Mercenaries.

[johnhughthom]

Does the AI have the ability to recruit mercenaries without them being removed from the mercenary pool in EB? In my current campaign a general I have defeated time and again keeps coming back with armies full of mercs and it's getting quite tiresome. I checked the merc pool before ending my last turn and lo and behold he suddenly has all the available mercs, but the pool is exactly the same as it was before. Is this intentional for the AI, or has something gone wrong somewhere?

[satalexton]

more likely the AI got them through a settlement revolt.

[johnhughthom]

No, it definately wasn't that. I suspected it was happening and kept a close when I ended the turn. The FM was just outside a Seleukid city and was in the exact same spot next turn with exactly the mercs who had been in the pool.

[Azathoth]

I've had Seleukid FMs come into Hayasan with a couple of units, and if left alone for a few turns they will suddenly acquire mega mercenary armies. After these are defeated at great expense, I find that the province mercenary pool is totally empty.

[Atraphoenix]

In VH campaign AS uses nearly half of the stack as mercenaries.
money script helps them to hire.

[johnhughthom]

I've had Seleukid FMs come into Hayasan with a couple of units, and if left alone for a few turns they will suddenly acquire mega mercenary armies. After these are defeated at great expense, I find that the province mercenary pool is totally empty.

I normally have it happen that way. I'm guessing my character was in one "merc region" and the AS in another, even though they were pretty much beside each other, and it was just coincidence both pools were identical. It's the only thing that makes any sense.

[Whatever Scortamareva]

I normally have it happen that way. I'm guessing my character was in one "merc region" and the AS in another, even though they were pretty much beside each other, and it was just coincidence both pools were identical. It's the only think that makes any sense.

The 'merc pool' thing is plausible, i've seen it plenty of times where there are two of my FMs in different regions with the same merc roster. The thing which annoys me is when an AI FM seems to be able to recruit a full stack of mercs in one turn, when the player can usually only recruit half a stack tops with the amount available. I know you've already mentioned it but it does seem a bit annoying.