Raided Trade Routes

[Didz]

When your trade route is being raided, do you lose all the income it would generate, or only part of it?

No! If you check my opening post in the 'Trade Route Monitor Results' thread you will see the data for my trade from the East Indies whilst the trade route is being raided. The data shows that the pirates are actually stealing 20% of the spices being transported along the trade route.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=117356

What I haven't established yet (because it hasn't happened) is whether these losses a cumulative. e.g. if a second pirate fleet or an enemy faction raided the same trade route would I lose a further 20% off the cargo that managed to avoid the first raiders.

If the answer is Yes, then it would make more sense to place a series of single vessel fleets at intervals along an enemy trade route then place them as one large fleet. But I don't know if thats the case yet.

When a trade route is being raided, do you have to look along every trade route on the map until you find the offending party? Sometimes the looking glass won't take you there, and there is no obvious blockade.

This is a major shortcoming of the trade window as things currently stand. It would be nice to be able to click on the 'Your Trade Route is being Raided' symbol and be taken to the spot where the trouble exists, but as things stand all you get is the looking glass on the original report.

Sometimes it can be quite difficult to work out why the trade has been interupted, but the only way I know of doing it is carefully tracking the trade route from destination to source to look for the cause of the problem.

If a trade route is in an almost constant state of being raided, are you better off canceling the trade agreement and trying to forge a new one?

Not if its being Raided, as probably as much as 80% of the goods are still getting through.

However, if a trade port has been blockaded, or worse if the trade port has been captured or destroyed and no goods are getting delivered to your trade partner then you might want to consider cancelling your trade agreement and freeing up your trade port to allow you to enter into a trade agreement with a new partner.

As a matter of policy its always best to try and seek trade agreements with factions that are not at war, or who have powerful navies capable of keeping their ports open. Also be aware that trading with factions in the med is always going to be problematic due to the Barbary Pirates.

I'm currently playing as GB, and have a pretty decent navy, but several of my trade routes are almost always being raided, and I can almost never find the offender. I'm sort of at a loss on what to do. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Bear in mind that there is a difference between a 'Trade Route Being Raided' and a Blockade.

If your trade route is being raided you will see the trade from that trade theatre (e.g. Ivory Coast, Madagascar, East Indies or Brazil) greyed out on the Trade Screen. This will almost always be an enemy fleet sitting on your trade lane flashing the pirate flag, so its just a case of checking the entire route screen by screen till you spot it. Then get the navy over there and send them to Davy Jones.

However, if its a blockade, then the problem will appear in the lower section of the trade screen and will only affect one specific trade partners. The first place to check in my expereince is your trading partners trade ports. The chances are that their trade ports have either been captured, destroyed or are being blockaded.

Bear in mind that this might not be a fleet action, its possible the the enemy army has captured or destroyed the port. If so, there is really little you can do unless you want to go to war with their enemy. You can try feeding your trade partner money and hope they use it wisely to buy the troops and ships they need to re-open their trade, but they could just as easily spend it on wine, women and song and let their enemy keep their port.

For example: in my current game my trade with Sweden (1069 per turn) is being blockaded by a Danish Fleet parked on their Trade Port. So, I figured never mind I'll cancel my trading agreement with Sweden and make one with Denmark. But when I checked the Swedish fleet was actually blockading the Danish Trade Port. The two fleets were well within interception range of each other but neither moved to attack the other, they just mutally blockaded each others trade.

So, if it looks as though they are not going to do anything about it then you might want to cut your losses and cancel the trade agreement.