The Governor of this island is the person to talk to when you wish to do official business. He will inform you about the diplomatic status of his nation with other nations.

The Governor only has time to help you with one problem, so if you have several options, consider carefully what business you want to conduct here.

Use the BACK button on your phone to exit this view.

International Relations

The governor will inform you about the state of international relations between his empire and the other countries in the region. This can be either neutral (at peace), at war, or allied.

Anytime you attack a state, their opinion of you will decrease. If you attack them repeatedly, they will soon consider you a Pirate, which means that their ports will be closed to you and their warships will try to capture you if they encounter you at sea.

Two states at war are actively fighting each other. If you have a letter of marque for one of the warring states, you will gain a reputation with that state when you attack it's enemies. If you defeat enough enemy ships, you may eventually gain access to promotions (see below).

Two states that are allied, work together. Attacking a state which is in alliance not only decreases your reputation with that state - it also decreases your reputation with all of its allies.

Neutral status is the default. You can freely attack shipping even if the state for whom you hold a letter of marque is at peace with everyone; you just won't receive increased reputation for the effort.

Letter of Marque

The governor is the person you go to to purchase a letter of marque. A letter of marque provides you a license to privateer (be a pirate) against the enemies of the governor's empire. This means that you will be safe from attack from that empire's warships (but not its Pirate Hunters)

If you subsequently attack a ship of that empire (i.e., that hasn't attacked you first), you will automatically lose your letter of marque.

Press the Letter button to purchase a letter of marque.

Loans

If you have a sufficiently good standing with the empire (i.e., do not have a criminal record), you currently hold a letter of marque, and you are short of cash, the governor will offer to loan you money. The amount offered varies, but will generally depend on the size of your ship.

A loan accumulates interest on the first of each month at an interest rate of 3-6% depending on your charisma. Your debt will continue to increase until the loan is paid off.

If you should carry out an action that causes you to lose your letter of marque, the loan will be cancelled and your reputation with that empire decreased in proportion to the size of the loan.

If you end a game with unpaid loans, these will be deducted from your final score.

Loans can be paid back in installments of 2000 doubloons (if you have less, you can still repay that amount). The governor will only accept repayment of one installment at a time.

Pardon

If you have transgressed against this nation, the Governor can usually offer you a pardon in return for an appropriate payment. The pardon will exonerate you completely of the crimes you have committed.

Note that, even if you are exonerated, it may take a while before the merchant agrees to treat you like a normal customer again. Dealing with criminals is not good for business.

Commissioned Rank

If you have a letter of marque for this empire and you have successfully defeated enemy forces on behalf of the empire, then you may have the opportunity to purchase a commissioned rank. The rank available to you depends on your standing with the empire, which again depends mostly on how many enemy ships you sink or capture. Defeating warships provides greater prestige than defeating merchants.

Having a commissioned rank provides you with a number of advantages above and beyond those provided by a letter of marque (Benefits are cumulative).

Note that the worth of the rank you have achieved will be factored into your final net worth (in this age, Officer's commissions could be both bought and sold privately), so purchasing a commission with one empire is never a waste of money. However, you are only credited for your rank with one empire in your score.

Press the Promote button to purchase a commissioned rank.