Agent madness

[Gaius Sempronius Gracchus]

Having had a bit of fun playing as Epirus on M/M (simply an experiment to see if the CAI is any more...reasonable withsuch notions as ceasefires or trade rights...it doesn't appear to be, btw) I stopped and decided to start a campaign using the suggested H/M settings. I decided on Makedonia.

The two Generals that I start with near Korinthos, one of them is loyalty level 3, the other loyalty level 4. I moved the majority of the units into Mr Level 4 and then put Mr level 3 into Demetrius. Hired another assassin and some more units, spent the remainder on a couple of low level buildings. End turn 1 - Mr Loyalty 4 has gone over to the rebels. Decided to bring Antigonus down toward Athens in order to besiege it, moved Alkyonous into Pella. Attempted to 'negotiate' a ceasefire with Epirus. End turn 2 - my diplomat dissapears, having (presumably) gone over to someone (he literally just dissapeared, though there was a message about a turncoat). I'm in the red already (as I knew I would be) so...no diplomat to try and arrange trade agreements. Hey-ho, one of the challenges.

Antigonus besieges Athens..not alot else to do (looked at attempting to assassinate koinon helenon diplomat....none of my assassins has anything other than a slim chance of doing so...decide to avoid the risk of losing one for so small a return). End turn 3. Krateros is murdered in Korinthos by an assassin.... though I have an assassin in the town and he has a reasonable garrison also. Ok...just part of the challenge...again. End turn 4. Nothing much occurring so End turn 5. A smallish Greek army lands by ship and attacks Antigonus, so what I thought would be a lengthy siege becomes an opportunity here. Win Athens with remarkably few losses. Alkyonus is murdered in Pella by an assassin...again with an assassin in the town with him.

I can't get a spy who is able to get into a town, I can't get an assassin who is capable of killing a diplomat, yet the AI has these super-assassins who seemingly can enter towns at will and kill my family members. I'm on turn 6 and I have one adult male family member left. This can't be by design...surely?

[QuintusSertorius]

Spies are the means to passively kill enemy assassins, not assassins. All that your own assassins do is allow you to respond by trying to kill them back.

[Gaius Sempronius Gracchus]

Spies are the means to passively kill enemy assassins, not assassins. All that your own assassins do is allow you to respond by trying to kill them back.

Doh!

Thank you, I shall try again with the right agents this time. Although, part of my issue with assassinations is...well, how many during this time period really occurred? I have no problem with sabotage (it was the only thing I allowed my assassins to do in EB1) but assassination just seems a-historical.