Bribes, bribing, and underhanded dealing

[Trinity]

Recently, I thought of just bribing rebels and settlements instead of killing and conquering them. I only used it once before in "vanilla" to take Paris from the French as Scotland. My questions are:

1. Is bribing settlements worth it? I can't remember if went to war with France after bribing it and I want to if a bribing a settlement makes you go to war immediately.

2. Can you bribe rebels? As Venice now, I have my eyes on a rebel general with three Italian militias, one MAA, and one pavise militia. He appeared directly outside Venice, ruining my sweet trade with Bologna and Milan.

Also, if anyone knows how it costs to bribe settlements and units that would be great thanks.

[RollingWave]

I got bribing rebels to work a couple of times, it doesn't seem to always work though, no matter how much $$ you have. depends on the ability of your diplomat too.

[meese]

It's almost always cheaper jsut to kill the rebels yourself

[JorisofHolland]

Unless you gain a general and some soldiers by it, which can be (in long term) better. But yes, it's very expensive. And don't bother bribing settlements like Paris: you will need a influencial diplomat and a lot of cash, and if you have no reinforcement near you'll loose it anyway if you're at war.

[RollingWave]

i find it actually more likely to just buy the settlement in formal negotiation than to successfully bribe them.

basically, if a faction have those one settlements trapped far away from it's main area (for example. the English holding Cork while you have both Dublin and Galway .) then it is quiet possible to just buy it from them . (assuming that your relationship with them does not utterly suck of course)

[Tacitursa]

I only have sucess bribing with 100,000 or more florins and a diplomat with 7 or more diplomacy and even then it cost a truck load for the smallest of things.

Somtimes it costs like 24,000 florins just for a few units of peasant archers and spearmen. You can create a full stack of late units for that price

Only use bribes when you are mega rich and controll alot of land so you dont get completely ripped off.

Like RollingWave said its easier and cheaper to just buy them through the diplomacy screen. With very good relations and an alliance i can ussualy Buy both Caen and Rennes from france for 18,000.

[Tricky557]

I find bribing enemy units very effective.

France had a full stack(s. militia, ballista, some DFK, and peasent archers) camping around Caen(I was the English). I sent in my best diplomat, and for the price of around 70k, I bought the army. It didn't have a general, but I sent one in from Caen and used my traitor army to capture Paris.

[Vaz]

I bribed Marseille and Palermo from Genoa when they only had Milan, Palermo and Marseille for a Ceasefire (I had 6 Citadels within easy reach) and 40K (10 Turns at 4K each), and then in the following turn, my HRE allies attacked Milan with a full stack, lead by a 6 star General and 7 units of DKH and Bombards, against a city which had the Heir and Leader, and 3 beat up units of Pavise Crossbow Militia.

A very nice turn out, if I do say so myself =)