The Patrician

The Patrician is a historical trading sim created by Triptychon Software and released in 1992 by Ascon for the Amiga and Atari ST. The MS-DOS version followed in 1993.

Initially released in German with the title Der Patrizier, the game has a solid historical foundation. You are a merchant during the time of the so-called "Hanseatic League." Founded in the XII century, the league was a union between merchant guilds and commercial cities, and it controlled trading in North Europe and the Baltic Sea. The most influential center was the city of Lübeck.

In the game, you start without money. You will have to get a loan to purchase your first ship. But soon you will be able to become rich, buying goods at low prices and selling them in other cities willing to pay more. An important aspect is the mechanics of the economy: prices will change depending on your behavior and the actions of your rivals, controlled by the computer AI.

If you are looking for a challenge that doesn't require battles or violence but entrepreneurial spirit only, Patrician is the game for you.

The Amiga version of The Patrician was released for free in 2011.