Companies of Trade in AB2

[MattyG]

Companies of trade are not well expressed in EU2. Even the AGCEEP uses just the vanilla events. I spent some time debating better approaches in the AGCEEP threads but nothing much seems to have come from it all.

Here in Aberration we don't need to worry so much about what really happened. We are less bound by all that history (although it means we have to be a LOT more creative, because we can't turn to history books and find pre-made events!).

That said, we can draw sweetly upon historical precedents and historical forces and so on. Companies of trade were a reality and they could make an interesting addition to Aberration II.

One of the important parts of the debate about Companies of Trade (examples include the East India Company or North West Company or Hudson's Bay Company) is that EU2 is about governments/nations/monarchs not about private enterprise. We do not - as players - have much control over the private citizen and their activities, and this is all handled by the game. But the Companies of Trade occupy a crossover region. They are private companies, but with royal charters and they were often the precursors of later states (Upper Canada, say) and occupied nations (the British Raj).

(Yes, I'm simplifying it all a little, but EU2 works with generalities, just think of the combat system and inflation!)

In Aberration, Companies of Trade would no longer be just a lame little random event, but a structured series of events based around CoTs that would be generic an open to any (European) nation, just as the Colonial events are. There would be about eight possible companies, based on the CoTs of:

1. SE Africa (Zimbabwe/Zanzibar)
2. Oman (if independent, not owned by Caliphate)
3. Kutch
4. Ganges
5. the one in Atjeh/Java
6. southern China
7. northern China
8. Japan

Alternatively, most of the Indian coastal provinces could have individual Companies of Trade. With the limit/nation it would make for an exciting theatre of competition.

Establishing a Company of Trade can happen only once in each CoT, and each nation could have a maximum number of Companies of Trade, based on trade level.

Level 5, one Company
Level 6 & 7, two companies
Level 8, 9 & 10 three companies



Here is a sample Company establishment event

event = {
. id = 333000
. random = no
. province = Kutch CoT Province
. trigger = {
. NOT = {core = %%%} # not for locals
. *trade and ownership triggers* #too complex/boring to include here
. discovered = %%% # you have to know about it
. NOT = { flag = kutchcompany } #can only be established once
. OR = {
. owned = { province = %%% data = HYD } #etc for
. owned = { province = %%% data = GUJ } #local
. owned = { province = %%% data = DLH } #nations
. }
. atwar = no
. }
. name = "Kutch Company"
. desc = "Shall we grant a charter for Kutch?"
. date = { day = 1 month = january year = 1640 }
. offset = 1000
. date = { day = 1 month = january year = 1820 }

. action_a = {
. name = "Sure"
. command = { type = cash value = -20 }
. command = { type = infra vaue = 100 }
. command = { type = trade value = 300 }
. command = { type = merchants value = -4 }
. command = { type = addcore which = %%% }
. command = { type = setflag which = kutchcompany }
. command = { type = domestic which = mercantilism value = 2 }
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333001 } #mirror events
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333002 } #in case you
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333003 } #or the next
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333004 } #nation turns it
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333005 } #down
. }
. action_b = {
. name = "No way"
. command = { type = vp value = -1 }
}

The only reason not to permit it is because you want to conquer the place instead, or else want to see a company happen in a different CoT.

Once established, the companies are private concerns and the player has no influence on their activities, but once each decade the benefit to the home nation would be expressed by an event that grants ducats (taxes and levies) and increases to Trade and Infra. These would vary each time, based on 4 possible events, each with long offsets and which slept the other three. One would be a loss, one a modest gain, one a good profit and one a very good profit.

The challenge with generic stuff in EU2 is how to attach it to a country. The event triggers are very limited. So, the initial event that establishes the Company grants the nation a core on that CoT. This will help identify all subsequent events and attach them to that nation.


Here is a sample 'profit' event

event = {
. id = 333445
. random = no
. province = Kutch CoT Province
. trigger = {
. continent = europe # so it can't happen to locals
. core = 541 # only the original country would have a core there
. flag = kucthcompany
. }
. name = "Kutch Company Does OK"
. desc = "The Kutch Comany of Trade has been doing well!"
. date = { day = 1 month = january year = 1694 }
. offset = 5000
. date = { day = 1 month = january year = 1700 }

. action_a = {
. name = "Excellent"
. command = { type = cash value = 50 } #100 for good 200 for great
. command = { type = infra vaue = 100 }
. command = { type = trade value = 400 }
. command = { type = merchants value = 3 }
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333446 } # good profits
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333447 } # great profits
. command = { type = sleepevent which = 333448 } # bad results
. }
}

Bad result events would include the following commands ...

. action_a = {
. name = "Bail out the Company"
. command = { type = inflation value = 1 }
. command = { type = stability value = -1 }
. command = { type = trade value = -300 }
. command = { type = merchants value = -6 }
. command = { type = cash value = -600 }
. }
. action_b = {
. name = "Let it fail"
. command = { type = inflation value = 2 }
. command = { type = stability value = -2 }
. command = { type = trade value = -300 }
. command = { type = merchants value = -6 }
. command = { type = endflag which = kutchcompany }
. }
}

Note that the cash earnt or lost would increase as the years continue.

Fine and good. However, as the years pass events may happen which would result in other significant effects.


1. If the CoT province becomes owned by a European nation (including yours), the Company collapses instantly. (end the flag and lose the core)

2. If the province becomes owned by Rebels, it triggers an event that allows you to send troops (desertion command) and cede the region permanently.

3. If you are at war with the owner of the province, the Company collapses instantly, and you lose the core.


Otherwise, the business continues as usual. I find it unlikely that this would be the case for a Company that is established in the 1600s, that 200 years would pass without any of the above three events occuring, but it's possible.

MattyG

 

[unmerged(16159)]

I love these generic event files.... This is good stuff, and helps flesh out the later game in a way that accomodates any of the random configuration of dominant powers, in the same way the epo_colony file works.

How do you artificially limit the number of copmpanies they can create? What's the mechanism? I reckon you could let market forces decide, since surely the bulk of these events will inevitably be 'won' by those nations with lots of explorers and lots of Trade tech. Thus any state could conceivably make ALL the companies, but in reality, they might make 3-4 at the most.

And the profit exacted by each nation might be different, could be triggered again by it's Naval, and Trade techs, again favouring those states which have the savvy to make the profits, and the capacity to bring the gold back home and pay those taxes....

Can you remind me why the American CoTs aren't on the list?

Can a company be re-created which has already burnt out? Can it be stolen by or sold to the resident state? state? Or is this all getting over complicated?

Anyway, great stuff.

PS There is a fairly straight-forward "Amerikanische Kompanie" event in the Hansa file, which could be rewritten to follow this idea, or simply deleted in favour of these events.

 

[MattyG]

mikl,

One reason for limiting the number/nation is simply gameplay, and the ability of players to exploit things where there are no boundaries. In reality even the great trading/naval nations did not start all of the companies. The Dutch started only one, IIRC.

The American CoTs are not appropriate because they can bounce all over the place, unlike the stable CoTs of Asia. And the Americas are simply not wealthy and powerful enough that that mechanism would be considered by Europeans over the conquest mechanism. However, the Guantanamo CoT might be an exception, as it will be stable once Maya has weathered the conquest storm and survived. Given that the Companies events ought not fire before the 1600s, this would be likely. All of the other CoTs in the Americas will be European owned by then anyway.

Different levels of profits is great conceptually, but a lot of work. Ditto on having the company emerge once again if 'destroyed'. It just means lots of work.

Thanks for the vote of support!

 

[yourworstnightm]

I think companies of trade sound great, especially for the Hansa, however they should be very expensive to create (and of course only appear if you've found the CoT).

 

[MattyG]

I absolutely agree that there must be costs involved, but I don't think it should be in the traditional format. Normally with events you pay the ducats and you get the troops/manu whatever.

The Trade Comopanies were not, however, established with government/crown financing. Most of it came from the private citizens who invested in the company. These Companies reflect that by not having very much of investment by the player. Comparitively, they also don't make that money for the player.

The costs for the player/nation are as follows:

1. Shifts toward mercantilism, which players may not desire.

2. If the company gets into trouble, the government must either bail them out (ducats) or else let it collapse resulting in economic hardship at home (inflation and stability hits).

This is balanced by the potential benefits:

1. They make some money for you each decade, along with bonuses to trade.

2. You get a core on the CoT, and if conditions become right the chance to annex the province.

MattyG