Do you use spies to gain intrigue?

AdamGM · Jul 17, 2013

In my experience, considering how disastrous the world congress can be, spies are vastly more useful helping you maintain city state allies.

For example, I don't know if it's possible for other Civs to vote for you as a world leader or not (I haven't found a way), but the information seems like it falls into tied hands if you don't have the votes to counter the info you have received.

(I wish you could, for example, put two spies in one Civ's city, and use that to persuade the Civ. i.e. use spies for persuading more than city states).

eewallace · Jul 17, 2013

It seems like the AI always votes for itself as world leader--and unlike for other world congress proposals, they aren't susceptible to bribes for their world leader votes. If you can get your religion spread far and wide though, a good trick is to bribe them to vote for your religion as world religion (they seem surprisingly willing to do this when tempted with gold), and that may well bring you to enough votes to vote yourself into leadership. You need to have your spies using "diplomacy" in their capitols for five turns to make this strategy work though.

TheMarshmallowBear · Jul 17, 2013

I also noticed that during ties in Choose Host, the previous host is chosen (should be a tie breaker where the old UN rule is applied, players choose their favourite player out of the available choices). I gave my votes to Shoshone, but Sweden still remained the host since the votes were tied at, It hink 5 or 6 each.

Tyrvos · Jul 17, 2013

Their usefulness compeltely depends on your playstyle. I usually play peacefully and freedom, so my trade routes keep the city-states on my side.

I use diplomats for these reasons:

1) Intrigue without chance of penalty. I use this info to improve relations with other civs. Because of my income from trade and from the civs I play, I tend to keep up in science (although I just play on emperor so that might not be the case in higher difficulties).

2) Diplomats are good for boosting your tourism or influence, I don't remember, against civs with a different ideology.

3) Getting a good idea of how another civ will vote helps when you have interest in both policies put forward and you need to split your delegates in order to ensure they pass/fail.

Colin · Jul 18, 2013

Tyrvos said:
Their usefulness compeltely depends on your playstyle. I usually play peacefully and freedom, so my trade routes keep the city-states on my side.

I use diplomats for these reasons:

1) Intrigue without chance of penalty. I use this info to improve relations with other civs. Because of my income from trade and from the civs I play, I tend to keep up in science (although I just play on emperor so that might not be the case in higher difficulties).

2) Diplomats are good for boosting your tourism or influence, I don't remember, against civs with a different ideology.

3) Getting a good idea of how another civ will vote helps when you have interest in both policies put forward and you need to split your delegates in order to ensure they pass/fail.

On point 2, I am still not sure how and when this tourism/influence is applied. When I assign a diplomat to another civs capital I'm told that my tourism with them will increase (though not told by how much annoyingly) and yet when I check the cultural victory screen there is no pressure difference from a civ I don't have a diplomat with, and no modifier listed (like there is for open borders etc.) for having a diplomat.

AdamGM · Jul 18, 2013

Tyrvos said:
Their usefulness compeltely depends on your playstyle. I usually play peacefully and freedom, so my trade routes keep the city-states on my side.

Trade routes do that?

Tyrvos said:
1) Intrigue without chance of penalty. I use this info to improve relations with other civs. Because of my income from trade and from the civs I play, I tend to keep up in science (although I just play on emperor so that might not be the case in higher difficulties).

2) Diplomats are good for boosting your tourism or influence, I don't remember, against civs with a different ideology.

I didn't know of #2, so I'll check that out.

How do you use intrigue to improve relations?

tedoll78 · Jul 18, 2013

Using diplomats to schmooze and get intrigue is probably one of my favorite parts of the new expansion. On marathon, it's a 90-turn countdown until a vote, so you have time to move your diplomats from one civ to the next, bribing them for their votes before moving on. If you stay on top of the micromanagement of it all and have enough income for bribery, you can get your desired result on almost every issue before Congress.

If you're even or ahead in the tech race, there's no real reason to have spies, excepting for the one in your capital city of course. Diplomats are just too handy.

Tyrvos · Jul 18, 2013

AdamGM said:
Trade routes do that?

I didn't know of #2, so I'll check that out.

How do you use intrigue to improve relations?

One of the last tenants of freedom is 4 influence per turn with city-states you trade with.

When it gives you the option for spy or diplomat, it states the tourism/influence thing.

With the intrigue, if it tells you one civ plans to attack another civ, click on it to tell that other civ and it'll boost your relations.

Do you use spies to gain intrigue?

AdamGM

Warlord

eewallace

King

TheMarshmallowBear

Benelovent Chieftain of the Ursu Kingdom

Tyrvos

Cu Chulainn

Colin

Warlord

AdamGM

Warlord

tedoll78

aka 'HylianTom' :)

Tyrvos

Cu Chulainn

Similar threads