Great Merchant advice

[padillah]

What's the best way to use these?

Does distance from your capitol factor into the trade route? Is the trade route permanent?

Tom P.

[MasterDave]

No, as far as I know (I have not tried to do a trade mission in Warlords, so it is possible that this has changed), you get a one time cash windfall when you send a merchant to a foreign city. This amount seems to increase with distance and the size of the target city. The most I have seen is around 1800 gold.

This can be useful in the late game when there are not many turns left. However, if there are 150 or more turns left in the game, I prefer making the Merchant a super specialist, producing six gold and one food in the town (plus 3 beakers if you are representative and 2 culture if you have the Sistene Chapel). These six gold are modified by banks, markets, and grocers, so it can be 12 gold per turn total if you stick him in a city with all three buildings (18 gold with Wall Street). Also that extra food can be critical in growing a town in an infertile region.

[padillah]

This is like 150BC.

Another question, can the AI capture or kill your GM?

Tom P.

[MasterDave]

Originally posted by padillah
This is like 150BC.

Another question, can the AI capture or kill your GM?

Tom P.

If an enemy AI or barb attacks any great person, they die. They cannot be captured.

[Will9]

I've easily gotten trade missions up to 3000 gold. The most I've seen is 4500 gold.

[MasterDave]

Really? What size maps do you play on to get these numbers? I usually play on Standard myself, and I have not seen any more than 2000 gold.

[Will9]

Large maps. Find the largest city on the oppisite side of the continent then send it there on the safest route.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

My rule of thumb for all great people - gleaned from these forums:

Early game: Build the special building if they have one, in my capital. After that, settle them in my capital.

Mid/late game - discover a tech, or use in a trade mission. Note that I never create Great Works with the Artist anymore. The so-called "culture bomb" was very disappointing. I can only see using that feature if I'm trying for a culture victory. Occasionally I'll hang onto a Great Engineer for wonder building, but only if I'm in the midst of a wonder race when the Engineer pops out.

Very late game, large empire - create a Golden Age. I seldom create Golden Ages anymore, so by the end game, using 2 GPs provides you with a big boost. I can't ever see creating more than 2 Golden Ages that way, though - too costly in GPs.

[snafuc4]

Originally posted by Six Thousand Year Old Man
Note that I never create Great Works with the Artist anymore.

Useful when taking enemy cities though - takes them straight to full production in one hit. This means that you can roll straight through a few cities on your relentless advance

[STING]

Originally posted by snafuc4


Useful when taking enemy cities though - takes them straight to full production in one hit. This means that you can roll straight through a few cities on your relentless advance

Hmm I've tried that with Greek cities i just captured, but most adjacent resource tiles were still in Greek territory, after the revolt turns. Hovering with the mouse over the tiles displayed >50% Greek. So it still depends on how much culture the neighbouring enemy cities produce.

[Cort Haus]

You can use a Great Merchant to discover Civil Service if the conditions permit avoiding Masonry and Bronze Working.

I like settling GMs in my Shrine/Wall Street city. With full multipliers they're worth 18gpt each. Even without multipliers or religion one GM is equivalent to installing your shrine-religion in 6 cities, with an extra food thrown in and 3bpt if running Representation.

After playing lots of games focusing on Scientists, then Priests, I experimented on ignoring the centre of the tree and scooting along the top branch to Currency & CoL, and using merchants for income instead of religion. They're a viable alternative, and don't carry diplo penalties. The happiness lost out on by ignoring early religion can be made up with the Calendar Resources that become available from the top branch.

[couerdelion]

Had the same problem with Petersburg after I took Moscow. Most of the tiles south of Moscow were still in the cultural boundaries of Moscow and the accumulated culture from the bomb was insignificant.

Also noticed an Aztec city still with only the fat-cross and well able to resist the cultural pressure from my captured city after I dropped a great artist there. The iron hill next to the Aztec city hovered around the 88% Aztec level despite having over 40 times the culture in my city

[Cort Haus]

I think culture bombs only really trouble baby, low-culture cities.

Amyway, this thread is about teh Merchants.

[couerdelion]

Originally posted by Cort Haus
I think culture bombs only really trouble baby, low-culture cities.

Amyway, this thread is about teh Merchants.

Er sorry

But 6000yr old said what I was going to say so I had nothing new to add.

[padillah]

I think I'm gonna step back and add him to the city. I walked around a bit but all I could come up with was 900gold.

Of course, having a spy that could walk through the enemy territory invisible and unharmed was kinda nice.

Tom P.