Buy Here, Sell There
Buy low in one port, sell high in another, and the profit lives in the journey.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- Design focus
- Economy · Planning · Risk
No.274Sunless Sea01The core loop
Action → feedback → next choice- 01Compare regional prices
- 02Buy where it’s cheap
- 03Survive the trip
- 04Sell where it’s dear
↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.
Walk through one round
A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.
- T1
Turn 1 · The situation
Tea costs 10 per crate at port A and sells for 26 at port C; the trip needs 6 fuel at 3 each.
- T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
Buy 8 crates and leave with exactly 6 fuel.
- T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
A storm eats an extra fuel and the crew goes hungry for the last leg; net profit is 110.
- T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
Next time the player packs 2 spare fuel.
How it plays
Regions price the same good differently, and the gap is your profit. Hauling costs time, fuel and risk, and longer trips usually mean bigger gaps. Price lists and the landing receipt are the main feedback.
What the player weighs
- Long, lucrative routes vs short, safe ones
- Fill the hold with cargo vs leave room for supplies
02Start small
Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.
03One mechanic, different implementations
Sunless Sea
You ferry goods between ports on a dark underground sea; voyages burn fuel and supplies and raise terror, tying profit to survival.
Patrician IV
Hanseatic towns each produce and lack different goods, and you carry cargo between them for the spread, later automating routes.
The difference worth noticing
In Sunless Sea arbitrage fuels a narrative voyage; in Patrician IV it’s a systemic engine for economic scale.
Case notes are Yoroll editorial summaries; rules may change between versions.
04What could you combine?
Caravans crossing mountains have limited stamina restored only at camps, so players split weight between cargo and rations.
Prototype this combo in Yoroll→Follow the next idea
Hold It on the Shelf
Lock an item you want and buy it next round, safe from the refresh.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Spot a wanted item
- 02Short on cash, lock it
- 03Play the next round
- 04Return and buy
Know Your Max Bid
Holding your limit while others raise the bid is the hardest auction lesson.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Appraise the lot
- 02Set a personal cap
- 03Raise or drop out
- 04Win it or let it go
Debt on the Clock
A big debt and recurring due dates make every purchase feel tense.
- Prototype complexity
- Who plays
- Solo decisions
- 01Earn income
- 02Pay fixed costs
- 03Save for the due date
- 04Repay or reinvest