Customs House Economy: Infinite Money Guide

Customs Houses are the strongest economic building in Polytopia. Here's how to use them to generate infinite stars.

Customs House Placement Guide

City Level	Ports Needed	CH Bonus	Stars Per Turn
Level 1 (Village)	0 cities connected	1 star per port	2 base
Level 2 (Town)	1 city connected	2 stars per port	5-7
Level 3 (City)	2 cities connected	3 stars per port	10-15
Level 4 (Metropolis)	3 cities connected	4 stars per port	18-25
Level 5+	4+ connected	5 stars per port	30+

The Customs House Chain

The optimal strategy for Kickoo (or any water-heavy tribe):

1. Build 3 ports in your capital (each costs 10 stars)
2. Research Trade (5 stars) to unlock Customs Houses
3. Build Customs House in the capital (costs 15 stars)
4. Each port adjacent to CH gives +1 star per turn
5. With 3 ports + CH: +3 stars per turn from the building alone
6. Capture another coastal city, build CH there too
7. Roads between cities = +1 star per connected city

Economic Math (Turn 20 with Kickoo)
- Capital: level 3, 4 ports, 1 CH = 4 stars/turn from CH
- City 2: level 2, 3 ports, 1 CH = 3 stars/turn from CH
- City 3: level 2, 3 ports, 1 CH = 3 stars/turn from CH
- Total CH income: 10 stars/turn (passive)
- City income: 20 stars/turn (from population)
- Total: 30 stars/turn by turn 20
- This funds 1 Battleship every 3 turns

The naval arms race: In mid-game Polytopia (turns 20-30), the player with more Battleships wins. Each Battleship costs 8-10 stars. With a 30-star-per-turn economy, you can produce 3 Battleships per turn across 3 coastal cities. This economy advantage means you can lose 2 Battleships per turn and still out-produce an opponent with a 20-star economy. The Customs House economy is the most reliable path to victory in the mid-game.