Here's hoping I'm not shooting myself in the foot ... I think Rozwi in Game 10 started with something like £1.8m in the treasury.
For 1700AD I've spent a good £700,000 or so, on purchases/upkeep (leaning more towards upkeep, as the army is large and I want to explore the military side of the game this time around).
Annual income is around £500,000 at Economic Health 6.
Obviously the treasury is working at a yearly loss at present, due to the huge amounts spent on upkeep of the army. But once all the fighting is out of the way and troops are stood down, the economy should grow at current rate by a good £250,000+ with current trade investments and EH 6.
Trade has been neglected so far, in preference of the army. Hopefully with the coming wars I'll see a financial return as I capture spoils etc. But the status quo with Rozwi is we can sustain current spending for quite some time, maintaining the army, and only need to invest in trade in a small way to allow the treasury to balance the books and keep the economy on an even keel.
Obviously I don't expect Rozwi to ever be making the huge trade returns that a European country will get. But the army is central to the playing position, I've found so far, that and cattle. If you want to boost your honour, do something with the army - to get a double boost, do something with the army that includes cattle. Its at this point that personal wealth creates the disposable income useful for roleplaying fun for the newspaper.
End of the day Rozwi is so far removed as a playing position from most, that it is probably safe to share all of the above info. And apart from the army, invading neighbours, breeding cattle, having a laugh through role playing, what else was I ever going to be able to do in the game
If people would like to offer advice on money matters, it wouldn't just be a help to me but no doubt others as well.
Win, win.