Agents traits and retinues

[ENSAIS]

I'm happy to hear that an improved version of your GAFH mod will be part of EB!

Trying to help a bit by adding my 2cents....

What would you think of the following lines of development:

for a spy that is moving often and rarely has MPs left from 1 turn to the next:
develop a positive line of traits/ancillaries for "evasiveness" or something similar. Also have a possibility of a negative line of traits/ancillaries "fearful"... basically either he develops to be good at covering his tracks (with help from a network of ancillaries or just by his frequent travel and blending in)
OR he is so afraid of getting caught that he loses his nerve and moves on rather than completing a task...

For a spy that always stays in one place:
develop a positive line of traits/ancillaries "insider"/"adapted to local customs"/"blends in with foreign civilization x" that decreases his chances of being caught
OR a negative line of traits/ancillaries "sympathizerf"/"assimilated" etc.. where he would be MUCH easier to bribe due to identifying too much with the culture he is at

I really like GAFH...
I hope you can do even more with the aging of family members so that their life experiences and age are considerable factors when deciding who to place where. Changing the way family members "work" by having many more of them available, but having wider differences among them, and a life cycle for them, could add lots of new intrigue to the game for me.\

Thanks for the hard work!
ENSAIS

[Malrubius]

Good suggestions here, thanks!

Off the top of my head, I don't remember if spies/assassins can be bribed. I know diplomats can. Anybody know for sure?

Agents have really been untouched, as far as traits go. This is a wide-open area, and I hope to add some details and more options for them.

Thanks for the hard work!

I appreciate that. The traits and ancillaries have consumed a lot of my free time, as well as that of many of the other team members. But I think the finished product will be worth it!

[Foot]

Spies and Assassins cannot be bribed. I assume its because you are not exactly going to let people know what the hell you are doing, unlike a diplomat.

Foot

[Greek_fire19]

Diplomats could have a bodyguard, who increases their defence against assassination, which rises to 'intimidating bodyguard' who as well as offering increased protection, offers also more influence, due to the intimidating effect he has on people.
I think this would be a nice way to simulate the importance of the threat of force in negotiations.

Personally I think there should be lots of possible ancillaries for diplomats, most of which increase influence. The best diplomats should arrive at foreign courts with a large entourage of musicians, entertainers, scribes, assistants, secretaries, bodyguards and mules loaded with luxuries and treaured items.

The effect this would have would carry much more influence with foreign kings than a single diplomat arriving on a mangey horse, even if he does have a 'way with words' or whatever.

For a diplomat, influence ought to be the ability to persuade a foreign king that it would be advantageous to him to be on good terms with your kingdom and do as you say. Ancillaries would be the most realistic way of demonstrating this.

A 'company of troops' might be another nice ancillary for this, as well as defending against assassination.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

But I think the finished product will be worth it!

I'm constantly amazed at the things you are doing with the traits, and I know I've even helped out with a lot of them for the Hellenic and Roman factions. I was getting trait messages last night that I had no idea we could even do. I really do think that this is one of the best sets of wholesale changes that have been made to the mod. But keep adding more!! And get us some good ancillaries in there too!

[soibean]

you could have a trait for assassins and spies along the lines of
careful which adds subterfuge but you could have another trait called paranoid that an assassin or spy could get randomly which could be the counter trait.
the paranoid trait is something along the lines of the agent being terrified of making a mistake or being caught during a mission, or seeing enemies everywhere.

I think there might be a paranoid trait for family members already... If there isn't, this could work for them as they are repeatedly attacked by assassins. Maybe plus 2 personal security but minus influence because they're untrusting towards everyone.

Also you could give agents the blackmailer trait

[Malrubius]

Yes, there is a Paranoid trait for family members. Attempting to assassinate them, even if the assassin fails, causes the enemy generals to pick up all sorts of bad traits.

That's from vanilla RTW.

One good thing about the traits is that, so far (knock on wood), I have found no hard-coded limits on how many traits can be created, and EB has a few new ones. The possible things that can be done with traits seem to pretty much be limited by the availability of events or conditions to tie them to, and your own imagination.

[alx1078]

Another trait could be, if a diplomat remains in a specific country/empire for too long that he gets to know that nation's language, thus making a better impression on the Nobles/king of that nation (it's one thing talking through a translator and another to talk in the King's own language).

Also i was always wondering why not have spies help diplomats? I doubt if it was incorporated in the game, and i don't know if you could do it in a mod... but say before a diplomat goes to talk to someone or to a town, you send a spy to investigate the person or the town, therefore increasing the chances for your diplomat to achieve what you want. Besides... Information is power. That also is true for assassins. If you have a spy close by the target, itshould be easier for your assassin to get the job done.

Also there could be traits for agents like, ex-military man, which would raise his chances when the target is of military nature, or alternatively he knows his way around the courts, which would make him ideal for cities. That way you could have an agent for specific missions (an assassin who specializes in Diplomats, or a diplomat ideal for bribing armies etc. )

I'm all out for the moment...

[Simetrical]

One must, of course, is making agents vastly faster with a hidden trait, as in the CVP, but I'm taking that for a given.

Another trait could be, if a diplomat remains in a specific country/empire for too long that he gets to know that nation's language, thus making a better impression on the Nobles/king of that nation (it's one thing talking through a translator and another to talk in the King's own language).

Unfortunately, Negotiation cannot be increased relative to a given faction or culture, unlike Command.

-Simetrical