Decrease Demand [1803]

Olympia: The Age of Gods PBEM (Oct 4 2000)

### E.9.6: Decrease Demand [1803]

      Usage:  USE 1803 <good>
      Time to learn: 14 days.
      Time to use: 7 days.

By use of this skill, a canny merchant can decrease the demand for a trade good in a market. By intimating that a product is inferior, had bad side-effects, and similar means, the merchant will discourage the buying public, driving the price of the trade good down from 6 to 8 percent. The price decrease persists until something changes it.

This skill must be used in the market where <good> is being traded. The price for a good cannot be driven lower than half the base price of the good.

This skill can only be used on items sold or bought by the market itself, i.e., it cannot be used on nobles, and it only works if the good is currently being traded. For example, consider this interaction:

      8: > use 1803 94
      8: That good is not traded here.

[94] is the identifier for woven baskets. Why did this skill use fail? Although a city may be buying baskets on Day 1, by Day 8 someone may have sold the city all the baskets it requires. Consequently, the attempt to influence the market for baskets fails, because no baskets are being traded. (The city typically adds a new demand after the turn is over.)