The Importance of Building a Cranny

 

A cranny is a building where you can hide some of your resources from attackers. On the village layout, it looks like a pile of stones next to a tree.

When you're a new player, you're protected from attacks for a short period, which could be anywhere from three days to a week depending on how long the game has been going on. One of the best things you can during this time is build a cranny and upgrade it all the way to level 10. Two crannies are better if you're playing a Roman or a Teuton. Gauls can hide twice as many resources in their crannies.

How many resources can you hide?
That depends on the level of the cranny. A level 1 cranny will only hide 100 units of each resource (100 wood, 100 clay, 100 iron, 100 wheat). A level 10 cranny will conceal 1,000 units of each resource. The Travian Wiki has a cranny chart you can look at.

However, Teutons have a bonus that allows them to raid 1/3 of your crannied resources. This is assuming your cranny is filled to the max. If your cranny is only 2/3rds full, the Teutons can't touch it.

How big should the cranny be?
As big as possible! But in all seriousness, it depends on how often you're being attacked, who's attacking you, and how often you'll be able to spend your resources.

If you're only being attacked by Romans or Gauls, your cranny should protect the same amount of resources you can store in your warehouse. If you're being attacked by Teutons, your crannies should hold the maximum amount of resources your warehouse can hold, plus an extra 50%.