Can merchant republics tap into the silk road?

[TheDungen]

Can merchant republics tap into the silk road when it passes over a sea zone they control, it seems like they should but then again I can't really see how the current mechanics would allow it.

 

[joost_10]

As of conclave, it seems not longer possible. as far as i know, it was possible with The Horselords, to build as a merchant republic a silkroad traepost in a country that isn.t yours. but since Conclave you have to own the country in order to build a Silk Road tradepost in it.

 

[Knotz]

I was hoping that if a merchant house opened up an outpost on one of the port's where the road terminate's that they'd either get some special events or extend the road a bit (like to, oh I dunno, Constantinople maybe at least?) but apparently not.

 

[TheDungen]

I was more hoping there would a bonus to trading in a seazone where the silk road passed through. I know it usually doesn't apply since most merhcant republics are in the miditerranean while the silk road only goes through sea provinces in the indian ocean but in my recent game a bedouin merchant republic chowed up and it got me wondering if they'd be able to utilize the silk road.

But I guess not.

 

[joost_10]

Oh yeas there is indeed a huge bonus in tradingzones where the silk road goes! also for merchatn republics. for that reason iam playing a merchant republic in Navasaraki, India.
The Silk Road gives 37% bonus on tax and trade and stuff.

 

[TheDungen]

Oh yeas there is indeed a huge bonus in tradingzones where the silk road goes! also for merchatn republics. for that reason iam playing a merchant republic in Navasaraki, India.
The Silk Road gives 37% bonus on tax and trade and stuff.

I am talking about the places where the silk road goes through sea zones, if there is a bonus to tradeposts along the shores of that seazone.

NOT about the tradeposts that can be built on land provinces which the silk road passes through.

 

[joost_10]

yes i know.
in these zones you can build a silkroad tradepost as owner of the province. and if you are a merchant republic and owner of the province, you can build a regular tradepost AND a silkroad tradepost.

 

[hagagaga]

Yes. Take over Byzantine Empire as Venice, then expand to the Silk Road.

 

[TheDungen]

Again.. not answering the question I am really asking.

Does having tradeposts in the provinces marked with blakc arrows thus controllign the seazone marked with a red arrow which the silkroad passes through confer any advantage to the merchants republic who owns those tradeposts?

Or is silk road through sea zones just wasted and inaccessible?

 

[Damarrocarion]

You can probably check it out quickly by doing holy war - save scumming to build republic there. If not, then they should certainly lchange the code a bit.

 

[TheDungen]

It just seems odd, the indian ocean trade was by far the most lucrative trading network on earth, but a merchant republic active in the indian ocean is no richer than one active in the midditerranean.

 

[Knotz]

Or is silk road through sea zones just wasted and inaccessible?

Yes.

In future if you'd like a quick answer to your question and not a discussion you should probably use this thread.

 

[joost_10]

Oh.. right. sorry Thedungeon. my bad.
If i remember correctly, it does give boons, but i'am not longer so sure now. Will check it out tomorrow

 

[TheDungen]

Yes.

In future if you'd like a quick answer to your question and not a discussion you should probably use this thread.

Well I actually wanted a discussion, just not about a query I did not make.

 

[Dahoota]

It would be very cool (and realistic) if it did, but no.

It probably hasn't been looked at because the silk road only occupies the eastern half of the map, where the possibilities for a human controlled MR are very limited. MR's can only build trade posts when there is a direct sea link back to the MR's capital so Venice can't build in the Red sea and a repbulic on the red sea can't build posts on the Mediterranean etc.

You basically either have to start as a tribal in East Africa and move east or as a Nomad and come south. Either situation requires a bunch of work, making them pretty rare and probably not worth the dev time.

Right now, I'm playing a MR game in the east for the first time actually as a Jewish republic starting as a tribal in East Africa. Having silk road nodes in your trade zone gives a pretty huge boost to your trade zone even without a bonus from the other nodes the silk road passes.

 

[CaptainPolyp]

It would be very cool (and realistic) if it did, but no.

It probably hasn't been looked at because the silk road only occupies the eastern half of the map, where the possibilities for a human controlled MR are very limited. MR's can only build trade posts when there is a direct sea link back to the MR's capital so Venice can't build in the Red sea and a repbulic on the red sea can't build posts on the Mediterranean etc.

You basically either have to start as a tribal in East Africa and move east or as a Nomad and come south. Either situation requires a bunch of work, making them pretty rare and probably not worth the dev time.

Right now, I'm playing a MR game in the east for the first time actually as a Jewish republic starting as a tribal in East Africa. Having silk road nodes in your trade zone gives a pretty huge boost to your trade zone even without a bonus from the other nodes the silk road passes.

Ho noes!
Here come my dreams of the republic of Damietta, expanding both in the mediterranean and red seas; Well, I'll still have trage posts in Egypt but meh...
Though, is it possible if I place my capital in Suez Canal's province (even if there is no Suez Canal)?

 

[Dahoota]

It's theoretically possible but going to be tough - there's only one potential county:



If you have a duchy-level republic, conquer the duchy of Sinai then make Sinai your primary title you can more your capital to the county of Farama (if you directly control the city holding there).

DISLAIMER: This could might not work if the only thing that counts is where the port is, rather than the whole county. Even if it doesn't, just create all the trade posts you want on one side then move your capital to a county on the other sea.

 

[CaptainPolyp]

I dunno, maybe I'll try it later. For now, I'm Sultan of the Tulinids (old gods start) and I play with the Founder of the Republic mod (to convert from feudal to MR) so I will be a kingdom level MR. I would have liked giving up the Sultanate to my brothers and take my independance later to begin as a duchy level MR, but it would be longer and I don't want to wait too much.

I'll found the republic in Damietta first because in the map mod I play with, the province coastal with both mediterranean and red seas is a crappy 2 holdings province without city yet (I'll have to destroy either the mosque or the castle). too bad if I can't build regular trade posts on the red sea but my priority will be to set foot on the mediterranean sea first as there is far more concurrence there. I'll still have a nice silk road trade zone in Egypt.

Thanks anyway for your response.

 

[StarSword]

It's theoretically possible but going to be tough - there's only one potential county:



If you have a duchy-level republic, conquer the duchy of Sinai then make Sinai your primary title you can more your capital to the county of Farama (if you directly control the city holding there).

DISLAIMER: This could might not work if the only thing that counts is where the port is, rather than the whole county. Even if it doesn't, just create all the trade posts you want on one side then move your capital to a county on the other sea.

Yeah, I tried that in my Kurdistan game with a vassal republic. Doesn't work, at least not with an AI republic: the republic can only build trade posts in the ocean where the de facto capital county's port is. Put your doge in Sinai, Eilat, or Farama, he builds in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean exclusively. Put the capital in El Arish, he builds in the Med.

I just built a second republic in Ascalon.