Trade Routes

[utopiaone@qconline.co]

BI>Does anyone else have a problem with players going crazy on Trade
BI>Routes... mine won't stop until each province is filled and if the
BI>guilder there won't help then they smash his guilds and form a level 1
BI>guild to make their own trade routes. It really unbalances the game
BI>because it's a lot of money for very little work.

We have some of that in our campaign. It does seem like a lot of money
for very little work, but with a little ingenuity (sp) Trade Routes can
become very high maintenance. Trade Routes are the perfect target for
theiving bandits. It is possible for 9+ gb worth of goods to travle
through each trade route each turn. A few hits by the local group of
merry men, besides losing the merchandice they take, will make the trade
route seem unsafe and require the commitment of a few units of troops, a
few gb's, and some regency. If that's not enough, a cash rich nation
makes a good candidate for a take over by a less entreprenurial country,
and many other guilds will be competing to get in on the action
surrounding the trade routes. After you try this, it should provoke a
little thought in your players before they decide to load down all their
provinces with trade routes.

Chris
UtopiaOne@qconline.com

[Ian Hoskins]

On 16-Apr-97, Robert Ripley set out across the seas with this message:
- ->Does anyone else have a problem with players going crazy on Trade
- ->Routes... mine won't stop until each province is filled and if the
- ->guilder there won't help then they smash his guilds and form a level 1
- ->guild to make their own trade routes. It really unbalances the game
- ->because it's a lot of money for very little work.

Not really. I had one player who had a lot of trade routes for a while, but
most were destroyed when one of his provinces were invaded and occupied by
Ghoere.

Other ways to prevent trade route are to
* Have pirates sink his ships if sea trade routes.
* Have the ruler of the provinces the trade routes go to prevent trade with
the PC.
* Have a new guild contest them.

- --
Darkstar

hoss@box.net.au
http://www.box.net.au/~hoss/index.html

From the Darkness we came
And to the Darkness we must return.