A Small Plantation is a building that can be built on a plantation resource spot in Empire: Total War. They are available for coffee, cotton, spice, sugar, tea, and tobacco. The Native Americans in The Warpath Campaign can only grow coffee, cotton, sugar, and tobacco.
In-game picture of Small Plantation
Description[]
A plantation is an estate carved from the virgin forests of a new territory for growing one cash crop for export to the home market.
There are tremendous profits to be made in growing crops to satisfy the demand for luxury goods in Europe and elsewhere. There are also tremendous risks: crops may fail, slaves may revolt and, once a cargo is gathered, the ship carrying it home may sink!
Plantations are labour-intensive, especially during harvest time. They may not be necessarily profitable without indentured or slave labour. Slaves are self-explanatory, but indentured labour was the result of the European taste for transporting convicted felons to their colonies. Once a criminal record, several years of forced or cheap labour was imposed on him or her, and this indenture could be traded to a plantation owner. It was possible to buy out an indenture and become free, an option that was rarely available to slaves.
Originally, the English word "plantation" was used to refer to any colony "planted" in a new location, even the Scottish settlers in Ulster were a plantation. There was no implication of farming one cash crop.
Native Description[]
An area of land given over to the growing of a crop for trade.
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In-game picture of Small Plantation (Native)
Plantations can turn a large profit for their owners, providing the seasons are kind. The divisions of lands into small sections under a series of private owners means that profits can be made for personal gain. These profits can them be used to buy a plantation owner power and prestige within their society. As land-holding becomes concentrated in the hands of a few people, the chance for profit and for investment in those lands also grow. Income is not diluted into feeding many farmers and their families.
With large plantations it also becomes practical to hold slaves on a larger scale. The slave trade was not something that was carried out only by Europeans. Many Native American tribes were also in the habit of keeping slaves - both bought from traders and captured in warfare - to work their lands.
Cost[]
- Level 0
- 2 Turns to Build
- 1500 Coin (750 for Native Americans)
Abilities[]
- 15 X produced each turn
- Enables Large Plantations