Influence is a perishable Resource, it means that if you assign 10 Populace to it permanently you will get each turn 10 Influence. It will not rise above that. You can use the 10 Influence and next turn you will have the same amount.
Influence is used for Espionage and to Influence other Nations.
Espionage
Espionage is now a bit more complex:
First of all you select what you want to do Espionage wise. Each Action is divided into Espionage Phases and depending on hte action might become more and more complex and involve more and more expensive. This change will hopefully make Espionage more seldom more easy to defend against but also far more rewarding if you suceed.
To explain how it works now lets say we want to assassinate a Head of State (note that the numbers used in this example are not the actual in game numbers, which however will be posted a bit further down):
A Umodified Assassination consists of 4 Phases: Insertion ,Preparation ,Assassination and Escape. To activate each of these phases you need to invest 1 Influence. You could also just invest two Influence for the Preparation and the Assassination which will lead to your Assassin being definetly caught and the enemy getting an advance warning that somebody is oging to assassinate his Head of State, both things which you propably want to avoid. On the other hand you can make the Assassination mroe complex by adding more phases. You want to blame it on somebody else? Add a fifth phase. Contingency Plans? Sixth phase and upwards.
For each phase 1d10 will be rolled. on a 1 you suceed in all other cases the Phase fails. But wait, you can improve your chances by investing more influence into the respective phases. Note respective Phases. You have to invest for each phase extra. The Defender however only needs to invest point into Counterespionage. what will happen if both of you is the following:
Lets say Ghaz invest 10 Point to have Taricus Head of State assassinated and Taricus invests 5 point into Counterintelligence the 1d10 will turn into a 1d15 and anything from 10 and below will count as a success for the Phasse.
In other words with each point of influence invested into a Phase you will get one more chance at succeeding on the roll. Counterintelligence Influence increases the number on the (imaginary) dice you have to roll.
So you failed your Phase? What now? That depends on the next roll. A 1d6 will be rolled with various results depending on your failure. If you fail at insertion the worst that can happen is getting your spy caught, the best that can happen is that you just didnt get your assassin infiltrated and that gamewise you will have it harder on the next phases. Thus partial successes or partial failures can be achieved: Failing the Assassination but suceeding on the Obfuscation Phase would basically make the Head of State survive but cause the blame for the Assassination Attempt to fall on somebody else. This may lead to lots and lots of different results for a Espionage Action. Now onwards to the Specifics, several of them were removed and integrated into others, expanding them.
Note that Espionage Research will increase chances at success...or decrease it for your opponents.
Infiltrate Government
Minimum Number of Phases: Insertion, Infiltration
Possible Phases (just suggestions, i will customize these depending on what you want to do): Probing, Uncovering the Dirt
Effect: Not only allows you to Simply infiltrate Influence for future use (basically save it like on a bank account).
Insertion Phase
has no practical effect for the Agressor but if you fail a 1d6 will be rolled
1 Agent caught and enemy gets information about one of your recent Influence investments and can monitor to where that Influence goes if you move it to another action.
2,3 Agent caught your identity revealed
4,5,6 Insertion Phase fails, double the number on all other phases you have to roll on ( if it was 1d10 its now 1d20, 1d30 now 1d60 etc.)
Infiltration
For each 5 Influence you wish to infiltrate you have to roll once more. ( so for 5 1d10, for 10 two 1d10 seperatly and so on not that no matter how often you roll the full CE of the Defender will be added)
Failure:
1 Agent caught, identity revealed all influence so far infiltrated(in this action) will instead be given to the victim which infiltrates it into your government
2,3 Agent caught, your identity revealed,
4,5 Agent escapes but the action stops right were you left off ( so if two rolls were successfull you will have the 10 Infiltrated Influence) victim will be informed
6 Phase fails but you can continue with the next roll, Victim will not be informed
Probing
Basically discovering what exactly the enemy has in Counterintelligence and what he has on you. Failure only means that the Enemy will be informed that he has been probed by someone
Uncovering the Dirt
Basically get information on all the Victims Espionage Stuff so far.
Faiilure:
1 Agent Caught, all former phases fail and all Influence infiltrated is lost. Additionally the enemy will recieve what you tried to achieve
2,3 Agent caught, your identity revealed, all former phases fail and all Influence infiltrated is lost.
4,5 Agent caught, your identity revealed.
6 Phase fails.
Sabotage
Minimum Number of Phases: Insertion, Preparation, Sabotage
Possible Phases: Escape, Diplomatic Incident
Insertion
same as before
Preparation
similiar to Insertion but with different results if you fail:
1 Agent caught, Identity revealed and future Sabotage Actions will always have +5 on the Roll ( instead of 1d10, 1d15) this effect is cumultative
2,3 Agent caught your identity revealed
4,5,6 Preparation Phase fails, your identity will be revealed at the end of the Espionage Action. IF you chose Diplomatic Accident(and it was successfull), the Enemy will recieve something along the lines of: "Either House A or House B was responsible for this)
Sabotage
Sabotage Ships, Troops, Fortresses, Planetary Defenses...for each 10 Hitpoints(ships,troops), Fortress Levels or Planetary Defenses roll 1d10.
Failure:
1 Agent caught, Identity revealed and future Sabotage Actions will always have +10 on the ROll
2,3 Agent caught, your identity revealed
4,5 Agent escapes
6 Phase fails, continue with the rest of your actions (aka if you prepared 4 phases of bombing and you fail in phase 3 continue on to phase 4)
Diplomatic Incident
Blame it all on somebody else
Failure:
1 Agent caught, Identity revealed, both sides will be informed of your Actions, Diplomatic Incident phases involving these two Factions will in the future have +5 to the roll
2,3 Agent caught, Identity revealed both sides of course informed
4,5 Agent escapes, both sides informed of Diplomatic Incident attempt
6 Phase fails
Steal Research:
Minimum Number of Phases: Insertion, Theft
Possible Phases: Escape
Effect: Steal someones Research you don't have yet.
Insertion
as above
Theft
steal the research
Failure:
1 Agent caught, Identity revealed, enemy gets some advances on one of his research projects or one of your techs depending on how much farther than you he is advanced.
2,3 Agent caught, Identity reavealed
4,5,6 Agent escapes
Escape
As above
Terrorism:
Minimum Number of Phases: Insertion, Preparation, Terrorism
Possible Phases: Escape, Diplomatic Incident
Effect: Ah Good Old Terrorism, nothing better to cause chaos in the enemies ranks than to blow up his Industry or sterilizing the Populace by poisoning the Water Supplies. A Succeeded Terrorist Action will (opposed to the raid Action, which adds the looted tag) destroy a modifier, costing 5 resources (Trade Goods, Food, Production, Money) in an combination, to repair it.
Terrorism
Roll 1d10 for each Modifier you wnat to blow ter bits
Failure:
1 Agent caught, Identity Revealed, Unrest on YOUR Colonies: Xd100 Regiments will rise up in rebellion all over your empire (X being your total population in your empire...yes this is supposed to hurt that bad)
2,3 Agent caught, Identity Revealed, Unrest on YOUR Colonies: xd10 Regiments will rise up ( if you are asking why, well would you follow a government that is supporting terrorism?)
4,5,6 Agent escapes
Unrest and Rebellion:
Minimum Number of Phases: Insertion, Preparation, Inciting Unrest
Possible Phases: Escape, Diplomatic Incident
Effect: Causes in the Targeted Planets an Open Rebellion for a New Government. Where this is not possible (aka Hive Minds) a Simple Coup D'Etat will take place. In any case all planets which are successfully turned will join the Revolutionary Government and fight against the Original until one side is defeated, then the new government takes over. The Victim player will still be able to continue even if his government fell and can attempt to do a Peaceful Counterrevolution (see Diplomatic Actions).
Inciting Unrest
Add one Minimum Influence for each population you want to Incite unrest upon and 1 more for each extra dice you want to throw.
That means for each Unit of Population you want to incite you have to roll an extra 1d10 and the number of Rebels are determined by 1d10x (x being the number of influence you wanted invested in that). You can invest up to a maximum of 1d100 Groundtroops if you invest more influence you will get ships and stronger Troops add infinitum.
Failure:
1 Identity revealed the enemy infiltrates X Units into your Empire which he can raise at any point he chooses (X is replaced by a certain number of Insurgents he managed to smuggle into your lands instead. the number depends largerly on what you tried to infiltrate into his lands. so 1d100 Ground troops you tried would turn into 1d50 he will now infiltrate and so on and so forth)
2,3 Identity revealed, Agent caught, entire uprising is prevented
4,5 Agent escapes, so far succeeded rebels will rise anyway
6 Phase fails, Other units will continue.
Assassinate Head of State:
Minimum Number of Phases: Insertion, Preparation, Assassination
Possible Phases: Escape, Diplomatic Incident
Effect: Effects may vary between the form of Government and may go from Simple inactivity of military and government actions due to reelections up to a full blown Civil War between Successors and Claimants. (effects will be described on a case to case basis)
Assassination
yeah basically killing whoever is in charge. Shoot the King, Disrupt the hivemind, Explode the Senate...whatever topples the Head(s) of a Government
Failure:
1 Agent caught, Identity Revealed, future assassinations add +1d10 (this one not modified by counterintelligence) to succeed (represents increased security)
2,3 Agent caught, Identity Revealed
4,5,6 Agent escapes
Diplomacy
Influence can also be used in a more legal and obvious manner.
Influence Minor Government
Cost: 10 Influence per Planet per Stage ( so 10, then 20, 30 etc.)
Increases the Opinion of a Minor Government for Alliance and Assimiliation purposes. All invested Influence will be saved towards the next stage. So if you cant invest 10 Influence at once you can invest 5 and then next turn another 5.
Declaration of Friendship
Cost: Needs Friendly Minor Government, 10 Influence per Planet
The Minor Government officially declares you a friend of the State and you both sign a Defensive Pact, in case one of you are attacked you will declare on the aggressor.
Alliance
Cost: Needs Cordial Minor government+DoF, 20 Influence per Planet
The Minor Government signs an Alliance with you and will support you in Aggressive and Defensive Wars. Both your Intelligence Services will cooperate.
Federation
Cost: Needs Close Minor Government+DoF+Alliance, 30 Influence per Planet
The Minor government grants you control over their military and Influence.
Decrease Relationship between Nations
Cost: You need more Influence than the other Player over the Minor Government, Half the Cost of Increasing the Relationship.
You tell vile lies (or hard truths) about another government thus reducing their relationship with another nation.
Piracy will be handled later.