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[SirHoneyBadger]

I kind of see dwarfs as being naturally a bit paranoid, too, so it might not just be the guards spies and saboteurs would have to worry about (thieves even more!), but everybody in the Fortress. For one thing, they all have to rely on each other and themselves--there's really not anyone else.

I think this "citizen neighborhood watch" could maybe decrease if there are morale problems, or when your Fortress get to be huge (although maybe we could one day see neighborhoods?), eventually requiring you to take official security measure to replace them.

[penguinofhonor]

Heh, thanks for the feedback. When I like a suggestion and I'm in a creative mood, I write a short story about it. I think the only other one I've done is the interspecies breeding one... here.

[The Mad Engineer]

In order to add even more personality, there could be a chance that a spy, theif, or saboteur could defect to your cause.  Things such as marraige, witnessing happiness, talking to children, or even being elected mayor would have a chance of the dwarf in question trying to turn his life around.



Of course, the fortress guard could still uncover him.  (I.e. "Urist Mcmayor has been unmasked!")  Then in a daring and tearful escape, aided by his newfound friends, he would flee into the night.

[SirHoneyBadger]

Then in a daring and tearful escape, aided by his newfound friends, he would flee into the nearest magma hole, toes first.

Fixed, for great justice.

[penguinofhonor]

There's a reason the story doesn't end with the guy dieing, and that reason is the possible daring escape.

[SirHoneyBadger]

...But that would preclude my dwarfs burning the traitor...?

[Leafsnail]

Defecting to the cause might be interesting.  Incidentally, I had the idea that an intruder starts with a secret set of skills that will aid his escape - for instance, he may have some swimming skill to help him cross water, some weapon skills (and a concealed weapon) to get guards outta the way, maybe some armour skills to deflect damage.  He would only use them if the need arised.  Incidentally, this could bring about an interesting new thing in dwarf fortress - spy dunking.  You drop a dwarf with no swimming skill into the water.  If he's a spy, he'll reveal his swimming skill in order to escape, and he can then be executed.  If he's a normal dwarf... he drowns.  Oh well.  Very dwarven.  A similar thing might happen if you sent a spy as a new recruit to fight a raid (ie revealing his combat skills to save himself).

[Pyrophoricity]

Another cool aspect of spies might be the need to the patrol the halls; often people have large chunks of fortress that is rarely used and spies could potentially use these areas to hide out. Creating a need to periodically send soldiers to investigate.

So, perhaps as is fitting, if a fort is running at full capacity and everyone is moving it's hard for a spy to stay out of sight but when things quite down the military have to keep a watchful eye on the shadows.

[SirHoneyBadger]

I really like this idea, including spies escaping for that matter, although I think I'd be pretty ticked if it happened. Not at the game itself ofcourse, but at my dwarfs for letting it happen.

So yeah, it'd be really interesting, and maybe add to immersion.

Would all those kidnapped dwarfs be working in this way for the goblins?

[Leafsnail]

I really like this idea, including spies escaping for that matter, although I think I'd be pretty ticked if it happened. Not at the game itself ofcourse, but at my dwarfs for letting it happen.

So yeah, it'd be really interesting, and maybe add to immersion.

Would all those kidnapped dwarfs be working in this way for the goblins?

Might be an idea.  I believe most goblin civs actually have quite a good stock of captives anyway though (so good that sometimes the goblins have actually died out in wars and all that are left are the dwarven/ elven/ human "captives").

[Elliott_Thinas]

I like everything but the thief. I think the thieves we have are already pretty cool, and I think a different civ sending people to your fort just to steal your masterwork socks is a little silly. Maybe you could expand the role of the spy to involve stealing crucial fort items, like the clerk's book (if one of these is ever added to the fort)

[SirHoneyBadger]

Well, one dwarf's "thief" is another human's "adventurer".

I could see thieves being a big part of the game, and I think a lot of fun things could be done both with them, and to prevent them.

I don't think they should be sent by other Nations, though, so Elliott_Thinas I think is right about this not being a political option, unless ofcourse there are real political reason for stealing something, which does sometimes occur.

[chucks]

Well, one dwarf's "thief" is another human's "adventurer".

Whoa there.  These are dwarves, not hobbits or halflings or gnomes or kenders.  They believe in dwarven justice!

[SirHoneyBadger]

chucks: Exactly, although I may not have written that as clear as possible. I see dwarfs being a lot less tolerant of things like grave robbing, stealing sacred jewels from idols, mugging dragons, and all those staples of heroic fantasy, than humans would be.

[Craftling]

What do we do if everyones at the big party except for Urist who WONT DO AS HE'S TOLD?