Correct way of using Merchants?

[daniel2008]

I have problems with my merchants. 4 merchants are earning like 800 florins per turn.
And I think that it's because my merchants have low finance. I look for good resources and I put them on pretty valuable resources like amber, silver and gold. But, i'm still getting like 200 florins per turn.
Are there any good way to raise my merchant's finance skill? As a matter of fact, their initial finance is like 1~3 and it takes 10 turn to raise 1 point if I don't care them.
I found that acquisition could be my only solution. Because there are bunch of merchants in this mod. But, I thinks it to be impossible again. Most of my merchant's finance is lower than other. In addition, although I have more points, I can't acquire other merchants.
What is your way of using merchants?

[Fionn son of Cumhaill]

If you get a high level market and a Merchant guild it will dramatically increase your merchants finance skills (i think its either Fairground or the one after it that gives you the massive bonuses i.e merchants with 4 or five skill levels).

If you do the missions the guild sets you can generate 2000+ Florins per turn.

[melancholic]

Merchants are annoying for me. They need micromanaging when you are sending them on a long journey to a resource.

On top of that, you get there only to find out it's already taken! Take over? Fail!!!

Even if you do get there don't get comfortable, AI merchants will be there in no time to bankrupt your merchant. Valuable resources tend to be highly competitive.

One resource I found that was usually left alone was silver ore in Ireland.

[y2day]

Merchants are annoying for me. They need micromanaging when you are sending them on a long journey to a resource.

On top of that, you get there only to find out it's already taken! Take over? Fail!!!

Even if you do get there don't get comfortable, AI merchants will be there in no time to bankrupt your merchant. Valuable resources tend to be highly competitive.

One resource I found that was usually left alone was silver ore in Ireland.

A little trick for you. Once your merchant has reached far away resource and it is already taken. Move away from resource until you can not see enemy merchant. On the next turn move your merchant to the resource. Now the enemy merchant will move and you are on the resource. The enemy merchant must try to take over you and will be (depending on his level) faced with the same odds you are for taken out another merchant. The odds are in your favor now.

[TempestKhan]

Find a gold mine or silver build a fort on the resource then smack 20 merchents in the fort an see if u find em useless an while they are in the fort they cant be bought up by ohter merchents

[Erlinggra]

Find a gold mine or silver build a fort on the resource then smack 20 merchents in the fort an see if u find em useless an while they are in the fort they cant be bought up by ohter merchents

thats fixed in SS, (and tank the gaming gods for it), earning 20*2000 from one resource is just silly.

[Ftmch]

For that you would need alot of cities, so you can't really do that in the beginning. ^^

Is it just me though, or is it much much harder to take on other merchants in the new ss? I had a merchant with the same skill as my enemy's, but there still was no more than a 10% chance of success. :S

[Erlinggra]

Is it just me though, or is it much much harder to take on other merchants in the new ss? I had a merchant with the same skill as my enemy's, but there still was no more than a 10% chance of success. :S

The chanse to kill enemy merchants has been reduced. I presume to reduce the numer of AI merhcants runing around killing of all merchants or balancing merchants in hotseat. In 5.1 two equally skilled merchants would have a 40% chance to kill eachother, so standing on a resourse earned a lot less cash than running around.

[themoob]

In the few games I've bothered with merchants, I just had a network of Assasins killing any merchants that got anywhere near mine to protect their assets.

[spanish_emperor]

yeah but i find out that staying in a gold mine for already 20 turns has not increased my merchants skill while i see the same merchant which had one skill in turn 5 with 4 skill in turn 20 and i still haven't improved my merchants skill up from 4.
It get annoying because i don't know how the AI does it since gold is one of the most valauble resources and to take a merchants asset is almost impossible. i am loosing the race and fear that they will conquer my assests in no time
HOW DO THEY DO IT???

[Quark]

daniel2008
Is it not strange, when I read you post at first I thought the thumbs down becuase it was to high an income.

To get better merchants build them in settlemnts with;

• Town hall = Merchant 1-3 + Legal Dealer %
• Merchants Guild = + 1 Skill + move
• Send far away = +1-2 skill
• Kill other merchants = +1 Skill
• Resist being killed = +1 Skill
• Trade in Exotics = +1/-1 Skill
• Find a rare book = +1 Skill

[Mafiozo]

My advise is this, I am playing as Genoa, by turn 70-80 got MG HQ in Genoa. Build always as many merchants as needed. Use one ship or two to send them far away. Now 4 my merchants are controlling gold resources across globe and they alone are generating 5000 florins per turn. Use one city for building merchants only, maximaze market there as soon as you can for them to be better. If u have one highly skilled merchant use him for aquisitions. With aquisitions u can sooner have MG and u use him for MG tasks. Now every merchant I generate has like 5-7 skill. Of the resources i found amber, gold, ivory, silk and glass as the best ones. Search for those resources in the start , you should also have in mind that merchants are as generals, as one general can become home or alcholic so merchants too can just become lousy, loyal to coin and so on, i always sacrifice such charachters for greater good.