Getting stealthy priests to preach stealthily in your own province?

tinkthank · #1 June 23rd, 2004, 09:15 AM

I enjoy stealth. I also enjoy hit-and-run tactics. I just love stealthy priests.

With some nations who can do this well (Pan, Marignon, etc. etc.), I have a stealthy priest in province X preaching behind enemy lines, my favorite.

When I think the time is ripe, my priest tells me when the province looks nicely undefended, I will send/sneak in some fliers/teleporters/magic attacks/stealthy troops and take the province.

Once the province is mine, I like to have my troops leave and sneak/fly/etc. somewhere else; I like to put 1 point of PD up (just so I can make sure to watch the battle and see who came to reclaim in case my priest also leaves) and go wreak havoc somewhere else.

HOWEVER: I have noticed that the preaching priest will then often also take part in subsequent battles -- often, but not always. (I am unsure on this point; I *think* it is because I clicked him/her, had her move (with the rest by having selected "all"), then reclicked and reordered to preach.)
In other words, the stealthy priest who proselytized behind enemy lines a turn ago, is no longer sneaky and hence wants to fight. But I would like to have her/him continue to preach stealthily, even though the province is mine.
(I see no "thematic" reason for her job being vastly different just because the government has been changed.)
How can I do this?

thank you

Chazar · #2 June 23rd, 2004, 12:34 PM

Stealthy unhidden commanders within friendly provinces have the command option to "hide" additionally to the options defend and patrol, dont they?

Does your stealthy priest ever got caugth in a battle, once he was hiding for a round and starting preaching only on the next one after hiding?

[ June 23, 2004, 11:35: Message edited by: Chazar ]

tinkthank · #3 June 23rd, 2004, 12:50 PM

OK I never tried that. I see the option "hide", but I do not see the option "hide and preach".

tinkthank · #4 June 23rd, 2004, 02:07 PM

I'll give that a try, thanks for the suggestion!

(I'd still like to know if anyone knows of a trick to get to hide-n-preach continually without having to hide in-between...)

Nagot Gick Fel · #5 June 23rd, 2004, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tinkthank:
(I'd still like to know if anyone knows of a trick to get to hide-n-preach continually without having to hide in-between...)

It only works when preaching with stealthy priests in provinces you don't own. I believe they retain their 'hidden' flag if you happen to conquer these province, AS LONG AS you don't change their orders. If you do, then you're screwed: there's no way to stealth & preach in a province you control.

Chazar · #6 June 24th, 2004, 01:43 AM

I know that, sadly, there is no option "hide and preach", but I suggested that "hide" in one turn and "preach" for the next turns might help. Maybe the game simply sets a flag if a unit is hidden and doesnt change this flag when a unit is set to preach...

...let me know if you find out whether that helps!