As a continuing and ultimately patient activity, spying isn’t a good fit for typical fantasy or sci-fi RPGs.
Spying is different from scouting/reconnaissance (see my previous article, The Lost Art of Running Away). Recon is part of maneuver during warfare; spying is something done “in place”, often during peacetime rather than wartime. Recon often involves groups of people, spying tends to be solitary as well as secretive, often involving deception or stealth.
We can add to the idea of individuals in the “background” making a big difference, the impact of turncoats at sieges, such as at Thermopylae where a Greek showed a way across the mountains to the Persians so that they could surround the Spartans and other Greeks. In contrast. at Las Navas De Tolosa (great victory of the Spanish Reconquista) a friendly local shepherd revealed a hidden road that allowed the Spanish to get behind the Almohads, avoiding their fortifications.
As a continuing and ultimately patient activity, spying isn’t a good fit for typical RPGs. I play a pretty straightforward fantasy game that tends to be oriented toward a great war between Good and Evil, an appropriate scenario for spying, but it’s rarely part of the actual gameplay (some modern role play might involve industrial espionage, too). I can see spying as the heart of one-player plus GM RPGs, though as a player this would make me nervous, because one bit of bad luck could result in a dead or captive character.
In a fantasy campaign with so many more or less intelligent species, we’d expect some of them to be natural spy species. Species that can perfectly mimic others, such as dopplegangers, are the first to come to mind. So do what you might call “mind controllers” (“these are not the droids you seek” – Jedi would be great spies).
Spells help spies reach otherwise inaccessible places, and get information out of otherwise uncooperative victims. The key is to actually use the magic available. Do you read the minds of on every party member the day before an adventure? Or to make sure they aren’t imposters/dopplegangers/mind-controlled? Shouldn’t this be part of your pre-adventure routine?
On the other hand, it may be much easier to detect spies and spying in a world of magic, for example with ESP (in 5E, detect thoughts) and know alignment (missing in 5E, though some class abilities allow something similar, as do sprites).
This is also related to noticeability of spellcasting (see my previous article, How Subtle is Your Sorcery?). If they can cast spells without being noticed, a spy has more options for sneaking into places they shouldn’t be in. If you have to proclaim your spell when casting, say, knock or passwall, that might be much less useful.
Magic range can also be important. If a crystal ball was as short ranged as a typical spell, it would be much less useful for information gathering. A crystal ball with ESP is a stupendous spying device because of what amounts to stealth as well as range.
How much a state needs spies depends on the efficacy of magical means of secretly gaining information. In AD&D there are information-gathering spells, some big-time, some small-time. For example commune (answers to three yes/no questions from higher powers) is a fifth level cleric spell. But detect evil is first level, while ESP (mind-reading) is only second level.
As always in RPGs, how the GM interprets the spell descriptions can make a big difference. I’ve seen GMs who try to insert misinformation and even wrong answers into commune. Or who will allow a well-trained spy to effectively fool (or at least nullify) ESP.
With sufficient planning on both the GM and players’ parts, scrying can be an exciting part of a game instead of a boring slog while one PC does behind-the-scenes work gathering intel. Just remember if the PCs can do it, the NPCs can too—and give the players a chance to plan accordingly.
Your turn: How much does spying play a part in your games?
Tinker, Tailor, Caster, Spy
Spies are an often long-term, frequently large-scale, speculative, form of reconnaissance. Spying is a different form of information gathering, less likely to result in fighting. Spies rely on stealth, not on prowess in combat.Spying is different from scouting/reconnaissance (see my previous article, The Lost Art of Running Away). Recon is part of maneuver during warfare; spying is something done “in place”, often during peacetime rather than wartime. Recon often involves groups of people, spying tends to be solitary as well as secretive, often involving deception or stealth.
We can add to the idea of individuals in the “background” making a big difference, the impact of turncoats at sieges, such as at Thermopylae where a Greek showed a way across the mountains to the Persians so that they could surround the Spartans and other Greeks. In contrast. at Las Navas De Tolosa (great victory of the Spanish Reconquista) a friendly local shepherd revealed a hidden road that allowed the Spanish to get behind the Almohads, avoiding their fortifications.
As a continuing and ultimately patient activity, spying isn’t a good fit for typical RPGs. I play a pretty straightforward fantasy game that tends to be oriented toward a great war between Good and Evil, an appropriate scenario for spying, but it’s rarely part of the actual gameplay (some modern role play might involve industrial espionage, too). I can see spying as the heart of one-player plus GM RPGs, though as a player this would make me nervous, because one bit of bad luck could result in a dead or captive character.
Scry vs. Spy
The major question today is how does the magic of fantasy worlds affect spying? In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (the examples I use below) there are serious implications.In a fantasy campaign with so many more or less intelligent species, we’d expect some of them to be natural spy species. Species that can perfectly mimic others, such as dopplegangers, are the first to come to mind. So do what you might call “mind controllers” (“these are not the droids you seek” – Jedi would be great spies).
Spells help spies reach otherwise inaccessible places, and get information out of otherwise uncooperative victims. The key is to actually use the magic available. Do you read the minds of on every party member the day before an adventure? Or to make sure they aren’t imposters/dopplegangers/mind-controlled? Shouldn’t this be part of your pre-adventure routine?
On the other hand, it may be much easier to detect spies and spying in a world of magic, for example with ESP (in 5E, detect thoughts) and know alignment (missing in 5E, though some class abilities allow something similar, as do sprites).
This is also related to noticeability of spellcasting (see my previous article, How Subtle is Your Sorcery?). If they can cast spells without being noticed, a spy has more options for sneaking into places they shouldn’t be in. If you have to proclaim your spell when casting, say, knock or passwall, that might be much less useful.
Magic range can also be important. If a crystal ball was as short ranged as a typical spell, it would be much less useful for information gathering. A crystal ball with ESP is a stupendous spying device because of what amounts to stealth as well as range.
How much a state needs spies depends on the efficacy of magical means of secretly gaining information. In AD&D there are information-gathering spells, some big-time, some small-time. For example commune (answers to three yes/no questions from higher powers) is a fifth level cleric spell. But detect evil is first level, while ESP (mind-reading) is only second level.
As always in RPGs, how the GM interprets the spell descriptions can make a big difference. I’ve seen GMs who try to insert misinformation and even wrong answers into commune. Or who will allow a well-trained spy to effectively fool (or at least nullify) ESP.
Scry Hard
Considering the implications of spying and scrying will serve your game well, both as a ruleset for designers and as a campaign for game masters. Be mindful of rules when the spying skills of a character type are easily reproduced by magic items or spells. The AD&D thief was always a problem as cloak of elvenkind and boots of elvenkind were better than the major skills of a thief (they worked nearly 100% of the time).With sufficient planning on both the GM and players’ parts, scrying can be an exciting part of a game instead of a boring slog while one PC does behind-the-scenes work gathering intel. Just remember if the PCs can do it, the NPCs can too—and give the players a chance to plan accordingly.
Your turn: How much does spying play a part in your games?
