Trade Route in BadFellas

A qualifying property owner requests a shipment, the Harbour side approves it and the ship follows a route from the crew’s Headquarters country. Offers or events may appear during the voyage.

The shipment keeps a persistent cargo and route state. Accepted sales return money through the defined split, while unsold cargo returns to its source property.

A Trade Route moves crew cargo through a Harbour and a sequence of countries. Cargo can originate from production facilities and may receive offers or events while the ship is travelling.

Owners and council members make different decisions during a route. Each decision is tied to the live route state, so expired offers, changed cargo or old tabs cannot complete the same step twice.

When an offer is accepted, the shipment returns with proceeds that are distributed according to the route rules. If no offer is taken, the cargo can return to the source rather than disappearing.

A Trade Route begins before the ship moves. An eligible production property prepares full stock, the relevant owner submits a request and the Harbour side decides whether the crew is ready to approve it. The crew should confirm cargo, Headquarters country and who will respond to each route stage before approval. Once launched, the shipment owns the committed stock until a foreign offer is accepted or the unsold cargo returns to its source property.

Offers and route events are time-sensitive crew decisions. The source owner should know when to return, while the Harbour operator and council need a shared understanding of the minimum acceptable outcome. A crew-held Nautilus can reduce the journey time when it is the active Trade Route vessel, but faster travel also means decision windows arrive sooner. Ship status, cargo and route position are persistent, so opening several tabs cannot create parallel valid versions of the same voyage.

Profit should be evaluated across the complete route rather than at the first attractive number. A successful sale follows the defined distribution to the source owner, Harbour owner and Crewbank, while a rejected or absent offer can send stock home. Connect the route to the Drugs Lab or Lead Factory that produced the cargo and to the wider crew plan that will use the proceeds. Clear responsibilities make Trade Routes reliable logistics instead of a shipment that depends on one member noticing every timer.

A Trade Route succeeds when the crew prepares the cargo and decision chain before launch. Confirm the source stock, Harbour approval, responsible council member and intended route while the shipment is still in preparation. Once the vessel moves, the command view follows the route's saved timing and ship profile rather than a ship selected later on another page.

Arrival windows and offers are operational deadlines, not background decoration. The crew member responsible for the route should monitor the current stop, cargo and available decision instead of relying on an earlier tab. The live route state determines whether an offer, decline, return or final settlement is valid.

Trade Routes connect the Harbour with shared production. Drugs from the Drugs Lab and lead from the Lead Factory need a clear source owner, cargo plan and settlement path before the route begins. Treating production and transport as one workflow prevents valuable crew stock from waiting without an operator.

Private exploration uses a different system. The Private Sailing guide covers personal ships, routes and discoveries, while Trade Routes move crew cargo through Harbour decisions. Understanding that distinction helps players open the correct page and avoids confusing personal inventory with shared crew stock.

Once stock is committed to a Trade Route, the reservation prevents the same units from being withdrawn, listed in a Harbour container or used by another crew operation. The amount may remain visible in Central Crew Stock, but the available balance is lower until the route sells, returns or is cancelled.

This is a core accounting safeguard. Council members should use the route ID, source and cargo summary when discussing stock instead of copying a gross total from the overview. The Harbour guide explains how the same reservation principle applies to container listings.

An offer should be compared with the source value, crew liquidity and the opportunity cost of keeping the ship at sea. The first offer is not automatically the best, but rejecting every offer can return the cargo unsold. Define an acceptable range before departure so the decision does not depend on one member improvising under a timer.

A Nautilus can reduce travel-leg duration when it is the crew’s active Trade Route vessel. Faster travel shortens waiting but also brings the next decision sooner. Assign a monitor who can respond across the expected route window.

Country Orders are no longer generated, accepted, attached to routes or delivered. Historical order records remain available only for audit history.

Every non-vehicle product available in central Crew Stock can be loaded onto a Trade Route. Cars and Super Cars remain in their dedicated vehicle systems.