Spying on people, whether shadowing them or following paper trails, is a risky business. It has the potential to blow their schemes wide open, but also has the very real chance of you being spotted or even captured. It is worth re-iterating the risky/cautious mechanic for spycraft.
Risky - You're after killer info. Something that could really scupper the target's plans, and you don't mind leaving a few clues of your presence to get it. Cautious - You're after valuable info. Something that could hinder the target, but not completely scupper them. You'll likely leave no trace of your passage.
The outcome of the action depends on how talented a spy you are, how talented your target is at spycraft, and what sort of defenses he has in place.
| Attacking Outcome | Definition | Defending Outcome | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gets Nothing | Gets Nothing | Caught Red Handed | The defender finds out what you are up to, summons the guards, lays a trap and catches you in the act. You are at their mercy. |
| Gets Minor | Somthing that not public, but isn't going to do a huge amount if found. Interesting but not vital. Hints at something. | Spotted | You have been seen and reckognized acting suspicious. You may be able to talk your way out of it with legitimate reasons for being there. |
| Gets significant | Secret and damaging, but not character ending. Knowledge that they have a hidden master. | Left clue. | They see religious types. Men in black robes. etc. |
| Gets Major | Proof of something that could ruin them. They sacrifice virgins / They kidnapp children. / They raid other clans. | Unseen | You are Unseen. |
There will likely come a time when you wish to sneak up and kill/maim/cheat or generally do-over another player. You will likely give us a most ingenious plan of how you're going to worm your way in, persuade them to drop their guard, and strike. We love you for it.
Please be aware that for IC reasons and OOC game balance, assassination are difficult. You will need a good plan, a lot of edges, and a lot of AP to pull it off and get away with it. Also you need to give warning in the seesion before, see the page on the temple for details of this.
Because the Society Game is a game of secrets and lies, the GM team can't ask the target how they would likely defend themselves from Ingenious Plot X without arousing their suspicion. Thus the GM team will be 'defending' on the player's behalf, and forced to make difficult judgement calls.
Be warned: If your plan relies on the player responding in a certain way, and that response is unclear, we will err in the defender's favor. It won't mean that your attempt fails, but it will mean edges in the defenders favor that you should take into account. This is the only way we can arbitrate fairly.
Ulrik is trying to take out his rival PC, Kirlu. He has gained the man's trust, and offered to make him a new pair of shiney trousers. Inside these trousers he has constructed a special pocket containing a Dire Scorpion. When Kirlu puts on the trousers, he will be stung to death.
This plan relies on Kirlu putting on the trousers. Kirlu turnsheets to say that he is recieving trousers from Ulrik, but does not specifically say that he will wear them. There is no way to ask Kirlu if he wears the trousers without arousing suspicion. Equally, there is no way to enquire whether his clan has ready access to Dire Scorpion antivenom, so the GMs must arbitrate.
Because Ulrik has high Oration, and Kirlu has Vice: Fancy legware, we decide Kirlu would almost definitely put the trousers on. We arbitrate a minor edge in Kirlu's favor. Because Kirlu's clan specializes in herbs and spices, and were recently attacked by flying snakes, Kirlu decided to make a stock of antivenom and keep it handy. We arbitrate a major edge in Kirlu's favor.
These, in addition to others, oppose Ulrik's assassination attempt.