User Manual

The Patrician and the Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an organization founded in the middle of the 13th century to protect
common interests in trade. It was initially a loose association of daring traders. However, if one
wanted to be a successful trader in the waters of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, it became
increasingly important to be a member of this league, since it developed into a mighty
economic organization over the years. At the height of its power, the Hanseatic League was far
more than a mere bond of cities or traders: It held immense political power and could be
considered an early predecessor of the European Community or, as one might say, one of the
first true ‘global players’ in history – although contemporaries knew little more of this world
than Europe and parts of Asia and Africa, while America and Australia were yet to be discovered.
Of course, not just anyone could join the Hanseatic League. Membership was usually reserved
for the so-called patricians, a prosperous and self-confident social group that increasingly
dominated the cities of the Holy Roman Empire, continually undermining the interests of an
aristocracy that was still holding on to its privileges.
‘Patrician II’ throws you back into the exciting world of the past, where a new beginning is
imminent. Protected by the Hanseatic League, the traders commute between Lubeck and
London, Cologne and Bergen, Riga and Novgorod. You are a small trader with high ambitions, a
shrewd businessman who wants to be successful, planning to build up your own empire. Trying
to reach your goal, you must gather information, build dependencies in other Hanseatic towns,
fulfil missions that do not always match your profession, and bribe as much as your funds allow.
Nevertheless, it is not solely your own advantage that you seek but also the well-being of your
home town. You strive for recognition and prestige, deal with minor affairs as well as serious
politics, trying to leave your competitors behind; you fight nasty pirates and merciless
emperors. In short, success will not come easily…
‘Patrician II’ is not merely a trading simulation, but also has – apart from the various aspects of
construction – a whole lot of action to offer: real-time battles at sea, for instance, and city
blockades (a quite rough, but, considering the time, rather common means to win one’s way).
The following pages will show you what else there is to do and what you must bear in mind as
an aspiring patrician. Have fun!
The Manuals
This manual will inform you about the basic functions of ‘Patrician II’. On the CD, you will also
find a multimedia manual containing further information as well as speech regarding the
historical background.
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