''Espionage!'' is a role-playing game published by

Hero Games Hero Games (''DOJ, Inc dba Hero Games'') is the publisher of the Hero System, a generic roleplaying rules set that can be used to simulate many different genres, and was the co-developer of the ''Fuzion'' system. History In 1981, George MacDon ...

in 1983.

Description

''Espionage!'' is a system of modern espionage rules that use the

Hero System The ''Hero System'' is a generic role-playing game system that was developed from the superhero RPG ''Champions''. After ''Champions'' fourth edition was released in 1989, a stripped-down version of its ruleset with no superhero or other genre ...

. The rulebook (64 pages) covers character creation, skills, combat (melee and firearms), vehicles and car chases, and a sample espionage organization, the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

. "Merchants of Terror" (16 pages) is an introductory scenario in which the heroes must track down a stolen atom bomb.

Publication history

''Espionage!'' was designed by

George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He was a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow writer Lewis Carroll. I ...

and Steve Peterson, and was published in 1983 by

as a

boxed set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

including a 64-page book, and a 16-page book, and dice. This system was later updated and republished as ''

Danger International ''Danger International'' is a role-playing game published by Hero Games in 1985. Description ''Danger International'' is a contemporary adventure system with rules for characters such as spies, detectives, investigative reporters, and paramilitar ...

''.

Reception

W.G. Armintrout comparatively reviewed ''

Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...

'', ''Espionage!'', and ''

Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes ''Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes'' (''MSPE'') is a tabletop role-playing game designed and written by Michael A. Stackpole and first published in April 1983 by Blade, a division of Flying Buffalo, Inc. A second edition was later published by ...

'' in ''

Space Gamer Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

'' No. 67. Armintrout commented that "''Espionage!'' is the most complicated of the games, but once you master the rules I think it's the most satisfying of the three. It seems realistic. The parts that bog the game own are the turn phase rules (where all characters try to move at the same time) and the body/stun damage points rules (which work nicely but take time to allocate). The game also suffers from shoddy editing, with some rules left unclear and a lack of necessary examples. Nevertheless, I managed to figure it out and I'm going to keep playing it, if for no other reason than to try out the excellent CIA adventures I hope Hero Games will continue to produce." Nick Davison reviewed ''Espionage'' for ''

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

'' magazine, and stated that "This is a very good games system which is not as expensive as it seems given the full module included." Marcus L. Rowland reviewed ''Espionage!'' for ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...

'' #54, giving it an overall rating of 8 out of 10, and stated that "I liked ''Espionage'' - it's easy to learn, fast, sensible, and has no obvious errors."

Reviews

*''

Different Worlds ''Different Worlds'' was an American role-playing games magazine published from 1979 to 1987. Scope ''Different Worlds'' published support articles, scenarios, and variants for various role-playing games including ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Ru ...

'' #31Different Worlds Magazine : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
/ref>

References

{{reflist Espionage role-playing games Hero System Role-playing games introduced in 1983