Update:

I am setting up my own drug cartel here..

Capital: MethLab1 60:52(Crystal island of course)
Size:3
Town Hall: Currently building to level 4
Wall: size 3 (going to have to wait a bit to build this)
Academy: Level 3
I have every building I can currently build at current research level (most at size 1).. I have 2 red flags and an open spot for a building that is available at Bureaucracy (Bank?)

1st colony: CrackHouse1 59:50(Set up on a Marble island)
Size: 2
Town Hall: Size 2
Walls: Level 1
Academy: Level 1
Trading port and Trading post both at size 1

Research (known techs):
Navy:
8 Trading ships

Army:
1 Slinger [:P]

Plan of Action:
Build up both cities pop A.S.A.P until it is reasonable to think of a 3rd city

Build Governors Mansion in CrackHouse A.S.A.P.

Figure out 'what type of player I will be'

What kind of Marble/Wine deal did you have in mind?

Possibly you send to me now and I will keep sending it to you as I grow?

I do not need a tremendous amount of Marble at this stage..

Something like...

500 wine now...

I will send you 600 marble within 3 days?

I do not know if this is fair but..

Is there a way to move some ships from my capital to my colony?

never mind it seems that I can use ships to and from anywhere as long as I have movement points.

btw.. smalltalk.. my lonely spy has a 44% chance of success at small precioius

Methlab 1 02.05.2008 16:46 Unfortunately your trade fleet got away from Lolvile empty-handed and is now returning to Methlab 1.

what the hell does this mean? I was buying wine from this guy?

my gold is gone and my wine will not arrive?

What the hell is up with this? that is 2 times now that people have agreed to buy from me.. waited til the shipment was almost there and then decided to withdraw? he just wasted action points

Thanks. That's good. I'll get back to you, after I've got another spy. Maybe I'll do a number thread where stuff like this can be collected.

Somebody else grabbed it before were able to.

Only if you got a trade agreement with somebody you can be sure to get the stuff.

What do you mean with "they agreed". Did you see incoming trades at your port?

If so, well, I still don't have an explanation. ;)

someone else must have gotten his goods to him before I could. It still seems odd to me though.

1.) I see someone that is selling 900 wine @ 35 gpw
2.) I click on 'trade' and want 300 wine
3.) it takes the 10500 gold out of my treasury
4.) my ship heads out
5.) by the time my ship gets there someone else has bought up all of the wine. and I get the 'empty handed' message
6.) my ship returns

the problem is.. where the hell did my money go?

This is what I have.. where should I be heading? I turned off my research while I was building to expand to my second colony. but once I have built up my Gov Res I will be turning it back on.. what is more important?

You should probably go into science and get invention (Allows building workshop) and ink (4% more research points)
or maybe a little further in economy like geometry (4% less building costs)