Sultan's Game Resource Management: Gold, Intel & Books

Resource management in Sultan's Game is the difference between a thriving courtier and a headless corpse. Gold, intel cards, and books form the three pillars of your economic and strategic power. This guide covers advanced techniques for optimizing all three.

Gold Generation

Primary Income Sources

1. Governance (Main Income)

• Place a noble follower in governance
• Wisdom + Sociability check determines dice count
• 0 dice = 1 gold, 1 die = 2 gold, 2 dice = 3 gold, 3+ dice = 5 gold
• Recommendation: Ensure at least 6 total Wisdom + Sociability for consistent 2-dice rolls (3 gold)
• House expansion adds bonus gold every 3 turns

2. "Methinks" Gold Ritual

• Place gold in the "Methinks" slot (doesn't consume the gold)
• Random odd-job ritual completes after several turns
• Returns gold plus bonus
• Critical: Do this EVERY turn. Never skip this free income source.

3. High-Infamy Challenger Events

• At 3+ infamy, challengers appear periodically
• Defeating them yields 5 gold
• Reliable but requires managing infamy consequences

4. Lady Becky Court Defense

• Send Lady Becky to defend against slander in court
• Yields 1 gold instead of a rock intel card
• Extremely efficient once unlocked

Gold Spending Priority

Priority	Expenditure	Reason
1	Bookstore books	Permanent stat increases for followers
2	Extravagance cards	Mandatory survival expenditure
3	Mahir's research	Unlocks powerful late-game items
4	Equipment merchant rare items	Unique, irreplaceable gear
5	Tribute to Sultan	Gains power (political capital)

The Daily Bookstore Rule

Visit the bookstore EVERY DAY. Books are the primary source of permanent stat growth. Missing a day is missing free power. Asal (the bookstore owner) will eventually close the shop and invite you on "Book Hunts" after you've bought enough books.

Intel Card System

Primary Sources

1. Bathhouse Intel

• Place a follower with high Charm + Sociability
• Dice results: 0 = none, 1 = rock intel, 2 = bronze, 3+ = silver
• Silver intel cards provide 3 rerolls—extremely valuable
• Strategy: Prioritize getting a follower to 9+ Charm + Sociability for consistent silver intel

2. "Methinks" Intel Ritual

• Place intel card in "Methinks" (doesn't consume it)
• Random intel ritual completes after several turns
• CRITICAL: Do this EVERY turn alongside the gold ritual.

Intel Card Types

There are intel cards for each of the 8 attributes (except Physique):

• Wisdom, Charm, Sociability, Combat, Stealth, Survival, Magic

Intel Usage Strategy

• Before difficult checks: Use the matching attribute intel card
• Combat situations: Combat and Stealth checks are most common needs
• Reroll value: Silver intel's 3 rerolls can turn a guaranteed failure into success
• Combination: Intel cards can be combined in "Headless Dragon" to create higher-tier cards (3 matching = 1 higher tier)

Important: Physique cannot be boosted by intel cards. This makes Physique the most important stat to build through books and equipment.

Book System

Book Mechanics

• Books provide permanent stat increases to followers
• Each book has attribute requirements to read (except Lumera, who can read anything)
• Books are consumed on use
• The bookstore restocks daily with new inventory

Reading Priority

Priority	Target	Books For
1	Protagonist	Magic (if Malkina available)
2	Lumera	Any and all books
3	Wife (Maggie)	Wisdom and Social
4	Primary Fighters	Combat and Physique
5	Court Characters	Charm and Wisdom

Lumera's Unique Advantage

Lumera can read ANY book regardless of requirements. This makes her the most efficient follower for consuming books. Feed her everything you can find.

Asal's Book Hunt

After buying enough books, Asal closes the shop and offers "Book Hunts" where you can acquire more books at higher cost. By this point, you should have sufficient books to equip your core team.

Reputation System (Five Types)

Understanding the five reputation types is crucial for resource management:

Reputation	Trigger at 3	Effect
Good Name	Mysterious Aid	Periodic assistance; stops at 3+ Infamy
Infamy	Challengers	Periodic 5 gold; enables low-cost kill rituals
Power	Equipment gifts	Unlocks many events; 4 triggers Chancellor; 15 triggers Malicious Joke
Reputation	Shelter construction	Highest return but hardest to gain; one-time stat boost + story
Spiritual Vision	Initial Dream	Only matters after unlocking God's Profile; 1 triggers forced dream

Reputation Management Strategy

• Good Name: Keep at 2-3 for Mysterious Aid without triggering Infamy conflicts
• Infamy: Manage carefully. 3+ is useful for gold but blocks Good Name events
• Power: Essential for political events, but don't trigger Chancellor prematurely
• Reputation: Worth pursuing for the shelter event's massive stat boost
• Spiritual Vision: Ignore until pursuing Divine Descent ending

Equipment Economy

Equipment Merchant Priority

Rarity	Equipment Type	Priority	Notes
Common	Physique clothing, Charm accessories, Combat weapons	Low	Pollute the shop pool
Uncommon	Stealth weapons/clothing, Magic accessories, Combat accessories/clothing, Charm clothing	Medium	Situational but useful
Rare	Wisdom accessories (Golden Sheep Earrings only), Social clothing/accessories, Charm weapons, Stealth accessories	Highest	Unique and irreplaceable

The Equipment Swap Rule

Re-equip every turn. Even characters locked in rituals can have their gear changed by opening the character panel and dragging new equipment. Never waste a turn with suboptimal gear.

Resource Management Checklist (Per Turn)

• Visit bookstore and buy all available books
• Send someone to bathhouse for intel (if you have gold for the bath)
• "Methinks" gold ritual (every turn)
• "Methinks" intel ritual (every turn)
• Check equipment and reassign as needed
• Evaluate current Sultan cards and plan break strategy
• Pay attention to accumulating negative cards (Wife's Discontent, Evidence, etc.)

The Compound Interest of Resources

Sultan's Game rewards consistent, patient resource accumulation:

• Books provide permanent stats that compound across the entire playthrough
• Gold invested in Mahir yields exponentially powerful items
• Intel cards saved for critical checks prevent catastrophic failures
• Reputation built early unlocks powerful late-game events

The player who visits the bookstore every day, does both "Methinks" rituals every turn, and manages equipment constantly will have a dramatically easier time than the player who plays reactively.

Small daily investments create unstoppable late-game power. Be patient, be consistent, and the resources will carry you to the throne.