Going Medieval Trade Caravans — Settlement-to-Settlement Trade
Trade caravans are the active half of Going Medieval's economy. Merchants occasionally stop at your gates as random events, but a caravan is a different tool: you pick the destination, choose the settlers, load the goods, and send them across the region map to a specific village. Getting started is cheap — research Cartography and build a Cartography Table — but profitable caravan play comes from packing food by weight, reading the distance, and using faction alignment to open up better goods.
Unlocking and Sending a Caravan
The whole loop starts with the Cartography Table. Unlock the Cartography item in the research tab, build the table, and the Region tab appears. You do not need a settler to interact with the table — sending and recalling a caravan is driven by you from the Region map. From there, click a village to see how far away it is, then press Send Caravan and choose who goes and what they carry. More settlers mean more carrying capacity, and you must pack enough food for everyone for the longest time the trip could take.
| Control | What It Does | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cartography Table | Unlock gate | Research Cartography, then build the table to open the Region tab. |
| Region tab | Settlement map | Lists the factions and villages you can send a caravan to. |
| Send Caravan | Start a trip | Choose a village, then pick which settlers go and which items they carry. |
| Tiles Away | Distance readout | Travel time scales with the distance shown on the village popup. |
| Go Back | Recall | Call the caravan home early; food that was not consumed is not eaten. |
| Trade | Barter window | Opens at the destination so you can exchange goods for goods. |
| 24-hour stay | Trade window | Settlers remain at the village for 24 hours before returning automatically. |
Packing Food by Weight
Every traveler needs nutrition to survive the journey, but food also eats into your cargo. The goal is the highest nutrition for the least weight. Packaged meals are the clear winner; raw crops and alcohol are the worst. The reference values below were recorded from an earlier build, so treat the ranking — packaged meals first, raw food and drink last — as the durable rule rather than the exact decimals.
| Item | Nutrition | Weight (kg) | Nutrition per kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packaged meal | 95 | 0.3 | 316.7 |
| Roasted meat, stew, apple pie, honey biscuits, redcurrant pie, bread | 95 | 0.7 | 135.7 |
| Dubious meal | 60 | 0.5 | 120 |
| Lavish meal | 100 | 1 | 100 |
| Pickled vegetables, smoked meat | 33 | 0.5 | 66 |
| Redcurrants, cabbages, barley, beets, carrots, apples, meat, mushrooms, honey | 30 | 0.5 | 60 |
| Ale, beer, mead | 10 | 0.5 | 20 |
| Rough wine, apple cider | 5 | 0.5 | 10 |
| Alcohol | 0 | 0.5 | 0 |
Reading Trade Value
The trade window shows a monetary figure, but that number is only an aid for comparing two piles of goods — there is no currency outside the window. Each item has a base value drawn from its almanac entry. A merchant's offer is built from that base value, scaled down, and then adjusted by the settler's Speechcraft; hovering over an item's value in the trade screen shows the exact math. Giving more value than you receive counts as a gift and raises alignment with that faction.
Alignment and Weapon Trades
Alignment decides whether a faction raids, tolerates, or welcomes you. Neutral settlements drift toward 0% over time, so a hostile or friendly score that enters the neutral band does not stay there. The practical milestone is 70% alignment: at that point you can trade for armor and weapons with the village.
| Alignment Band | Range | What It Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Hostile | -100% to -70% | The faction raids your settlement instead of trading. |
| Neutral | -69% to 69% | Merchants can visit; neutral alignment drifts toward 0% over time. |
| Friendly | 70% to 100% | Merchants keep coming, and at 70% you unlock armor and weapon trades. |
Arrival, Trade Window, and Return
After the travel time elapses, you get an arrival alert. Open the Region tab, click the destination, and press Trade to open the barter window. Your settlers stay at the village for 24 hours to complete the exchange, then return automatically — or you can tell them to come home early. When the caravan arrives back at your settlement, it drops everything at the edge of the map, so plan a stockpile or hauling route near the drop point.
What to Load for Value
For selling, weight efficiency is the whole game. Warfare items dominate the top of the value-by-weight list, with flawless steel short swords among the most valuable goods you can carry. Headgear is the strongest category overall — flawless caps are some of the most valuable items by weight — and advanced healing kits plus theses are the leading non-headgear options. Packaged meals, simple healing kits, textbooks, and mechanical parts sit together in value by weight. Winter clothes edge out summer clothes, and mead and alcohol are the most valuable stimulants. In short: load high-tier headgear and crafted warfare goods when you have them, and use packaged meals as the lightweight filler.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I send a trade caravan in Going Medieval?
Research Cartography, build the Cartography Table, then open the Region tab. Click the village you want, press Send Caravan, and choose your settlers, goods, and food. Wait out the travel time shown on the selection screen, then press Trade at the destination.
Do I need a settler to work the Cartography Table?
No. The table unlocks the Region tab, but sending and recalling a caravan is handled by the player from the Region map — no settler has to stand at the table.
How much food should I pack for a caravan?
Pack enough for every traveler for the longest time they might be away. The game requires food for the full possible trip, and unused food is simply not consumed if you recall them early. By weight, packaged meals are the best ration, followed by basic cooked meals.
Why can't I buy weapons or armor from a village?
Armor and weapon trades unlock at 70% alignment with that faction, which is the friendly band. Build alignment through profitable trades and gifts first, then revisit the village.
What happens when a caravan returns home?
Settlers stay at the destination for 24 hours to trade, then head back automatically. When they arrive, the caravan drops all carried items at the edge of the map, so keep haulers ready or a stockpile close by.
Related Guides
- Merchant Trading Guide — factions, merchants, and the trade lobby
- Trading System — merchant types and barter basics
- Trading Strategy — profit goods and negotiation
- Research Tech Tree — unlock Cartography efficiently
- Crafting System — produce high-value trade goods
Last updated: August 12, 2026.