Manual:Game Mechanics/Subterfuge

Subterfuge Developments
Can provide information, sabotage enemy tech, assassinate important leaders, etc. Points in subterfuge grant access to new actions (such as gathering information, or assassination), and also improve upon the ones you have. Subterfuge can hinder foes internally and provide you with valuable information. It also can prevent others from stealing technology or gathering information from you. (See ability details below)

Each time you gain a level in Subterfuge Development, you can choose one Subterfuge Service at the same or lower level.

Level 1 Subterfuge

 * 1 Rank: You gain the 'Gather Information' ability.
 * 2 Ranks: Your subterfuge is improved.
 * 3 Ranks: You gain the 'Sabotage' ability.
 * 4 Ranks: Your subterfuge is improved.

Level 2 Subterfuge
84 Ranks: You gain the 'Assassination' ability.
 * 1 Rank: Your subterfuge is improved.
 * 2 Ranks: Your gain the 'False Orders' ability.
 * 3 Ranks: Your subterfuge is improved.

Level 3 Subterfuge

 * 1 Rank: Your subterfuge is improved.
 * 2 Ranks: Your subterfuge is improved.
 * 3 Ranks: Your subterfuge is improved.
 * 4 Ranks: You gain one additional use of each subterfuge ability per turn.

Level 1 Subterfuge Abilities
You may only use these actions once per turn. You do not begin with all of these abilities, but unlock them through more ranks of subterfuge. Higher levels may also allow multiple uses each turn, as well as additional actions.

Gather Information
This part of subterfuge allows you to come across information you would otherwise not have access too. To gain this information, you must have access to the originator's worlds via black market links, having ships in their systems, etc. You must also have higher subterfuge then the higher of their subterfuge or security systems/forces.

Sabotage
This part of subterfuge allows you to disrupt fleet and structures. To do so you must have access to what you are using it on. For example, you may sabotage ships from a shipyard you have access to via black market connections or having a ship in system.
 * Sabotage Structures: Your must have a ship in-system with the world or station to be targeted. When it is used, you select which one you are affecting, this may also affect buildings that are not yet completed. The building becomes disabled at the start of the player's next turn, they must spend resources equal to the base cost of the structure to get it working again that turn (based on construction speed). You must have higher Subterfuge than the higher of the target's Subterfuge or Security. This is declared at the end of your turn.
 * Ship Sabotage: To be used on ships or stations, you must have a ship in-system with them, or have access to the shipyards they were built at or repaired in that turn. At the start of their next turn, the ships have a stat reduced by a total number of ranks equal to 1/2 your Sabotage value. You cannot reduce a ship's/station's basic hull value below 1 in this way. These defects remain until the ships/stations are repaired. The ranks of damage you inflict are reduced by a total amount equal to the higher of the defender's Subterfuge or Security. This is declared at the end of your turn.

False Orders
To be used on ships, you must have a ship or station in-system with them. You issue a set of false orders, such as a ceasefire, a retreat or maybe even an attack order. The total size of the affected ships cannot exceed 1/2 of your total subterfuge ranks. The crew will not recklessly endanger themselves without good reason, and as such, a bit of persuasion may be needed for any drastic orders. The crew will immediately act on orders received however and continue to act on them until completed or for 1 full turn. You cannot issue the same order more than once to a craft. You must have higher subterfuge than the higher of the target's subterfuge or security forces/systems. This can be used at any time.

Assassination
This is used at the end of a turn, you need a manned ship in-system with the world or station to be targeted. The following turn, the target world or station provides no resources and does not gain any infrastructure that turn. Each time you use this on a target, your subterfuge rank for this ability is cumulatively reduced by 1 for future attempts on that target. You must have higher subterfuge than the higher of the target's subterfuge or security forces/systems. This may also be used to attempt to remove characters with traits, but doing so requires you to spend RP equal to the amount spent on that character +1.

Even with the RP is this ability guaranteed to kill the target?

Advanced Sabotage
When you inflict damage with spaceship Sabotage, your Subterfuge value for the ability is increased by 2/Level you possess of Subterfuge. When you damage a structure with Sabotage Structure, that structure costs an additional 4 resources/Level of Subterfuge you possess (of any combination) to repair. This additional cost cannot exceed the structure's base cost.

Cost: None

Covert Agencies
When other races attempt to use Subterfuge actions against you, your Subterfuge value is treated as +1. In addition, if your Subterfuge is at least 2 value higher than the opponent's, you become aware of what action was being used if you also have access to that ability.

Cost: None

Propaganda
You can control the media and general information available to the public. This lets you directly influence your people, to a point of near brainwashing. The chance for your people to resist demoralization effects is increased by 10%, and your infrastructure cap is increased by 1 on all worlds and stations. In addition, your worlds and stations have a 30% chance to resist effects that would generate unrest amongst the populace. This only applies if your Subterfuge value is at least 1/2 of the total value of the opposing Development or Tech field (such as spaceship weapons, economics, etc).

Requirement: Communications 1

Cost: None

Spy Network
At the start of a turn, you may apply this tech to any alien world or station that you have a spaceship in-hex with. While affected by this tech, you have an informant there which provides the following;


 * Immediate: provides resource values and infrastructure of world/station
 * After 1 turn: can report construction and production projects (related in sizes and numbers, not systems and tech) and can intercept transmissions with Gather Information.
 * After 2 turns: can report spaceships coming and going from the world or station
 * After 3 turns: can accurately report detailed information on production and construction projects
 * After 5 turns: can identify all the race's racial tech, and reduces the chances your spies will be detected by that race by 5% on all stations and worlds permanently (non-cumulative).

At the start of each turn, the spy has a 10% chance to be detected. This chance increases by 5% per point of Security or Subterfuge value they have more than your Subterfuge. To utilize this information, you must have a way of receiving communications from the spy (possibly by moving a spaceship into communications range for example). This may only be used once per turn, and only once per station/world. If a spy is detected on a world or station, the chances future spies will be detected is increased by 10% there (per spy detected).

Cost: 2 Ore and 2 Gas

Black Ops
You have specially trained agents to infiltrate enemy territory and spaceships to hit them where it hurts. You may expend a use of Assassination or Sabotage spaceship to reduce the boarding strength of an enemy spaceship by 2 for a wave at the start of a boarding action (but only once per spaceship). When invading or defending worlds, you may expend a use of Assassination or Sabotage Structure to reduce the enemy attack or defense strength by 2 until the end of the turn.

Cost: None

Careful Timing
You may declare the use of your sabotage spaceship ability 'held' (declare the target as normal). At any point during the turn you may apply the sabotage's effects to the target if you have a spaceship, world, station (or at least informant) within either communications or sensor range.

Requirement: Advanced Sabotage

Cost: None

False Propaganda
At the start of a turn, you may apply this tech to an enemy world or station you have access to (via communications, spaceships sharing a hex, informant, etc), spending the resources from any one station or world you command. This tech takes 1 full turn to take effect and can only be applied once per turn. That world or station has its infrastructure cap reduced by 1, has a 30% chance each turn to skip generating new infrastructure and has a chance of an uprising (the seriousness of which can vary between minor domestic violence to total rebellion) each turn which can destroy structures and/or infrastructure itself. Your Subterfuge abilities receive a +1 bonus to their value when used against such a world. The world or station can remove this tech if it has Subterfuge, Economics or Security of at least level 2 by doing one of the following;


 * Economics: Spending 5 Ore and 5 Gas, and removing 2 Infrastructure from one of their other worlds or stations. Takes 1 full turn.
 * Security: Bringing a force with at least 1/2 the world's infrastructure in planetary invasion strength. Takes 2 full turns.
 * Subterfuge: Spending 3 Ore and 3 Gas, and the expending of a use of Sabotage Structure. Takes 1 full turn. If the race possesses Propaganda, and their Subterfuge value is higher, they can instantly negate this tech for free instead.

Once removed from a world or station in one of these ways, you cannot apply this tech to it again while it is controlled by that race.

Requirement: Propaganda

Cost: 3 Ore and 3 Gas

System Virus
You gain the use of the 'System Virus' ability once per turn. At the start of a turn, you may declare its use against an alien spaceship or station you have access to (via communications, spaceships sharing a hex, informant, etc). You may choose to have the effect trigger immediately or after 1 full turn. While a spaceship or station is affected by System Virus, it has a 30% chance of not acting during each wave due to system errors. In addition, all the spaceship or station's non-hull system values are reduced by 1/2 (rounded up). RP may negate this effect, as will the target having a higher Security or Subterfuge value than your own Subterfuge value. If unable to do so, the spaceship/station suffers from this effect until each system is repaired (from its new 1/2 value) to full. Once a spaceship or station has removed this effect without the use of RP, your Subterfuge is treated as a cumulative -2 for future attempts against it.

Special: When you take this ability, select one of the following; Bio, Natural, Mechanical. Against other racial types, this effect has a -1 penalty to its Subterfuge value.

Cost: None

Demolition Masters
When you use Sabotage, you may affect an additional target on the same spaceship, world or station (example two systems on a spaceship, or two different structures on a world, etc). In addition, you gain 1 additional use of your choice of spaceship or Structure Sabotage per turn (chosen when you take this tech).

Requirement: Careful Timing

Cost: None

Double Agents
You may turn the covert operations used by alien races against them or at least to your advantage by infiltrating their inner-workings. You must have access to the alien races' worlds (via communications, informant, etc) to gain this effect against them. Each turn, if that race has Subterfuge abilities your race is aware of, you may a declare target (or targets) for each of those abilities (and effects if there are any variable options). If the race attempts to use one of these abilities, there is a 25% chance that your target is hit by them instead, resolving effects as normal. This effect only works if your Subterfuge value is higher than the other races'. This isn't triggered by effects that consume uses of abilities for alternate effects (such as Black Ops).

Requirement: Covert Agencies

Cost: None

Propaganda Broadcasts
You may have any spaceship, world or station you command broadcast propaganda messages. Any alien world within your 1/2 (rounded down) Communications range suffers a -1 penalty to its planetary defense strength and infrastructure cap. In addition, these worlds have a 10% chance of skipping their new infrastructure generation each turn. Alien spaceships and stations in that range have a -1 penalty to boarding strength, have their resistance to demoralization reduced by 10%, and each turn they spend in that area, they have a 20% chance of actually becoming demoralized. This signal can be jammed through the Communications tech, and any spaceship broadcasting propaganda grants enemy sensors a +2 bonus to their value to detect its presence. Effects from multiple broadcasts are non-cumulative.

Requirement: False Propaganda, Communications Level 2

Cost: None

Master Spies
Your agents are the stuff of legends (and often terrible reality). The information provided by the Spy Network tech, is available 1 turn earlier. When detected, your agents may have the opportunity to commit suicide (poison capsules, vaporization, rigged power source, etc) to prevent the alien race from actually becoming aware of the spy activities on their worlds and stations (negating the cumulative bonus they would normally get for finding future spies). Agents have an 80% chance of opting for this route, though if the alien race's Subterfuge or Security is higher than your own Subterfuge value, this is reduced to 40%. In addition, these agents can now gain RP tech from the following;


 * Escape Artist (1 RP): If this agent is caught, they escape 1 turn later. They are unavailable for another full turn before arriving back on your homeworld, ready to be deployed again (for free).
 * Master Infiltrator (1 RP): This agent reduces the chance of being detected by 5%, and increases the value of your Subterfuge abilities used on the world/station they are on by 1.
 * Resourceful (2 RP): This agent can hitch rides on spaceships leaving the world/station they are on and head to new places. They can 're-deploy' for free at any station or world the spaceship stops at. The agent has the normal chances of being detected while aboard the spaceship.

Your informants and agents can also place tracking beacons upon enemy spaceships and cargo to track where they go. Doing so is free, but can only be done by an informant on an enemy world or station and only once per turn (per world/station). You may 'bug' a spaceship being repaired/built/refit/etc, or specific cargo on that world or station, though your agent risks getting caught (must roll to avoid detection). Your spaceships, worlds and stations can automatically detect the presence of these 'bugs' from Communications range, and/or Sensor Range. These 'bugs' also are ingrained with basic info about their mark (letting you instantly identify the spaceship/cargo). These 'bugs' may be detected if the targeted race has Communications, Sensor, Security or Subterfuge values equal to or higher than your Subterfuge Value. In addition, each time a bugged spaceship is repaired there is a chance of detection (equal to that of your agents), the same applies to cargo each time it is loaded/unloaded.

Requirement: Spy Network, spaceship Sensors 2 or Communications 2

Cost: None