Quote Originally Posted by Ice
What exactly does this building do? I'm playing as Saba and would like to know.
"Trade Route scout parties" is the preliminary building for all trade caravans. As your settlement expands. And you build higher levels of the governors mansion. New options for expanding the trade caravans become available.

Like Redmeth said it all comes down to settlement size. I think it takes a town or large town size to build the lowest level of trade caravan. And that's after you build the scout parties.

Only Saba and the steppe factions can build all the levels of caravans with level 1 or 2 governments. Some hellenic factions can also build them (Baktria, Seleukids, Ptolemai?) but they require that the caravans be built in settlements with a level 3 or 4 government and no port.

Like the caravans of old, they increase tradable goods and generate more money for the player.