Taipan is a trading game that takes place in 18 century Chinese Sea: you need to sail cargo to different locations and use your skills to make more money. Of course, you might also have pirate encounters, so it’s not all that easy.

Start your trading company with guns or cash and debt and make your way up

Right off the bat, the Taipan game prompts you for your company’s name and decide on your current situation: you can opt to have cash and debt but no cannons or to get five guns and no cash or debt.

As you start sailing through the Chinese Sea to get to different locations (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Saigon, Nagasaki, Singapore, Batavia, or Manila), you might encounter pirates and get your funds by deciding to fight against them and capture their ships.

At the same time, you get to buy opium, silk, arms, or general cargo and sell it in a different port in order to make a profit. Note that the prices per unit are different at each location, so make sure you get the best offers.