Bay 12 Games Forum

Diplomats are not designed for combat, but can act in other ways.  Their chief advantage is as a scout; diplomats may travel freely through neutral territories without paying any passage costs.  They can also move into foreign player territories without it counting as an invasion, though military units in those territories will stop them if the player so wishes (unless it is part of an operation).  Whilst in other territories they can see any non-invisible units in that territory, plus any buildings and defences.

Units stacked with diplomats when travelling through neutral territories only pay half the passage costs (£250/unit instead of £500 for an army, £25/caravan+guard pair for caravans).

Diplomats can be expelled from a rival territory without killing them (if the rival so wishes), whereupon they will be returned to the nearest friendly territory, provided there is at least one military or diplomatic unit in the same territory where they end their turn.  The rival can of course just kill a diplomat in this situation as well.

Diplomats are also able to conduct Operations.  With Diplomacy I only two Operations are available, but research can add more Operations or improve the success chances of existing ones.

Diplomatic Operations

Negotiate Annexe:  Diplomats can negotiate the annexing of neighbouring neutral territories, provided they are not at war with the player country.  There is a good chance that they will agree to an annexe treaty and a small chance that negotiations go south and war is declared for 3 turns.  Otherwise negotiations are stalled or inconclusive that turn.  The chance of better outcomes will increase with research.

When an annexe agreement is reached, the neutral territory will demand a certain payment in pounds (usually several times their monthly tax revenue) to 'ease' the transition period.  (Some of this might go to the people, but most will be used to pay off vested interests.  Such is diplomacy.)  The territory will also demand that the money is paid over a certain number of turns so that the people can get used to the idea of government under the new order.  Research can reduce the financial demands of the annexe agreement and the amount of time that must be waited before full annexation.

Troops may be stationed in partially-annexed countries without it counting as an act of war (although they can then be used to attack the neutral country from within - be warned).  Revenue collection, construction or any of the other benefits of rule will not be available until complete annexation has taken place.

Diplomacy I:  40% chance of treaty, 10% chance of war.  Cost: ~10x monthly revenue.  Increments: up to £400/turn.
Diplomacy II:  Treaty chance 50%, War chance 8%.  Cost: ~9x half-yearly revenue.  Increments:  Up to £600/turn.

Embezzle Funds:  A diplomat may embezzle funds from a neutral or rival territory that he has entered.  Diplomats have a base chance of 100% to succeed at embezzling from neutral territories and a base chance of 80% to succeed at embezzling from rival territories.  The presence of military units in the territory reduce the success chance by 5% per unit.  The presence of another diplomat reduces the success chance by 30% per diplomat.  Diplomats will steal up to 50% of that territory's income/turn from the rival side/neutral territory's cash reserves.  If the rival side has no cash reserves left, the diplomat will instead attempt to incur a debt of £100 to the rival side, which must be paid during its next accounting period.  £50 of the debt goes to the player treasury, the other £50 is spent on bribery and corruption.

On the completion of a successful embezzlement mission, the diplomat will automatically return to the nearest friendly territory.  On the failure of an embezzlement mission, the diplomat will usually be executed.

Diplomacy I:  Base chance bonus = +0%
Diplomacy II:  Base chance bonus = +10%

Operations gained with Diplomacy II:

Bribe Unit:  A diplomat may attempt to suborn a rival unit for a large amount of money.  A defection attempt costs 1 Move.  Bribery always succeeds, but costs more or less depending on the skill of the diplomatic corps, the location of the unit and the loyalty of the territory it is in.  Units always defect instantly if bribed and may act with any Move left to them, but a counter-bribe may be made by the owners.  Or of course they may just have any other units attack the newly traitorous unit as punishment.

Bribery attempts may be made of units just before they attack a territory.

Counter Bribes:  Counter bribery raises the effective Unit Cost of the bribed unit, which is multiplied by any other factors.  e.g. Adding a counter bribe of £400 raises the base cost to bribe that unit by £800 in rival territory, £560 in neutral territory or £400 in friendly territory.

Base Cost if rival unit in rival territory:  2x Unit Cost (if bought new)
Base Cost if rival unit in neutral territory:  1.4x Unit Cost
Base Cost in rival unit in friendly territory:  1x Unit Cost

Each point of loyalty (if a rival territory) increases or decreases the bribery cost for that unit by 10% (depending on positive or negative loyalty).


Sabotage Unit:  A diplomat may attempt to interfere with a rival unit's proper function by assassinating commanders, rerouting supplies, tactical bribery or any other means.  A diplomat may attempt to Sabotage once per turn.  On a success, the unit is Wounded and the diplomat returns to the nearest friendly territory instantly.  On a failure, the diplomat is killed.

Base Success Chance:  50%
In Rival Territory: -20%
In Neutral Territory: +0%
In Friendly Territory: +10%

Spies (or more accurately spymasters) are special units trained in establishing espionage networks of agents and patsies and in conducting secretive operations of various kinds.  Spies are an invisible unit and orders for them may be directed by PM to the Game Master.  Spies cannot be detected passing through other territories, even by units capable of True Sight, though they can be detected as a result of operations.  Construction of spies can be ordered through PM or done openly.

Espionage Operations

Unlike Diplomatic Operations, virtually all Espionage Operations cost money to implement to balance out the low recruitment and maintenance cost of spies.

Network:  This operation is free and passive.  A spy needs merely be stationed in a territory for this operation to function.  When a spy creates a network, a full report of the territory (if it is not a player territory) will be delivered by PM to the spy's owner on turn updates.  Additionally, spies gathering information have a 10% chance per turn to discover another spy network (i.e. another spy resident in that region) and its owner.  Once the network is discovered, it will continue to be reported until the network is destroyed or dissolved.  If all spies leave the region, the network dissolves/is destroyed.  Spy networks are not destroyed if a region changes hands through conquest or trade.

Spy networks can provide bonuses to other operations.  Generally this requires one spy be left to maintain the network whilst the other spy engages in the operation (e.g. sabotage).

With higher espionage tech levels, Spy Networks may have chances to discover invisible units or other ordinarily imperceptible units.

Purge Network:  Cost: £50.  A counter-espionage effort, this attempts to destroy the spy network present in that territory (and the spy unit controlling it).  On a success, the owner of the network will be informed that the network was destroyed but not who by.

Base success chance: 40%.  Increases by 35% with own spy network present.

Disinformation Feed:  Cost £50/turn.  A counter-espionage effort of a more subtle variety, this technique does not destroy the network but instead feeds it false information.  If the disinformation feed is successfully established, the owner of the feed may supply whatever false information it wishes (false troop movements, the existence of units that are not there, the concealment of units that are, the existence or dissolution of other spy networks).  A spy has to remain in that territory to maintain the feed.

Once a feed has been successfully established, it cannot be detected directly (and neither can the spy maintaining it).  It will remain intact as long as a spy is there to maintain it and it is funded.  On a failed attempt to establish a feed, the owner of the network to be disinformed will be alerted to the attempt, but not to who is attempting it.

Base success chance: 20%.  Increases by 35% with own spy network present.

Sabotage Unit:  Cost £100.  Works as the Diplomat ability, but the spy remains in the territory unseen on a success.  On a failure, the spy is killed and the owner of the unit is alerted to the sabotage attempt but not to who attempted it.

Base Success chance: 30%.  Increases by 40% with own spy network present.  Decreases by 20% with rival (unit owner's) spy network present.  Increases by 10% in friendly territory, decreases by 10% in rival territory.

Siege units have a certain Siege Power rating; e.g. Engineers are Siege Power 1.  When attacking fortified cities (regions with defensive fortifications), the fortifications will have a Siege Resist rating.  e.g. Walls have Siege Resist 1, Fortifications have Siege Resist 2, Keeps have Siege Resist 4 and so on.  To overcome fortifications, one must bring units with equal or greater Siege Power to the fortifications' Siege Resist.  e.g. 1 Engineer would be needed to overcome walls, whilst 4 Engineers would be needed to overcome a Keep.  If Catapults had Siege Power 3, two Catapults would be sufficient to overcome a Keep, or one Catapult and an Engineer.

Bolstering Siege Resist:  Engineers (and only engineers) may improve the Siege Resist of a defensive structure during a battle.  e.g. Normally it would take 4 attacking Engineers to overcome a Keep.  If the defending side has 3 Engineers, 7 attacking Engineers would instead be required to overcome it (or 3 catapults for a total of 9 Siege Power).

Any defensive structure that is successfully overcome by siege warfare does not apply its bonus to the defending troops.  Against the more powerful defending structures this can sway the whole course of a battle.

Founding a Religion:  To found a religion one needs the Organised Religion tech (or any other religious tech).  Founding a religion costs a one-time fee of £2000 and creates a Holy Site in a territory of your choice.  You will be able to spread the religion through Priests to other territories, which will enable you to build Shrines or produce more priests.  A maximum of four (major) religions can be founded in the game - founding more will require existing religions to be wiped out to make space.  Owning a Holy Site will garner you a bonus of £40 in tithes for every territory that has that religion.

Spreading a Religion:  Spreading a religion requires the use of Priests, which can be recruited in any region a religion is already present in.  Priests are expended whether they successfully spread the religion or not.

State Religion:  Any faction that has a religion present in one of its territories can adopt that religion as its state religion.  Loyalty in all areas with the state religion increases by 2.  Other benefits to having a state religion will become clear as the game progresses.