How do you raise Acumen?

**ajaxfetish** · 02-15-2005, 00:15

I've run into threads on piety and loyalty, I figured out command and dread on my own, but what are good ways to raise a governor's acumen? I've got the impression from browsing the forums that it'll really help my provinces to produce more, but I'm not sure how to do it, apart from the occasional title that adds to acumen.

Can someone help me out here?

**fuddha** · 02-15-2005, 01:08

Building farms gives the governor "steward" virtue.
Building other building gives the governor "builder" virtue.
I'm not sure, maybe building trade gives the governor "trader"?

**BAD** · 02-15-2005, 05:03

I find that if i keep the same governor for the province throughout the entire game they normally accrue so many good virtues that they are at least 6 feather acumen guys by the High age. All those Steward/Builder virtues just build up and up. So my advice is just chill and be patient, its a virtue y'know. BadumdumTsssss

**ichi** · 02-15-2005, 06:37

If there's a way to raise Acumen then after several years I still haven't discovered it.

You can help acquire Virtues by building farms and being a good steward, as fuddha points out, and it seems like you can get Acumen-destroying Vices by failing to build upgrades or keeping taxes at Very High. Some Virtues raise Acumen others just provide economic bonuses.

Overall tho it has always seemed somewhat random.

I place my highest Acumen Generals as guvs of my richest provinces - it is rare that I cannot keep at least a 4 Acumen Guv in each province. Add the Acumen bonuses from titles and you'll be OK.

Don't be afraid to assassinate/inquisition/disband/de-title/try for treason guvs that get bad Acumen Vices.

ichi

**Ironside** · 02-15-2005, 08:33

The only way to increase accuman manually (not-random) is to assassinate them and fail. One of the failed-asssassin lines gives a bonus (max two) to accuman (and reduce in health). But considering that there's four lines and one line decreases accuman, reloading is often needed.

I'm only doing this for the royal lines, gives you exellent hiers (and later generals when the hiers die), but it's possible for most governors (0-star generals can actually be killed so...). It also gives reduced health, so sending them into combat is slightly more risky.

**Deus Ex** · 02-15-2005, 19:01

I thought I read somewhere (on these boards) that building a University gives increased Acumen to units trained in that province... but I could be mistaken.

**ajaxfetish** · 02-15-2005, 19:21

Thanks for all the advice. I really need to work more on customizing my governors/generals. Usually I've just focused on getting them more stars and not much of anything else.

**Deus Ex** · 02-15-2005, 20:30

something to consider, the bonus for the acumen of the governer only applies when the govener is in the province - so while you CAN give a title to an (ex-heir) general with high acumen, IF you use that general in combat (away from the province) you don't get the bonus (caveat - if I understand things correctly).

What I have heard is that it is best to make peasants (or possibly spears) until you get at least a 4 acumen leader - and make those units your governers... then garrison them in the province..

hope that helps

**fuddha** · 02-15-2005, 22:07

Originally Posted by Deus Ex

something to consider, the bonus for the acumen of the governer only applies when the govener is in the province

Well that couldn't be more wrong...

You do get the bonuses from your governor, no matter where it is. The caveat is that they don't get V&V's if they are stacked under a general with more command stars, i.e. the king.
This is how I do it:
1) the very beginning of the game - I build cheap peasants for govs because they are, well, eh, cheap! And more importantly they have unit size 100 which is the minimum for bandit control. If I have an unusualy good gov that isn't peasant, I stack it under a 0 command general.
2) middle of the game - I focus on finding the best gov possible, and it doesn't matter what unit it is. I keep them in their provinces to get V&V's and for practical reasons (try to find a single unit you're looking for in the sea of them you have by the middle of the game).
3) end of game - By the end of game, my govs will get the virtues I'm looking for (farm - steward, church - believer, other - builder, trade&mine - thinker). Then I stack them under generals to prevent them from getting vices like lazy or gluttony or whatever.

Hope this helps!
Now go out there and

everyone that dares to oppose you!

**Deus Ex** · 02-15-2005, 22:19

Boy am I embarrassed

I could swear I read that somewhere here on the boards when I was researching trade. Oh well..

Very glad to know now! Time to get grant some titles to my ex heirs for my most profitable provinces...

thanks for the correction

**fuddha** · 02-15-2005, 22:23

de nada...

but try to keep the embarassing part to a minimum... I hold the title for the "Most Embarrassing Person Ever" and I'm not giving it without a fight!

**Goatus Maximus** · 02-18-2005, 06:14

Deus ex...

You were close. In order to get the Steward V&Vs, the governer must be in the province while the farm is being built. Thus, its a good idea while you're building farms to have the governor present, especially in agriculture rich provinces. The difference between no steward and magnificent steward in many of the provinces is amazing!

However, it is unlikely that just doing incremental building of the farms will yield a magnificent steward...the average appears to be one steward for every two farms built. Thus, if you want to reach mag steward, you'll need to destroy farms for that province.

One technique that works great is to place high acumen generals as governors in provinces that you won't use to build your military/trade network. Thus, you can build a +20% farm, destroy it, rebuild it, etc until that governor is mag steward. Then just install him as governor in a high florin yielding province (Antioch, Greece, Constan, etc) and watch the florins accumulate. Usually takes about 12 years for the whole process to be complete, and its easily worth the extra 300 florin per year for the rest of the game.

**macsen rufus** · 02-18-2005, 10:50

Hi y'all - one other thing I've noticed is that my generals often gain acumen if I call off a particularly stupid attack at the battlescreen stage... guess sometimes retreat is the smartest option