Spy Hard

[Pinstar]

Which spy mission do you think gives you the most bang for your EP buck?

Feel free to post the best situations to use said spy mission.

My favorite is influence religion. In my last game, Isabella created a monster buddest block of nations. 5 of the 7 civs in that game where part of that block. I had founded confusionism. Sharing a border with Spain, I didn't feel like having a good relation with her, or joining her party. What I did do was mass-spread my religion to William, who was Spain's neighbor to the west. Once I spread to many of his cities, I sent over a spy and converted him over to me. That broke up the buddist block and later gave me an ally when I went to go wipe Isabella off the map.

 

[LUEser]

sabotage improvement, towns, pre-3.13 patch

 

[Grimus]

Support City Revolt!

(who needs artillery? )

 

[MrCynical]

City revolt is my personally favourite - a simple way of destroying city defense pre-catapults, and still a useful aid to siege engines later on.

 

[hecubus]

Agreed on city revolt, great way to ninja a big city in one shot.

I've never actually seen the "kill spy" option, is that only available in extremely limited circumstances, or is it just prohibitively expensive?

 

[Diamondeye]

Support City Revolt!

(who needs artillery? )

exactly.

Agreed on city revolt, great way to ninja a big city in one shot.

I've never actually seen the "kill spy" option, is that only available in extremely limited circumstances, or is it just prohibitively expensive?

Only if there is a spy - visible to you - from another team on the same square. I think.

 

[Rex rgis of Ter]

I always build the GW, so I usually get a GS. I send him with a spy to the most advanced rival, whom I infiltrate and then steal their techs in 1 turn.

 

[Totibbs]

Poison Water
Forment Unhappiness

Which of these two is worse for your enemy? The green unhealty faces for 8 turns or the red angry faces for 8 turns?

 

[Arlborn]

Isn't city revolt a bit expansive?

 

[Diamondeye]

Isn't city revolt a bit expansive?

For taking an enemy city without artillery? Nah...

 

[Steiner-Davion]

Is "Kill Spy" an actual mission? I can never even see the enemy spies, even when I tried to test it out in World Builder and I knew where the enemy spy was and was going to move. I even had him surrounded with Spies and in another case Great Spies. He was just killed/caught, but I never saw him.

 

[MrCynical]

Isn't city revolt a bit expansive?

Getting an enemy capital (beating 40-60% cultural defense plus walls early on is painful even if possible) pre-catapults makes a huge difference to the game. Later on even quite large artillery stacks can take several turns to deal with walls/castles, and it can be preferable to spend a few hundred EPs to nail the city defense and then use them for collateral damage than to sit their bombarding for ages while the enemy whips units.

 

[Grimus]

Isn't city revolt a bit expansive?

It's priceless.

Supports rapid, vicious conquering.

 

[desemondez]

I'm not really into espionage but the HRE just stole Civil Service from me First time it happened to me too.

 

[bonafide11]

How do you know if an AI steals a tech from you?

 

[dragodon64]

City Revolts are priceless for fast cavalry armies who don't want to slow down for cannons.

 

[Lillefix]

I like forcing others to change their civics when I'm ruining them with my corporations. Force them to free market or environmentalism every time they try to have State Property or mercantilism.

 

[King of Town]

Aren't we still pre 3.13 patch?

 

[dragodon64]

Not anymore

 

[plesniak]

How do you know if an AI steals a tech from you?

post patch 3.13 I have gotten messages on the screen that a technology was stolen and it lists the actual technology that was stolen...but it doesn't say who took it .