Spies. What are they good for?

[Augustus In Command]

I'm well aware that spies are useful for reconnoissance as well as to open city gates during seiges... But are there any other abilities that they have? I heard a rumour that they boost public order in human controlled settlements and reduce it in AI settlements.

[vikrant]

not sure about incresing public order
but enemy spy inside a city definitely causes unrest

and i always keep one diplomat and two spies attached toeach army campaigning in hostile region

[Ahiga]

Spies will help prevent assassinations.

[Kraut]

I heard a rumour that they boost public order in human controlled settlements and reduce it in AI settlements.

The second part (creating unrest in enemy settlments) is all correct. The first part (reducing unrest in your settlements) is partially correct: if there is an enemy spy in your town, he will create unrest. But if you have a spy in your own town too, he may discover the enemy spy and force him out of the city. So, your spy does not directly reduce unrest in your cities, but he prevents enemy spies of creating unrest.

[Mesamedasu]

I've never done it myself (I hardly use spies), but it seems u can spread the plague to other factions, using spies. Move them to the source, so they get infected, then move them in the target city. Biological warfare 'avant la lettre'.

M

[imthefrgt10]

spies are great for spreading the plague!!! and they are great if you can infect a bunch of spies with the plague because then you may spread it all over the campaign map and after you have recovered can invade the infected towns easily and have to go through the process of dealing with the plague again

[Boudicca]

spies are great for spreading the plague!!! and they are great if you can infect a bunch of spies with the plague because then you may spread it all over the campaign map and after you have recovered can invade the infected towns easily and have to go through the process of dealing with the plague again

That is evil....though it has its uses...

Spies in my campaings always help to keep order in a town. They make it more difficult for the enemy to sneak in and cause unrest. And in BI, if they are christian, they can help convert cities or cause unrest to the enemy.

[Gryphon]

I've heard they greatly reduce the possibility of your armies/cities getting bribed

[Kraut]

I've heard they greatly reduce the possibility of your armies/cities getting bribed

As far as I know, this is true for the diplomat instead of the spy.

[LegionaryMarurder]

The only fond use i have of them is using them in bio warfare.:>
or opening gates to an enemy city

[Augustus In Command]

So the bottom line is: Have a spy in all of your cities and all of your large armies?

Jeez... This kind of information should be included in the manual.

[Zuwxiv]

Sometimes, cities with large garrisons and the proper buildings will have problems with public order... Generally, it's enemy spies. This happened in my most recent campaign, so I trained like 10 spies and sent them to the three affected cities... Within about three turns, each city had multiple enemy spies caught and excuted.

I'm not sure how well it works against the AI by trying to increase unrest, I use them for recon mostly.

[Cyrus the Virus]

Sometimes, cities with large garrisons and the proper buildings will have problems with public order... Generally, it's enemy spies. This happened in my most recent campaign, so I trained like 10 spies and sent them to the three affected cities... Within about three turns, each city had multiple enemy spies caught and excuted.

I'm not sure how well it works against the AI by trying to increase unrest, I use them for recon mostly.

Hmm should give that one a thought. Never used them that much before.

[Kraut]

Hmm should give that one a thought. Never used them that much before.

Yes you should. I did not use much spies or assasins for a long time, but then during a Carthage game I discovered how many enemy spies in fact are in your cities all the time. You would not believe me - nearly ANY bigger city has its population of enemy spies. Specially those which you conquered before. During this game, I produced lots of spies and expelled loeads of enemy ones from my cities.

Really, they are useful.

[harm]

spies are worthless, they cost too much for little return. The recon info is worthless; you know the city is going to have troops in it, just go sack it regardless. Spreading the plague is a spur of the moment thing to do with spies, i wouldn't train spies for this reason b4 a plague breaks out.

Basicly they are worthless, just get a big army and charge ahead relentlessly.

[RZZZA]

Spies not much good if you play with Fog of War off, which I do. I use them occasionally for opening up settlement doors for me from the inside. That could be valuable...but other than that, I dont use em.

But if you play with fog of war on (i.e., you arent a dirty rotten cheater) then spies are valuable.

[Zuwxiv]

spies are worthless, they cost too much for little return. The recon info is worthless; you know the city is going to have troops in it, just go sack it regardless. Spreading the plague is a spur of the moment thing to do with spies, i wouldn't train spies for this reason b4 a plague breaks out.

Basicly they are worthless, just get a big army and charge ahead relentlessly.

Um... What difficulty are you playing on? Because when I'm playing on a VH/VH, at the point where I can afford one full stack, my enemies have anywhere from 10 - 15, sometimes more. In that situation, it is very, very, Very important to know where your enemies troops are and how many are in each city. Unless, of course, you want your faction leader and heir to be ambushed by three full stacks while they were sieging a city that was a challenge already.

But I'm going to try something - I'm going to make a huge amount of spies, and try to make enemy cities rebel.

[Grunwald Saint]

But I'm going to try something - I'm going to make a huge amount of spies, and try to make enemy cities rebel.

I love to do that. All you need is four 5+subterfuge spies or about eight 2/3+subterfuge spies, and that city will put will be rebelling faster than you can say 'I disagree...."

[Severous]

spies are worthless, they cost too much for little return. The recon info is worthless..... just get a big army and charge ahead relentlessly.

Fog of war in my campaigns. I use many spies.

Rather than spend years building a big army I will build a spy and send out a small army confident that its not going to run into something it cannot handle.

Knowing exactly where the enemy is allows better campaign map movement.

Few ambushes succeed against you as the spy spots the hidden enemy.

If a spy opens a gate reducing the seige length from 4 turns to 0 turns how much money is that worth? You, rather than the enemy, control that city and receive its income for four turns. Your army, and the spy, can march onto another city earlier.

[harm]

Fog of war in my campaigns. I use many spies.

Rather than spend years building a big army I will build a spy and send out a small army confident that its not going to run into something it cannot handle.

Knowing exactly where the enemy is allows better campaign map movement.

Few ambushes succeed against you as the spy spots the hidden enemy.

If a spy opens a gate reducing the seige length from 4 turns to 0 turns how much money is that worth? You, rather than the enemy, control that city and receive its income for four turns. Your army, and the spy, can march onto another city earlier.

ok, i guess they are good. If you have a spy with your troops they won't get ambushed? How does a spy open the gate by turns? does he have to be in the city while it's being underseige?

I guess you can use spies and assassins to over throw cities.