Question about mercenaries
 

The manual says if you hire a mercenary your bid counts double the next time you bid on it. Problem is, I'm never given the opportunity to bid a second time on the mercenary; it's either not available or goes directly to another faction. Is this the way it's supposed to work?

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

You should get the chance one turn before the mercenary's contract expires, but no sooner.

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

You have to check yourself (you get no reminder from the game). When there is 1 turn left on your merc's contract - click on the merc button and you are given the option to 'hire' at a discount.


btw - is there a list of all the mercs (and their general attributes) anywhere?

[edit: you don't click directly on the merc - I meant to say you click on the regular merc icon over on the right-hand edge]

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

Sort of, in Edi's unit database. It has all the mercenary units, but IIRC does not distinguish them by name. So you would not know that "Farstrikers" are longbowmen from the database.

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

That's good to know. I didn't think to check the turn before the mercenaries expire.

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

For the future, I would like to see a reminder. Perhaps in the messages at the beginning of a turn, a message could say, "Your contract with so-and-so mercenaries will end next month. Make a new bid if you would like to keep them." Then, instead of a "Go to province" link, there would be a link to the mercenary bidding screen.

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

And on mercenary rebid: if you rebid for mercs you have already hired (or for new ones for that matter)and the province you have selected at that point gets taken from you the next turn, your bid will not go through.

Your mercs will leave you, despite being nowhere near the province in question and your bid being the highest.

Basically, make sure you have selected a province which will remain safe; your home province is a good choice, unless an enemy is near (or a random event takes it away from you - always fun).

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

Another question about mercs:

How is the cost of a bid to re-hire a merc effected if that merc is already giving your nation a discount?

For example I am playing Ulm in my current game and Fordo Boggit's Elite Warriors offered to work for me originally at.. I dunno I think it was 75% of thier normal price. I hired them and when time came to re-bid thier asking price (iirc) was half of the 75% price they originally offered.

Makes sense, right? But is my bid figure doubled only, since I have the mercs employ? Or is it increased by 125% to reflect the fact that fordo likes Ulm?

Re: Question about mercenaries
 

Against the AI, asking price plus 10 will win the original bid, and discounted asking price plus 5 will win the rebid.