The Alienage
All Things Relating to Trade, Shipping, and Commodities








The Shipwright

The Various Distance of the Shipping Trade

Market Radius for Water Bourne Trade

Pilot’s Almanac says the following about voyage length:

    It is presumed that the mercantyler bringing a lot aboard will have a good idea where to sell it profitably. He could, of course, be wrong. We have allowed for five general voyage lengths; Local, Short, Medium, Long, and Maxim. The GM may role 1d20 on the Voyage Data Table to generate a voyage length, and then choose a specific port within this range.

To the right you can see a description of each voyage per Pilot’s Almanac. The following is my own thoughts on these voyage lengths.


Local Haul (1-30 Leagues)
Looking at the maps that came with Pilot’s Almanac I have to say I disagree with the length they give to this voyage based on their description of it. First of all they state that this voyage usually covers trips made between nearby ports. Second, if we use the guidelines on market size for the other voyages we must assume this is the primary voyage take by shippers from settlements with a market size of [1] or [2]. Therefore, these voyages should be made within a radius or distance of about 30 leagues from the home port.

Local Haul (1-100 Leagues)
Local voyages are made to a nearby port (within 100 leagues); such as from Cherafir to Thay, or Aleath to Golotha. Cargoes may be of any type, ranging from common goods of local surplus, to valuable goods that are being redistributed throughout a region.

Short Haul (31-150 Leagues)
Looking at the distances for this voyage and the facts it encompasses settlements with a market size greater than [3] makes me feel that 300 leagues is also to long. In stead, I think the Short Haul should be within 150 leagues of the originating port. On Hârn this may appear problematic. However, when looking at all the regions we have maps for it makes far more since than the 300 leagues Pilot’s Almanac calls for. After all, this voyage is about moving goods about within a region, perhaps to regional trade centers or as stated to the right, to other settlements not having the items being moved.

Short Haul (101-300 Leagues)
A voyage of 101-300 leagues, generally between ports with a market size of at least 3. Short Haul cargoes mostly consist of regional products in short supply at the destination port.

Medium Haul (151-600 Leagues)
Looking at the minimum market size of [5] for this voyage and the fact that the description talks moving goods only available at the source, I like the length set for this voyage. This allows cities, such as Cherafir, to act as the regional trade centers they are.

Medium Haul (301-600 Leagues)
A voyage of 301-600 leagues, generally only between ports of market size 5 or more. Medium Haul cargoes nearly always consist of products available only from the source region.

Long Haul (601-1200 Leagues)
I see no problem with the length of this voyage also. It’s the kind the Laruns of Karejia would make. The goods carried are predominantly high value and in demand at all points along the route.

Long Haul (601-1200 Leagues)
A voyage of 601-1200 leagues, generally only between ports of market size 6 or more. Long Haul cargoes tend to be exotic and valuable cargoes, such as glasswares, spices, amber, quicksilver, etc.

Maxim Haul (1201+ Leagues)
These are global voyages and for most p-Hârns non-existent. For those who have already explored some of the other Kethiran continents this type of voyage may be a viable option. In regards to western LĂ˝thia., the closest possibility of such a voyage may be an exploratory voyage around Anzeloria.

Maxim Haul (1201+ Leagues)
A voyage exceeding 1200 leagues, handled at GM discretion.