Although work for the relatively small crew. There are some guides provided by TWC users which you might find helpful. Indiaman (Trade Ship) The Indiaman is a three-masted, square-rigged sailing ship of some 1000 tons displacement. Also keep a eye out for commodity prices and if possible focus on the more lucrative trade nodes. With this in mind its important to have a good compromise between number of Indiamen and income per ship. If I have control more than one node in a trade theatre than I tend to evenly distribute ships between nodes, since it seems more Indiamen you have on a given node reduces your income per Indiamen.

Like in my last game I saw a ally-less Malta who had two trade nodes in the east Indies, easy risk-less pickings.

Scout around, See what other nations are doing and expose opportunities. Obviously in theatres where your presence is less it may not be cost effective to do so. Adequate protection, I tend to have in theatres were I control all nodes a fleet sufficient enough to see off a hostile fleet that consists of 5th rates and below.

Empire total war indiaman