Highlights
- Grand strategy games go beyond military might, with espionage playing a vital role in conquering other factions and territories.
- Games like Total War, Civilization, Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, and Stellaris all incorporate detailed espionage systems to enhance gameplay.
- Espionage in these games involves gathering intel, sabotaging enemies, manipulating nations, and even shaping new civilizations through infiltration and manipulation.
Grand strategy games have a particular reputation. When thinking of them, players typically picture moving vast armies across a colossal world map. This allows them to simulate global conquest. However, there's so much more to conquering than simple military might.
Among the most essential tools is espionage. Building spy networks and employing subterfuge can be invaluable to a nation. Not only does it help foster awareness of other factions, but players can then use that awareness to conquer said factions. It's only natural for an authentic grand strategy game to include a set of spying tools. Those that do are often the most involved, as espionage adds a whole new level of warfare to the title.
5 The Total War Series
- Developer: Creative Assembly, Feral Interactive
- Platform: PC, iOS, Android
As the name implies, the long-running Total War franchise aims to capture all aspects of war. That's why it includes an espionage system, no matter the setting or focus. Since the early days of Rome: Total War, spies have been an integral part of players' forces. Sending them ahead of armies is highly recommended. Doing so helps smooth the path to conquest, providing valuable info about enemy factions. Players learn about troop specialties, which territories they hold, and how many garrisons guard that territory. Espionage doesn't end there, though.
It can also come into play during sieges. Spies can assassinate enemy commanders, rendering an army disorganized and demoralized. They may even open the gates, negating the need for battering rams or other siege machines. By this point, any Total War fans worth their salt should have a few spies on hand.
4 The Civilization Series
- Developer: MicroProse, Activision, Firaxis Games
- Platform: Atari, SNES, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, DS, Switch, Android, iOS
Sid Meier games have always been detail-oriented, so espionage is only natural in Civilization. The series involves countless nations competing on a global scale, and they all try to gather intelligence on their peers.
Beginning in Civilization 2, the espionage system is extensive even at the outset. Not only can spies provide valuable information on rival factions, but they can cripple those factions through sabotage. Trained agents are able to bribe enemies, start riots, rig elections, plant misinformation, steal technology, poison water, and plant bombs. These actions admirably capture the numerous subtleties of spying. Those versed in the craft can bring down a nation before the armies even arrive.
3 The Crusader Kings Series
- Developer: Paradox
- Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
One wouldn't normally associate knights of the Crusade with espionage, but that doesn't stop Crusader Kings from including such a system. Rather than take direct action, however, spies here manipulate a nation to do their work for them. They can spread rumors and plant evidence of crimes, causing certain individuals to be labeled as traitors and imprisoned. Alternatively, agents can seduce or blackmail those individuals to do their bidding. Essentially, these tactics turn their own laws against them.
Players may also use espionage in their own favor. The influence they accumulate could go toward freeing prisoners--be they vassals or concubines. Unfortunately, the system is a double-edged sword.
Spymasters may bite the hand that feeds them. Their ambitions could lead them to turn on players, cooking up plots to assassinate leaders and important family members. Leaders have a chance to catch these traitors in the act, but some are just too careful. As such, would-be Crusader Kings must beware of spies from all sides.
2 The Hearts Of Iron Series
- Developer: Paradox
- Platform: PC
The Hearts of Iron games take place around World War 2, so espionage mainly deals with wartime offensives. In addition, the series brings the system closer to the current era. Spying often deals with technology in some way and functions like MI6 or other secret organizations.
After building one of those very intelligence agencies, players can begin their underhanded activities. Hearts of Iron separates these into various branches: intelligence, operations, defense, operative training, and cryptology. Each branch holds a vast swath of misdirection and outmaneuvering exploits. These include stealing blueprints, crafting suicide pills for captured operatives, honing interrogation techniques, intercepting messages, and encrypting/decrypting those messages. It's the same set of practices and programs that intelligence agencies employed in WWII, and many of them continue to this day.
1 Stellaris
- Developer: Paradox
- Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Stellaris diverges from most grand strategy games in its space setting, but the importance of spying stays the same. The first step is gathering intelligence. The title categorizes this into government, diplomacy, military, technology, and economic intel. Players level up these various branches to get the full picture of any potential enemies.
Choosing what to do with that intel is where Stellaris gets twisted. Because of its sci-fi setting, the game presents similar systems to those in Hearts of Iron, albeit more technologically advanced. Players manipulate diplomats, infiltrate governments, swipe tech, sabotage bases, undermine authority through slander or other means, and even ignite revolts. These tactics can bring down the most stalwart civilizations from the inside.
That said, fans can also shape new civilizations. In the far reaches of space, there inevitably exist some societies still in their primitive stages. They are especially vulnerable to more advanced parties. Players can easily plant knowledge and infiltrate the simple dwellings. The most talented spies might indoctrinate these people, turning their naïveté into blind loyalty. It may not be fair to exploit these burgeoning civilizations, but some empires take every advantage they can get. Sowing the seeds of devotion early on is often more reliable than undermining established enemies.