Where are all the great spy RPGs?

[Dannyalcatraz]

Never cared for A-Team. Burn Notice was don't-miss TV for me from the start to the penultimate episode. (My DVR screwed up the recording of the series finale.)

 

[Morrus]

Never cared for A-Team. Burn Notice was don't-miss TV for me from the start to the penultimate episode. (My DVR screwed up the recording of the series finale.)

You are the diametric opposite of me. The A-Team is one of my favourite all-time shows. Burn Notice didn't work for me at all.

 

[ChadDubya]

Um, at the risk of being *that guy,* OP might want to look into Cryptomancer. Yes, it's a fantasy game, but it was written by actual security heads who not only know their stuff when it comes to cybersecurity, but it also heavily features concepts of spy vs spy, including a ton of material regarding both clandestine tradecraft and analytical tradecraft. In fact, a core component of the game is building your own safe-house and managing assets, all while managing risk and staying out of the cross hairs of Minority Report assassins.

It's been described as Person of Interest meets Burn Notice meets Lord of the Rings.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You are the diametric opposite of me. The A-Team is one of my favourite all-time shows. Burn Notice didn't work for me at all.

( )

 

[Crusadius]

Systems that would work with slight tweaks
Leverage

Supernatural horror wedded to covert ops is popular as well. Here are some of the more commonly noted:
Night's Black Agents (vampire bad guys)
Agents of Oblivion
The Laundry (Cthulu-ish)

I think you could add to this list: Cold City

 

[76512390ag12]

Night's Black Agents please

Sent from my SM-G901F using Tapatalk

 

[Jhaelen]

You are the diametric opposite of me. The A-Team is one of my favourite all-time shows. Burn Notice didn't work for me at all.

Well, when I watched and enjoyed A-Team, I was about ten years old. And even back then I thought it was rather ridiculous how nobody ever got hurt. I consider it unwatchable for anyone past teenage age.

Burn Notice in contrast, isn't bad, even for the current me. But I don't enjoy it enough to want to watch the entire show.

 

[practicalm]

I always enjoyed the James Bond RPG over Top Secret. If I wasn't using GURPS or HERO system.

 

[aramis erak]

While not technically Espionage, Remington Steel and White Collar are both excellent examples of the wider version of the spy genre on TV, along with the aforementioned Burn Notice and Leverage.

Remington Steel is espionage for private clients.
Leverage is Espionage and Asset Neutralization for personal reasons.
Burn Notice is "Survive your prior enemies"...
White Collar is "Espionage and Infiltration for Law Enforcement and/or personal gain."

And there is some actual espionage on TV...
MacGuyver is (either series) Counter-Intel and Counter-Counter Intel, mostly asset neutralization and recovery. Which is often a team sport.

And any of them can be done readily with a variety of systems.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

Spy games are tough on players, at least they are tough on my players. In the movies it all looks so obvious, but when the players come across a building with a security system, it puts a burden on them to remember how to get by it. Leverage had a class type that was perfect for that. They could retcon how they HAD already placed countermeasures in ahead of time. It seemed like a great way to allows the players minimal planning time, and maximum execution time.

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.