DeletedUser9793
Guest
I wrote this earlier this year on a .net world But wondered if same conducts or views applied to uk server:
One of the annoying things about this game but also one of the realities is the use or actions of spies.
I accept that they are a development which has now come embedded as part of the game and they do serve a function in undermining the tribe that they spy on.
There are several catagories of spy :
1 The Fool. He/she/it gets their kicks from playing the game and promoting themselves as a spy and betrayer of tribes. They usually come to you and say - " hey I am a really good spy, can I work for your tribe". These are not the best to employ. Never work with anyone who wears a T Shirt saying " I am dodgy to this tribe but I will be loyal to you" They are clumsy and get busted pretty quickly and then get rimmed or quit the game or materialise in another account name. Their level of intel or tribal penetration tends to be poor. After providing some measly information that usually can be found out by corelating the stats or even just simply asking the duke or diplo from the other tribe, they have no worth, other than their own ambition and fantasy to be like James Bond.
2 The spy seeded best placed from the start of the game. These tend to be harder to spot. If they are good at their craft, they remain sleeper agents until the right opportunity presents itself. They know the value of their information they are providing and have clear agenda from outset. Again they can be spotted with reasonable tribal security. The clues are there if you look hard enough: the player who always has a dissenting voice or doesnt send support or always has an excuse for not doing something. Or when you sit their account , all the mails are deleted. Their job isnt simply the passing of intel but also the spreading of tribal disharmony. At the appropriate moment they will leave your tribe and join the tribe that is their employer. They understand that they can be rimmed or busted so they are more cautious and communicate on skype rather than ingame mails. They rely on personal friendships with the tribe they work for. These are far more reliable.
3 The assassin. Can be very hard to spot. Their job is more than passing intel . They will infiltrate and try to undermine the tribe from within. At ther low levels of assasin craft, they spread rumour and cause friction and dissent in the tribe. They can also suddenly attack a tribal member they know is vulnerable or at a higher level they can penetrate council and dissolve the tribe in the middle of the night. They also rely on personal friendships. They do not use in game communications but skype and other external ways and means.
4 The betrayer: Once a friend and loyal member of your tribe who suddenly switches sides. Reasons could be a personal grievance or a better offer. They usually have a gameplan when they become betrayers. They move quickly once they decide to betray the tribe and are almost impossible to spot until damage done. Clues tend to be a fundamental disagreement using emotive language . They tend to shout a moral reason why they were once loyal but now have contempt for the tribe that they are in. This seperates them from the assasin who is silent in his destruction.
5 The Joker: The most honest of spies in this devious world. They do not hide their loyalties but appeal to the greed or recruitment failings of the tribe that they join. They leave a tribe and join another where recruitment checks are inadequate. Maybe spend only 2 days to 2 weeks in their new tribe and then simply bugger off with the intel required. They blame the foolishness of the tribe that recruited them and if asked, usually have the audacity to tell you - Yes I am a spy. Was it not bloody obvious ?.
Nearly all the tribes have spies or had spies at some part of the game. If you think your tribe is spy free then you have already been succesfully penetrated and you are blind . I chat with other dukes and diplos and we openly on occasion talk about spies and assasins and the value of intel .
Spies dont even have to be a member of your tribe . They can use multi accounting [ illegal- but hey ho if you practice dark arts you aint worried by a short ban for the crime. You are already taking risks anyway] ] or sits [ risky as can be noticed] . They can be a co player, who you dont know that well but he is mates with a good friend from another tribe and he does the graveyard shift on the account.
Do we like spies ? generally we are hypocritical and when they work for us we justify it as a necessary evil. When they work against you , you feel outraged and the punishment is to shout that a spy will be rimmed.
All tribes have basic security . some have more complex " arrangements". But then....do you turn your tribe into a police state and spend hours and hours spycatching and ruining the fun for the whole tribe just to catch one or two or even 6 miscreants? .
Even when you discover a spy, do you kick and rim? or do you feed false intel to and turn the situation to your advantage?
I was thinking of doing a follow up for how to catch a spy
Any comments would be appreciated
One of the annoying things about this game but also one of the realities is the use or actions of spies.
I accept that they are a development which has now come embedded as part of the game and they do serve a function in undermining the tribe that they spy on.
There are several catagories of spy :
1 The Fool. He/she/it gets their kicks from playing the game and promoting themselves as a spy and betrayer of tribes. They usually come to you and say - " hey I am a really good spy, can I work for your tribe". These are not the best to employ. Never work with anyone who wears a T Shirt saying " I am dodgy to this tribe but I will be loyal to you" They are clumsy and get busted pretty quickly and then get rimmed or quit the game or materialise in another account name. Their level of intel or tribal penetration tends to be poor. After providing some measly information that usually can be found out by corelating the stats or even just simply asking the duke or diplo from the other tribe, they have no worth, other than their own ambition and fantasy to be like James Bond.
2 The spy seeded best placed from the start of the game. These tend to be harder to spot. If they are good at their craft, they remain sleeper agents until the right opportunity presents itself. They know the value of their information they are providing and have clear agenda from outset. Again they can be spotted with reasonable tribal security. The clues are there if you look hard enough: the player who always has a dissenting voice or doesnt send support or always has an excuse for not doing something. Or when you sit their account , all the mails are deleted. Their job isnt simply the passing of intel but also the spreading of tribal disharmony. At the appropriate moment they will leave your tribe and join the tribe that is their employer. They understand that they can be rimmed or busted so they are more cautious and communicate on skype rather than ingame mails. They rely on personal friendships with the tribe they work for. These are far more reliable.
3 The assassin. Can be very hard to spot. Their job is more than passing intel . They will infiltrate and try to undermine the tribe from within. At ther low levels of assasin craft, they spread rumour and cause friction and dissent in the tribe. They can also suddenly attack a tribal member they know is vulnerable or at a higher level they can penetrate council and dissolve the tribe in the middle of the night. They also rely on personal friendships. They do not use in game communications but skype and other external ways and means.
4 The betrayer: Once a friend and loyal member of your tribe who suddenly switches sides. Reasons could be a personal grievance or a better offer. They usually have a gameplan when they become betrayers. They move quickly once they decide to betray the tribe and are almost impossible to spot until damage done. Clues tend to be a fundamental disagreement using emotive language . They tend to shout a moral reason why they were once loyal but now have contempt for the tribe that they are in. This seperates them from the assasin who is silent in his destruction.
5 The Joker: The most honest of spies in this devious world. They do not hide their loyalties but appeal to the greed or recruitment failings of the tribe that they join. They leave a tribe and join another where recruitment checks are inadequate. Maybe spend only 2 days to 2 weeks in their new tribe and then simply bugger off with the intel required. They blame the foolishness of the tribe that recruited them and if asked, usually have the audacity to tell you - Yes I am a spy. Was it not bloody obvious ?.
Nearly all the tribes have spies or had spies at some part of the game. If you think your tribe is spy free then you have already been succesfully penetrated and you are blind . I chat with other dukes and diplos and we openly on occasion talk about spies and assasins and the value of intel .
Spies dont even have to be a member of your tribe . They can use multi accounting [ illegal- but hey ho if you practice dark arts you aint worried by a short ban for the crime. You are already taking risks anyway] ] or sits [ risky as can be noticed] . They can be a co player, who you dont know that well but he is mates with a good friend from another tribe and he does the graveyard shift on the account.
Do we like spies ? generally we are hypocritical and when they work for us we justify it as a necessary evil. When they work against you , you feel outraged and the punishment is to shout that a spy will be rimmed.
All tribes have basic security . some have more complex " arrangements". But then....do you turn your tribe into a police state and spend hours and hours spycatching and ruining the fun for the whole tribe just to catch one or two or even 6 miscreants? .
Even when you discover a spy, do you kick and rim? or do you feed false intel to and turn the situation to your advantage?
I was thinking of doing a follow up for how to catch a spy
Any comments would be appreciated