Spies
#SpiesReduce Corruption by 20% and Mutiny by 5%.
Description
❖Masters of secrecy who gather intelligence and sabotage enemies. Spies have no production but reduce Corruption by 20% and Mutiny by 5%. They consume 5 Food and 10 Gold per tick. Requires Academy level 3.
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Spies move unseen through courts, shadows, and enemy lands. They gather secrets, spread misinformation, and eliminate threats before they emerge. Trained in deception and subtlety, their actions rarely earn glory, yet they decide the outcome of wars long before armies clash. Knowledge, when wielded in silence, becomes the empire's deadliest weapon. Though they produce no resources, Spies provide crucial internal security: -20% Corruption (the strongest anti-corruption modifier) and -5% Mutiny reduction.
Creation
Requirements
Must be present (NOT consumed)
Costs
Consumed when created
Maintenance
Periodic Costs
Consumed repeatedly over time
Effects
All values are RATIOS. +% = bonus, -% = penalty. Effects multiply other systems.
Modifies chance of city events occurring
Strategic Context
❖Advisory information only. Does not affect gameplay mechanics.
Advantages
- + -20% Corruption probability per worker (strongest modifier)
- + -5% Mutiny probability per worker
- + Essential for protecting wealthy cities
- + Counter Storehold +30% Corruption risk
- + Counter Capital +10% Corruption risk
Disadvantages
- - Requires Academy building level 3
- - Training cost: 50 Gold, 8000ms (most expensive)
- - Consumes 1 Free Citizen per training
- - 6 population points (highest capacity burden)
- - Dual maintenance: 5 Food AND 10 Gold per tick
- - NO production output - pure utility
- - No Famine, Protests, or Epidemic modifiers
Warnings
- ! Academy level 3 requirement is significant investment
- ! Gold drain is severe: 10 per Spy per tick
- ! 6 population points - severely limits Spies per city
- ! No production means pure defensive investment
- ! Corruption modifier: 5 Spies = 0.8^5 = 33% Corruption risk
Synergies
Countered By
Scaling
Spies produce nothing but multiply Corruption by 0.8 and Mutiny by 0.95. Consume 5 Food + 10 Gold. Highest point cost (6) limits quantity per city.