Setting up a Centre of Trade (or Center if you're American)

[Zacchaeus]

So, I scrabbled together the cash to enable me to set up a Centre of Trade in London, whilst playing England. The conditions, as we all know, are that you can't be a member of a trade league and that the current Centre of Trade must have business of at least 800 Ducats. London trades through Lubeck which easily surpasses this limit. So off I go and cancel my subscription to the Hanseatic Trade League and then focus back on London ready with my 500 Ducats. But lo, what is this? London (and every one of my other Provinces) has switched immediately to Antwerpen which is doing a poxy amount of trade, well below the 800 Ducat limit. I presume there is no way around this and that in fact the conditions are that you must have two Centres of Trade doing over 800 Ducats of business? Not only that but you must also hope that the province switches to the other one since there is no control over which Centre of Trade that the province points to.

Very miffed, I am.

[yabba]

You are now not part of a trade league, so you can build a CoT as soon as you can leave Antwerpen, but yes, you can only split with them once they're valued at 800 ducats.

So build those trade buildings, make sure all your provinces are trading through them, and the value will slowly grow.

It is non-obvious, and thus annoying when you don't know.

[Gamera]

One way to trick that system would be to have given trade rights of whatever-is-produced in London (Grains if i remember well) to the Hansa, and even without being in its Trade League, London Trade would pass through it.
Sadly, I hardly believe that an AI Hansa would ever ask you to trade rights about grains when you have so many Iron provinces.

Another "easy" means is to just build all trade buildings you can into your provinces, normally, with the British isles alone, all with a Trade depot, Antwepren should be more than 800.

Last solution: Just wait... Trade value rises with time and Antwerpen easily reach 1000 by 1520-1550, whatever is done around.

[Balou]

Have you got a savegame from the time before you left the trade league and are you willing to reload? In this case you might be able to build your CoT, after you leave the league while the game is still paused.

[Kurblius]

England will usually trade through Antwerpen because it's closer than Lubeck. However there are other factors the AI considers. If you are at war with whoever controls Antwerpen, or you're embargoed (you can also try embargoing them) then your provinces are less likely to trade there. However, the easiest way for you to trade through Lubeck is probably to cancel you League membership and then IMMEDIATELY afterwards build your CoT. The game typically doesn't redistribute the provinces until the beginning of the next month, so building a CoT in London should still be possible in that window of time.

Edit: What Balou said.

[Zacchaeus]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I did think after I wrote the post about the trick with the trade rights and yes I (fortunately) saved my game before I made the attempt so I lost nothing. It's just that early on the only real trading centre England has is Lubeck and on it's own it doesn't really generate enough (although 3 times what the rest do put together). I thought about taking a province somewhere in the Mediterranean but I have no Casus Belli against anyone I would care to take on. Guess I'll just have to be patient - not my strongest suite
Oh, and I did all the cancelling the trade league thing whilst the game was paused. All my provinces switched immediately that I left the league; so no trick with the reload and pause will work. The switch over is instantaneous. Also England starts the game with all provinces trading through Lubeck and as far as I can see will continue to do so unless she leaves the Hanseatic Trade League, or perhaps when you agree to a trade exclusivity with another Centre of Trade.

[Nunn45]

Embargo the opposing CoT, that will cause you to trade through another one.
Then Embargo until you find a CoT with enough wealth to split

[Zacchaeus]

Nice idea Nunn45, especially since relations with Burgandy tend to be frosty anyway.