Will merchants be removed in any version?

[Hypno Kitty]

Will merchants be removed in any version of BC ? I like them to be abstract, like in TATW.

[wudang_clown]

We haven't been planning such a removal, so most likely merchants will stay.

[Dago Red]

Why would you want a feature removed? The MTW2 engine campaign has so little going for it compared to newer games, and even older games (like Europa Universalis). The more things to do, the more layers of strategy the better. Dealing with merchants and the economy is a major part of the campaign, and the consequences of merchant guild missions keep outside pressures on you.

TATW removed merchants because they have no place in that world (The Shire trading with Mordor, Orcs cornering the market on pipe weed, etc) not because the feature wasn't working well.

[Hypno Kitty]

It is because my merchants get put out of business all the time. But what you say is rational. I guess I have to improve my merchant skills instead.

[Dago Red]

So do mine

Unless I have fostered a merchants guild in some city and then succeeded at one of their missions. If I've failed I end up getting realy poor merchants but cest la vie, and it's not much different from how it was before.

You can also accrue traits for your merchants by having them trade on a resource that is doubled in the territory. For example there are 2 silk spots in Damascus. There are 2 sugar or spice spots near Basra. I'm not 100% how it works but I think if no other merchant is on the other resource (except your own?) you'll acquire traits, mostly positive... capitolist, monopolist, etc though you may also see decreased security and traits about enemies, etc.

[Neige]

Often the income generated by merchants is that crucial amount of a couple thousand coins that brings the difference between loosing or gaining profits each turn. I see no reason at all to remove those cocky fat dudes.