TRADE | Lionhearts

Trade is the backbone of everything involving Lionhearts’ economy and commerce. Through trade, players can become wealthy influencers of world affairs, lead massive guilds or accrue personal wealth, land and title. A ‘trade’ in itself is a specific skill, job or guild type that is done to acquire, refine or use up resources in the game world.

Trade Master
The trade master is the highest obtainable position within the trade hierarchy. There can only be one trade master per trade in the world. The trade master regulates an entire trade's market prices.

Magnate

Magnates regulate the guilds within a Kingdom. One is appointed per kingdom per trade. Between kingdoms, Magnates elect a trade master to represent the whole trade.

Patrician

Patricians can start and lead their own guild and guild building. They can own land or private property.

Within the world of Lionhearts there are 14 guild types. Each job within the guild comes with its own mechanics and requirements. For example, a bladesmith will be able to craft swords, polearms, sickles and more through the use of a forge that only their guild can access. This gives a whole new meaning to an open world roleplay, where an entire career in a given trade can be established by any player. The planned guild types and their jobs are:

Metalworking Guild
Blacksmith, Bladesmith, Armorer, Bell Founder, Moldmaker
Masonry Guild
Fixer Mason, Banker Mason, Miner, Quarryman, Sawyer
Maritime Guild
Dockhand, Sailmaker, Shipwright, Sailor
Innkeepers Guild
Innkeeper, Tavern Keeper, Bard
Alchemical Guild
Illuminator, Glassblower, Alchemist
Apothecary Guild
Barber-Surgeon, Apothecary, Herbalist
Engineering Guild
Foreman

Fine Crafts Guild
Jewelcrafter, Goldsmith, Silversmith, Chandler, Potter, Rope Maker, Sculptor, Painter
Woodworking Guild
Carpenter, Bowyer, Fletcher, Cooper, Cartwright, Lumberjack
Administrative Guild
Tax Collector, Quartermaster, Steward, Accountant, Bailiff, Surveyor
Culinary Guild
Miller, Baker, Brewer, Vinter, Fishmonger, Butcher
Tailoring Guild
Weaver, Tailor, Dyer, Fuller, Embroiderer, Silk Weaver
Husbandry Guild
Horse Trader, Falconer, Farmer, Hunter, Beekeeper
Leatherworking Guild
Tanner, Saddler, Leatherworker, Cobbler, Papermaker

A guild company is formed when a merchant becomes eligible to become a patrician by reaching the next tier of economic influence. There are several methods to establish a guild company:

A magnate or trade master may grant a Charter of Commerce to an eligible merchant
A wealthy merchant can petition to purchase a Guild Charter, resulting in a Purchase of Guild Rights if accepted
A merchant may attempt to establish a rival guild, either through a Legitimized Competition if accepted by a magnate or trade master, or a Market Takeover if declined

Challenging an established guild company can have significant economic and political consequences, potentially leading to trade wars between competing guild companies

Once a Merchant becomes a Patrician, they must establish their guild company through the following process:

Interact with the local administrative center to begin the guild company establishment process
Customize their guild company’s emblem and tradesmen uniforms, adhering to any regulations set by the magnates or trade masters

After forming a guild company, a patrician gains various responsibilities and opportunities:

Interact with fellow members of the trade, military and religious branches of a kingdom
Commission trade projects and establish trade routes
Negotiate trade agreements and partnerships with other guild companies and kingdoms
Ensure the quality and safety of goods traded under the guild company’s name
Set preferences for trade missions and market expansion across regions
Work towards gaining influence to potentially become a master merchant or join the trade council

The primary goal of a guild company is to further player progression in the economic sphere by allowing them to establish a significant presence in the game's commerce. By doing this, they enter the competitive world of trade politics.

Overall, guild companies are the foundation of the economic backbone of Lionhearts.

Depending on the size and influence of one's guild company, there may be one market or many under its control. As a player's guild company expands, its leader may feel the need to delegate duties to their members.

For economically minded or strategically oriented players, guild companies will be both a fun and rewarding experience. For those players who enjoy market manipulation, economic planning, and interacting with various kingdoms for trade deals, participating in a guild company is ideal.

Lionhearts has various resources that spawn in different types and quantities throughout the world. These resources are harvested through mining, woodcutting, farming, hunting, fishing, and gathering.

The resource economy both exists on a local player level for weapon and armor progression and is incentivized by a grander supply and demand within and outside the kingdom. Serfs collect to meet the needs of their tradesmen/yeomen, who try to meet the needs of the local sheriff and lord, who in turn meet the duke's needs and ultimately meet the monarch’s needs.

The Lionhearts economy is entirely player driven. The gold economy is an enhancing currency to the economy on top of favor for mid and late-game players to use and leverage at their will. Developers will not influence or inject gold into the market after an initial startup of the economy. Individual players will move gold around at every step of the economy.

Players can gain currency through various means such as, looting, weekly pay from guilds and orders, skirmishes that reward the winner and penalize the losing kingdom, raiding capital city treasuries, trade and selling goods and more.

Gold is never injected, however it is backed by real currency through gold purchases. Gold cannot be used for pay to win when it comes to combat. Weapon, property and reward eligibility still comes through favor tree progression, which cannot be bypassed. By tying gold to real currency purchases, the economy is guaranteed not to hyper-inflate like other MMORPG currencies.

Gold can be used to purchase the following in game items and benefits by players:

High tier weapons, armors and items at a player market
Excess sold materials by kingdoms at stockpiles (sell orders)
Property listed by a lord, duke or monarch of a territory
Donating to a kingdom treasury

Gold also has a key function in kingdoms, as they are the ones who allow for the transfer of massive amounts of gold throughout the economy and hold the majority share in their treasury. The treasury of each kingdom, the religious fisc, and trade vault are the top of the hierarchy in Lionheart’s gold economy. Principally, this gold is in the hands of kingdoms, religions and trades to leverage and reward players through kingdom dynamics, warfare, material collection and trade.

Gold does not have to be bought to be gained, and can be earned through the following measures by players:

Wages earned as a reward for labor at various jobs or for a guild company (such as a farm, tavern, ect)
Weekly wages that increase based on rank for a retinue, guild company or religion
Subsidies granted by a kingdom, or duchy in return for material generation at your farm, quarry, ect to be given into the stockpile
Stockpile buyouts which give an immediate gold reward for materials given to a kingdoms stockpile
Selling items at a market
Looting dead players in PvP
Collecting rent and tax from vassal players and properties as a lord in your land
and trade.

Weapons, armor, consumables, walls and defenses, siege weapons and more all require materials to make and maintain.

Individual Demand

Individual demand is driven by personal player progression in armor, weapons, property and cosmetics.

Collective Demand

Ships, walls, defenses and siege weapons cost too many resources for individuals to handle. Collective incentives, such as subsidies for kingdoms to buy resources or reward their members via favor for delivering, are provided by kingdoms. Kingdoms will commission local projects to various guild companies and artisans to complete in exchange for favor and/or gold.