the box at the end of the scenario. Though if I'm wrong and you've seen official word otherwise, I'd love to know as it would actually make us use traders other than the Sunburst Market...

I'm talking about two (or perhaps three) entirely separate situations.

1) I play OP, if there's a boon I wouldn't want but which had a high AD, I might put effort into getting it for a Deck Upgrade (not talking about traders at all, here).

2) In typical AP play, I didn't have the above concerns. If I encountered a boon that nobody wanted, no matter WHAT the AD was, I didn't worry.

3) ...UNTIL NOW. Now, in MM AP play at AD2+, I'm more likely put effort into acquire high-AD boons my group otherwise wouldn't want so we can use them to pay the traders.


Just to clarify what you're saying about OP, James: you mean y'all will replace a card in your deck with a high-AD card, even if you don't plan on using that card, so that in the next scenario you can pay a trader with it?

Grand Lodge

The OP bit of the post has nothing to do with traders. I'm talking about ordinary OP deck upgrades. This mechanic encourages me to boost checks to acquire boons I wouldn't ordinarily.

I am likening building up trade inventory in MM AP to general Deck Upgrade seekery in any OP Adventure Path.


Yep, I misread "OP" for "AP".


elcoderdude wrote:
Just to clarify what you're saying about OP, James: you mean y'all will replace a card in your deck with a high-AD card, even if you don't plan on using that card, so that in the next scenario you can pay a trader with it?

I do this currently - but I'm playing Mavaro, so my deck can usually accomadate pretty much any boon, and I can usually get some use out if - or if I can't, I can cycle it very simply.

I think I also have a couple things stuck in my deck that other people wanted for use after they get their role card...


My husband and I seem to be the odd ones out here; we each play only one character and seem to end up with more than enough boons to trade away after almost every scenario. The traders more often than not don't even want our goods (because they brought crap to trade).

Adventure 1 is the roughest because you're still getting B Basics. If Adventure 1 gave you non-basic Bs and 1s it'd be so much better. :D But that's another conversation for another day.

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