Spy Tactics

[DarkFyre99]

I was just wondering how other people use the new Espionage system. I've become fond of several strategies:

1) Sabotaging Walls/Castles: With the new seige system, these structures have went from nearly useless to a robust defense. However, sending in a spy or two before your stack of doom (now with 50% less doom) attacks to remove these structures helps a lot.

2) Stealing Tech - Now you don't have to be friends with the Techmonger if you're not planning on taking him out right away. Just steal the information you need.

3) Forment unhappiness - Take out his super science city for the critical few turns you need to win the tech race.

4) Counter Espionage - Make sure he has to pay through the nose to use his spies on you.

 

[johnny_rico]

Those are the big four I have making use of. Early in the game, taking out key resource improvements is also clutch.

The unhappiness is just plain wrong in the early going. If you can hit up a pre heriditary rule capital and do this, it just crushes. Combined with stealing the treasury, they might not be able to finance the troops they've built. I have not pulled that off myself though.

I haven't been able to figure out what to do with all those late game EPs though. Seems the passive effects are better than active effects at that point, aside from counterespionage. That is solid all game.

 

[Gnarfflinger]

Inciting a revolt when your death stack is on their doorstep is a death knell for the city...

 

[ShredZ]

The AI send tons and tons of spies into my territory, I had a bit there where every turn, one if not two spies were detected per round. Counter-intelligence or whatever its called is real important.

Also it seems important to have more than one spy go on a mission, my spies were unable to spend even one turn in an enemy city even tough I had way more EP than them.

On a related note, buildings that normally would not br built ie. aqueduct & coliseum, might be a good idea now in preparation for 'foment unhappiness & poison water supply'.

 

[johnny_rico]

The AI send tons and tons of spies into my territory, I had a bit there where every turn, one if not two spies were detected per round. Counter-intelligence or whatever its called is real important.

Also it seems important to have more than one spy go on a mission, my spies were unable to spend even one turn in an enemy city even tough I had way more EP than them.

On a related note, buildings that normally would not br built ie. aqueduct & coliseum, might be a good idea now in preparation for 'foment unhappiness & poison water supply'.

Just whip those unhappy or sickly souls away. View it as forced city purification.