Patrician II is a real-time trading simulation featuring elements of construction and the historical background of maritime trade in the North European area between London and Novgorod at the time of the Hanseatic League. As a citizen of a medieval hanseatic town, the aim of the game is to rise from the status of a simple, insignificant trader to that of a big businessman and perhaps even become the head of the Hanseatic League. To achieve this goal, the player must gain recognition and prestige among the people - rich and poor - and try to make profit by means of maritime trade, the production of goods and the completion of missions. The player can raise his standing through city improvement and diplomacy or he fills his treasury through piracy and smuggling.

The trading system

The trading system represents the central part of Patrician II. It is your task to deal with supply and demand in certain cities and to satisfy the needs of the people. In this context, the following principle applies: the better a city's demands are met and the more its production facilities are used to capacity, the richer and bigger a city will become.

Construction

Thus, you can rent living space, produce goods and raw materials and protect the city from sieges and pirate attacks. In turn, you shape the long-term development of your town and gain prestige and recognition.

Sea battles

Sea battles are a special option you can choose to get involved if you wish. Defend your ships and convoys against pirate attacks or act as a pirate yourself and attack other ships.

Politics

The higher a trader's rank the more political influence he gains in his hometown - and later on even in the entire Hanseatic League.

Events

Each game will be different. Therefore, a series of minor and major events will change the course of the game. The events, which integrate well with the historical background, will vary every time you play.

There are about 40 different buildings and 4 types of ships, all of which were drawn in detail and with respect to historical accuracy. All buildings and citizens are animated, as you would expect from a modern real-time game. Apart from the city views, which are generally made up of pre-rendered 3D objects, there are numerous lovely illustrations, such as background graphics and sea maps, creating a very special atmosphere. Additionally, there are rendered videos on the subject of important or historical events.

Regarding the user interface, there are some innovations that are quite unusual in the field of real-time strategy: the game works at two different levels, namely a global view and a local view:

General Map

The general map is a scaled-down sea chart, which shows the entire North European area as a whole. Even while the player is viewing a city, he permanently has the option to use this map to monitor the movements of his ships and is thus aware of their arrivals. Important events will also be indicated by flashing symbols on the map in order to give the player a quick overview. Enemy ships are displayed, too.

Forwarding Map

This is also a map of the entire North European area. It is shown whenever the player activates the 'forward' mode to accelerate the game. It allows the player to monitor all the movements of his ships.

Apart from the free game mode, there is a campaign mode, in which the player is faced with predetermined starting conditions, objectives and historical events. This brings the medieval environment to life - even more than the free game mode. Designed as a campaign, there is furthermore a tutorial that familiarizes the player with the game's interface and with many of its features.

There are two multiplayer modes available: Either up to 8 computers are connected via a network or all players play on one computer (turn-based). Players may join or leave the game (single or multi-player) while it is running.

Contacting other players

There are several ways in which players can contact each other during multiplayer games, for instance to exchange information, goods, money or ships. There's also the possibility of attacking your contenders as a pirate and of ruining them politically.