What kind of books would you like to see for 3.0?

[Crafty_Alex]

Sounds like the old Flags products we discussed back in the day.

[Morgenstern]

Possibly. 2 pages each is seriously cutting to the core. I was thinking more of the mechanical guts presented in the World on Fire book for the three opposition factions, then slimmed down even further. The WoF agencies each recieved a master class, which is nice if space permits, but I think largely unnecessary in a section focusing on real world organizations. In the real world everybody is largely on the same page in terms of techniques (Ok, I'd totally give the CIA a Stuxnet feat...). A couple of feats should be adequate to give distinctiveness, and the range of expert classes in the book would presumably cover most real-world specializations for opperatives.

Upon consideration I'd be looking to gut it all the way down to just 8 spreads. 22 pages with the timeline and intro. Somthing that a person planning to go totally self-created espionage setting won't begrudge having paid for when they evaluate the cost of the book and the number of pages they actually use at their table. Especially if it serves double duty as the detailed examples for the Agency rules.

If the format works out, then I'd love to see more agencies in a supliment, but bare bones open-the-book-and-start-playing can probably be pulled off with just 8 agencies. Having a workable "real world" skeleton in the core book goes a LONG way towards having a default campaign.

[VisualStatic]

...8 agencies.

Love the idea, my 8 choices:

1. CIA - USA
2. MI6(SIS) - UK
3. Mossad - Israel
4. FSB - Russian Fed
5. BND - Germany
6. MSS - China
7. DGSE - France
8. NIS - Greece

[Sletchman]

Upon consideration I'd be looking to gut it all the way down to just 8 spreads. 22 pages with the timeline and intro. Somthing that a person planning to go totally self-created espionage setting won't begrudge having paid for when they evaluate the cost of the book and the number of pages they actually use at their table. Especially if it serves double duty as the detailed examples for the Agency rules.

This is an excellent point.  There was a lot of bitching at my own table when adventure companion came out - over 70% of the book will never be used and of the remaining 30% they were "paying for a lot of stuff they had already paid for".

Which actually kinda leads to something I would not like to see for 3.0 - more Agent X / Call to Arms type products that will be included in a future printed book.

[Nepenthe]

...8 agencies.

Love the idea, my 8 choices:

1. CIA - USA
2. MI6(SIS) - UK
3. Mossad - Israel
4. FSB - Russian Fed
5. BND - Germany
6. MSS - China
7. DGSE - France
8. NIS - Greece

No SUPO, no buy. 

[Mister Andersen]

I'd be wanting ASIS myself, on the basis of having at least 1 agency from each continent

[OverNinja]

No SUPO, no buy. 

Same here...

Though I think Pat and Alex have a hard time reading Ratakatu 12. 

[Wolverine]

No SUPO, no buy. 

When did Susan Boyle become a secret agent?

*hides*

[Nepenthe]

No SUPO, no buy.  

Same here...

Though I think Pat and Alex have a hard time reading Ratakatu 12.  

But it's such a classy old building, none of that green glass and crap the Brits are so insistent on.

(click to show/hide)

Though, I have to say, Lubyanka's not that bad, either.

Oh, and for the humorists, we can also use the official English abbreviation, FSIS.

[TheTSKoala]

No SUPO, no buy. 

When did Susan Boyle become a secret agent?

*hides*

Right after she was trained by the Hoff!! 

[VisualStatic]

I'd be wanting ASIS myself, on the basis of having at least 1 agency from each continent

Swap out Greece for ASIS is fine by me.  It was sort of a nod to For Your Eyes Only when Bond rattles off a few groups, including the Greek Police.

But after finding this:  http://www.smashinglists.com/10-best-intelligence-agencies-in-the-world/  I was surpised 7 or the 8 I picked are on that list, granted I don't know how they ranked things.  And a couple some may not agree with.

[Mister Andersen]

For the list of 8, along with swapping ot Greece for Australia, I'd drop Germany on the basis that you'd want the foreign agency of the 5 permanent Security Council members, and toss in the South African Secret Service.

[Morgenstern]

See, the back and forth listing of agencies here tells me it it should be cut down even further. Five, possibly six, spreads in the main book to establish format and train GMs/players on the usability of the system. Cut it to the truely unassailable choices and move on.

Then move all the other runner-ups into a "Spycraft Espionage Almanac" - a product that's all about turning the real world into a campaign (or stocking the pond for custom campaign design). You can put 20-30 spreads there, a fuller timeline, and an expanded agency creation toolset. Bulk it up with some favorite spy sites, some maps, a few adventure seeds, and go play.

Step 3: profit.

[Coyote0273]

Could possibly add a few of the fictional agencies into that from various TV shows to show demonstrate how its done. Section 7 from Alias, Division from Nikita, the Nameless agency from Burn Notice, etc.

[Morgenstern]

Maybe easily recognized analogs, but direct reference would be about $50,000 in fees per name being dropped. We're back to that textbook pricing again .