Playing campaign without trade nodes help

[Spajjder]

Hi.
Perhaps I turtle a bit but I feel like when I play northen/eastern factions I never have enough money. Mostly because I cannot reach the trade nodes to the west easily.
At realm divide, the trade income essentially dissappears. How to survive it without the money from the trade nodes?

[Didz]

The AI is so bad at competing for the trade nodes that it doesn't matter where your clan is located.

My normal approach is to begin building medium bunes as soon as possible (Turn 2-4 if possible) and send one to every trade node.

If it's free then grab it straight away, if not then camp the node and monitor it to see if the AI abandons it, or is destroyed. The AI seems incapable of holding, or grabbing trade nodes efficiently so usually they get left open at some point during the game and you can simply ninja it with your waiting boat. Usually my clan hold every trade node long before Realm Divide.

Feed 10 trade ships to each trade node.

Make sure these nodes have amassed at least 100,000 koku for your clan before Realm Divide, then it doesn't matter if everyone stops trading with you.

Finally after Realm Divide make your own trade partners by liberating clans and making them vassals, remembering to insist on Trade Rights, and their involvement in the war against everyone else, ensuring that they have military access so they can get at your enemies.

e.g. I am prepared to restore your clan to their ancient homeland provided that a) you agree to buy my trade goods, b) you agree to stand with me and fight my enemies, c) you allow my troops free access to your land. In return I will allow your family to rule your land and support you if attacked.

[wealthmonger]

Here's a few things to look into:

1) Try to take provinces with fertile or very fertile soil for the higher farming income.

2) Make most of your provinces economy based. Generally build a market in the first slot, sake den in the second and temple in the third depending on how many slots there are when you take the province.

3) Town growth is your best asset for a strong economy in the long run, so especially with a long or domination campaign. Try not to build up your castles for the most part and build up your farms while keeping taxes on normal or lower. This will give you a high food surplus adding to growth more and more.

4) Certain provinces make good economic powerhouses. Provinces with philosophical tradition for example, Settsu probably being the best, in the north Uesugi's vassal has one. Take a province with philosophical tradition or another economically good resource preferably with a port, build a market, sake den and temple to there highest levels. Put a Metsuke in the town/castle and combine with a high food surplus. A province like that will probably make 2 to 3 times what others are bringing in.

5) If Christian, build a nanban quarter in a province that meets the above criteria.

[Didz]

Make most of your provinces economy based. Generally build a market in the first slot, sake den in the second and temple in the third depending on how many slots there are when you take the province.

I agree. Unless there is a speciality in the province that you wish to exploit e.g. Fletchers for archers, then this should be the standard province build. I even burn down troop production buildings in captured provinces if they don't have a suitable speciality to justify their existence.

[Chlodwig I.]

That would never work for me, without the Tradenodes I would be completly lost even with this mentioned economic setup in all but one provices I would maybe create a income of 2000 a turn which is not enough money to upgrade castles or build armies.

[Spajjder]

That would never work for me, without the Tradenodes I would be completly lost even with this mentioned economic setup in all but one provices I would maybe create a income of 2000 a turn which is not enough money to upgrade castles or build armies.

Yea, the game has a bit too much focus on those trade nodes

[Didz]

Yea, the game has a bit too much focus on those trade nodes

Does it?

I wonder how many empires would actually have managed to thrive without developing a healthy trade based economy. The British Empire certainly wouldn't have done, the French Empire basically collapsed because it lost it's trading empire, as did the Spanish and Dutch. In fact, that was what most wars of this period were about. Even Napoleon was eventually defeated because he couldn't prevent British trade, and secure his own. So, it was pretty important and rightly has that impact on the game.

[Rijul.J.Ballal]

I've gotten along pretty well without trade nodes, its one less bother when realm divide happens.