Oy spies!
Maintaining good diplomatic relationships between the various Houses is a crucial aspect of your House's success. But what do you do when other Houses refuse to cooperate or even try to obstruct you? You hire spies, of course.
How does spying work in Calderia?
The core mechanics of the Great Houses of Calderia revolve around diplomatic, economic, militaristic, and intrigue actions. Intrigue actions are risky endeavors that aim to harm and hinder your opponents, and they begin with recruiting lackeys to do your bidding.
Every now and then, a House may send one of its family members on an official visit to another fiefdom. The purpose of this visit, at least on the surface, is to improve relations between the two Houses, making future cooperation easier. However, the best possible spies a House could have can be found within the walls of their court. Someone inconspicuous, always there but rarely noticed, like a kitchen maid or a stable boy.
Anyone could be a potential spy, but finding and employing one is a dangerous task. Not dangerous enough to risk a noble's life and start a war, but risky enough to sever relations between the two Houses for a long time. Once a target is found, one must think of the best way to approach them with this delicate matter. Lower-class servants might be persuaded with threats, as they might feel they have no other option than to obey. A dissatisfied guard could be bought with a sizeable sum of money. The blacksmith used by the court could perhaps be persuaded with a promise of wealthy new clients. It always starts with a promise: "All you have to do is be our eyes and ears, and when we ask for something to happen, you'll find the right people to do it. You'll be perfectly safe."
That is, of course, a lie. The traditional punishment for spying throughout Calderia is gibbeting. Gibbeting is a form of punishment where the culprit is placed inside a cage that is hung from a high place until they die.
How does it work in the game?
Once you've hired a spy, you may ask them to perform various nefarious acts.
Knowledge is power, and the information you have about the enemy family is shown as Intrigue Level. Think of Intrigue Level as knowledge about itineraries, guard shifts, vulnerabilities in structures, blackmailable secrets, etc. Each level of intrigue in the enemy fiefdom increases the success chance of your spy actions.
Each spy you have in the enemy's court increases your intrigue level in that fiefdom by one (up to four). The members of your family in that fiefdom also increase the intrigue level by two (children by one). However, your family members cannot and will not perform spy actions.
Only a fool would think that there aren't any spies within their own ranks as well. To counter incoming spy attacks, each fiefdom must develop and maintain Safety. Safety is an abstract resource that is developed by the population working in your castle. As you gather that resource, your Safety Level increases (up to four levels). Think of Safety Levels as increased guard patrols, bureaucracy, and workplace protocols, undercover workers reporting naysayers, etc. The Safety Level of your fiefdom directly decreases the success chance of enemy spy actions. In addition to the general safety level, each profession overseer brings their expertise to the table, either increasing or decreasing the safety of the profession they watch over for a little bit. Even dormant spies can be found from time to time with good Safety measures.
How can spies serve my house?
Enough about the technical stuff. Let's say your neighbor has a lot of iron ore that you would like to buy from them, but all you have to offer is grain crops. They are reluctant to sell because they have bountiful fields of their own and don't really need your grain. You've tried to explain that it's good to have excess in storage for a rainy day, but they still refuse.
It's time to make it rain, then...
You send a message to your spy that a small "accident" needs to happen at their fields or granaries - maybe a misplaced torch or an invasion of rats. You don't really care how it's done. You send them a small amount of money and instruct the spy to find some lowlifes to carry out the task, with the money serving as compensation for their troubles. A day or two passes and you eagerly wait for news. Finally, you hear a rumor that all the grain mills your neighbor had have been burned down during the night. You think to yourself, "Splendid," as you send your condolences and offer to support them in these hard times by selling them grain in exchange for iron ore.
At the same time, your spy is getting nervous. They’ve also heard of the fire, but none of the hired men has returned to collect the rest of their payment. Rumour has it, that the overseer of Farmers has taken the matter very seriously, and is currently rigorously investigating who gave the order to sabotage them. Each month they spend investigating the matter, the closer they get to finding out who did it. If they do, their House can accuse you of your actions, and demand rightful compensation for it. In any case, your spy must lay low until either the dust settles or they face the gibbet.
Would you hire spies to protect your heritage?
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- Great Houses of Calderia Team -