Spies too powerful?

[Kris Rhodes]

So, I can completely get rid of all of a nation's armies using my spy? Using just a single action?

I mean, isn't that just too much?

Anyone here just voluntarily not use spies?

-Kris

[kevcole33]

So, I can completely get rid of all of a nation's armies using my spy? Using just a single action?

I mean, isn't that just too much?

Anyone here just voluntarily not use spies?

-Kris

no.

your spy can become a puppet king and hand over the entire country.

[Kris Rhodes]

no.

your spy can become a puppet king and hand over the entire country.

Right, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. This seems to me to not be a fun element of the game, because its way too powerful. I think I'm just not going to use spies except as a defense against other spies.

But am I the only one who feels this way?

[dearmad]

Probably... in this game it is relatively easy to gain an army back again. And turning over a kingdom isn't in any way the end of the game. KEEPING a kingdom together is still a challenge (sort of)... you can still lose it. Also, your spy doesn't always turn over the kingdom...

[Sverrir]

But am I the only one who feels this way?Probably not. :biggrin: I wouldn't say they are to powerfull per se. But I wished, enemies spy actions would be more transparent to the player in some ways. Actually it is "black or white": spies act or don't act. They are catched or are not catched. The player has low influence (nothing exept placing and trainig a counter spy) If there would be some more active operations for spy defence it could become more "transparent".

I don't think about something concrete now, I just feel there is something missing. May be there could be a visible pool for recrutig new knights. If one have to pick the knight oneself instead buying allocated knights, then it IMHO allready got more flavour, feels little more like a personal decision instead of feeling total random.

May be, knights have to prove to be trustworthy from time to time, even in peace times. (Imagine a button, clicking means "check the knights" and it cost... well... it cost some books or some gold or whatever. There is a chance to expose spies. The more gold/books you put in, the higher is the chance of succes. The more often you check, the higher is the chance... but OTOH, if there is no spy, the gold/paper is lost.

Can think about this more and deeper, but this only should show the rough idea.

[Scott716]

I don't think you have to go to the extreme of not using them, it's a fun part of the game, just adds more flavor. Maybe don't give them so many stars?

I really haven't had a big problem with them, many times I've tried to use them to accomplish things and it hasn't worked out and they were found out and killed, heck I even killed one my last game myself by accident...attacked a castle and he happened to be one of the two marshals defending the castle...had just made it in minutes before but It didn't click with me until I killed him. ..talk about friendly fire :)

I wouldn't mind if they tweaked them more like the last post mentioned and added more flavor on how you deal with them but definitley don't want them dumbed down. I love this game for all the different things that you can do.

[orpheus]

I am finding the spies quite fun at the moment.
I've started a new game with Leinster, reunited Ireland and control all the British Isles plus Bretgane.

I'm now only keeping 2 marshalls, 1 cleric, 2 merchants and four spies - one to stay at the court, and three for infiltration.

It's great - I just caused Normandy's armies to rebel, and then declared war and rolled them over very easily.

Also, I had 2 spies employed with Norway, as spies. They have killed off the princes and are now in line for the throne when the venerable king dies.

I'm going to keep playing just with spies for conquest and see how it goes.

[Kris Rhodes]

It's great - I just caused Normandy's armies to rebel, and then declared war and rolled them over very easily.


I can't see how this could be called "fun" but De gustibus and all that... :)

[-FrL-

[kevcole33]

there's like 30 kingdoms you have to beat. taking over a whole kingdom with a spy is great.