8. Espionage
Sometimes even cunning diplomats and skilled tacticions will find themselves in situations that call for more subtle strategies. This is where Espionage comes in. In Supremacy 1914 you can gather intelligence or sabotage your opponent with a range of different espionage options. They can be accessed from the Espionage Headquarters (accessible through the main menu).
ESPIONAGE HEADQUARTERS
The Espionage Headquarters informs you about the number of spies you have recruited and their daily costs. Spies don't work like regular units but are recruited and deployed directly via the Espionage panel.
- Spies need to be recruited. Click on the province you want to send the spy to and select recruit. This will cost you £20,000.
- Spies need to be assigned to a mission. Click on the ✚ next to one of the three missions Intelligence, Economic Sabotage, and Military Sabotage to assign one or more spies.
- Spies don't perform their mission right away but will try to do so once per day.
- Spies get a daily salary between £500 and £4,000 per spy per day (depending on the mission). These are charged at day change.
You can check the results of your daily spy actions in the Reports tab of your Espionage Headquarters.
Note: If the other player runs a Counter Espionage on the province, your own spy might get caught. Both players will be noticed and the spy destroyed. Thus, if you notice strange occurances in your provinces (like dropping resource production or morale), consider deploying a counter spy to investigate and (maybe) expel enemy spies.
ESPIONAGE MISSIONS
Intelligence
The spies collect information on the diplomatic and economic activities of the opponent. Information includes:
- positions and missions of enemy spies
- In and outbound communication
- Information about local armies
- Resource production information and trade Manufacturing
Intelligence missions cost £2000 per spy and day.
Economic Sabotage
Spies with the sabotage mission try to damage the opponent's production and morale in the target province. These missions include:
- The destruction of resources
- Theft of tax revenue
- Decrease of morality
- Deactivation of the Recruiting building to increase demand for resources
Industrial espionage costs £4000 per spy and day.
Military Sabotage
Military saboteurs try to disturb the strategic plans and the infrastructure of the enemy. Missions include:
- The uncovering of all enemy armies
- The damage of the buildings
- The prolonging of the production
- Deactivated recruitment buildings
Military Sabotage costs £4000 per spy and day.
Counter Intelligence
Defense spies defend against counter intelligence and unmask enemy spies.
Counter Intelligence costs £1000 per day.
ESPIONAGE RISKS
Spies are always exposed to the danger of being caught in their missions if they are stationed on foreign territory. The risk of exposure is different for each spy mission and is vastly increased if an enemy counter intelligence spy is deployed in the same province.
Hint: Spies, which are currently not in use cost you £500 per day. Therefore, it is often useful to dismiss no longer needed spies from your service. You can do this with the "discharge" button in the Espionage window.
INSTANT ESPIONAGE ACTIONS
Goldmark can be used to trigger Instant Espionage Actions. For these actions you do not have to recruit spies and the spy reports will immediately be displayed.
The following instant actions are available:
Reveal Local Armies
Reveals armies in and around the selected province.
Cost: 1,950
Country Information
Discloses the player's resources, diplomatic relations spy positions and factory productions.
Cost: 1,950
Decrease Morale
Decreases morale in the selected province by 10%.
Cost: 3,950
Disrupt Economy
Destroys parts of today's resource production of this province.
Cost: 3,950
Sabotage Building
Damage a building in this province, but never the capital.
Cost: 3,950
Reveal Contry's Armies
Reveals all of the player's armies.
Cost: 7,950
As Instant Espionage Actions have an immediate effect you can chain multiple ones for added effect. However, be careful with sabotage missions: It won't take your opponent long to figure out who is messing with their provinces and they might be ready to retaliate.