Selling units in Europe

[Steve Clark]

I am starting out learning the mechanics of the game and have a question about selling units in Europe. One of the ideas is to sell your initial Pioneer and get a Scout. When my ship arrives in Europe with the Pioneer, what now? I dragged him to the Docks box but he just sits there. I double-click on him and see that I can get a Scout for 100 gold (which is all I have). Does this price include the sale of the Pioneer? How would go about simply selling the Pioneer?

[AgentTBC]

You don't actually sell the Pioneer. Saying "sell the initial pioneer" is shorthand for saying sell the 75 tools he comes equipped with and use that money to make a scout out of him, which means equipping him with horses instead of tools.

So you don't actually sell the unit, just replace the tools with horses.

[snoopy369]

If you take a pioneer and make him a scout, it will indeed 'sell' the tools and 'buy' horses, yes.

[samsmithnz]

Why? A scout isn't that expensive right at the beginning. Why not just take the two units, drop them off. Create a city with the soldier, start improving with the pioneer and go back to europe and buy a scout off the docks. I've noticed in a lot of games there is one in the waiting line right from the beginning and he's cheap...

[Steve Clark]

Agent, I do appreciate your response but I didn't understand the "replace the tools with horses" part until snoop alluded that it happens behind the scenes. That makes sense now.

sams: As far as getting the Scout off the docks, I ran my game a little bit and of the first 4 immigrants, none of them were Scouts. I could purchase one but don't remember how much it wanted.

[snoopy369]

It goes for however much 50 horses costs (at normal, adjust for different game speeds, 75 for epic, 150 for marathon I think). You need 50 (or 75 or 150) of whatever item the unit needs (horses, guns, tools).

[Steve Clark]

Not wanting to start a new thread to ask another dumb question, how do I get to accept a Founding Father? I mean, I get enough points for Minuit but I don't get any popup or message asking me if I want him to join. I get a log saying he is no longer available to join me. I go check F6 and he has a question mark. So how do I get him?

[snoopy369]

If he's no longer available for you, that means another civ got him first. You have to be *first* to the founding father.

[Steve Clark]

But that's just it, I don't think anyone else has him. I see on the other FF that there are the civ's emblem. I have made contact with French, Spain and Dutch (I'm England) and up until now, the Minuit spot is blank. I guess the question mark indicates an unknown civ but who am I missing?

[Steve Clark]

Nevermind. I just realized that in my going back and forth in this test game, the Spanish wasn't on the contact list. They got Minuit the exact same turn as I did. Sorry to bother.