Merchants are too powerful?

**Alexx** · November 06, 2007, 04:13 AM

I enjoy this mod greatly. Just one feeling: we make easier money with merchant in this mod = this mod is little bit easier => anyone feel the same?

Alexxx,

**Obit** · November 06, 2007, 05:00 AM

Certainly so if you got access to really good resources. I've got Timbuktu now, and a single merchant with 4 gold coins makes over 2000 gold per turn trading gold :o

**whhyy** · November 06, 2007, 05:07 AM

Yeah I make more money from the Ivory at Dongola than I do through trade when I control the entire middle east, greece, various islands, parts of russia, alot of eastern europe and most of italy WITH high end trade structures farms, and high taxes.

Although I do have to put them inside a unit on the strat map so I can get like 20 merchants on one resource.

**mailor** · November 06, 2007, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by whhyy

Yeah I make more money from the Ivory at Dongola than I do through trade when I control the entire middle east, greece, various islands, parts of russia, alot of eastern europe and most of italy WITH high end trade structures farms, and high taxes.

Although I do have to put them inside a unit on the strat map so I can get like 20 merchants on one resource.

Hehe, no wonder you get insane ammounts of florins from that....

**RichiN** · November 06, 2007, 01:47 PM

I got 3 merchants down in Alexandria and they are makin some serious money on sugar, all 3 earn 2000 each

**Iscariott** · November 06, 2007, 02:20 PM

weird I've always found *other* merchants overpowered. Always with like 6+ coins. Mine never get more than like 3, even when i spend a fortune on marketplace upgrades

**Obit** · November 06, 2007, 02:30 PM

Yeah, same as enemy generals, doesn't seem to take em much time to get good.

**Iscariott** · November 06, 2007, 02:41 PM

whats the trick to 'leveling up' merchants anyway? Only thing i've found so far is leaving them in a city with a merch guild for a turn or two gives them a free trait usually. My diplomats never seem to go up either. Maybe like 4 influence when they are 80 :\

But then i just figured out you could swap titles. And subsequently found out how mad nobles get when you think someone else should hold their lands =P

**Frankie1** · November 06, 2007, 07:41 PM

Send your merchants as far away as possible. The further from your capital they are the more money they make/the more their traits go up. Just make sure you don't march them across the map and put them on coal.

One good trick is to set up a zone for your merchants, the amber resources (there are about 5) in Russia's land are good if you are Muslim, the gold in Africa is good if you are in Europe. Both is better of course

Anyway with zones, first of all you get monopolist trait, which gives u +3 finance I believe. You get this when your merchant is the only one (no other factions merchants, yours are ok) in the area trading that resource. The other good thing about keeping your merchants grouped together is they can protect eachother. When you see a lower level merchant sniffing around, send your 8 finance merchant to deal with him, and let your lower level guys concentrate on gaining skill.

I'm playing as Scotland right now in my "relocation" campaign to the Middle East. I have 5 or 6 merchants controlling all the amber in the north, 17000 a turn baby

Am looking forward to those pesky Mongols arriving so they can meet my pikemen. Mwah ah ha

**Vaxholm** · November 07, 2007, 04:56 AM

I've also felt that AI merchants were overpowered. If I have a merchant with 1 gold coin and they have a merchant with 1 gold coin, then I have like a 10% chance of taking their goods. However, if they accost me, they seem to take my goods everytime. The odds are clearly stacked against the human.

However, I've found that AI merchants make good fodder for my assassins, so I usually just killl them off to build up my assassins. You don't seem to take a hit with the faction whose merchant you kill.

**Frankie1** · November 07, 2007, 05:35 AM

Originally Posted by Vaxholm

I've also felt that AI merchants were overpowered. If I have a merchant with 1 gold coin and they have a merchant with 1 gold coin, then I have like a 10% chance of taking their goods. However, if they accost me, they seem to take my goods everytime. The odds are clearly stacked against the human.

However, I've found that AI merchants make good fodder for my assassins, so I usually just killl them off to build up my assassins. You don't seem to take a hit with the faction whose merchant you kill.

You do take a hit if you are unsuccesful. I have had factions declare war on me over failed attempts on their merchants. It works for top level assassins, but train them up on rebels first, because if you get caught you might end up at war with half the world.

**Vasquez** · November 07, 2007, 05:23 PM

NO no no please don't nerf Merchants! Their income is the only real way to finance big armies and pay for all those expensive late era buildings.

**whhyy** · November 08, 2007, 12:15 AM

You should also make sure all your merchants end there turn on a resource. This allows them to aquire there traits faster, example: Monopoly... and I don't remember the rest :o