Merchants & Thugs/The Byzantine Empire

[Indy1958]

Gentlemen:

Good afternoon from Canada!! I hope this finds you and yours well. As for me, I could complain...yadda, yadda, yadda.

I don't know if you get this scroll after a failed encounter with a merchant named Toke. It says, and I might be paraphrasing here: "His (Toke's) hired muscle has taken (fill in your merchant's name) good and your merchant has been put out of business for good."

For the longest time, I've been having trouble with this guy, Toke, and haven't gotten anywhere in trying to put him out of business. This either Polish or Danish merchant seems to get the better of my merchants, and I wind up training yet another merchant, knowing full well the results of a meeting with Toke.

How do I (a) hire my own muscle and (b) how do I put him out of business PERMANENTLY!!!!

The man is basically dandified thief.

Secondly, for those of you playing as the Byzantine Empire. Would it be a good idea if I were to re-establish ties with Rome? It said in the game manual that the Byzantine Empire was a shadow, or ghost, of the old Roman Empire and in some ways, was trying to revive said empire. I've just sent my princess to Rome to see if these ties can be re-established.

All opinions, ideas, and vague notions gratefully received!!!!

Live long and prosper, take care and thank you kindly!!!

Sincerely yours always,

Indy

[phunkbot]

kill Toke with an assassin, you wont get money for it but hey, he'll be dead : )

[TeutonicKnight]

For the most annoying merchants, I surround them with troops, and then drop another trooper on top of them. Boom, dead merchant.

I keep a gang of nine peasants and a general in a stack for just that purpose.

[Quillan]

I also imagine the 9-unit squish would work just as easily on a merchant as it does on an inquisitor or foreign priest. Place 8 military units in the 8 squares around it, then drop the 9th in the same spot as the merchant. It can't go anywhere, so it dies.

Edit-See what happens when you post from work? I get interrupted by a customer and someone else posts the same advice. Oh well.

[wzup]

assassin is the way to go,, using an exploit seems unfair imo

[Quillan]

Using an exploit is unfair, partially, but if Toke (or his equivalent) is as good as he sounds, an assassin isn't going to work.

[Captain Pugwash]

assassins dont kill anything fit only for sabatage.

[phunkbot]

assassins dont kill anything fit only for sabatage.

i dont know, mine pwn pretty bad...

[Callahan9119]

just save the game before you try your skullduggery

i do that cuz the outcome is always so friggin random even if my guy is ranked way higher