Using spies

[monkian]

I've not used spies much in M-TW except to try and dig up some dirt- which has never accomplished much.

Any of you sneakier cloak and dagger style players out there have any top tips ?

[Gregoshi]

My spies have been rather ineffective in digging up dirt on generals & kings too. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/frown.gif

[Mithrandir]

I sometimes use hordes of them to start rebellions in enemy terretory, and once the rebellion has started, my legions come to clame their lands http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif.

And they're good for keeping back rebellions on your own soil, remember that there are only a few generals with secret vices which can be uncovered (check out your own generals, only 1 in every 10 or so will have one...)

-Mithrandir

[monkian]

Thanks Mithrandir http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Do the spies stir up trouble on their own accord or is this something I have to tell them to do ?

[Cooperman]

No need to tell spies to cause trouble they do it all on there own http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Mithrandir]

Nope just place them in an enemy province http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif.

Becarefull with provinces which have border forts in them though, they can capture&kill spies &assasins. Also placing spies in a heavily garisonned province wont have much use since the people wont rebel then. Last note : be sure to send in a lot, a few will get killed, and ussually it takes around 5 to 8 spies to make an (unguarded) province rebel within 3 years or so...

-Mithrandir

[monkian]

Nice, cheers matey.

[el_slapper]

Use them as garrison in no-border provinces. no maintenance cost. Way cool. You can spare up to 100 florins per turn per province with 3-4 spies.

[solypsist]

check for spy threads in the Main Hall, there are plenty of good ones.
i really like them, and use them extensively, with good levels of success on all missions.

[wtom]

Once my spy reported me that Egypt are going to intervene the Byzantine's province within 2-3 next years. Pretty cool thing to know about Just place your spy in the enemy's province and hope he is fortunate enough.

[Nelson]

Spies are good for counter intelligence too. They seem to help catch enemy spies and assassins once they penetrate your borders. You really can't have too many of them.

[Spetulhu]

Quote[/b] (wtom @ Nov. 20 2002,17:43)]Once my spy reported me that Egypt are going to intervene the Byzantine's province within 2-3 next years. Pretty cool thing to know about Just place your spy in the enemy's province and hope he is fortunate enough.
I don`t think this works properly, though. Those attacks never seem to materialize, perhaps because they`re too busy attacking me instead http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[rasoforos]

well i found my spies usefull since they were succesfull at warning me against attacks . however they die like flies so it doesnt worth it. i m gonna try the hint mentioned above about using them to lightly guarded provinces to reduce rebel risk , if it doesnt work its bye bye to spies.

[KukriKhan]

For me, so far, they're more useful as counter-intel guys in my newer provinces (I send them, a bishop & an assassin on a good will tour together).

But Jas. Bond they're not: die at an alarming rate, with mostly half-baked intel. Guess they hang around in medieval taverns too much, where a shaken, not stirred order would be more likely to get them physically tossed about, rather than a perfect martini (hell, there wasn't even gin then, right? Only distilled spirits 'round then would be Keltic ouiskibaugh (wise-water=whiskey)).

[The Last Emperor]

Good to have at least 1 in each of ur province to catch enemies' spy & assassin. If u just lost a province to other faction, drop 20-30 of them asap onto ur lost ground and see a loyalist rebellion spring up if the enemy has a small garrision.
And u can also expand without being Xcom by using them, drop 20-30 of spies onto weakly garrisioned places next to ur land, a few turns later u can either bribe those rebels that have took over or lead ur own army to crush those rebels.
Very useful agents http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wacko.gif

[TheLastEuropean]

Yes, try to have 1 spy at least in each of your provinces. Another reason for this is that it means you are keeping an eye on your own troops too. In my current game I have had 2 spy reoprts of disloyal generals looking to rebel Next turn I set that same spy on them to try them for treason and worked perfectly both times Saved going through that nasty civil-war stuff http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif.

[monkian]

Thanks. much appreciated advice everybody http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[rpasell]

Spies are probably the most underrated units in the game. Playing as a smaller faction (Danes, Aragonese) they are esential to expanding your empire. I usually build 30 or so spies, keep a couple in each of my home provinces, and send out waves of 9 0r 10 to provinces into which I'd like to expand. I always send a bishop first to check for Border Forts. Find lightly garrisoned provinces with no border forts, and start causing rebellions. I believe for every province in which a spy resides when a rebellion starts, he gets a valour star. It's a good way to build up high ranking spies to use later for finding secret vices, and unlocking castle gates.

[Naagi]

I've look around some but didnt see this anywhere. if you move a bunch of spies into a province with a border fort, does it check each round for spys or does it just check as you move them into the province? I ran a bunch into the elmos Cordoba, lost a couple that first round, but it hasnt found any since that i could tell. Course it did revolt after that first year.

[el_slapper]

Pre-patch, I was losing 1 spy a year, until they went up to level 4-5. Post-patch, not tried yet.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Naagi, from my experience with spies the borderfort seems to catch them one each turn, till they reach a certain valor level. Then it seems to be random, sometimes they're caught, sometimes not right away. It is hard to judge because:
1) When an agent gets caught the message reads that he was caught by bodyguards, but doesn't specify if it was the borderfort, an assassin, or a spy.
2) The AI shuffles its agents and armies practically every turn. So your spy/assassin may avoid detection at first, but then a high ranking enemy general shows up with his entourage of high level assassins/spies and your agent gets caught.

I've had high level(5-6 star) assassins and spies in enemy territory with borderforts present and they would go undetected for several years. Then for some reason they would get caught. If I want to target the Pope or a high ranking enemy general for assassination I take several assassins and spies along. Usually the high ranking assassin survives long enough to attempt the hit.

[rpasell]

I had a 5 star assassin who I would send in to assassinate the pope every other turn. He never failed. It took 6 pope assassinations to get him to 6 stars.

BTW I was doing it because I kept getting excommunicated.

[Dijeeh]

I dont like having lots of agents, spies assasins or princesses on my lands counter-spying or whatever they do.

It comes to a point where its hard to select armies because the state is so crowded

[ulyanov]

Dighee, are you running the patch?

Z toggles Troops/Spies/All and X toggles You/Them/All C will also toggle castles - it makes it a hell of a lot easier...

I bump off non-aligned holymen (so Alims & Priests if I'm catholic) and all emmisaries and inquistitors to build up my assasin power some, and prevent losses to bribes...

I don't send assasins trekking, but I do with spies - currently trawling around eastern europe with 2 emmisaries and a princess on point.