Espionage in El Mythico is concerned with discovering the whereabouts of enemy units and the allegiances of population groups. Players have at their disposal two types of units with which to spy on their opponents.
Informers are local inhabitants who for some reason dislike the player who controls their village. In return for favours or money (APs) they provide information about their hex. Informers can only be set up in Urban Centres.
An informer costs 2AP to set up in any urban centre and will report to his employer every turn until eliminated. He reports two things; the presence of military units and the current political allegiance of the hex (right/centre/left). Informers may not move from the hex they occupy.
A military ground unit executing a Search order in a hex will uncover all hostile informants 90% of the time. Uncovered informants simply cease to be.
Agents are specially recruited and trained investigators/spies who are dispatched to gather detailed information, they provide more exact information than informers, are less vulnerable and can be moved. An agent does not give any reports on the turn he/she is moved. There is no additional cost for moving an agent, but 1AP maintenance is still charged.
Agents can use orders 38 (search), 41 (surveillance) or 40 (subvert). The first two give different types of information while the latter reduces an opponents population control. Order 35 (Hit) may be used to attempt the assassination of an enemy leader and order 36 (Kill) is used against opposing agents.
Agents cost 4 AP to set up in any hex. They have a maintenance cost of 1 AP/turn. An agent reports detailed information about any military units in the same hex and gives detailed breakdowns of the political allegiances (%) of any population group.
Underworld figures get a 'free' Agent. This Agent can cost nothing to set up and no maintenance. The 'free' agent is the first Agent to be set up. If all Agents of a player are killed, then the first one to be set up again will be 'free'.
Agents may only be eliminated if they are first spotted by an opposing agent doing a Search order. They may then be killed by that agent. They may also be spotted by the Search action of units. Only Security Police on Search orders have a chance of killing the Agent when found.
Agents are paid before any other units.
If a population group is loyal to your faction, they will report the presence of enemy ground troops in their hex. They will report the movement of troops into, out of or through their hex.
Sabotage is the destruction of installations or transport links. It is accomplished by sending in crack squads armed with explosives. In El Mythico this is simulated in the following manner.
A sabotage attempt is carried by via the Sabotage order and the expenditure of APs.
Players may protect themselves from sabotage attacks in two ways: by stationing military units at the installation (using the Secure Installation order 80), and by use of the Security order.
Each military unit gives a security strength of around 5pts while present. 1 AP spent on Security at that site will give 0.5pts. The total security points are used to stop attacking Sabotage points, drawn first from units on garrison. If the value is reduced to zero the attack penetrates the defences.
Players will gain one turns income from the sabotage of any minor or major installation they do not control.
The chance of success varies, the BASE value (see relevant table in module) reflects the ease with which a target may be attacked, the higher the value the easier it is.
Players may attempt the assassination of enemy leader units by the use of the HIT order. The chance of success relies on knowledge of the exact whereabouts of the target and on the number of APs expended. This order can only be given to an agent. The attack is resolved at the end of a turn so if the Leader has moved away it will fail, APs less one will be refunded.
A successful assassination will yield the dead character types income times his rank in AP (3 or 4 times rank).
The effect of a successful assassination are as follows:
Any Leader order (55-57) fails that turn.
Player loses 20xLevel VPs and one level.
A new Leader will reappear at the end of the next turn where-ever the Training Base is.
When a Hit or Kill order fails, your Agent may be terminated instead and the target player may find out who sent the Agent.
When a Sabotage order fails the owner of the target Installation may find out who sent the saboteurs.
All successful sabotage missions will be reported by TV and Radio News to all players. Only the details of the Installation name will be reported, not who did the dirty deed.
There is a chance that an unsuccessful mission will also be reported to all players. The owner of an installation will always be told about sabotage attempts.
A successful assassination will also be reported in the Press.