Espionage

Dungeons & Dragons MPGN Mailinglist archive 1996-1999
1

If another realm holds something secret it’s impossible to use a
espionage action against it, since you don’t know what to spy on.
Let’s say that another realm are training some elite units (special
units with new abbilities) and hold it secret. Then you do not know that
the training excist and you can’t spy on it.
But if you would have someone on you paylist in the military he would
inform you that such an action are taking place nad you will know what
to spy on.
Another good thing with this is that you don’t need to use one espionage
action on every realm that are in you area. You will simply be informed
if there will happen anything of importance.
But this don’t work always, since the man on you paylist may be in the
wrong area (a guilder would most truly not know about unittraining, but
an officer would).
The man/woman on you paylist would get payd 1 GB / information + 1 GB /
year or something like that.

//Finnsson

I like your idea! I do not know what the best way to do it would be.
:frowning:

What kind of limitations have you run into with espionage besides it
being too expensive?

2

At 06:58 PM 8/14/97 +0200, Finnsson(finnsson@communique.se)wrote:
>
>I was wondering how you could set up a espionage-net over the world in
>Birthright.
>Like CIA, GRU, S=C4PO, PET, FET, KGB, DGSE, Mossad, Shin Bet, MI 6…
>I think you understand : )
>But I think it’s so hard to have a working espionage-net in Birthright.
>And very expensive.
>

>

There are 3 ways for a Regent to gather information on nearby countries,
Spies, Bards, and Trader’s(or Traveller’s) tales. With Spies being the most
reliable, and Trader’s tales the least. When using Spies with an Espionage
Action the Regent sends the Spy the do a specific task(or learn a particular
secret). Now your idea of a “Spy Network” sounds good, and I givin it a
little thought. Bear in mind this is off the top of my head.=20

Sun Tzu said: “There are five sorts of Secret Agents to be employed. These
are Native, Inside, Doubled, Expendable, and Living.”

The standard BR Espionage Action deals with the “Expendable” and “Living”
types of Spies. A “Spy Network(or SN)” must deal with the other 3 types.
When gaining Spies for a SN a Regent will pick someone from 1 of these 3
types. “Native” agents are average folk from the country’s people. “Inside”
agents are foriegn officials whom you employ. “Doubled” agents are enemy
Spies(from enemy SNs) whom you employ. Sun Tzu has many wise words when it
comes to the employment of Spies, but for our purposes that is as deep as we
need go for now(I suggest all BR DMs, and Players, pick up a copy of “The
Art of War”…you won’t be sorry).=20

Each of these types of Spies can be found in 3 different areas of Espionage,
Noble, Trader, or Faith. The Noble Spies deal with Military matters, and the
Actions of Regents and thier Lieutenants. Trader Spies can be found amidst
the Guilds and they often know what is happening with the common folk. Spies
of the Faith report on matters dealing with Magic, Temples, and the private
goings on of the upper classes. No matter what area of Espionage a Regent
wants to get a Spy in he/she must decide what type of Spy to get. And for
each area of Espionage a different type of Spy may be more or less
effective(This would depend on individual situations). Still it is possible
to have Spies of each type within each area of Espionage.=20

In order to gain a Spy for your SN you must use an Espionage Action. The
Success number is a base 10% improved by the total levels of any appropriate
Holdings(ie. Law for Noble, Guild for Trader, and Temple for Faith)the
Regent has in the target nation, and worsened by the total levels of
appropriate enemy Holdings. The Spying Regent can use GBs to affect this
type of Espionage (1GB=3D1%), but if they attempt fails all GBs are lost and
the enemy Regent learns of the attempt to gather Spies. Note: A DM should
have a working list of possible Spies for a country before a PC undertakes
this Action. The GB cost of this Action should be raised 1 GB per level of
the NPC being bribed. This is after the Player has decided how many GBs they
will be putting down for the roll. These new GBs do not affect the roll, but
if a Regent won’t meet the price the roll fails no matter what. If the
Regent meets the cost and succeeds the roll he/she will gain a new Spy for
thier SN.=20

Maintaining a SN is not nearly as costly as sending in new Spies everytime
your curious. 1 GB per DT will maintain 3 Spies in a Network. If a Regent
has less then 3 Spies in a country it still costs 1 GB. Each DT a SN has a
percent chance to learn something of interest equal to a base chance of 5%,
plus the combined levels of all the Spies of a particular type, within a
certain area of Espionage. This chance is again improved by the total of all
the spying Regents appropriate Holdings and worsened by the total of all
appropriate enemy Holdings. It is possible to make several different checks
each DT for each area of Espionage depending on how many types of SNs are
present. If any check is successful what, if anything, is learned depends on
the type of Spy employed and they actual position of the Spy. The
particulars of the information is up to the DM.=20

Bear in mind that a successful Espionage Action by the enemy Regent will let
them discover the identity of 1 of your Spies, without you knowing it. The
enemy regent could then plant disinformation, or attempt to hire your Spy as
a “Double-Agent”.=20

Well thats my 2(err…more like 4)GBs worth. Tell me what you think.

=20

=20
Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net

“War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied.”
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-=20

BR Netbook: http://webpages.metrolink.net/~veleda/birth.html

3

> Sun Tzu said: “There are five sorts of Secret Agents to be employed.
> These
> are Native, Inside, Doubled, Expendable, and Living.”

I got the Art of War on Chinese and English. It’s great reading (and it
only cost me $1)

> In order to gain a Spy for your SN you must use an Espionage Action.
> The
> Success number is a base 10% improved by the total levels of any
> appropriate
> Holdings(ie. Law for Noble, Guild for Trader, and Temple for Faith)the
>
> Regent has in the target nation, and worsened by the total levels of
> appropriate enemy Holdings.

This mean that I start with 19+.Do I only get +1% / holdinglevel or do I
get 5%?

> The Spying Regent can use GBs to affect this
> type of Espionage (1GB=1%), but if they attempt fails all GBs are lost
> and
> the enemy Regent learns of the attempt to gather Spies.

It’s expencive to have a higher chanse. That is 5 GB for each step.

> Maintaining a SN is not nearly as costly as sending in new Spies
> everytime
> your curious. 1 GB per DT will maintain 3 Spies in a Network. If a
> Regent
> has less then 3 Spies in a country it still costs 1 GB. Each DT a SN
> has a
> percent chance to learn something of interest equal to a base chance
> of 5%,
> plus the combined levels of all the Spies of a particular type,

That is 20+. And do I only get +1%/spy level? Or do I get +5%?

> Bear in mind that a successful Espionage Action by the enemy Regent
> will let
> them discover the identity of 1 of your Spies, without you knowing it.
> The
> enemy regent could then plant disinformation, or attempt to hire your
> Spy as
> a “Double-Agent”.

If they try to find out who the agent is I think that the chanse for
them would be worsen by the level of the spy.

//Finnsson

4

At 02:43 AM 8/15/97 +0200, Finnsson(finnsson@communique.se)wrote:
>
>This mean that I start with 19+.Do I only get +1% / holdinglevel or do I
>get 5%?
>

+1% per Holding level.

>
>It’s expencive to have a higher chanse. That is 5 GB for each step.
>

It should be. Building a SN is the tough part, and could take years(game
years, that is)to build up a good one.

>
>That is 20+. And do I only get +1%/spy level? Or do I get +5%?
>

+1% per Spie’s level. This chance is kept low because the Spy has to ferret
out information it thinks the Regent would want, but they are going to cover
themselves as best as possible. And this could cause trouble in getting the
info. to the Spying Regent. Thus the chance is low, but more Spies can make
this chance better. As you know.

>
>If they try to find out who the agent is I think that the chanse for
>them would be worsen by the level of the spy.
>

This would be so if the NPC is a professional Spy, but for the most part
your informants won’t be, besides its assumed Spies will cover thier tracks
as best they can. So the burden of the hunt is on the Regent. Although the
Spying Regent can place additional GBs during any DT toward covering thier
Spies, and these GBs can be used against an Espionage that might uncover them.

Sepsis, richt@metrolink.net

“War is a matter of vital importance to the State;
the province of life or death;
the road to survival or ruin.
It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied.”
-Sun Tzu,(The Art of War)-

BR Netbook: http://webpages.metrolink.net/~veleda/birth.html