User Manual

Your reputation has little to do with your standing. Nevertheless, councillors are sometimes
blinded by your reputation when voting – if you are present at the meeting. The more extreme
your reputation, the more respect people will have for you.
Your Reputation in the Underworld
Your reputation among the common people or the upper classes can be as good as it may be;
once you are involved with pirates or thieves, you get an entirely different reputation in the
underworld. It does not matter whether these contacts become known to the public – thieves
have their very own ways of spreading the news. A ‘good’ reputation (through recurring dubious
contacts) in the underworld can be quite helpful: The probability of meeting one of the
underworld’s representatives rises, and under some circumstances, your ships will be totally
spared during pirate attacks.
Those who care for a good reputation in the underworld should refrain from pirate hunts and
provide no coastal patrols whatsoever: The underworld tends to get very upset when a pirate
ship is sunk!
Steps of a Career
The degree of recognition in your hometown is the decisive factor for the rank you occupy in the
Hanseatic League’s hierarchy. If you neglect the affairs of your hometown, you will forever
remain a small shopkeeper, no matter how highly people think of you elsewhere. In such cases,
you might want to take a move into consideration (see chapter 10, The Town Hall). A move is not
exactly cheap, but it can help you attain the status you deserve.
Small Shopkeeper
This is the lowest level. You are a young, inexperienced, and largely unknown trader.
Trader
A former small shopkeeper who has acquired some wealth and is somewhat recognized in his
hometown.
Merchant
A merchant is a noble character – an exceptionally wealthy trader who could long have become
councillor or even patrician, if only he had joined the guild. Yet for some reason he refuses to do
so. Others may have wanted to become a member but couldn’t join due to a criminal past.
Nevertheless, the merchant has certain privileges: He can accept missions in any city, provide
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