Switch order of merchant jobs, please.

[Roady]

When I started my combat character, merchants gave me escort missions.
As I progressed in level and increased the capacity of my army, merchants started offering jobs to carry goods to another city.

I started a new merchant character, and my focus isn't on having a large army, but rather making money through trade, so these escort jobs are worthless to me, but the delivery quests are excellent.

Any reason these can't be switched?

If merchants are looking for their delivery to be well protected, then I'd like to suggest the merchants consider my inventory of horses to carry those goods quickly and outrun marauders.
Even if the merhants required I buy the goods I deliver, these jobs will add variety to the static trading routes that M&B employs.

 

[Worbah]

the jobs are given randomly, AFAIK

 

[Roady]

Maybe, but I doubt it from what I've seen.
My merchant visits merchants in each city she buys & sells goods at and each time I check the jobs available. Every job so far is an escort job, not one has asked for a delivery.

I didn't see a delivery job with my combat character until my leadership was 3 or 4.

 

[Tharg]

In my experience the first job I have been offered has always been an 'escort caravan' one. All merchants offer only this type until I have completed the first one. And if I'm in the middle of my first mission all other merchants say that they can't offer me a job right now.

I always assumed that this was to encourage players to get some cash and get a small force together.

I've always taken this first quest fairly early though, so I don't know if it changes when you get to higher levels.

 

[jrawlings]

Yes. Although they are supposed to be random, I have ALWAYS received "escort" missions as the first one. In fact if you go to Zendar, get that mission and decline it, then go to the other towns, they will also give you an escort mission. I went to 5 towns with my last character and the hypothesis held.

@Roady: I think you'll just have to suck it up and do the first escort mission. You should have sufficient leadership from the start to do one, the mission equires less than 15 troops. Accept the quest, disband the unwanted peasants and you can still complete it. After that, you should be in good shape.

 

[Ceaning agent]

maybe attack a troop of black knights just home from hunting peasents... lets face it at level one it isn't too hard to kill a fully armed and escorted prisoner train or the most fearsome bandits in the land is it? besides it'll save some cash!

 

[Kissaki]

If you save before asking about a job, you can keep reloading until you get the type of mission you want. So I guess it's random. In it's own way.