Sweden trade setup

[Gurden]

Admittingly, I suck at trade mechanics...

I own all of Scandinavia, northen baltic, and most around Lubeck.

I thought moving my main trading port to Lubeck was a smart move, but my trade income dropped.
Then I made lots of Light ships and send them protect trade.

All in all, from when I started fiddling with my trade, I went from 33 ducats to 23 ducats...


Where do people usually transfer trade from, and where do they collect?

[Marquoz]

Sweden initially collects in the Baltic, but the Baltic is a pretty crappy node. In the short term, focus on conquering every single province that belongs to the Baltic node to make your control of it stronger. In the medium term, It's much more effective for Sweden to take over every province of the Lubeck node and move there--i.e., conquer all of Denmark, much of Norway, and much of northern Germany and transfer your collection point when you have at least a strong majority of the power there.

As a long term goal, take over the British Isles, northern France, and the Low Countries and collect in the English Channel instead. The English Channel is one of three "end nodes," trade nodes that trade enters but never exits. They make superb collection points, and the Channel is the best of the best because more of the world's trade can be sent there than anywhere else.

[Marquoz]

Oh, and light ships are like marketplaces: a waste of money. Spend your cash and your fleet capacity on your military and useful buildings instead. When you have total control of a trade node, there's no reason to boost your power there. Conquest is your goal. Let trade guide your expansion.

Note that I'll use light ships that I start with, or that I capture in battle. But I won't build more and I'll destroy the ones I do have without a second thought to free up room for transports and galleys that my military needs.

[Gurden]

Originally posted by Marquoz:

Sweden initially collects in the Baltic, but the Baltic is a pretty crappy node. In the short term, focus on conquering every single province that belongs to the Baltic node to make your control of it stronger. In the medium term, It's much more effective for Sweden to take over every province of the Lubeck node and move there--i.e., conquer all of Denmark, Norway, and northern Germany and transfer your collection point when you have at least a strong majority of the power there.

As a long term goal, take over the British Isles, northern France, and the Low Countries and collect in the English Channel instead. The English Channel is one of three "end nodes," trade nodes that trade enters but never exits. They make superb collection points, and the Channel is the best of the best because more of the world's trade can be sent there than anywhere else.

Very historical, not the first time trade made people conquer lands :D

Thanks for the advice, guess I'll do what Sweden does best, conquer.

[QTV]

The ineffective and complicated way is to stack trade power unreasonably, embargo the English and privateer them, while protecting trade in lubeck and anywhere else you are competing for trade. You don't have to conquer the English channel, but it is a better node.