Espionage: The Espionage system in FTA2 is an abstract one, that builds on pre-requisites much like normal spycraft, espionage and the like. It is understood that your nation has ample counter-security and counter-intelligence, so this system deals primarily with the offensive side of espionage. Every nation starts out with four (4) Intelligence Units, unless modified by ethos. These units must be spent yearly; they do not roll-over if not used. If you wish to buff the defenses of your nation, you may allocate cells and special forces teams to Counter Intelligence. This will give you an additional D6 on espionage defense per each cell, rolls to detect enemy agents attempting their missions, and possibly added options upon detection of enemy cells. Separately running dedicated counter-intelligence missions aside from general defense will enable you to detect advanced infiltration. Mission Difficulty Previously, missions were assigned an ad-hoc difficulty on a case by case basis. With over twenty nations running any number of espionage missions yearly, this has become problematic. As such, we have instituted a simpler system. Basic missions will have a difficulty rating of 1-3, depending on general degree of effect. Custom Missions will remain on an ad-hoc basis, but there will be considerably greater ability to run more general purpose missions without needing an advanced infiltration. Mission Loudness Just as there will be three levels of basic mission difficulty, so will there be three levels of mission ‘action’- quiet, standard, and loud. Quiet missions increase mission difficulty, but significantly decrease chance of detection. Standard missions have no modifiers, and loud missions increase chance of success, but also increase chance of detection. Snap Missions Some missions may be run as a Snap Mission, which occupy an espionage team for the entire year, but receive results the next quarter. Results for Snap Missions are often reduced compared to full year missions, but may be of greater benefit insofar as they are immediately usable. Mission Types Existing missions are being revamped, and several nonfunctional missions are being adapted into new types. Social Warfare - The Incitement of discontent, support for a cause, or outright rebellion. These missions typically increase the target’s Social Spending % the following year. Ethos Pressure - These missions involve stoking local sentiments and amplifying the support of one of the target nations’ ethos. While this can be considered a derivative of Social Warfare, it is not resisted by ethos that make one immune to social warfare. Diplomatic Warfare - The wining and dining of leaders, lobbying for concessions, or tacit offers of support. These missions typically grant a Diplomacy bonus versus the target for the following two years. Economic Warfare - The raiding of supplies, instigation of trade wars, and embargos. These missions typically increase the target’s Military Upkeep % the following year. Cyber Warfare - The theft of technology, blueprints, and prototypes. These missions typically reward a specific blueprint, knowledge of technology, or even a production run prototype. Information Warfare - The interception of signals, identification of unit deployments, and broad mission directives. These missions typically grant a tactics bonus the following year, in addition to the information they provide. Systems Breach (Transhuman Only) - Custom Lite, but only for espionage, these missions typically involve the discovery of one specific piece of espionage related information, such as counterintelligence readiness, broad mission directives, or foreign espionage activity. (Note: You can run this mission type on yourself, to hunt for traces of foreign activity in your systems) Advanced Infiltration - Advanced Infiltration is necessary to run custom missions, which represent espionage actions not covered by basic mission types, or large scale actions, such as the incitement of a civil war over multiple years. Custom Mission (Requires Advanced Infiltration) - A mission which the parameters exceed basic mission specification, or cover some other sort of action. These missions are evaluated on a case by case basis, and may have significant results beyond the basic three levels of difficulty. Special Forces The best of the best, drawing manpower from across your state, Special Forces units are trained in a multitude of ways to assist the rest of your forces to victory. Their usage is somewhat abstracted for the sake of rules clarity. You start with one special forces team per $2000 of your military. These special forces teams are then attached to military units or espionage missions, where they can double the result of one die roll per combat turn, representing them putting their resources and talents to good effect. This gives them an impact well beyond their typical small numbers. If you wish to push the limit, a Special Forces team can then triple the result of one dice roll per turn, but at a dramatically increased risk of discovery/serious damage/etc. In espionage, they each add an additional D6 to your "side" for mission resolution. New special forces teams are generated organically as your military force grows and, if lost, will regenerate after one game year. States may produce 1 [Elite] special force per 20,000 military (which does not produce regular special forces if so used. [Elite] special forces are comparatively more capable at their missions, using high level overtechnology and other enhancements. Elites provide a static +25 to espionage mission success, and a significant passive bonus to other mission types that lowers difficulty threshold. Only one elite team may be assigned to any given mission As an aside, while sending a dozen SEAL teams on a mission is effective, it isn’t particularly thematic when it’s every mission. The fact is that sending a huge force of elite operators on missions is the sort of thing that gets noticed by pretty much everyone. As such, keep the following in mind when deploying special forces on espionage missions. In five (5) unit increments beyond the first, special forces require some kind of spy ship- a ship with a Spy Support Module- on station to support their operations abroad. Support Modules may be refitted from brigade or division modules at no cost, and at no time cost for the first year (2435). Be creative, a ship that has a spy support module isn’t super obvious, most of the time. Stealth ships, disguised ships, ships on a Strong but Polite- there are a lot of options, but also some risk when deploying large amounts of special forces. For each unit increment beyond the first (ie: 6+ special forces) assigned to a mission, that mission’s loudness rating increases. While a massive deployment of elite operators may virtually guarantee mission success, it also virtually guarantees detection- and identification. For each unit increment beyond the first (ie: 6+ special forces) assigned on Counterintelligence, your counter-intel loudness rating increases. This represents the mass deployment of security troops, and the chance that incoming missions from foreign powers recognize your defensive efforts. Additionally, your own people will recognize the extensive measures you take, with patrols on every street corner, martial law, curfews, and innumerable other consequences of such deployments. While some states- notably Major Militarists- will see a benefit from such deployment, most will experience some minor penalties, typically to population morale if such deployments are extended. This varies by ethos panoply, and the espionage moderator (Kerrus) can tell you in general terms what the effect will be. Special Forces may be assigned to either improve a mission’s chance of success, or reduce its loudness rating, though the previous increases are still applicable. While widespread deployment will still increase mission loudness beyond their ability to counteract, having a couple squads stunning witnesses and applying amnesiacs can be a huge help in keeping an operation on the down low. Deniable Assets Deniable Assets With the Dark Demimonde 1 investment or Clenched Fist Ethos, states may invest in the development of deniable, covert operations cells to pursue objectives without the hindrance or vulnerability of a national identity. These cells draw their resources and personnel from a web of dummy corporations, dead drops, and other black ops methods, but do not directly implicate the nation which funds them should they be discovered. Units assigned to DAs have appropriate paper trails to permit the state from which they originated to properly disavow their actions and avoid the usual stigma of one's black ops program coming to light at an awkward moment. Uncovering the supporters of a given Deniable Asset with espionage is possible, and is a mission that requires the allocation of an espionage team that must infiltrate it as if the Deniable Asset was a state. Assets, given their small operational footprint, are better on 'defense' than a number of player states. Risk of such a discovery can be mitigated in common sense ways - such as utilisation of only foreign military equipment, having the DA operate under direction of another DA, sticking to DA’s cover story in its activities, dedicated counter-intelligence to the DA, minimisation of exposure, and finally long-term quiet decommissioning or sudden and violent “burning” of the DA. DAs longer in existence benefit from a more legitimate appearance. However, nothing is foolproof or guaranteed. A Deniable Asset costs 5% base of a state's income worth of initial investment. Once created, a Deniable Asset allows the patron nation to assign units- both military and intelligence- to it on a yearly basis, equal to the dollar value of the Deniable asset. Additional money can be spent to increase the amount of resources that can be allocated to the Deniable Asset on a 1:1 $ basis. An intelligence operation attached to a Deniable asset has a value of $750. When a Deniable Asset is created, choose its purpose. A given Deniable Asset has a small bonus to operations that fall within the scope of its purpose. (Research, Espionage, False Flag, Sabotage, Piracy, etc). When a Clenched Fist ethos state gains its first Deniable Asset, they also gain a bonus Sortie which may only be used for deniable operations. Additional sorties must be built via naval base and are subject to DA limits as normal (ie: you only get one free regardless of how many DA’s you have). -Deniable assets run by Dark Demimonde 1 investment owners are more vulnerable to discovery and counter-infiltration than those run by states with Clenched Fist ethos. Major Clenched fist has further increased resistance. -Military units assigned to a deniable asset do not cost upkeep. Mercenaries See this thread: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/mercenaries-r-us.516124/