Role of Advisors (What do you use them for?)

I think in some positions advisers can be very helpful. They can be very useful in giving an overview if you are just joining a game or as a new player. However, I would be wary of relying too much on them. If you ask a generic question, like 'what would make my nobles happy?', you may merely get the obvious reply 'a tax cut'. If you ask 'how do I expand trade?', then you may get a similar banal answer. I guess they are the kind of answers which really refer you back to the rule book. They are likely to be more useful when trying to deal with NPCs or to get a quick overview of foreign policy where the GM can at least make a genuine attempt to help you understand some puzzling aspect of the game.

I have probably not used them that well in the past, certainly not in terms of advising on military campaigns.

Also it is quite possible that your advisor is a spy for another power. This is a major problem in G7 for England as nobody really knows who controls various MPs, some of whom act as advisers. Various factions are fighting to promote their own cause and the pre-occupation with their own survival (being on the winning side) probably over-rides the usefulness of any information they will provide to the player.

I like the question, though.