I suggest a new port, Smugglers cove. In this port, a player will find bargain deals on reclaimed product.
So the premise is admin places a port on an island. The port is neutral or pirate. It cannot be claimed by a nation. The port contains bulk lots of cargo. Basically Smugglers Cove is were all the looted goods are sold. The Island actually has 3 ports or access points. The Island has a hidden cove with two narrow path ways leading to the sea, these are Cove North and Cove East. The third is an inlet on the south west end of the Island. They are accessed like ports. You must dock a fleet at cove north or cove east and gain the trust of the brokers. The more the brokers trust you the better lots of cargo you will have access to. You purchase a lot of cargo, then you will send trade fleets to the south west inlet to pick up the cargo and transport it for sale.
Blockades
To keep their own ports profitable Nations blockade Cove North and Cove East. Blockades are in the form of NPC war fleets. This is automated and actual nations have nothing to do with it. However blockade ships should be generated based upon the size of nations. Therefore you will see blockade ships from large nation more often than blockade ships from small nations. Hostility should be incurred as you are fighting your way in. A merchant must send a war fleet and fight past the blockade to dock in Cove North and Cove East so they can do business with the broker. If you are a member of a nation and you encounter a blockade fleet from your Nation, you must choose to fight and risk the hostillity, wait until the NCP target expires, or sail to the alternate entrance. Basically to enter the cove, you select the cove on the map. You sail a fleet there. when you arrive you must then fight a series of NPC targets to proceed. So you may fight 3 NPC targets and hit a target from your own Nation, You would then need to wait till it clears, sail to the other entrance and start over, or use hired diplomats. I suggest as your trust with the Black market brokers increases, the number of blockade fleets increases as does their strength. If you are casting Npc voodoo, it only affects the access point you cast on, so If you cast pacifism on cove north and hit a fleet of your own nation, then choose to try cove East you would need to cast pacifism on cove east.
The Black Market
Upon beating the NPC blockade and reaching the cove the merchant can agree to purchase lots of goods that are available. The merchant can only contract 1 lot at a time and the lot must be paid for up front. A lot is a set number of crates of a particular cargo at a set price for the entire lot. Once a contract is made the merchant can set a trade route and their fleets can acquire product until the contracted lot has been completely picked up. Contracted cargo is loaded to merchant fleets via trade route at the southwest inlet the far side of the port out of view of the blocked fleets. So the actual merchant fleets do not need to fight the blockade. You do not have to build warehouses, all cargo is stored buy the brokers, however you will be picking up cargo the same way you would be loading pre purchased cargo from your own warehouse.
TRUST
the first few levels are building trust with the Brokers.
Trust Level 1 - you are unknown - you fight 2 easy NPC's to reach port.
- you buy a small lot of cargo and pay above market prices - when this lot of cargo has been moved you reach level 2.
- no choice of cargo - you take what ever lot is offered
Trust level 2 - you fight 3 easy NPC's to reach port
- you buy a small lot of cargo and pay highest normal market prices - when this lot of cargo has been moved you reach level 3.
- no choice of cargo - you take what ever lot is offered
Trust level 3 - you fight 5 easy NPC's to reach port
- you buy a medium size lot of cargo and pay lowest normal market prices - when this lot of cargo has been moved you reach level 4.
- no choice of cargo - you take what ever lot is offered
You have now built some trust with the brokers, and are starting to get the deals,
however the Nation blockades are starting to recognize your fleets, and are sending stronger fleets to counter you.
Trust level 4 - you fight 2 medium strength NPC's to reach port
- you buy a medium size lot of cargo and pay a slight discount
- when you move lots of cargo at level 4 you reach level 5.
- you can choose from 2 different lots of material
Trust level 5 - you fight 3 medium strength NPCS
- you buy a medium size lot of cargo and pay a slight discount
- when you move 4 lots of cargo at level 5 you reach level 6.
- you can choose from 4 different lots of material
this continues - the NPCs get stronger, the more cargo you need to move to reach the next level,
and the prices get better and the choice of lots and lot sizes increases.
until you reach level 20. Then you will always receive the best choice of lots, and the best prices.
and you will face the strongest fleets when entering the cove.
Tied to skirmish.
Maha suggested that available cargo lots would be tied to actual skirmish activity effected by a multiplier.
I could see this being tied into this feature.
Perhaps once you pass level 10 the best priced lots available would be tied to the skirmish activity.
While there would always be NPC cargo lots available the Choice lots generated by skirmish multiplier
would be available on a first come first serve basis, and they would deplete.
Taking this even further when the lots sell a small commision is sent to the players who's skirmish activity
generated that cargo lot.