[CONAN] Merchant Houses?

[Cheomesh]

Does anyone have more info on the Argosean Merchant Houses? Argos & Zingara more or less left the detail at "They exist, are not part of the feudal order and control trade through various laws." Are any of them ever named? Is it just a single family and servants (a "house" in a more literal sense, wherein the "Merchant House of Cheo" deals in wines, but it's just Cheo, his family and his servants) or are they closer to guilds in which they represent an organization to join (Anyone seeking to be a wine merchant should join the Merchant House of Cheo)? Are they universal then in the latter case, with chapter houses throughout Argos or do they have a singular HQ and then their routes? Do they specialize by product (Again, Wine merchant houses, spice merchant houses, etc)? Do these guys operate shops in the Houses name or do they just handle moving things from A to B and dictate who has the right to sell?

M.

 

[Kev]

There's a ton of info on all the Merchant Houses and Guilds of Argos in the Messantia, City of Riches box set. I read through that material before starting my campaign (which started in Messantia) and it proved invaluable. Well worth tracking down if the PCs in your game are or will be in that city (or anywhere in Argos, for that matter).

 

[Cheomesh]

Thanks! This "box set" - what makes it more than a book? Box sets usually imply a lot of extra stuff.

M.

 

[Kev]

Well...there's a fair amount of empty space in the box itself. I suppose so you can conveniently store other sourcebooks inside.

What you get is basically this:
---> A fluff book describing the city of Messantia (its history, geography, environs and personalities) in great detail. This is the best part of the set, in my opinion.
---> A crunch book with new rules systems, feats, uses for skills, prestige classes, etc. Haven't really used anything out of here, myself. At least, not yet.
---> An adventure book with a scenario set in Messantia. Again, haven't used this yet. I may run my players through it if they don't wind up fleeing Argos as wanted criminals (which they kind of already are).
---> A map of the city with color-coded districts and numbered locations for ease of reference with Book 1.*
---> There may be a supplementary map or two for use with the adventure book (though I may be confusing this with the Shadizar box set...haven't dug through either in a while).
---> Counters and NPC cards for use with the adventure book.

*I should note that the numbering is off in the fluff book compared to the map. There was a thread about this here on the forum a couple of years ago. Should you actually decide to track down the box set, let me know and I can send you the corrected/adjusted list.

 

[Supplement Four]

What you get is basically this:

Kev, I think he's looking for an opinion on what the box is worth. I've got it, but I haven't spent any time with the material. So, I can't commit on how useful the material that comes in the box will be for a game. From a scan, though, it looks like it's worth the price.

 

[Cheomesh]

I have acquired a scan (are we allowed to talk about that here?) and will decide if it's worth the drop. Not so much after the box itself, but more the books (particularly fluff). Thanks for the leads; I'll check it out.

M.

 

[Cheomesh]

I've noticed that there's a contradiction. In "Argos & Zingara", it is said that the Guilds came first, and then the merchant houses (which based themselves off the already successful guild system). In "Messantia, City of Riches", it is said that the Guilds were formed to protect craftsmen from the power of the Merchant houses.

M.