Trading Outside Calradia

This does not mean the player leaves the area, just that he/she can invest in trade across the water and over the mountains, no need to send a companion. These expeditions would be undertaken by kings only and one would need a king's permission to invest. The contents and destinations of these expeditions are vague in the extreme. The martial size of an expedition is determined by the ruler launching it and only affects the normal chances of returning. The smaller the expedition, the more likely it is to never return. Also, in every expedition there is some likelihood of unavoidable disaster that no number of men will prevent. All expeditions that return are profitable but HOW profitable is up in the air. All expeditions face the same chance of disaster and the same random system that decides how successful it is. Expeditions can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months with longer expeditions being more profitable. Time of year launched and point of origin do not matter.

Players can launch expeditions themselves when they become a monarch on their own. These are best issued in good times when money and troops are in a plenty.

This addition is primarily a way to make money but also serves to deepen the game by showing that Calradia is part of a greater world, give kingdoms something to do with their men and money besides war, and serve as an entertaining gamble: profits are always there and often high but there are greater risks of loss than a similarly-manned trade caravan remaining within Calradia.

are you sure about that last line? "Time of year launched and point of origin do not matter." it looks rather relevant.

The exceeding arrow said:

are you sure about that last line? "Time of year launched and point of origin do not matter." it looks rather relevant.

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Yes. I don't want to go into the obvious complications over deciding which kingdoms have the best trade routes when, where, and why to these unnamed other locations. Instead I want them all to be equal except for the military forces spared to safeguard the expedition. If the Sarranids are launching trade fleets from Shariz and lose it then start launching army-sized caravans to cross the mountains (neither of which I think need to show up on the map) I don't want there to be sudden drop in profitability. Likewise, the weather never changes in the game so why bother worrying about sea ice, blocked passes, or storms?

I'm unconvinced of the value added of this addition...it would be a calculation largely off-screen, that doesn't have any dynamic effect on the kingdoms actually in the game (aside from the player), but just serves as another money making option?

Caba`drin said:

I'm unconvinced of the value added of this addition...it would be a calculation largely off-screen, that doesn't have any dynamic effect on the kingdoms actually in the game (aside from the player), but just serves as another money making option?

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You are correct, it is primarily another money-making option. I wrote it up for two reasons: first, it adds a bit of depth - not much mind you - and gives a sense of Calradia actually being a part of a greater world. Right now all we have to give that sense are some of the companion dialogues that mention other kingdoms across the sea and over the mountains. Second, after implementing companion caravans and even the ability to invest in caravans from goods merchants in cities, it seemed kinda silly that only the PC and some merchants were benefitting directly from trade.

As for affecting kingdoms, I would say that expeditions could actually be terrific boosts at times. If a PC has a young kingdom and is at peace but the wages of his/her troops are a serious drag then he/she could, before the situation becomes dire, send a bunch of troops and coin out into the sea to come back in a few months with a 600% profit.

I've edited the post to clarify.