GAME CONCEPTS

Caravans

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A caravan is built in a city like a unit and then given a route from the caravan panel. One caravan runs one route. From a city that has a good to another of your cities that lacks it, along an overland path. It keeps running until the route is cut or cancelled.

Building one

Costs 15% more for every city after your first, up to 2.5x. The build list and the production tooltip quote the price your empire pays now.

How many you may keep

Your government sets the cap. Caravans still in production count against it.

Plus, for every city that has one:

  • Zheng He: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support.
  • Castle: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support
  • Grocery: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support
  • Guild Hall: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support
  • Harbor: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support
  • Markets: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support
  • Stables: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support
  • The Great Lighthouse: Adds +1 to the maximum number of caravans your empire can support

Routes

  • The source city must have the good itself (or hold spare copies delivered by a trade deal that it may pass on).
  • The destination must be one of your cities that does not already have that kind of good.
  • A caravan must be able to reach the destination. Caravans travel overland. Sailing lets them cross coast and lakes, and Maritime Trade the open ocean. They use roads where they can, at 0.375 move points a tile, and prefer land to water.
  • Routes to other civilizations are made through trade deals in the diplomacy screen, not from the caravan panel.
  • An enemy unit on the route can cut it with the Pirate order. The caravan returns to your pool and can be re-tasked.

What a route pays

  • The destination city gains the good's full benefits for as long as the route runs.
  • A trade deal's return cargo and gold pay the source city the same way.
  • Governments and buildings that pay per route do so through their effects, listed on their own pages.