Spies variant.

[Pellaken]

There is a variant of diplomacy, called the spies variant.

Each nation gets 2 "spies"
they can spy on press to or from certain nations, or block enemy spies from doing so to you.
for example, you can order "SPY PRESS TO E"
and all press sent TO England will be spies on
SPY PRESS FROM G
will spy on all press sent FROM Germany.
SPY BLOCK FROM
will block anyone from spying on press FROM you
however
if you send press to a nation, say England, and someone is spying on all press TO England, he WILL be able to read your press.

I've GMed a few games of this, but they take a long time to do, and I've had trouble keeping up due to various systems, but I think I invented a good way to go through with it.
in short - everyone send the press to me, and I FWD it to the players - along with any spies press.


I vividly recall reading this variant somewhere, but I also vividly recall creating it myself. I think I may have taken an existing variant, and made some slight changes, but in my years of searhing, I've never found anything even remotly like it. So untill somoene tells me otherwise, I'll consider myself the Creator of the Spies Variant.

forigen languages are not allowed. Any codes must be approved by me (if I think they are crackable, I'll approve them) in short, no hiding your press. Sending press through anyone other then me means an immideate ban.

If anyone is interested, I could GM a spies variant game. post here.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Complicates the whole GMing process by the sounds of it and deskills the game if people can "use spies" rather than deduction/calculation and paranoia.

 

[Gnarfflinger]

And who knows if the information that the spies get is right or not. If someone read all my correspondence, then you'd still never know whether I was telling someone the truth or stringing them a line of BS. I like to explore the options and see which one best suits my agenda, and if I can trust the person I'm scheming with...

 

[Pellaken]

And who knows if the information that the spies get is right or not. If someone read all my correspondence, then you'd still never know whether I was telling someone the truth or stringing them a line of BS.

thats the whole point!

I've watched the following thing happen:

(oh! I forgot, you can order a spy to spy ON nations, see what their spies ar doing)

Germany spied on France and England. found England blocking fully, and France spying from and to england. (hence, neither of the 3 nations had any active spies)
France and Germany got to talking, and realized that if they pertended be at war, then, next turn, sent messages to eachother as though they WERE at war, they could trick england.
so they did just that. Germany really tore into France in one post, I'm surprised he dident snap, but it worked and England fell for it hook-line-and-sinker. was SO upset, that he abandoned and a replacement needed to be found.

it adds a degree of strategy for the stabby types

 

[Pellaken]

Complicates the whole GMing process by the sounds of it and deskills the game if people can "use spies" rather than deduction/calculation and paranoia.

the use of spies rarly changed much. beyond the first few turns. It makes the opening moves very intersting, as you get an idea what everyone else is doing. I've seen a 3 nation alliance devlop, with spies having the other 4 nearly totally covered. They were able to pull off an amazing move, destroying Russia and England on the first turn, and giving Turkey something to chew on. When Austria and its early-midgame ally France decided to stab Italy and Germany in the back, they both had no idea, as no one was spying on them, both I and G were blocking 100% (austria had spied on both, and once he realized he had a free hand, started the process)

I've even done a modern game with this, and through great use of spies, Poland was able to make huge strides. He ended up facing off in the end against Spain, who ordered "BLOCK TO, BLOCK FROM" the entire game.

I've always found that the players spend alot of time trying to strategise about spies. In one game I asked them to keep a diary (it was the first game of this variant, so I asked them to send me a diary entry) for the first year, everyone did. we had 2 players leave the game, and of the 5 remaining only 3 were sending them to be my the end. I thought it was interesting how much time some of them spent thinking about their spies, and what to do. One player credited his defeat to his spy commands in one turn.

I think it adds to the game, rather then takes away form it. but then again thats just my opinion

 

[TrailblazingScot]

It is impossible to destroy England and Russia in the first turn. Impossible.

 

[Pellaken]

no nation can be destroyed in the first turn, unless they want to be.

I ment that they were dealt a crippling blow (london, warsaw and sev all taken)

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Only a moron would lose London in the first turn...the same could be said for losing Sevastopole.

 

[Pellaken]

or someone gullible ebough to fall for the faked press

 

[Gnarfflinger]

thats the whole point!

I've watched the following thing happen:

(oh! I forgot, you can order a spy to spy ON nations, see what their spies ar doing)

Germany spied on France and England. found England blocking fully, and France spying from and to england. (hence, neither of the 3 nations had any active spies)
France and Germany got to talking, and realized that if they pertended be at war, then, next turn, sent messages to eachother as though they WERE at war, they could trick england.
so they did just that. Germany really tore into France in one post, I'm surprised he dident snap, but it worked and England fell for it hook-line-and-sinker. was SO upset, that he abandoned and a replacement needed to be found.

it adds a degree of strategy for the stabby types

If you're willing to try to run one, I'd be willing to try it...

 

[Pellaken]

If you're willing to try to run one, I'd be willing to try it...

if 6 other people are also willing to try, we can begin

be warned - likely be long deadlines, as this process takes time, and even 72 hours deadlines tend to push a good GM to his limits.

 

[Gnarfflinger]

I tried to run a regular game this fall, but it didn't work so well. Now one of the players is moving to Switzerland next month...

 

[TrailblazingScot]

If anyone is interested, I could GM a spies variant game. post here.

How could someone as worthless as you GM a spies variant game without it turning into an utter bloody shambles?