Bay 12 Games Forum

CARAVANS: VERSION B

For 500 Coins, you can commission a Caravan at the Bazaar, load it up with some resource, and send it to neighbouring state (or the city of Cashgrab) to establish a Trade Route. In the land of Han, valid destinations for a Caravan is either a Central Province, or a Province with a Bazaar.
Caravans cross up to 2 Provinces per Turn and cost no Coins of Upkeep when en route to their destination. Caravan movements are done at the end of a Turn, alongside Research, Hero Employment and so on.

Passage Fee:
Any Independent Province that your Caravan goes through will demand Passage Fee of 100 Coins. Other Player Warlords are also entitled to this Passage Fee, also 100 Coins per Province. Player Warlord whose Province is the Caravan's destination CANNOT demand a Passage Fee.

List of stuff that can go on your Caravan:

Copper: Provides benefits of Copper (10% Army Recruitment Cost) to the Caravan's target. +500 Coins of Trade Revenue.
Iron: Provides benefits of Iron (10% Army Recruitment Cost) to the Caravan's target. +300 Coins of Trade Revenue.
Sulphur: Provides +2 Research Points per Turn to Caravan's target. +300 Coins of Trade Revenue.
Rice: Provides +1 to Max.Army limit to the Caravan's target. +100 Coins of Trade Revenue.
Timber: Provides benefits of Woodcutter's Camp (10% Improvement Purchase Cost) to the Caravan's target. +100 Coins of Trade Revenue.
Lacquer/Jade/Silk: Boosts Taxes in whole Province by 20%. +1000 Coins of Trade Revenue.

Trade Revenue: As you might've noticed above, each resource provides extra Trade Revenue. You are free to charge the Caravan's target for extra money, but remember that the Warlord in question might simply reject your caravan, or outright Plunder it.

Plunder: If there's a Caravan crossing your lands that you do not like, you can Plunder its wealth! To do this, you must have at least 1 Army (no matter the type) in the same Province as the Caravan. Plunder happens during Army Movement phase.
When you Plunder a Caravan, you get anywhere between 100% to 300% of its Additional Trade Revenue, in increments of 50 Coins; for example, if you plunder a Silk Caravan, you can get anywhere between 1000 and 3000 Coins!

REMEMBER: The Trade Route 'shifts' the resource to your neighbour, depriving you from its benefits! So, for example, to provide Iron's benefit to both yourself AND your neighbour, you would require 2 Iron Mines (one for yourself, one for the other guy). Also, when the Caravan is en route, you do not receive its resource's benefits either!

The Great City of Cashgrab and its Marvelous Wares from the West:

Provinces of Qin, Jian, Song (Yue, Qin, Jian and Zhao on Expanded Map), on the far west of the Land of Han, can send their caravans to a faraway land where the Great City of Cashgrab lies. It takes a Caravan 5 Seasons total to get to Cashgrab and back to you.
Unfortunately, there is certain risk that the Caravan might get lost or be plundered by some unscrupulous bandits. This chance is 10% per each Season en route to Cashgrab (you will be notified if this unfortunate event happens).

Cashgrab has a demand for certain Han crafts and is willing to pay for them:

Copper/Tea: 700 Coins
Jade: 1400 Coins
Lacquer: 2100 Coins
Silk: 2800 Coins

Cashgrab also offers some stuff that will surely be appreciated by your own subjects.

Lentils: Provides +2 to Max.Army limit. Purchase price: 700 Coins (or in exchange for Copper or Tea).
Spices: Provides +1 to Max.Army limit and boosts Taxes in whole Province by 40%. Purchase price: 1400 Coins (or in exchange for Jade).
Glassware: Boosts Taxes in whole Province by 80%. Purchase price: 2100 Coins (or in exchange for Lacquer).

Trade Route 'linking', or Cashgrab's Goodies for the Eastern Warlords:

Once you manage to obtain Cashgrab goods, you can send them further east to other Warlords who do not have direct access to the great desert separating Han and The Great City.
The Caravan's target receives the benefits of Cashgrab goods, while you receive DOUBLE the Purchase price of the Cashgrab goods (so 1400 for Lentils, 2800 for Spices, and a whooping 4200 for Glassware).

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SALT MINING:

Requires Prospecting, has 40% chance to appear in Mountains but can also be prospected for at Grasslands.

Salt: Generates 500 Coins (no Workshop required). Boosts Taxes in whole Province by 10%.

(if Caravans Version B applies):

Can be sold to Cashgrab for same price and utility as Jade.