Port Interface/Governors Mansion

The Governor of the port is the person to talk to when you wish to do official business. He will provide you with information as well as interact with you on a number of issues. The Governor only has time to help you with one issue, though, so if you have several options, consider carefully what business you want to conduct here.

International Relations

The governor will inform you about the state of international relations between his empire and the other countries in the region. This can be either neutral (at peace), at war, or allied.

Anytime you attack a state, their opinion of you will decrease. If you attack them repeatedly, they will soon consider you a Pirate, which means that their ports will be closed to you and their warships will try to capture you if they encounter you at sea.

Two states at war are actively fighting each other. If you have a letter of marque for one of the warring states, you will gain reputation with that state when you attack it's enemies. If you defeat enough enemy ships, you may eventually gain access to promotions (see below).

Two states that are allied, work together. Attacking a state which is in alliance not only decreases your reputation with that state - it also decreases your reputation with all of its allies.

Neutral status is the default. You can freely attack shipping even if the state for whom you hold a letter of marque is at peace with everyone; you just won't receive increased reputation for the effort.

Letter of Marque

The Governor is the person you should visit to acquire a Letter of Marque. The Letter of Marque is a government license, authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels as prizes. Being a Privateer - cruising for prizes with a Letter of Marque is considered an honorable calling combining patriotism and profit - in contrast to being a Pirate conducting unlicensed piracy. The French use the term Lettre de Course, from which the word Corsair is derived.

Holding a Letter of Marque for a nation allows you to build your reputation with that nation when you attack their enemies (i.e., nations with whom they are currently at war). You need to have a Letter of Marque for a nation to be able to advance in the ranks of that nation. The Letter of Marque also protects you from being attacked by that nations naval ships (but not pirates of that nationality).

Note that this is not a license to attack their allies, however, and such acts will still be considered an act of piracy. Likewise, attacking the ships of a nation for whom you hold a Letter of Marque will instantly lose you the license.

High Society

If you have made a name for yourself in the Carribean you may, from time to time, be invited to socialize with the Governor and his acquaintances. This provides you opportunities to meet and greet with the Governor, pick up (or be forced to carry out) missions and make new friends or enemies.

Be wary. The governor is a powerful person, and not all social visits will end on a positive note.

Commissioned Rank

If you have a letter of marque for this empire and you have successfully defeated enemy forces on behalf of the empire, then you may have the opportunity to purchase a commissioned rank. The rank available to you depends on your standing with the empire, which again depends mostly on how many enemy ships you sink or capture. Defeating warships provides greater prestige than defeating merchants.

Having a commissioned rank provides you with a number of advantages above and beyond those provided by a letter of marque (Benefits are cumulative).

• Commander: Increased crew recruitment in all of this empire's ports. Costs 1000 doubloons.
• Captain: Receives a 10% discount on all repair costs. Costs 2000 doubloons.
• Commodore: Pirate Hunters of this empire will never attack you (as long as you retain your letter of marque). Costs 3000 doubloons.
• Rear Admiral: Receives a 20% discount on all ship improvements. Costs 4000 doubloons.
• Vice Admiral: Receives an additional 10% discount on all repair costs and further increases recruitment. Costs 5000 doubloons.
• Flag Admiral: Provides an additional boost to recruitment. Costs 6000 doubloons.

Note that the worth of the rank you have achieved will be factored into your final net worth (in this age, Officer's commissions could be both bought and sold privately), so purchasing a commission with one empire is never a waste of money. However, you are only credited for your rank with one empire in your score.

Press the Rank button to purchase a commissioned rank.

Pardon

If you have transgressed against this nation, the Governor can usually offer you a pardon in return for an appropriate payment. The pardon will exonerate you completely of the crimes you have committed.

Note that, even if you are exonerated, it may take a while before the merchant agrees to treat you like a normal customer again. Dealing with criminals is not good for business.

Gifts

If you have items suitable to be presented as a gift to the Governor, you will often be presented with the choice of giving that item to the governor when you visit (if you have multiple items, you will be allowed to chose among the items). Note that the Governor may not always have time or interest in receiving gifts, so sometimes you may need to leave and come back later.

Gifts are a very effective way to boost the good opinion of the governor, with the effectiveness increasing depending on the cost and type of the gift. On average, two of the more expensive gifts will be sufficient to boost the governor to friendly from a neutral state.

Gifts can be acquired in two ways - either from missions, or occasionally from merchants (currently two items: gold trinkets and cut gemstones).