Port Interface/Merchant District

Buying and especially selling of trade goods is one of the main sources of revenue in "Pirates and Traders". Prices of goods vary and flunctuate over time, so there are profits to be made by the enterprising trader.

Trade Goods

The merchant view is where you buy and sell the goods that you acquire. You will also find similar views under your character status (the cargo view) and when plundering enemy ships.

All of these views are organized in a similar fashion, with a header showing the current capacity of your ship and a list of the trade goods available.

The information about the goods is organized as follows. The first number is the amount of goods in your cargo hold. Next comes the name of the trade good, followed by a number in brackets, which is the number of goods available to be taken/sold. On the right side of the view are the Buy/Take and Sell/Discard buttons - in the merchant view, these are flanked by the purchasing and selling price. Below the name of the good you will find additional information about the good.

Buy/Take/Sell/Discard All

If you want to Buy/Take or Sell/Discard all goods of a kind (instead of transferring them one by one, press the appropriate button and hold it down (i.e., long press). This will buy or sell all the goods of that type that you have available, subject to money and capacity limitations.

The Trade Goods

The following trade goods exist in "Pirates and Traders":

Food: This represents food stuffs of various kinds. You crew consumes Food, so you will always want some on board. Food is cheapest in rich ports and most expensive in poor ports.

• Sugar: This represents sugar and molasses; vital for the production of rum. Sugar is cheapest in poor ports and most expensive in rich ports.
• Spices: This represents the various spices of the new world, including Cocoa - the food of the gods. Production of Spices is highest in prosperous ports.
• Lumber: Wood and lumber is required not just for construction but also ships. The best production of Lumber is in average ports.
• Cotton: Cotton plantations were common across the Carribean. It is primarily produced in average ports in the game.
• Rum: The drink of the Pirate. Production of Rum is highest in prosperous ports.
• Paper: Paper was an important industrial product from Lumber. Wealthy ports produce most Paper in the game.
• Clothing: The pirates of the period were highly fashion-conscious, and Clothing was valued plunder. Wealthy ports produce the most Clothing.
• Weapons: Weapons are much sought after due to the continuous warfare. Rich ports produce the most Weapons. Weapons are, however, considered contraband in Spanish and British territory.
• Gems: Precious Gems are the most expensive trading good in the game. For this reason, the State holds a monopoly on its trade and it is considered contraband in Spanish, French, and Dutch territories. The highest production of gems occurs in poor ports.

The five port levels are poor (1), average (2), prosperous (3), wealthy (4), and rich (5).

Contraband

Your ship will alwyas be searched when entering a port. If you are carrying contraband, this search will play out as a short story. During this story, the game will test your smuggling ability (based on the Cunning skill). If you fail this test, you will be forced to make a run for it, or try to convince the customs officials to let you through. If you fail at that action, the customs officials will arrest you and confiscate all of your goods.