Sawmills

The MC can purchase lumber rights (e.g. Darkmere Mill) at the Town Hall in Hamilton Square.

Sawmills are used for harvesting Wood and producing Gunpowder (from charcoal).

The Mill has a maintenance cost associated with it - even when not functioning, as otherwise the forest would reclaim it. This adds to the Maintenance total of the Household Costs section of your Economy report screen, and it increases as the Mill is upgraded.

Available output and extraction rate depends on a wide variety of factors:

Lumber availability

A mill comes with a pre-defined base output of wood. Wood is finite and a mill will eventually become depleted if aggressively logged (see below).

Expanding lumber plots provides access to additional wood and increases output/day by a small degree.

Arboretum

Pausing a sawmill's production will automatically enable a forest regrowth framework that you can upgrade and enhance with Baneclaw Dung.

Accommodations

This factor displays the condition of your mill workers' facilities. Increasing Accommodations increases maintenance cost but also raises worker happiness (and output).

• Bad: Workers sleep in a dilapidated barrack without real beds.
• Poor: Workers sleep in a simple barrack but enjoy separate beds.
• Average: A common dorm room with comfortable beds, privacy curtains and a nearby entertainment room.
• Good: Single rooms for each worker with a comfortable bed, a chest and a closet for clothes. The entertainment room also sports a fully equipped kitchen with a coffee maker.

Production

A mill's production capacity determines its daily output. Production capacity is calculated by the Foreman's Skill, number of Workers, and level of Accommodations.

Wood

A Mill produces Wood, which can be sold in larger batches at Redhaven market, or used as Crafting materials. Wood can also be converted to Gunpowder.

Burner

Installing a burner will automatically convert 20% of daily harvested Wood units into Gunpowder units. Burners cost $150,000 to build. If you later want to stop charcoal production, you can dismantle the burner and reclaim $50,000 of its materials.

Foreman

Assigning a Mill Foreman adds his Discipline, Administration and Science to the output modifier pool (Bonus). Without a Foreman the Mill will not function. The Foreman remains a member of your Household.

Workers and Guards

Once you have a Foreman, you can assign Guards and Workers to the Mill. It can house up to 75 Workers, and any number of Guards. You can assign any NPC to a Mill (as a Worker or a Guard), as long as they are a Convict, a Slave or a Servant; Mercenaries and upwards will refuse.

Workers

Workers can have any Affection and any skills & attributes. Workers will be unhappy here due to the conditions and dangers associated with sawmills: axe and saw injuries, falling timber, bandits, and dangerous mega-fauna. So regardless of their previous Affection and loyalty they will eventually try to escape. Improving the conditions at the Mill via upgrades will reduce their inclination to escape - as will posting Guards.

Guards

Having at least 5 Guards assigned to a Mill will minimize escape attempts. Guards must have Affection Friendly+ (i.e. 50+), and either Melee or Ranged 40+, before they can be assigned here. If their skills re 80+ they will be more effective.

Transfers

Individuals can be transferred to the Mill from your Household, via their job assignment: Jobs & Titles > Colonial Properties > "Send Off! (Dar)". This will remove the NPC from your household PERMANENTLY, so be careful who you send! (This is because the game would slow down greatly if it tried to keep track of the hundreds of NPCs you might send to mines, mills, ranches etc.)

Each transfer costs $100 in shipping fees. Weapons and armor equipped by each NPC will be returned to your inventory when they are transferred.

Effects

• Hunting rolls at Imogen's Barrow are negatively affected by dwindling lumber availability at Darkmere sawmill. Penalties start when levels drop below 300k, and reach a maximum -65 Hunting modifier at <10k available lumber.
• There's a 1% daily risk of decreasing Ikaanos' Prosperity by one point (down to 15) if Darkmere Mill has cut down 50%+ of its available lumber.
• Nature-lovers (trait) suffer a -2/day Affection drop (down to Neutral) as long as you own an un-paused mill.

Notes

Variables:

Links: Darkmere, Wood, Gunpowder, Mill Foreman

Source: Updated for MoR Version 0.8.5.1