My group is going to be starting a game soon where we act as a covert organization backed by a government to go into a region that's locked in a 3 way war and our job is to ensure that no side grows too strong or can become a threat to our own nation, a relatively minor island kingdom off the coast of the continent. Any tips or suggestions? I've been looking into CIA history with backing coups but I'm not sure if we should actually try to install a puppet government and gradually take over or try to further Balkanize the region.
What's the time period and general cultural analogue in the real world? Any other parties involved in the conflict (ie. a greater power with stakes in the region), or is this a mostly local thing that no one else cares about?
An anachronistic early modern period with magic so pike and shot but some regions are just beginning to try to develop rail and airships. Our home country is the most advanced but it's small. The main 3 countries in the ear are a feudal militaristic society ruled by demigod kings and their extended family, nestled in the mountains, a semi underwater and magically advanced nation in the coasts and a federation of independent tribes and adventures that were untied by a very old dragon that lives in the wastelands. There's also a (so far) neutral independent floating city that seems to be major trade hub.
If you have the tech (and presumably industrial) advantage, you could dabble in a spot of arms dealing to any disadvantaged factions (including smaller subfactions within the larger societies at war). You get a little more bloodshed out of the war and a possible local ally, at risk of those weapons being used against you if the relationship sours in the long run (ie. Muhajideen).
There's a reason that something like AK-47 features on the flag of Mozambique, for instance. To wage war you need weapons, and what better way to stoke the proverbial fire than provide the region with some fuel?
I was considering playing an Artificer/ engineer type of character for that reason. What better way to accelerate bloodshed than to start selling chemical weapons or a couple maxim guns in a few key locations?
Bear in mind you probably don't want to be selling them the bleeding edge of your arsenal - probably some stuff that's a little longer in the tooth, that's been sitting in storage and might be nearing its expiry date.
Maxim guns and chemical weapons would be a massive (like several-century tech gap) step up from the pike-and-shot you described, so that seems like the kind of thing you'd keep for your own turf. Give them something that's a little better than what they're using (like a breechloader), but if your home country has such a massive tech advantage you shouldn't give that away.
That said, are you sure the tech level is pike and shot? The gap between that and more modern, repeating firearms is substantial when it comes to tactics and strategy.
>That said, are you sure the tech level is pike and shot? The gap between that and more modern, repeating firearms is substantial when it comes to tactics and strategy.
It's vague. The DM makes things kind anachronistic and isn't exactly a history buff. He said gunpowder does exist but he likes very fantasy type settings so I'm not sure on the exact state of tech. You're right about not giving them the best stuff though.
>find existing conflicts and pressure points
>make them worse
Easier then causing tensions from the ground up
>Any tips or suggestions?
Information brokerage. Basically, step in to control a significant share of the back channels between spies on all sides. Control neutral spaces, establish safe networks by assuring host nations it's for their spies only, dip into smuggling for local-level security via bribery.
Control what leaks to who, and lead-parachute selected ops when one side is taking the lead. Agents on all sides will be all too keen to look effective and collect a paycheck from more than one side. If you find a true patriot, tip one or more sides the wink about him in particular.
Find disgruntled and disenfranchised factions within all sides and use them for deniable ops. The trick is to get Side A to pay for your op on Side B and then use the info as paydirt to get a small side price from Side C, then shuffle A B and C and run again.
Honestly, the best way is to entrap the ruling class in various blackmail scenarios so their corruption can be exploited for your own interest.
Furthermore, they'd be fairly willing collaborators, so long as they get to benefit from the ongoing conflict.
Having legitimate financial stakes in the each region also gives you good excuses to travel and move money or goods around without appealing to your legitimate diplomatic channels.
It's easier to corrupt and subvert the powerful than to try and make the labor or military force inefficient through sabotage.
If you are pressed for time, then food and arms shortages means a stalemate assuming the situation isn't *so* bad it would result in their loss from inaction.
Forming or helping violent sectarians who oppose everyone is also a good idea, generally.
What are your limits, exactly? And further details of tech level and society type would be very useful.
>What are your limits, exactly? And further details of tech level and society type would be very useful.
See
for tech and faction. As far as limits there are none morally. We set up this game with the understanding that we're very much the bad guys from most of the worlds perspective so black bagging children or burning down villages to lead a false flag isn't off the table.
All right, listen up. Under no circumstances assassinate or cause actual chaos for any one side.
During times of chaos and instability, people are less inclined to compromise. They circle the wagons and the most brutal and cunning tends to win. This *might* be someone you set up, but they will have no loyalty to you.
You should only remove someone via lethal force if they're guaranteed to be a fanatic who won't play ball.
You want everyone to do kind of well. Supply *everyone* with weapons. Stay the frick away from actual conflict. Just manufacture your best war tech and sell it to everyone, give loans and attempt to get solid blackmail against all the representatives involved.
If there's stability and an "effort to conduct the war in a civilized fashion" you can absolutely make a killing by setting up deals, officer exchange programs and infiltrate every level of their administration not with your spies (though it's always nice to have some) but with lazy, corrupt and selfish people who want to further their ambitions internally at the cost of their own nation. So, the common bureaucrat.
In the abstract, you want to distance the people in charge from the reality of conflict. You don't want death, suffering, shortages to cloud their minds. You want them to think in the most abstract ways possible, to follow narratives you set up so that they'll be tempted to make "compromises for the future" that will never bank. You need to create the reality they see, regardless of what their reports tell them.
Firebrand political activists are good for this. Religious figures, mystics, subversive cults that promise personal power in vaguely illicit ways. Create small clubs that will cater to the small minded and the greedy and you'll call the shots every time.
>I'm not sure if we should actually try to install a puppet government
There's a reason this was the de facto MO of the CIA, because it almost always works in your favor.
Pick one of the 3 sides, find someone high up in the chain who is willing to play ball, get them to become the leader of that side, then take down the other 2 sides.
They'll never be a threat to you if they're on your side.
>They'll never be a threat to you if they're on your side.
Speak to your doctor to see if Regime Change is right for you. Side effects include nausea, dizziness, complicity in war crimes, and hair loss. If your puppet leadership remains stable for more than four years consult an economist.
>They'll never be a threat to you if they're on your side.
Call me a pessimist but my main fear there is if our puppet faction eventually gets overthrown or turns on us (see Iran). It's why I'm wondering if it's just safer to try to promote multiple civil uprisings or coups in all three to break them into further squabbling states.
>They'll never be a threat to you if they're on your side.
>September 11th.jpg
Promote the liberation of women, sexual minorities, and ethnic minorities. Cheerlead your clients into fights they can't win, but hurt your main rival. Especially if your client is a major food producer so you can chaosmaxx.
You know, USG policy for the last 30-40 years.
1. Kill whoever's in charge
2. Blame someone who won't take retaliation lying down.
3. Spread rumors of absolutely insane bullshit, with the intention of anyone revealing the truth to be yet another insane "conspiracy theory"
4. "Reveal" the next in line or current regent to be in on the previous' murder.
Obtain secret intel and leak it to the enemies at your convenience. There's really not much else to it.
If you know one side is planning an attack that you think might be successful and the other side may not be able to recover from, you tell them about it and they'll solve that problem themselves.
There's no advice that can be really given here. You need intel first of all. To get that you need spies. Then when you have enough intel, your next course of action will be extremely obvious, depending on what your intel is.