Vagabond: Okay. Maybe a few brain cells died over the years. Because I cannot figure out how to play this game.
I've done the tutorials, and read the manual.
Can someone just outline how to get "started" in a game, and I'll probably figure it out from there. Should I buy goods and ship them to other cities?
Thanks!
-First and foremost: I wouldn't go with the campaign, as it's pretty steep for a newcomer. You'd better be off with a custom game on Shopkeeper level, starting in Luebeck.
-As you noted, you should start by acting as a transport company for the Hanseatic League, providing cities with what they need. I also suggest concentrating on one part of the area first, and expand when you have more ships.
-Luebeck produces iron goods, and lots of it. Make sure you get as many as you can while keeping the average price below 340. Then, you can spread it over nearby cities (Stettin, Rostock, Malmö, Torun) with a nice profit.
-In Malmö, stock up with cloth (up to an average price of 250-260). You could also shop for some meat (avg. 1100-1200), which, when in high demand, sells quite well (1500-1800 apiece).
-Stettin produces much beer; you should buy it for avg. 40-41. Then, sell it to Luebeck and Rosctock (and sometimes Malmö).
-In Gdansk, you can find beer, leather, meat and wool relatively cheap, so buy those. (Avg. up to which you should buy, respectively: 40-41, 290, 1100-1200, 1100.)
-If you decide to do a "shopping spree" in the East, here's what to get and where: Skins (700) in Riga, Reval, Ladoga and Novgorod (they sell EXTREMELY good in the South); Iron goods in Stockholm and Reval; Cloth in Visby; Fish (490-500) in Ladoga and Stockholm; Pig Iron (1000-1100) in Ladoga; Beer in Novgorod; Meat in Stockholm and Reval.
-In the inns of certain cities, you can find an Informer. He will tell you (for a small fee) of the shortage of a certain type of goods in a city, which may come useful.
Hope these help you to enjoy the game!
