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When attempting to combine caravan rules into the Kingdom rules from Kingmaker, I discovered a HUGE problem: one BP is equal to 400 trade goods on the caravan scale.
Mind you, 1BP buys the entire starting caravan, plus goods, so I think it's still a sound concept. But how long does the caravan take to gain 4k gp? If I'm reading the other threads properly, about a year or so.
So please help save me from a brain embolism; I've already stopped caring about where in the world the corrupt lumber baron is (for the cheaper goods).
I've already stopped worrying about economy in a Colonization (computer game) level accuracy; if something's a decent amount of work for me, my players aren't going to want to do it.
But my main question is: where are the profits in a caravan, or in trade between kingdoms at all? Copper is mined in Kopperkroft, refined in Janderhoff, and the goods are sold in Korvosa, so there must be some kind of profit in moving stuff about the world...
When attempting to combine caravan rules into the Kingdom rules from Kingmaker, I discovered a HUGE problem: one BP is equal to 400 trade goods on the caravan scale.
Mind you, 1BP buys the entire starting caravan, plus goods, so I think it's still a sound concept. But how long does the caravan take to gain 4k gp? If I'm reading the other threads properly, about a year or so.
So please help save me from a brain embolism; I've already stopped caring about where in the world the corrupt lumber baron is (for the cheaper goods).
...
This is the point I was making in another thread. These caravans are *not* big mercantile trade ventures. They are more "residential". They are the homes of the Varisian Wanderers, families that travel. They are more like the Tinkers of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series than anything else.
These are the classic movie "gypsies", the more honest cousins of the Sczarni. Itinerants that wander, as a family, through various areas. The trade goods are not big crates; they are little things: music boxes, knick-nacks, curios, a few bottles of local liquor, and so on .. common goods that can be bought for a little money and sold elsewhere for (hopefully more), enough to help make ends meet (but not guaranteed to do so).
[SNIP]These are the classic movie "gypsies", [/SNIP]
Actually, I think of those caravans more as a traveling hamlet or village than a caravan. But yes, I was wondering if there were higher priced goods options (perhaps that just can't be sold at the smaller towns) later in the AP.
It also begs the difference between bulk goods like lumber and high value to volume HVV goods like gems and spices.
Also, I notice the lack of a crafter's van such as a travelling tinker van, now that it is mentioned. It would cost .8 bookoodles for the stability needed (permanent floating disk comes to mind), but would allow crafting activities on the move. [edit] same stability needed for a traveling hospital wagon, or perhaps a luxury passenger vehicle [/edit]
[SNIP]These are the classic movie "gypsies", [/SNIP]Actually, I think of those caravans more as a traveling hamlet or village than a caravan. But yes, I was wondering if there were higher priced goods options (perhaps that just can't be sold at the smaller towns) later in the AP.
I gather you're thinking more along the lines of the classic merchant caravans of camels crossing the desert from oasis to oasis, or mule trains hauling loads of ore down from mines in the mountains.
Something like that would be
Perhaps an article for Wayfinder could address that? They have done expansions to the Kingmaker domain rules in the last two issues.
The caravan
What I would suspect is that for larger, merchant-scale operations, the Skull and Shackles AP will need to use something compatible to track that. With many tons of cargo space on some of the larger ships (per Ultimate Combat's vehicle rules), the cargo units of these caravans will vanish.. but something like the BP mechanic from Kingmaker would probably fit well. That's where I expect to find rules adaptable to make land-based caravans more merchant-like.
Of course, that's just a guess.
[SNIP]What I would suspect is that for larger, merchant-scale operations, the Skull and Shackles AP will need to use something compatible to track that. With many tons of cargo space on some of the larger ships (per Ultimate Combat's vehicle rules), the cargo units of these caravans will vanish.. but something like the BP mechanic from Kingmaker would probably fit well. That's where I expect to find rules adaptable to make land-based caravans more merchant-like.
Of course, that's just a guess.
Hrm... I like the concept, and hope you're right.