User Guide

41
their diplomatic options. We will return to this
subject again when we talk about government
types and in the chapter on Diplomacy.
Advisors
Each country may hire as many as three “Court
Advisors” to provide additional benefits to the
realm. Each advisor has an area of expertise
and a certain level of skill. The more skilled the
advisor, the greater the benefit he will confer to
the country that employs him. An advisor will
demand an initial fee at the time he is hired, as
well as a monthly amount that you must pay
as a salary to keep him. Both of these amounts
are dependent on his skill level, making it more
expensive to hire and maintain a highly skilled
advisor than a mediocre one. There are twelve
different possible advisor types who may be-
come available:
• Philosopher:
Employing this highly re-
spected type of advisor will increase your
nation’s prestige each month.
• Natural Scientist:
This advisor will con-
tribute an extra investment each month to
your production technology research.
• Artist:
The beauty of this advisor’s work is
of such magnitude that he actually helps
to improve your country’s stability each
month.
• Statesman:
Employing a statesman will
contribute an extra monthly investment
into diplomacy technology.
• Treasurer:
This advisor will help to speed
up your trade technology research.
• Naval Reformer:
You will gain new naval
technologies more rapidly when you employ
this type of advisor.
• Army Reformer:
Your land-based military
technology will increase more rapidly with
an army reformer in your court.
• Trader:
This advisor increases the rate at
which new merchants become available in
your national pool.
• Theologian:
Your pool of missionaries will
increase more rapidly when you have a theo-
logian in your court.
• Spymaster:
This advisor will help to recruit
new spies for your national pool.
• Colonial Advisor:
You will gain new col-
onists more rapidly in your national pool
when this advisor is a member of your
court.
• Diplomat:
A diplomatic advisor increases
the rate at which you recruit new diplomats
to your country’s pool.
There are also a number of random and histori-
cal events that either require a certain type of
advisor to be a member of your court, or are
affected by the type of advisor you have. The
historical event that triggers the start of the
Reformation cannot occur to a country unless
it has a theologian in its employ; and having a
colonial advisor may occasionally provide you
with a “free” colonist for your country’s pool,
courtesy of a random event. There are many
other such events that may occur throughout
the game.
When you first start to play, you will prob-
ably have at least one advisor in your court if
this was historically the case, and there may
also be other historical figures available for
hire. All subsequent advisors that appear in
the game are generated randomly, being given
names that are appropriate to the region where
they are “born”.
Your current advisors are shown in the three
large boxes in the Court screen of the Domes-
tic Interface. You will see each advisor’s name,
type, and a summary of the direct benefits that
he gives you. You will also see his monthly sal-
ary and how many years he has been active.
Most advisors have a lifespan of at least 20
years, but you should begin considering a re-
placement once he crosses this threshold.
You may find that the monthly cost of
employing an advisor is no longer feasible or
worthwhile for your realm. If this happens, you
are free to dismiss him whenever you like. He
will then become available to any other country
who wishes to hire him, so he may not be avail-
able if you subsequently change your mind.