{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-traveling-merchant","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-traveling-merchant","lang":"en","title":"Traveling merchant","summary":"A merchant moves through the world, making trade depend on an encounter. The player decides whether to resupply now.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-traveling-merchant/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-traveling-merchant.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-traveling-merchant.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Game design techniques","Economics"],"sourceIds":["source-7c8f6f70c4e16f22","source-6e904dac456acc58","source-bd029227eafc8b00","source-eec37bc46ec314bf","source-7e443f96007faab0"],"sources":[{"id":"source-7c8f6f70c4e16f22","title":"Game Mechanics: Traveling merchant","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/traveling-merchant","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-6e904dac456acc58","title":"Resident Evil 4 (2005)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/traveling-merchant/game/resident-evil-4","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-bd029227eafc8b00","title":"Far Cry 4 (2014)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/traveling-merchant/game/far-cry-4","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-eec37bc46ec314bf","title":"Rage 2 (2019)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/traveling-merchant/game/rage-2","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-7e443f96007faab0","title":"Elden Ring (2022)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/traveling-merchant/game/elden-ring","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Trading opportunities follow a mobile vendor."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-traveling-merchant-rule\"></a>\n\n- Trading opportunities follow a mobile vendor. <a id=\"gm-traveling-merchant-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-traveling-merchant","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-traveling-merchant","categoryIds":["gm-category-economics"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Traveling merchant","description":"A merchant moves through the world, making trade depend on an encounter. The player decides whether to resupply now.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/interaction-traveling-merchant.webp","width":1440,"height":810,"game":"Far Cry 4","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/traveling-merchant","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/far-cry-4-merchant.jpg","credit":"Ubisoft Montréal; image via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"A Sherpa offers trade on a mountain path","alt":"A Sherpa carrying a large pack stands before the player in Far Cry 4, with a trade prompt nearby.","markers":[{"x":57,"y":39,"label":"Merchant with portable stock"},{"x":44,"y":60,"label":"Prompt to start trading"}]},"tips":["Provide a route or signal that the merchant is nearby.","Account for essential resupply after a missed encounter."],"examples":[{"title":"Far Cry 4","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/traveling-merchant"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}