High Seas Trader is a naval business simulation game published by Impressions Games in 1995 for MS-DOS and Amiga. The player runs trade routes, fends off pirates, collects artifacts and offers transport to fellow countrymen in need, all for the sake of climbing up the game's ranking ladder, which in turn allows the player to buy bigger ships, more firepower and larger cargo holds to progress more quickly in the ranks.
Gameplay The game is set in the year 1650. The player starts out with the most basic ship (Fluyt) and 5,000 (5k) gold.
Nations The player chooses a nation at the beginning of the game. Consequences lie in the relations between nations; which nations declare war/peace will determine which ports the player can access at given times, and which ships will open fire on them at sea. The options are:
Dutch English French Portuguese Spanish
Ships Fluyt Crew: 100 Cargohold: 300 tons Firepower: 4 banks of 1 cannon each Price: 4k gold Corvette Crew: 100 Cargohold: 150 tons Firepower: 4 banks of 2 cannon each Price: 8k gold Merchant Crew: 200 Cargohold: 500 tons Firepower: 4 banks of 2 cannon each Price: 14k gold Frigate Crew: 200 Cargohold: 350 tons Firepower: 4 banks of 4 cannon each Price: 16k gold East Indiaman Crew: 250 Cargohold: 700 tons Firepower: 4 banks of 5 cannon each Price: 21k gold Fourth rate Crew: 300 Cargohold: 600 tons Firepower: 4 banks of 8 cannon each Price: 27k gold
Titles Peddler (Fluyt and Corvette) Journeyman (Merchant and Frigate) Tradesman (East Indianman and Fourth rate, Small estate – 2 treasures max) Merchant (Medium estate – 4 treasures max) Master Merchant (Large estate – 6 treasures max) Viscount (end of the game)
Guild ladder Climbing up the ladder ranks grants the player titles, access to bigger ships, and bigger estates. The player can gather points in the categories, then cash them in for a title. Once they are granted a title, the points in the categories reset, allowing them to do it all over.
Ammo Round (Long-range ammunition) Chain (Short-range ammunition, tears up sails leaving enemy ships dead in the water) Grape (Short-range ammunition, leaves big holes in attacking ships, akin to firing a huge shotgun filled with grape-sized balls of steel. Note: The actual purpose of grapeshot was to reduce the enemy crew.)
Cannons Swivel-gun (0.3t) Saker (1.0t) Demi-culverin (1.2t) Culverin (2.0t) Demi-cannon (2.5t) Cannon (3.0t)
Banks Players can place money in banks for safekeeping. This is useful if they ever lose a battle at sea, as they can start over with their savings. However, the savings are reduced by the interest rate over time, as the player must pay for the security.
Reception High Seas Trader received mixed or average reviews. The game was reviewed in 1995 in Dragon #221 by John Brunkhart in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Brunkhart gave the game 2 out of 5 stars.
Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "Although the subject material may be a little too dry for some gamers, High Seas Trader is definitely a must for strategy fans."
See also Taipan! (1979) Sid Meier's Pirates! (1987)
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