User Guide

30
lost from provinces that are overseas, and
may be further disrupted by pirate activi-
ties and enemy blockades.
• Production income is based on the value
of the province's primary trade resource
(we'll look at this in a moment) and is
modified by the size of its population and
the country's production technology level.
You can also build "province improve-
ments" that will increase the amount
of production income generated by the
province.
Province Trade
Each province has a primary resource that it
produces in sufficient volumes to have a sur-
plus available for trade. The value of the re-
source is determined by the global demand
for that item, which fluctuates over time. The
number of units produced is based on the level
of your country’s production technology, and
on any infrastructure improvements that may
have been built in the province. As we saw a
moment ago, this results in a certain amount
of production income being added to the prov-
ince’s income. It also increases the value of the
center of trade through which the goods are
marketed.
We will talk about centers of trade in detail
in the chapter on Trade. For the moment, it
will be sufficient to say that this part of the
interface identifies the province’s primary re-
source, its value, and the volume of that item it
produces. The name of the local center of trade
is shown on a button below this, and clicking
it will automatically open a special Trade sub-
interface which allows you to send merchants
there to capture a greater
share of the market. Do-
ing so will generate addi-
tional revenues for your
country, over and above
the production income
you receive directly from
owning the province.
Core Provinces and
Provincial Claims
At the beginning of the game, each country
will be assigned a number of “core” provinces
based on the historical claims that existed at
that time. Claims were usually based on dynas-
tic inheritance rights, or on traditional nation-
al boundaries, so we use the concept of “core”
provinces to indicate that a country considers a
province to be a rightful, integral, core part of
its realm. Countries will not necessarily own all
of their core provinces when play begins, since
territories frequently changed hands in those
volatile times. You will often find that one (or
more) of a country’s core provinces is currently
part of another realm. As you might imagine,
this is likely to lead to many conflicts in the
game, just as territorial disputes have sparked
many wars throughout history.
As the game progresses, a province may be
added to the list of a country’s core provinces as
a result of random or historical events. A prov-
ince can also become considered a core if your
country has owned it, uncontested, for a signif-
icant period of time. This process is slow and
usually requires that it be part of your realm for
at least fifty years. Claims will also disappear
when a country that considers a province to be
a core has not owned it or attempted to capture
it for a period of twenty-five years.
If a country considers a province to be a
core province, its shield will be displayed just
below the Trade summary box in the Provin-
cial Summary. It is not uncommon for there to
be more than one shield, nor is it unlikely that
some provinces will have no existing claims. If
you see a shield you don’t
recognise, you can hover
your mouse above it to
display a tool tip indicat-
ing the nation’s identity.
As we will see in later
chapters when we talk
about the domestic and