Overview
Emporia are special trading posts on the Map that produce and store a specific Resource:
- Grain can be collected from Farmer’s Emporia;
- Timber can be collected from Woodsman’s Emporia;
- Bronze can be collected from Miner’s Emporia;
- Drachmas can be collected from Trader’s Emporia;
- Denarii can be found at Roman Emporia.
There are several sizes of Emporia to be found, and the higher your Level in the game, the larger and richer the Emporia you'll be able to locate.
The speed at which your Units can gather Resources from an Emporium depends on the upgrade Level of the Agreement your City has with Gravisca. The total number of Resources you can collect in one trip is determined by the collective carrying capacity of the Defensive Units you have stationed at the site.
An Emporium expires when no one has attacked or captured it for an extended period of time, or if it has been depleted of Resources.
When new Emporia appear on the Map, they are vacant and unguarded – so try to be first to capture one! Any player can view the number of Resources currently stored there by positioning their cursor over the site.
Emporium Interactions
Position your cursor over an Emporium on the Map to view information about it.
You will be able to view the number of Resources available within it, and its status (whether the Emporium is under a City's control or not). You may also choose from a set of possible ways to engage the Emporium, such as "Attack," "Capture," or "Dispatch Scouts."
Capture
Building the Oracle allows you to locate and capture Emporia. Initially, you may hold a maximum of 3 Emporia at a time, as indicated by the number of Ox Carts you have. To increase that number, go to your Academy and upgrade "Maximum Colonies and Emporia" to Level 30.
To capture an Emporium, select it on your Map (or via the Oracle), pick out the Units you want to send, then click "Capture." You will need BOTH Offensive and Defensive Units to capture an Emporium, though only the Offensive Units will take part in the attack. All surviving Offensive Units will be automatically returned to your Acropolis, if the engagement is successful (otherwise, they will return to your City but remain outside the Acropolis). The Defensive Units will NOT engage in the battle. If you succeed, you will be able to view your captured Emporium's information under the "Emporia" tab in your War Council.
Once you've captured an Emporium, after taking a few minutes to get acquainted with the merchants trading there, your Defensive Units will begin to gather Resources and load up their Ox Cart. Only Defensive Units can do the gathering and loading, and the number of Resources that they can load depends on their collective carrying capacity and the Resource type (Drachmas are heavier than Grain, for example). Therefore, the more Units you have at the site, and the greater their carrying capacity, the more Resources you'll be able to collect. Upgrade your City's Agreement with Gravisca to increase the speed at which your Units can load Resources at Emporia. Once your Units have gathered all the Resources they can carry, they will be returned to your Acropolis. This happens automatically - no recall action is necessary on your part.
To maintain control over an Emporium you've captured, you will want to keep a sizeable garrison of Defensive Units stationed there. They will not only gather Resources, but also protect the Emporium from rival Archons in the area.
Remember that you are free to engage Emporia that are held by your Allies! Choose your battles carefully, though – sometimes, short-term profit is not worth sacrificing a valuable Alliance. If your Units are defeated, and an Enemy takes control of the Emporium, all surviving Units will return to your City empty-handed. They will not recover any Resources.
Note: You cannot send Coalition Attacks to Capture or Attack an Emporium.
Scouting
You must have Stables built in your City in order to send Scouts to Emporia. To scout out an Emporium, select it on your Map (or via the Oracle), pick out the Units you want to send, then click the "Scout" button.
Successful Scouting missions will allow you to detect all Units guarding a given Emporium.
Position a large number of Scouts to defend your Emporium from enemy Scouting.
Attack
All Archons are free to either Attack or Capture Emporia held by any other players. Attacking an Emporium will NOT allow you to collect its Resources, but you will be able to earn Experience Points and other Points relevant to the Rankings. More importantly, it allows you to disrupt a rival's Resource collection.
Go to the Oracle or find an occupied Emporium you want to attack on the Map, choose the Units you wish to send, then click "Attack".
The battle for an Emporium takes place immediately upon the arrival of your Units at the site. None of your Units will remain on site to garrison the Emporium if you attack it; all surviving Units are withdrawn to your City immediately following the battle.
When attacking an Emporium, it is recommended that you only send Offensive Units. Unlike the capturing mechanics, if you attack an Emporium with both Offensive and Defensive Units, your Defensive Units WILL participate in the battle and will likely suffer heavy losses.
Note: You cannot send Coalition Attacks to Capture or Attack an Emporium.
Reinforcements
To send Reinforcements to your Emporia, choose the number and type of Units you wish to send via the "Emporia" tab in your War Council. You can also recall Reinforcements from this interface.
If you're worried about being able to successfully defend an Emporium, you can create a Request asking Coalition Members to send additional Units to your captured Emporium. You can do this from the Coalition Help tab in the Coalitions window by going to the Urgent Help subtab and clicking the Request Emporium Reinforcements button. Friendly Units will help defend the Emporium, but will not gather or carry Resources.
IMPORTANT: If you do not abandon the Emporium, any Units you recall will not carry Resources. If you attempt to recall so many Units that the Units remaining behind cannot hold the Resources already gathered, you will recall ALL Units and abandon the Emporium.
For example, say you have 10 Units at an Emporium, their carrying capacity is 10 each, and 40 out of 100 Grain has been loaded. If you recall 5 Units, the other 5 will remain until they load another 10 Grain, then return home. If you wish to recall 8 of them, however, the remaining Units (2) would not be able to carry the Grain you've already gathered (40). So, in the latter case, all your Units would abandon the Emporium and return, bringing the Grain with them.