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Thread: [CWBP2] Economy and stuff

  1. #1
    Guild Grand Master Azélor's Avatar
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    Default [CWBP2] Economy and stuff

    A couple of things to consider about economics:

    We have boats that can travel across the ocean. They are not the best for trading but it's good enough if you know how.
    A lot of the trade is probably done on the rivers with small or medium boats and by land with unicorns.



    Questions I was asking myself:

    1- Where are the natural resources? Where are the resources more likely to be found? Do they have resources that we don't have on Earth (or lack resources we have)?
    This thread could be useful: http://www.cartographersguild.com/re...ces-where.html

    I was trying to put down on paper the important resources that our people could use to trade but I can't decide what is important enough to be mentioned.
    I was also interested to find non natural resources that our people could trade, like magic items maybe?

    2- Finding the trade routes. Unless we are talking about sea trade, it will depend on many factors and I'm not sure if we can speculate on this right now.
    The major winds and oceanic currents are supposed to go east to west near the equator and west to east at the mid latitudes. (more or less)

    Trade routes start in a city and end in another city. There is usually fresh water near the road and it passes in a lot of cities along the way. Major trades routes are limited by geographic and safety concern. They go where the profit is.

    3- Trading language: do we want that sort of thing?

    4- Currencies: Is there a currency more important than others regarding trading ? Like: do we have some sort of Roman/American currency?

    5- Guilds: Do we have some large trading companies like the VOC or the Hanseatic League? I'm not talking about a state like Venice that was a merchant republic but a NGO.


    Keep in mind that these question are there only to help with the brainstorming.

  2. #2
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    I always liked merchant empires. The first one was Carthago and it became a superpower of its time based on economy alone.
    It creates plenty of potential for storytelling by having a contrast between states governed by aristocracy/warriors/mages and states governed by merchants.

    How important was trade for empires even 2 000 years ago shows f.ex this map :
    Click image for larger version. 

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    The crushing majority of bulk trade (wheat, ores, slaves, coal, salt) happens always on sea because the transport price/ton decreases when the transport volume increases. And the easiest and cheapest way to increase the transport volume is to make big ships.
    This is even more true for non technological civilisations where infrastructure (roads) are scarce and deangerous.
    A very large and navigable river (Nile or Rhine style) is considered equivalent to the sea.

    Ground trade (caravans) is only reserved for very high added value, small volume goods (spices, silk, jewelry, art) or in particular cases where it pays to expensively transport bulk goods even in smaller quantities. For example there is no sea near a proficient coal mine.

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    Guild Journeyer Facebook Connected 12rounds's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Azelor View Post

    3- Trading language: do we want that sort of thing?
    Pidgin languages on Earth (like f.ex. Russenorsk and Creole) were born out of necessity and used extensively for trade purposes when different languages collided.
    To avoid having trade languages I see only the following possibilities:
    1) All languages are of same origin, still remain structurally similar (languages are said to be young) to each other and thus easier to learn. Pidgins would not be needed.
    2) A superior or pervasively dominant culture has the capability to force it's language to all nations and actively dismisses other languages. Pidgins would never have the chance to born.
    3) Trade is geographically severely limited and land-based only. Merchants don't trade with people that speak differently.
    4) Trade is a very young concept. Pidgins take a long time to form into actual languages.
    5) Trade doesn't generate wealth for some reason. If there's not much to be gained from trading, pidgin languages don't form into languages because merchants are a rarity.

    None of the above options feel right for the setting. So I'd say trade languages are needed.
    Last edited by 12rounds; 11-21-2014 at 07:51 AM.

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