Spies revealed invasion plans!?

[Mithrandir]

It's helpful, the reports usually dont come true for me either though...
a pre-emptive strike is all I need

[DukeofSerbia]

In my current Byzantienes campaign Kiavans and English are in 30 years long war but now English really started to attack with massive armies. Kieavans are in war with Novgorod and they finally started to beat them. So, those reports are quite accurate at least in my campaigh.

As I said, I saw this first time.

[The Stranger]

yeah but thats not my point. they dont come true when the spy tells it should come true. they usually say it will happen next year, but it barely does

[Sirron]

Happens few time in each of my campaigns. However I prefer to use 2-3 gangs of about 10 spies, who hang around the enemy provinces.
However, I have never recieved anything about bribing of my armies (as mentioned above).

[Sirron]

..and one to DukeofSerbia: you mentioned that you have known only about vice and vices revelation as the function of the spy.

Do not forget to open castle gates during sieges with your spies, which sometimes helps a lot, especially if you use experienced ones!

[jadast]

I have never bothered to build spies. It seemed like a lot of effort for very little return. Am I missing out?

[El Diablo]

I must admit that I am not a huge user of spies.

I am only playing Vanilla MTW at this stage and so I have also given up on assassins as they cause very little carnage and are very hard to valour up.

What good are spies??? Telling of invasions that may or may not occur seems a little "iffy" as a benfit. Opening gates is of benifit.

What are other players main uses for spies or do they not bother???

[caravel]

I have never bothered to build spies. It seemed like a lot of effort for very little return. Am I missing out?

Yes. Basically you should have at least a spy in every one of your provinces. Whenever a rival assassin or spy enters, your spy will attempt to catch them. If he does, then he gains valour making him more effective overall. If there is a border fort in the province, then that will tend to catch rival assassins/spies rendering your spies useless in this function. This is why I never construct border forts. Instead I keep about 3 spies per province. Once a spy gains sufficient valour he is moved from guarding the home provinces and sent on foreign missions, giving others a chance to valour up.

These spies in your provinces also help improve loyalty (happiness) within a province. This helps to stabilise recently conquered extremely disloyal provinces.

Spies can also open the castle gates during a siege and allow for an easy victory (a message only to inform you that you've captured the castle, not an actual battle).

Also spies can orchestrate a treason trial, if you have a few disloyal generals to dispose of you can drag spies over them and try them for treason, if successful the general will be executed and your other generals should become more loyal.

Your spies are useful for revealing the secret vices of rival faction generals. This works by dragging the spy over the general as above.

Spies can lower the loyalty/happiness of rival faction's provinces. The opposite of the effect they have in your own provinces. Keeping a good high valour spy in a rival province (preferably without a border fort, which catches every assassin/spy, with a valour less than 5, that passes through) can cause a revolt to either the rebels or loyalists to the previous owner. It can also trigger a faction reappearance. When a revolt occurs the spy that caused it gains valour, as do all other spies in the province. Their effect however is not cumulative. (Applies to MTW/VI 2.01)

All of this makes the spy a very worthwhile agent. Assassins can also be valoured up by counterspying as with spies, better preparing them for their missions.