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This is something I came up with for my pbem game when I had some free
time tonight. I think it could be useful, so any here it is. This is
only a quickly typed up first draft taken from note I wrote a while
back.

Comment etc are welcome as always.
- --
Ian Hoskins

e-Mail: hoss@box.net.au
Homepage: http://darkstar.cyberserv.com
ICQ: 2938300
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Exploratory Trade Fleet

Success: 20+
Type: Domain, Character
Base Costs: 1 RP, 5 GB



Introduction:

This action is an expansion on the Exploratory Trade domain action from t=
he
Havens of the Great Bay expansion, and is mainly to put together to stop
that action being abused by players, and to provide more role-playing
elements for the DM. This actions allows a thief or guilder regent (not
other classes) to send out a fleet of vessels loaded down with goods in t=
he
hope of them returning with a good profit in exotic products. The origina=
l
Exploratory Trade action should be at least read before using this one.
However I have made many changes to this action to make the journey a
little more exciting, and to cut down on the vast amounts of income that
can be generated with the standard Exploratory trade action. Like the
original action a seaport can only send out one expedition each year (4
domain turns), however this action also only allows for one expedition fr=
om
a guild each turn, so if a guild has holdings in many different ports the=
y
will still only be able to do this action once each turn.
There regent is also not permitted to spend GBs to improve success,
although if he personally accompanies the fleet then he may spend RPs.
Instead the success of the action is determined by the following chart.

Table 1: Modifiers to Success

Modifier
+2 Regent accompanies fleet
+1 If regent is a guilder

+1 Guilder Lieutenant accompanies fleet (not used if regen=
t
is present)
+2 Ships are roundships
+1 Ships are galleons (or some cogs & roundships)
- -1 There is only one ship in the fleet
+1 Between 3 and 5 ships in the fleet
+2 More than 5 ships in the fleet

- -1 Regent is from Vosgaard or Rjurik (not known as big
trading nations)
+1 Regent is from Brechtur
- -2 Regent has never used this action before

Based on this table you should be able to work out the basic chance of
success for this action. However in case you can not then here is an
example. A trade fleet of 4 ships sets out from Ilien, bound for Brechtur.
El-Hadid who has sent the fleet accompanies it personally giving it a +2
bonus. The ships are all galleons so the fleet gains a +1 bonus, and ther=
e
are 4 ships so that is another +1 bonus. El-Hadid has however not used th=
is
action before so the chance of success is reduced by 2. This brings the
base chance of success to 18+, however because the regent is along on the
mission then he can spend extra RPs to ensure its success.



Size of Fleet:

Before setting out on a journey then the size of the fleet must first be
determined. I have already mentioned above that a guild may only use this
action once a turn, and a seaport only once a year. The guild can not
muster enough goods to set aside for exploratory trade to send out more
that one expedition a turn. The size of the fleet is also limited by the
size of the seaport, and the size of the guild's holding in the sea port.
The following table shows the number of ships that can be sent by the gui=
ld
depending on their holding and the size of the seaport. A guild with a 0
level holding in a port can not send out a expedition at all.

Table 2: Province Size Vs Fleet Size.

Province Size Guild Size Number of Ships
4 1-2 0
3-4 1
5 1-2 0
3-4 1
5 2
6 1-3 1
4-5 2
6 3
7 1-2 1
3-4 2
5-6 3
7 4
8 1-2 1
3-4 2
5-6 3
7 4
8 5
9 1-2 2
3-4 3
5-6 4
7-8 5
9 6
10 1-2 2
3-4 3
5-6 5
7-8 6
9 7
10 10

Based on this table it should be obvious that only the really large guild=
s
can muster a large enough fleet to make any sort of real profit.



Destination:

Once the size of the fleet has been determined then it is necessary to wo=
rk
out the destination. The voyage much at least travel 2 cultural region,
with each region (Anuire, Rjurik, Khinasi etc) taking one month of travel
time. So the minimum the voyage can take is 2 months, which is the same a=
s
the original action. However this action also allows for longer and
possibly more profitable journeys if the regent is willing to risk a trip
to Aduria. Below is listed the regions and their distance in cultural
regions from Anuire.

Table 3: The regions and their distance from Anuire

Region Distance from
Anuire
Rjurik 1 step
Khinasi 1 step
Northlands of
Aduria 1 step
Principalities of
Neha 1 step
Brechtur 2 steps
Vosgaard 2 steps
Subriya 2 steps
Halwan 2 steps
Nehalim Empire 2 steps
Adurian Empire 3 steps
Juh 3 steps
Southern Neha 3 steps
Chorbrag 4 steps
C'rae T'lor'hirm
States 4 steps
Ghanim States 4 steps

The region chosen as the destination will determine several things, the
profit, the chance of pirate attack, as well as the time taken to complet=
e
the journey, with each step taking 1 month's travel time to go there,
trade, and then return. For other areas of Cerilia the you should be able
to work out the possible destinations based on the above table. All other
regions can travel to all parts of Aduria, and two regions of Cerilia.



The Success Roll:

Once the size of the fleet and the the destination have been determined
then it is time to roll to see if the mission as been a success or not. A=
s
mentioned above RPs & GBs can only be spent to improve the success of thi=
s
action if the regent personally goes along on the voyage. If not then the=
re
will be a much reduced chance or success, but the regent will be free to =
do
other actions.

One a natural roll of 1, disaster strikes and the entire fleet sinks in a
freak storm. The regent and any lieutenants may survive depending on thei=
r
blood abilities, and/or spells and magical items. The DM may wish to use
the destruction of the fleet as an opportunity for an adventure, survivin=
g
on the high seas and battling your way back home again sort of thing.

If the die roll fails, then the voyage has failed to produce a profit, th=
is
should only usually occur if the regent sent out a lieutenant instead of
leading it himself. This will usually mean that no one was willing to
purchase the goods, or they could not be sold for a profit. Any GB's
invested in the cargo are returned after the voyage. Rolls will also need
to be made for the chance of pirate attack on the table below.

If the die roll beats the success number, then the regent's gamble has pa=
id
off and they have made a profit from the voyage. After checking to see if
there was a pirate attack during the voyage skip to the section on profit=
s.



Chance of Pirate Attack:

As with all journeys there is always the chance of an attack by pirate, a=
nd
this will be greatly increased if your ships are carrying loads of valuab=
le
goods. Once the ship arrives at its destination then it will begin tradin=
g,
and during this time the word may spread to local pirates and an attack m=
ay
be made with the hope of capturing the rich cargo. There are two ways to
handle any attacks that occur, and they are to either accept the losses o=
n
table 4 below, or to fight out the battle using war cards or other ship t=
o
ship combat rules.

Table 4: Loses from Pirate Attacks.

Size of Fleet Loses
1-2 ships All lost
3-4 ships 1d3 lost
5+ ships 1d4 lost

The chance of a pirate attack of course varies with the region selected a=
s
the destination. The table below lists the chance of pirate attacks.

Table 5: Chance of Pirate Attacks.

Region Size of Fleet Chance of Attack
Anuire 1-2 15%
3-4 10%
5+ 5%
Rjurik 1-2 10%
3-4 5%
5+ 1%
Khinasi 1-2 20%
3-4 15%
5+ 5%
Brechtur 1-2 33%
3-4 20%
5+ 33%
Vosgaard 1-2 10%
3+ 1%
Northlands of
Aduria 1-2 50%
3-4 33%
5+ 20%
Any Neha region &
Chorbrag 1-2 10%
3-4 3%
5+ 1%
Adurian Empire &
Juh 1-2 10%
3-4 20%
5+ 50%
Subriya & Halwan All 5%
C'rae T'lor'hirm
& Ghanim 1-2 25%
3-4 10%
5+ 1%

Of course each region will have a different sort of pirate, and the
following info can be used to run an encounter if you wish, instead of
using table 4 above.

Anuire: Generally Anuirean pirate attack single ships. The pirates fleet
will consist of 1d3+1 caravels, with a 20% chance of a galleon with a
wizard and pirate chief on board. Each ship will also usually have a sing=
le
unit of pirates on board (see pirate info in separate file).

Rjurik: There are few pirates in Rjurik, but if any attack occurs then it
will usually consist of 1d6 longships from Rjuvik, perhaps even led by
Fulgar the Bold or one of his Jarls. 1d3 units of Rjuvik raiders will als=
o
be present.

Brechtur: The nation of Grabentod is a dangerous force in this region and
many merchant vessels are lost to their raiders each season. The pirates =
of
Grabentod also seem to have an uncanny ability to learn of large fleets o=
f
merchant vessels sailing out and are able to arrange a meeting with their
own fleets. A pirate attack in this region will usually consists of 2d4
cogs with a unit of raiders on each, and the possibility of a larger
roundship with 2 units of raiders and a major leader onboard. They may al=
so
send more vessels depending on the size of the trade fleet.

Vosgaard: Any attack in this region will come from a small fleet of 1d3
Drakkars. The Vos pirate do not usually attack large fleets.

Khinasi: The Khinasi pirates are well organised and equipped and in some
cases sponsored by various nations. A pirate fleet in the region will
usually consist of at least one Zebec, possibly as many as 3, as well as
some smaller vessels to carry off the booty.

Northern Aduria: Along the east coast of northern Aduria is a powerful
nation of pirates with fast raiders that can strike and withdraw before
other vessels have a chance to strike back. They commonly raid any vessel=
s
travelling through the region, so any trade here could not be considered
very safe at all. Any attack from Bir-Warqu will usually consist of up to
10 of these raiders, backed by a large transport ship to carry off the
plunder.

Neha: The Nehalim Empire stretches along the entire west coast of the
Adurian continent. Few nations in the region support much in the way of
fleets, so pirates are not common. If they do strike then the attack will
usually come from a small fleet of 1d4 scout or raider vessels, backed by=
a
war galley.

Halwan, and Subriya: These two seafaring nation regularly patrol the seas
of their coast so little in the way of pirate activity is every recorded.
If it occurs then use the info for Neha above.

Adurian Empire & Juh: The Adurian Empire has little in the way of pirates=
,
but rather the empire its self will occasionally capture and "tax" rich
looking vessels in the port. In this case no ships a lost, but 2/3 of the
cargo is gone and the mission should be considered a failure. Goods are
still be taken back home, but they will not fetch a price more than the
original cargo.

Southern Aduria: Pirates are common in this region, but so is merchant
traffic. The pirates along the southern part of the continent will usuall=
y
only strike at fleets consisting of 1 or 2 vessels, large fleets are
usually left alone. The pirates here usually only have 1 large warship,
although occasionally a group of 2-5 vessels will join together to attack
large fleets.



Profits:

Now profits are of course the whole reason that this expedition was under
taken, and the one thing I did not like with the original action. In my
opinion the profit was too high for an action that could be altered with
RPs until it almost always succeeded, so I have changed a few things arou=
nd
to make the profits less. If the trip is successful then a profit will be
made, but the size of the profit will depend on a more random system than
just the size of a province and the amount of money you send out. Also
there will be a maximum profit available for each region per turn as show=
n
on the table below.

Table 6: Maximum Income each turn.

Region Maximum
Income/Turn
Anuire 50 GB
Khinasi 40 GB
Rjurik 15 GB
Vosgaard 10 GB
Brechtur 65 GB
Northern Aduria 25 GB
Northern Neha 15 GB
Subriya 50 GB
Central Neha 50 GB
Halwan 100 GB
Southern Neha 75 GB
Adurian Empire 250 GB
Juh 80 GB
Ghanim States 10 GB
Chorbrag 150 GB
C'rae T'lor'hirm
States 100 GB

Now that is the maximum amount of income that can be generated from a
region in one turn due to Exploratory trade. The DM is free to rule that
other lands have send expeditions as well if he wishes. This will happen =
if
PC regents start bringing back large profits on their trips. Soon everyon=
e
will want a piece of the action (especially the pirates), so if this acti=
on
is used too often then the DM is encouraged to reduce the amount of money
available. The table however lists the maximum amount that can be gain fr=
om
exploratory trade to each region.

The actual income however depends of the types and numbers of vessels sen=
t
(less any lost due to pirates as described above). Table 7 below shows ho=
w
to determine the income gained.

Table 7: Actual Profit Achieved.

Ship Capacity Profit/Ship
1 GB 1d2 GB
2 GB 1d2+1 GB
3 GB 1d3+1 GB
4 GB 1d4+1 GB
5 GB 1d6+1 GB
6 GB 2d4+1 GB
7 GB 2d6+1 GB

So taking our example of El-Hadid and his 4 Galleons bound for Brechtur. =
He
manages to avoid the pirates of Grabentod and arrives safely in M=FCden, =
his
ship loaded with Anuirean products. His Galleons have a cargo capacity of=
6
GB, which means that the maximum profit he can achieve is 36 GB. The dice
rolls are very good and his profit is 30 GB, not a bad haul, but he has
spent two month on the voyage. He can return safely to Ilien his ships fu=
ll
of goods to sell at a large profit to the people of Ilien and other lands.

So looked at the whole action it is not one to produce vast amounts of go=
ld
for a kingdom, but it can be used to lead into an adventure for your rege=
nt
in another land and can expand your game across all of Cerilia and even t=
o
Aduria (if you like my Adurian Expansion). As too why I created this, wel=
l
I wasn't interesting in what was on TV the night I worked on it and in my
PBeM game there are a couple of players who were about to look on the
Exploratory trade action as one to generate vast amounts of gold to fund
their war effort, so my choice was to either limit the original action to
only 1 ship or come up with a new one, and this is it.





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