What is Taipan?
Taipan is a game that takes place in the South China Seas around the late 18th century.
You are a merchant that is given a barge to travel from port to port in search of
fame, wealth, and adventure! There are plenty of opportunities on the high sees
including piracy, barter, and transport.
Taipan Objective
The objective of the game is to accumulate wealth in excess of $1,000,000
before your mandatory retirement of 30 years. To achieve this, you travel from port
to port purchasing items at bargain prices and unloading them at ports that have
a higher price for that item. If there is no activity on an item, you can return
to your home port (Hong Kong) and store the items in your warehouse.
You can also deposit excess funds into a bank or borrow money from a lender. Be
careful... The interest is quite high when borrowing money from these sources.
Taipan begins with the Taipan (you) in command of a small barge. As you accumulate
more wealth, you can purchase larger ships. These ships not only hold more cargo,
that also hold more cannons, which are useful during ship to ship combat.
Gameplay is turn based. Each turn starts when a new port of call has been selected
and the "Set Sail" button has been pressed. After the ship reaches its destination,
you may get information about important activities. You can view the "Port Information"
document to get current prices in that port. Not all ports offer the same services.
For example, repairs to your vessel are only available in Hong Kong, Saigon, Batavia,
and Nagasaki. While other services such as cannon and new ship purchasing are random
events. When these options are available, the buttons will be enabled.
Types of goods
- General goods: These are general purpose items like food and textiles.
They are the cheapest goods to deal with
- Arms: These are weapons used by various warlords in their conquests.
Arms can go up a great deal if the timing is right
- Silk: Silk is another commodity that can have large price fluctuations.
- Opium: Very lucrative if traded correctly. Beware, local authorities
have a tendancy to randomly seize and confiscate this precious cargo.
Events
- Bad weather: Sometimes your journey will take you into perilous
waters. If you encounter a storm, you will be blown off course and end up at a port
that was not your intended destination.
- Pirates: If you encounter these scurvy dogs, you have the option
of fighting them or trying to outrun them. If you elect to fight, the fight will
continue until either you or the enemy is vanquished. If you are victorious, you
will be rewarded with booty taken from the sunken fleet. If you choose to run, you
may have to dump certain cargo in order to make your ship lighter. This can include
cannons as well as any cargo you are carrying.
- Transport a merchant: Sometimes other merchants require passage
to a particular port. Whenever a fellow merchant wishes transport, it is the law
of the sea that binds you. The merchant will offer money in exchange for transport.
NOTE: If you delay his arrival, he will lower his bid. If you do not deliver him
in a timely manner, you will end up owing him penance for your skull-duggery.
- Muggings and beatings: Be prepared! If you do not pay for Miu Lau's protection,
his thugs have the ability to surprise you and you crew when entering any port.
If you pay for protection, your Opium shipments are also protected from seizure.
- Quests: At times, a particular product will be needed and will fetch a much
higher price than the current market demands. This is an opportune time to grab
an item cheap and race toward the port that demands the item. Upon your arrival,
you will be handsomely rewarded. Be careful, though. There is a time limit on just
how long merchants will wait for delivery!
Screen Layout
The screen is laid out in several sections. Please refer to the chart below.
Other Functions
Clicking the "Status" button allows the user to change options such as "Crew Split".
This determines how much of the profit you are willing to split with your crew.
Treat them right and they will reward you by fighting better. But if you don't pay
them enough, you may have mutiny on your hands!
You can also save and load games to enjoy at any time or replay a particular scenario
from a certain point.