Where are all the great spy RPGs?

[GrahamWills]

Gumshoe RPG has the Preparedness skill that helps minimize planning and maximize execution. I'm fuzzy on the details though. I don't remember if it just gives you access to equipment in hindsight or if it gives you more freedom on what you planned. Dusk City Outlaws and I think Blades in the Dark have a similar planning mechanic to address this issue.

It gives you access to equipment; if you have 8 points in it, it also allows you to retroactively ‘have planned’ something.
So, typically, when I run a scene, I’ll establish base materials as the GM, ask if anyone has anything special they want to bring, and then go. It makes scenes fats when necessary, but still allows plannig if there might be a special need.

So, for example, raid on a ski lodge (a vampirized Putin’s mistress was the target). I said something like “you have all your usual combat gear to hand, but not a lot of time to get ready, so light body armor only. Everyone has their usual bag of tricks (whatever is needed to do their skills). Anything else you want to bring along?” The players recalled rumors of werewolves, which were unusual in my game, so they stated they wanted to bring silver bullets and the silvered swordcane (that saved a preparedness roll later).

Once inside they found well defended areas, so they wanted to use some heat detection tech. That required a preparedness check as it’s not usual stuff. Much later they were being swarmed by werewolves, so a player with 12 points of preparedness spent 5 to retroactively booby trap an exterior door.

That’s a typical way it plays out. I would absolutely recommend you add the skill to any GUMSHOE system. It makes technical preparation so much nicer. Players just concentetrate on the really important things and don’t sweat the details.

 

[Josiah Stoll]

You can do espionage with basically any system. And despite the technological part of espionage nowadays, there is still a lot humans will need to do. Or you could place it all in the 80s, Problem solved.

I did love Burn Notice up to a point where it became a little bit too complicated and depressing, like many series nowadays. I always loved the A-Team, too.

(Long post, ye have been warned)
I was going to write something like this. I play a lot of Pathfinder and D&D, which normally don’t lend themselves well to “stealth-based” games, but I was thinking a couple of weeks ago: what do spies do in Golarion and the Forgotten Realms? I mean, secrets are still important, so there should be people that sell them... right? Here’s what I worked up for a 5e game:

1. Ignore the “Fighter-Mage-Thief-Cleric setup. It was bad, anyways (Druids are gods, after all). Plus, that setup assumes you are going to be fighting most of your enemies. Instead, you need something like:
Someone who can “scout ahead” with a familiar/scrying/ridiculous perception/talk to plants/whatever other crazy crap they can whip up.
Someone to deal with guards via Diplomacy, dealing lots of damage, grappling, or spells.
Someone to counter magic users (more on this later).
Someone that can nullify booby traps/alarms.
This way, everyone is important at a different point in the game without feeling patronized.

2. Tell the players they’re doing a stealth game before they start. Then you don’t have to worry about the Wild Magic Sorcerer ruining everything.

3. The “planning phase” is the best part, so it deserves the most screen time. When the Scouty Guy cases the area, tell the party tons of information. Draw floorplan maps, and show them to the party. Reveal enemy types, strengths, and weaknesses. This isn’t “The Great Evil that is Metagaming,” this is a legitimate feature of the game. This is one of the iconic moments in basically every heist or SpecOps movie ever, and it deserves to be treated that way. Plus, it’s fun.

3. Magic is technology. Give the players access to a city where they can get spells/potions/magic items ordered. I made my “magic mart” an underground “black market” kind of place, but that is by no means the only answer. Use Divination spells in place of security cameras, and Alarm spells for well...
This is where the “anti mage” comes in. Their job is to foil the security system much like the “hacker” in a movie. This is a surprisingly difficult job, because of the sheer number of ways that the players could be spied on and the various ways to counteract them. Bonus points if you can show the guards’ obvious surprise. That makes the hacker feel great.

4. Make fights short and brutal. Usually only have one or two opponents at a time, lower their HP, and increase their damage. Make it clear to the players that the entire op is a bust if the majority of the guards get alerted.

5. Never, ever let the party betray eachother. It’s a staple of espionage films, but it doesn’t usually work great. Since the party is so dependent on their planning, having a member betray the others will immediately make the entire op go bust. A player of mine tried it, and it felt terrible for everyone involved.

TL;DR: You can do “espionage” with any system, but you might have to throw out your preconceptions.

 

[Jhaelen]

I find it near impossible to find a decent modern setting RPG anywhere, the closest I have ever gotten was Corporation and for urban fantasy I had to settle with ultramodern five.

Are you looking for a modern or a sci-fi setting?

For a modern setting I really like the new World of Darkness core rules. Just stay away from any of the 'monster' books (Vampire, Werewolf, etc.) and you have the perfect system to run a mystery campaign in the style of the X-files tv show.