Olympia: The Age of Gods PBEM (May 4 1999)
Usage: USE 9606 <good> Time to learn: 14 days. Time to use: 7 days.
By use of this skill, a merchant can increase the supply of a trade good in a market. By encouraging more artisans to produce the product, by finding new supplies of the good, and similar means, the merchant will increase the number available for trade by 15-33% of the normal monthly supply. In the case of goods that are produced only in small numbers, this becomes a chance to increase the supply by one good. The supply increase persists until something changes it.
This skill must be used in the market where <good> is being traded. There can never be more goods for trade than the yearly limit.
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 9606 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.)