You have to find them in order to bribe them

[kadingir]

Hi, all. I'm going to try to sneak two questions into the same message. I'm playing a "quick" game as the Brutii, and it's been going pretty well. It's my first try with that faction, and they certainly seem to be more, umm, solvent than the Julii. A couple of turns ago the Thracians, for reasons best known to themselves, decide to attack me in Nicomedia. I have no time for this--I'm running an empire, after all--so, since I have over a million denarii, I figured I'd offer the Thracian a nice bribe. Imagine my annoyance when, having sent one of my diplomats tottering over to the invaders, I discovered that the "bribe" option wasn't available. I couldn't find anything in the manual (stop laughing) about special conditions applying to bribes. Could anyone offer any hints as to when bribes are and aren't possible?

My other question is a little embarrassing: I've lost the Macedonians. More accurately, I can't find them. They have no territories left, and I thought I had killed all of the little buggers, but I haven't "won" (the Greeks are gone), the Macedonians still show up in the faction list, and a few turns ago the Julii declared war on them. If I knew where they were, I'd stomp them. (Any of you who have played Civilization 3 will recognize this as a variant of the "settler in a boat" dilemma.) I suppose I could send spies all over Europe and the Near East to try to bump into a Macedonian, but I'm hoping that someone out there can suggest a better tactic.

Thanks much.

[Marcellus]

Welcome to the org, Kadingir

There are some people who you can't bribe, for example faction leaders.

As for the Macedonians, are you sure that they didn't spread away from their homeland? For example, the Macedonians in one of my games managed to capture Cyrene across the sea.

[kadingir]

First, thanks for the info about bribes. I think that the fellow I was trying to corrupt was, in fact, the faction leader.

As to the missing Macedonians--I think that all of the territory is accounted for, at least as I read the mini-map. But I'll intensify my search. Problem is that if there's just a unit of cavalry standing around somewhere with the faction leader I'll probably only find them by luck.

[magnum]

On the missing Macedonians...

There is a territory in North Africa that starts out as rebel. However, if a faction conquers it and it then revolts, it revolts to Macedonian control. So if you haven't checked in North Africa (directly across from greece approximately) you might try looking there.

[Krauser]

Bribing is no nice. The one place you can just throw away money to keep your treasury below 50k.

[Marcellus]

On the missing Macedonians...

There is a territory in North Africa that starts out as rebel. However, if a faction conquers it and it then revolts, it revolts to Macedonian control. So if you haven't checked in North Africa (directly across from greece approximately) you might try looking there.

I think you're referring to Cyrene

[bippukt]

You can't bribe the faction leader or the faction heir. And I think that you can't bribe the capital, but I am not sure of this.
Be careful when offering bribes. If you don't have enough money to bribe the army or the city, don't offer it. If the character refuses to be bribed, he becomes publicly loyal and hence that much more difficult to bribe later on. So if in doubt, don't offer a bribe. Hope that helps.

[Mikeus Caesar]

And I think that you can't bribe the capital, but I am not sure of this.

actually, you can bribe capitals, but if they have the faction leader/heir in, then they won't be bribed.

[bippukt]

actually, you can bribe capitals, but if they have the faction leader/heir in, then they won't be bribed.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Conqueror]

You cannot bribe a faction's last remaining city, even if there's no family members in it.

[Marquis of Roland]

Your missing Macedonians are in Cyrene, Cyrenaica. It is the province in North Africa directly south of Cyprus (Kydonia). Factions need at least 1 city to exist, so its not like civ where they have some settler stuck in a boat.

If they're not there, start trading for map info until you can "see" all the provinces on the map (exception is Hibernia and Hyperboria, I guarantee you the Macedonians are not there).

[kadingir]

Sure enough, the wily Macedonians were in Cyrenaica. (They're not there any more.) Thanks to all for your help.

[sapi]

Next time, if they really frustrate you, type toggle_fow into the console to see them and again to turn it off.

[The Stranger]

You cannot bribe a faction's last remaining city, even if there's no family members in it.

where did you read that.....i cetainly bribed rome....many times and it was their last city (as usual).

[Emit_Flesti]

Usually, i don't do much bribing, but in my current campaign i have a lot of money to spend, so I kind of bought most of the Brit continental provinces - having an army nearby ready to slaughter those rebels. I'm fighting a hard civil war, now, and besieging Rome. Never occured to me to bribe... Humm. I think i'll give it a shot.
Then again, i reealy feel like fighting fot it. After all, it IS Rome.

[The Stranger]

i only bribe anoying little armies that are sieging a city....also i vbribe you members of factions to replace my old governers

[IliaDN]

You cannot bribe a faction's last remaining city, even if there's no family members in it.

There is an exception - Rome.

[Conqueror]

I guess those senators really love the money then

[IliaDN]

Yeah, I bribed it for about 1.5 millions ...

[Kourutsu]

Make a bunch of peasants, seperate them into one unit an army, and send them off to find the elusive enemy.

[pezhetairoi]

Macedonian gets a magic army in Cyrene in turn 27. Without warning, playing as Macedon, I received an army of 6 triple silver/single gold, gold weapon, gold shield militia hoplites and 3 gold peasants. Freaky. Anyway. They're now headed for the Nile with 2 factioners and 2 Numidian cavalry. I should find no problem taking Alexandria considering it just has 3 desert axemen guarding it, modded to 3 armour. What are they against 14 attack 10 defence? yum.

[IliaDN]

Macedonian gets a magic army in Cyrene in turn 27. Without warning, playing as Macedon, I received an army of 6 triple silver/single gold, gold weapon, gold shield militia hoplites and 3 gold peasants. Freaky. Anyway. They're now headed for the Nile with 2 factioners and 2 Numidian cavalry. I should find no problem taking Alexandria considering it just has 3 desert axemen guarding it, modded to 3 armour. What are they against 14 attack 10 defence? yum.

Hi, Pez!
This army is not "magic" as you call it - it appeares there, because that city ( as far as I know ) was founded by macedonians, so it is mirrored in the game as giving this city to macedonians in the year of it suppoused fondation.

[pezhetairoi]

but...but...gold chevron? gold shield? gold weapon? I haven't even build a single weaponsmith yet and I get such an uber army! And to think it's all wasted on PEASANTS! I could cry, thinking of it... if they wanted a power-army to found Cyrene, why in the world didn't they get some gold-chevron hetairoi and royalpikes? :-(