Bonus to allowed state cores for merchant republics

[Ameron]

I get the reasoning behind the 20 full cores limit on merchant republic, as a way to encourage handpicking of important lands over mindless blobbing.
I suggest to rework the "trade post" feature for Merchant Republis, allowing the player to use it as a tool for (limited) expansion:

1. Provinces marked as trade posts do not count against the 20 full cores limit. This would allow a MR to hold as full cores 20 provinces + 1 in each trade node except their home node.
2. Trade post provinces should get some other buff, like the important centers of trade do; for example, a development discount, an improved naval forcelimit, an extra building slot, more goods produced.
3. As a downside, the cost for the trade post could be raised to match the cost for the territory core (5 ADM per development point). Trade post in a 10 development province would still cost 50 ADM, while in a 20 development province it would cost 100 ADM, for example. ADM cost should get any discount the player has for developing provinces (so, for example, 20% discount with Economic finisher).

 

[cub298]

I really do love this. I never played a merchant republic in a while, but it would make a lot of sense that they should get access to having more provinces according to how many nodes/trade posts they have. It would kind of relate to how stable your trade income is with your merchant republic. You are able to convince your trade league that the trade is stable and they would have a more of a reason to say in the league. I would really love this added into game because it would allow you to expand a bit more as a merchant republic but not make it where you really are blobbing out of control.