Merchants and resources

[Quillan]

The further away the closest source of that resource to the capitol is what determines overall value. Gold isn't terribly valuable to Venice, because there's a gold mine in Zagreb. I get more money from the amber near Krakow than I do from the gold in Zagreb. However, playing Spain with the capitol in Valencia, I was getting 840 a turn on the gold in Timbuktu with a 7 finance merchant. There are no gold sources anywhere in western Europe. Silk is exceedingly valuable as Spain or England, but nearly worthless as Byzantium (there are 4 silk sources within a 2 turn move of Constantinople).

[Slaists]

Merchants seem to get monopolist trait if they sit on a resource that has double instances (I think, I have not seen tripple instances yet for any resources) in that particular province. They gain this trait as long as there are no merchants from other factions camping the same resource in the same province.

My strategy for the beginning of the campaign (until I get high level merchant guilds) is to camp double-resources in my own territory (so I can run away from high level foreign merchants) until my merchants grow to become monopolists; then I move into foreign territories looking for more valuable resources to camp, foreign merchants to take over.

[wiretripped]

So, playing as HRE with capital still at Frankfurt, which resources would be most lucrative for me? While not venturing out of Europe, that is.

[Quillan]

The gold in Zagreb, probably. There are two silver in Vienna, 2 dyes also in Vienna, amber in Krakow and Halych (but those are probably too close) and two silk in Constantinople with 2 more in Nicaea. Those are technically out of Europe, and may well be far enough away that the "Loyal to Coin" line of traits start showing up. There is a single sugar down in Sicily that's probably pretty valuable, but you have to get the monopolist line of traits maxxed before you go there because it's only one instance. There is an amber in Sicily also, but it's not as valuable as the one in Krakow for some reason.

[wiretripped]

Okay, thanks a lot!

[katank]

Spices/sugar can also be profitable for the Russians. Timbuktu is definitely worth the trek. With my capital in Arhus, my 2 gold merchants (both 9 acumen) on the gold in Timbuktu are both pulling in over 600 a turn.