Port Royale: The Golden Age of an English Privateer

Anrhydeddu · 07-02-2003, 02:27 PM

This dynasty is based on the new Port Royale strategy game from Ascaron. It is a game set in the Caribbean and Spanish Main in the Age of Piracy. The gameplay focuses on trading, town building, ship battles, missions and battling enemies of your chosen nation. The goal is to raise in rank from a Ship Helper up to a Governor appointed by the Crown.

Port Royale review at FOFC

Here is the setup for the game, as I had just begun:

Nation: England (other choices were Spanish, French and the Dutch)
Home: St. Kitts (there are about 5 English towns with established governors that I could have chosen but St. Kitts is the chain next to two other English towns – plus this has always been my favorite place to be based since the old Pirates!Gold game)
Year: 1630 (I could have chosen an earlier year of 1570 or 1600, but I would rather have stronger enemies than just the Spanish Dons)
Target: Governor (there are other game goals you can do instead but I forgot what they were)
Duration: unlimited (you could have the game stop at a specific year)
Battles: simple (complex battles mean you have to control your ship(s) and firings more)
Features: Charisma (this offers a 5% bonus in reputation – the way you move up the ranks – as a trader)
Special: Buccaneer

(I could have chosen another 5% bonus in trade prices but this offers a 5% bonus in reputation for sinking enemy ships)
Assets: Gold (this gives me a Pinnace and 30,000 gold to start. The other options include less gold but bigger boats)

thealmighty · 07-02-2003, 02:30 PM

WooHoo

Go Anrhy! I will be following along, for sure.

Bee · 07-02-2003, 02:39 PM

Good luck Bucc.

BTW, I think there's a demo out if anyone reading along wants to check it out.

sachmo71 · 07-02-2003, 02:52 PM

I miss Buccaneer...

Neat dynasty, though.

Anrhydeddu · 07-02-2003, 03:22 PM

Here are my initial thoughts and strategies. 30,000 in gold is fairly good amount of coins, enough to buy any one of the three boats available to me at my current rank (Ship Helper):

Pinnace: 50 tons capacity, 6-10 knots, about 8000 gold to buy
Sloop: 50 tons capacity, 6-11 knots, about 14000 to buy
Brig: 80 tons capacity, 5-11 knots, about 24000 to buy

My thought is to buy another Pinnace, add that to my current boat to form a convoy (plus adding 4 Sailors to man that boat). With this convoy, I would have 100 tons capacity, which is a good load for a trade route. I want to set up an Automated Trade Route right off since I would need the income to move on to my next phase. I chose St. Kitts as my base because the next island to the north is St. Martin and just to its left is St. Thome – all English towns in a short journey that would take no more than 3-4 days to complete, depending on weather.

The idea of establishing an automated trade route is to have a steady income stream because esp. early in the game, there are no other ways to make decent money. I could, of course, choose to buy certain commodities at a low price and sell them where I know I could make a good profit (in fact, I will be doing this occasionally on missions) but I want to focus on being a privateer and not a trader. I could set up a trade route of any size or commodities but I will just focus on those three towns mentioned above and set prices to ensure to small but frequent profits. In other words, the frequency at which I can buy and sell at each port will make up the relatively low margins. Also, I will chose to have a wide range of commodities to buy and sell so I would not adversely affect the supplies in any of the towns (which would cause my reputation to drop). The commodities chosen below are based on the level of production in each of the towns. I will only buy what they efficiently produce there (so I know there would always be a relatively abundant supply available for the town). The buy and sell prices can be determined by trial and error but I prefer to go with what others already has established for quick, small profits. Here is the trade route with the commodities and their buy/sell prices:

Goods.... St. Kitts...St. Martin...St. Thome

Grain.....buy 85......sell 95......sell 95
Fish......buy 220.....buy 220......sell 250
Meat......buy 230.....sell 250.....sell 250
Potatoes..buy 195.....sell 205.....sell 205
Rum.......sell 400....buy 380..... sell 400
Cloth.....sell 350....sell 350.....buy 330
Salt......buy 210.....sell 230.....sell 230
Bricks....sell 150....buy 130......sell 150
Hemp......sell 360....sell 360.....buy 340
Tobacco...buy 800.....-............sell 850
Dyes..... sell 205....buy 195......sell 205
Cocoa.....sell 360....sell 360.....buy 340
Sugar.....sell 125....buy 105......sell 125
Cotton....sell 105....sell 105.....buy 95

The “buy” prices set above are the maximum I (or the trade route) would buy for each commodity. Likewise, the “sell” prices are the minimum I would sell it for. I set the quantities to Maximum (buy/sell as much as possible given the price thresholds). Be aware that the prices do go up for each ton you buy during the transaction and likewise, go down as you sell each ton. For instance, if St. Martin currently has a buy price set for Rum at 370 (which is under the limit of 380), it will buy (if the quantities are there) until it reaches the 380 price (which will likely be at only the 5th ton). The reverse is true for selling. If I have 24 tons of Cloth in my cargo when I reach St. Kitts, it will try to sell (without flooding the market) as long as the sell price shows 350 or above (which may mean only selling about 6 tons, the rest will have to be sold later when the price goes back up a little).

I found out through me earlier testings that nearby Antigua (just southwest of St. Kitts) can buy Tobacco at a premium price (usually over 1100). I did not include this in my route (just to sell Tobacco) because Antigua is a French town and it wouldn’t take much to get my already low reputation to the point that they will not do any trading with me. With such a great margin potential for Tobacco, this is something I can do on my own, if it fits in my schedule.

I emphasize this because this is the core of the game and the most reliable and effective mean of getting revenues to buy bigger boats, crews, cannons and to afford to accomplish missions.

Next up, the status of the trade routes and the plans for the next phase.

Anrhydeddu · 07-02-2003, 04:39 PM

March 1, 1630

This is the starting date. At this point, I will activate the automated trade route and have it go on its cycle of the three towns. By the end of the month, I should (based on previous tests) have about 48,000 gold, in a sense doubling my purse – all from the trade route. There is a balance ledger that gives all of the revenues/expenses/costs for last week and the current week, so this will have to be watched and logged on a weekly basis to make sure I get the revenue stream coming in. One thing to watch is if it happens to buy quite a bit of one commodity, it may have trouble selling it because the price is not right or the demand lessens. I might then temporarily suspend the route and find another nearby island that I can dump the goods on (like San Juan or Antigua). The game will also let me know if someone (like a courier to the Governor or to a Merchant) wants to see me. A stop by the Governor’s mansion informs me that England is at war with Spain and that, for 12000 gold, I can get a Letter of Marque to go after Spanish ships and towns. I will consider this for the future. Right now, he has no other missions I can choose from but by the end of the month, he will.

My plan is to progress in rank to a Cabin Boy so I can sail with a Brig. I can, if I choose, buy a Brig now from the Shipwright, provision it with Sailors, Cutlasses and Cannons, but I cannot hire a Captain from the Tavern until my promotion. So there’s no need to spend the money now.

Also, I want to have another Pinnace available for a specific reason. There is no way you can know the current prices of goods a town has established until you dock there. If, for example, a Governor’s mission wants me to pick up someone or something in another town across the seas, it would be prudent to buy some goods so when I get there, I can make some profit. The way I would be able to know what of the 19 commodities would give me a fair profit would be to have my Pinnace scout ahead in the town and check the prices. This doesn’t mean that by the time I get there something would happen to the prices (there are many other traders in the game, you just don’t see them), but that is the risk I would take for not sail there with an empty hold. Plus, many of the missions will be time dependant so it makes sense to have another boat out there ahead of where I would need to go. But we’ll see.

The plans for the Brig is to hunt some Pirates in the area. The sailing map does show other ships that are in viewing range (and their flags and number of ships in their convoy). I can target a Pirate Brig which, upon capture, will give two Brigs that can pretty much go after bigger prey. We’ll see about this as well.

Next up, notable events for March (if any) and proceeding to the next strategic phase.

sachmo71 · 07-02-2003, 04:45 PM

Ahrrrrgh, I surrender!

Anrhydeddu · 07-13-2003, 11:06 PM

I continued the game I started before my latest trip and probably will not stay with it. It is a good game, very much like Pirates!Gold but a little bit more robust. After advancing to the next rank (solely from sitting back and watching the trade route), I bought a Brig and loaded it up. With that, I captured a Pirate Brig and then a Pirate Sloop on the way to Port Royale. I kept the second Brig, sold the Sloop and then bought a Letter of Marque from the Port Royale Governor to go after Holland's ships. I basically hung outside of the town of Tortuga (a Holland town) and looted a couple of Sloops and then captured a Barque. Went back to Port Royale, sold the looted goods. This got me to the next rank (which I can finally buy a Sloop and another Captain to scout ahead). I also got a couple of missions, one from the St Kitts Gov. to find three new French cities (which would require going all the way to the Florida area) and someone from the Inn in Port Royale who wanted me to go to Vera Cruz to hunt down a Pirate, but only after I advanced another rank. I didn't pay much attention to buying and selling but it's really hard if you don't have an idea of what goods can be sold where. At this early stage, there is some value going after Holland and Pirate ships (esp. capturing more Brigs and Barques so I can go after the large Holland convoys). The game is very engaging if you put forth the effort because there is a lot going on and a lot you have to pay attention to. I am glad I bought it and will play more sometime in the future.

07-02-2003, 02:30 PM	#2
thealmighty Pro Starter Join Date: May 2003 Location: heaven	WooHoo Go Anrhy! I will be following along, for sure. __________________ Check out The Unofficial FOFC Movie Guide Here

07-02-2003, 03:22 PM	#5
Anrhydeddu Resident Curmudgeon Join Date: Oct 2002	Here are my initial thoughts and strategies. 30,000 in gold is fairly good amount of coins, enough to buy any one of the three boats available to me at my current rank (Ship Helper): Pinnace: 50 tons capacity, 6-10 knots, about 8000 gold to buy Sloop: 50 tons capacity, 6-11 knots, about 14000 to buy Brig: 80 tons capacity, 5-11 knots, about 24000 to buy My thought is to buy another Pinnace, add that to my current boat to form a convoy (plus adding 4 Sailors to man that boat). With this convoy, I would have 100 tons capacity, which is a good load for a trade route. I want to set up an Automated Trade Route right off since I would need the income to move on to my next phase. I chose St. Kitts as my base because the next island to the north is St. Martin and just to its left is St. Thome – all English towns in a short journey that would take no more than 3-4 days to complete, depending on weather. The idea of establishing an automated trade route is to have a steady income stream because esp. early in the game, there are no other ways to make decent money. I could, of course, choose to buy certain commodities at a low price and sell them where I know I could make a good profit (in fact, I will be doing this occasionally on missions) but I want to focus on being a privateer and not a trader. I could set up a trade route of any size or commodities but I will just focus on those three towns mentioned above and set prices to ensure to small but frequent profits. In other words, the frequency at which I can buy and sell at each port will make up the relatively low margins. Also, I will chose to have a wide range of commodities to buy and sell so I would not adversely affect the supplies in any of the towns (which would cause my reputation to drop). The commodities chosen below are based on the level of production in each of the towns. I will only buy what they efficiently produce there (so I know there would always be a relatively abundant supply available for the town). The buy and sell prices can be determined by trial and error but I prefer to go with what others already has established for quick, small profits. Here is the trade route with the commodities and their buy/sell prices: Goods.... St. Kitts...St. Martin...St. Thome Grain.....buy 85......sell 95......sell 95 Fish......buy 220.....buy 220......sell 250 Meat......buy 230.....sell 250.....sell 250 Potatoes..buy 195.....sell 205.....sell 205 Rum.......sell 400....buy 380..... sell 400 Cloth.....sell 350....sell 350.....buy 330 Salt......buy 210.....sell 230.....sell 230 Bricks....sell 150....buy 130......sell 150 Hemp......sell 360....sell 360.....buy 340 Tobacco...buy 800.....-............sell 850 Dyes..... sell 205....buy 195......sell 205 Cocoa.....sell 360....sell 360.....buy 340 Sugar.....sell 125....buy 105......sell 125 Cotton....sell 105....sell 105.....buy 95 The “buy” prices set above are the maximum I (or the trade route) would buy for each commodity. Likewise, the “sell” prices are the minimum I would sell it for. I set the quantities to Maximum (buy/sell as much as possible given the price thresholds). Be aware that the prices do go up for each ton you buy during the transaction and likewise, go down as you sell each ton. For instance, if St. Martin currently has a buy price set for Rum at 370 (which is under the limit of 380), it will buy (if the quantities are there) until it reaches the 380 price (which will likely be at only the 5th ton). The reverse is true for selling. If I have 24 tons of Cloth in my cargo when I reach St. Kitts, it will try to sell (without flooding the market) as long as the sell price shows 350 or above (which may mean only selling about 6 tons, the rest will have to be sold later when the price goes back up a little). I found out through me earlier testings that nearby Antigua (just southwest of St. Kitts) can buy Tobacco at a premium price (usually over 1100). I did not include this in my route (just to sell Tobacco) because Antigua is a French town and it wouldn’t take much to get my already low reputation to the point that they will not do any trading with me. With such a great margin potential for Tobacco, this is something I can do on my own, if it fits in my schedule. I emphasize this because this is the core of the game and the most reliable and effective mean of getting revenues to buy bigger boats, crews, cannons and to afford to accomplish missions. Next up, the status of the trade routes and the plans for the next phase.

07-02-2003, 02:39 PM	#3
Bee Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Fairfax, VA	Good luck Bucc. BTW, I think there's a demo out if anyone reading along wants to check it out.

07-02-2003, 02:52 PM	#4
sachmo71 The boy who cried Trout Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: TX	I miss Buccaneer... Neat dynasty, though.

07-02-2003, 04:39 PM	#6
Anrhydeddu Resident Curmudgeon Join Date: Oct 2002	March 1, 1630 This is the starting date. At this point, I will activate the automated trade route and have it go on its cycle of the three towns. By the end of the month, I should (based on previous tests) have about 48,000 gold, in a sense doubling my purse – all from the trade route. There is a balance ledger that gives all of the revenues/expenses/costs for last week and the current week, so this will have to be watched and logged on a weekly basis to make sure I get the revenue stream coming in. One thing to watch is if it happens to buy quite a bit of one commodity, it may have trouble selling it because the price is not right or the demand lessens. I might then temporarily suspend the route and find another nearby island that I can dump the goods on (like San Juan or Antigua). The game will also let me know if someone (like a courier to the Governor or to a Merchant) wants to see me. A stop by the Governor’s mansion informs me that England is at war with Spain and that, for 12000 gold, I can get a Letter of Marque to go after Spanish ships and towns. I will consider this for the future. Right now, he has no other missions I can choose from but by the end of the month, he will. My plan is to progress in rank to a Cabin Boy so I can sail with a Brig. I can, if I choose, buy a Brig now from the Shipwright, provision it with Sailors, Cutlasses and Cannons, but I cannot hire a Captain from the Tavern until my promotion. So there’s no need to spend the money now. Also, I want to have another Pinnace available for a specific reason. There is no way you can know the current prices of goods a town has established until you dock there. If, for example, a Governor’s mission wants me to pick up someone or something in another town across the seas, it would be prudent to buy some goods so when I get there, I can make some profit. The way I would be able to know what of the 19 commodities would give me a fair profit would be to have my Pinnace scout ahead in the town and check the prices. This doesn’t mean that by the time I get there something would happen to the prices (there are many other traders in the game, you just don’t see them), but that is the risk I would take for not sail there with an empty hold. Plus, many of the missions will be time dependant so it makes sense to have another boat out there ahead of where I would need to go. But we’ll see. The plans for the Brig is to hunt some Pirates in the area. The sailing map does show other ships that are in viewing range (and their flags and number of ships in their convoy). I can target a Pirate Brig which, upon capture, will give two Brigs that can pretty much go after bigger prey. We’ll see about this as well. Next up, notable events for March (if any) and proceeding to the next strategic phase.

07-02-2003, 04:45 PM	#7
sachmo71 The boy who cried Trout Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: TX	Ahrrrrgh, I surrender!

07-13-2003, 11:06 PM	#8
Anrhydeddu Resident Curmudgeon Join Date: Oct 2002	I continued the game I started before my latest trip and probably will not stay with it. It is a good game, very much like Pirates!Gold but a little bit more robust. After advancing to the next rank (solely from sitting back and watching the trade route), I bought a Brig and loaded it up. With that, I captured a Pirate Brig and then a Pirate Sloop on the way to Port Royale. I kept the second Brig, sold the Sloop and then bought a Letter of Marque from the Port Royale Governor to go after Holland's ships. I basically hung outside of the town of Tortuga (a Holland town) and looted a couple of Sloops and then captured a Barque. Went back to Port Royale, sold the looted goods. This got me to the next rank (which I can finally buy a Sloop and another Captain to scout ahead). I also got a couple of missions, one from the St Kitts Gov. to find three new French cities (which would require going all the way to the Florida area) and someone from the Inn in Port Royale who wanted me to go to Vera Cruz to hunt down a Pirate, but only after I advanced another rank. I didn't pay much attention to buying and selling but it's really hard if you don't have an idea of what goods can be sold where. At this early stage, there is some value going after Holland and Pirate ships (esp. capturing more Brigs and Barques so I can go after the large Holland convoys). The game is very engaging if you put forth the effort because there is a lot going on and a lot you have to pay attention to. I am glad I bought it and will play more sometime in the future.

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