New Mechanics: Handling Top-Secret Projects & Covert Operations
Hey everyone! As our roleplay grows and nations start developing more advanced tech, covert programs, and hidden initiatives, we need a streamlined way to handle “Top-Secret” projects.
Asking people to post things publicly and just “pretend they didn’t read them” leads to accidental metagaming. To keep things fair and square, thrilling, and genuinely surprising, we will be rolling GM-Mediated Blind Rolls for all those naughty secrets.
Here is how secrecy, definitions, and rolls will work moving forward:
What Qualifies as a “Top-Secret” Project?
Not every routine upgrade needs to be hidden, but anything that gives a nation a sudden strategic, technological, or military edge—and could trigger a geopolitical panic if found out—falls under this umbrella. I am introducing this as I have seen posts whereas bleeding edge technology or advancement was announced and many posts followed up to it, but there’s no way that a nation would be able to pull that on it’s own.
Examples include:
Advanced R&D: Developing experimental military hardware, weapons of mass destruction, or breakthrough tech.
Covert Infrastructure: Constructing hidden underground bunkers, classified missile silos, or secret intelligence black sites.
Espionage & Subversion: Funding proxy groups, setting up deep-cover spy networks, or preparing clandestine cyber-attacks against another nation.
Geopolitical Conspiracies: Secret pacts, resource stockpiling, or mobilization plans hidden from domestic and international view.
(If you are ever unsure whether something counts as “top secret” or just normal domestic policy, feel free to DM me to check!)
How the Secret Process Works
If you want to launch a project and keep it hidden from other players’ characters, follow these steps:
1. The Private Submission
Do not post the details on the public board. Instead, send me a PM/Discord DM detailing:
What your nation is trying to build, research, or execute.
The resources, funding, or time you are allocating to it.
Your primary goal (e.g., speed, stealth, or heavy security).
2. The Blind D20 Roll
Behind the scenes, we will run a D20 check against a Difficulty Class (DC) based on how ambitious your project is. I will factor in your nation’s established capabilities as per individual portofolio, industrial capacity, and any relevant roleplay build-up.
DC 10 (Routine Cover-up): Standard classified domestic projects.
DC 14 (Difficult): Advanced tech development or hidden military installations.
DC 18+ (Near-Impossible): Massive superweapons or high-risk international black-ops.
3. Some of the Potential Outcomes
Critical Success: Completed ahead of schedule with zero leaks. Total radio silence maintained.
Success: The project is completed quietly. It stays a secret until you choose to deploy it or reveal it.
Failure: The project stalls, runs over budget, or hits a roadblock. You can scrap it or invest more.
Critical Failure: Disaster strikes! Not only does the project fail, but an intelligence leak happens. Whispers, whistleblowers, or anomalies might tip off rival nations that something is going on.
Espionage & Counter-Intelligence (Hunting Secrets)
Secrets aren’t just meant to stay hidden forever, no-no, rival nations should have a way to uncover them! If you want to use your intelligence agency to spy on another player, use the following rules:
The Target: Send me a DM stating which nation you are targeting and what you are trying to find out or disrupt (e.g., “I want to investigate if Thessara is building something near our border” or “I want to run surveillance on their research sector”).
The Contested Check:
The attacker rolls a D20, modified by their intelligence/recon capabilities.
The defender rolls a D20 (or I roll on their behalf based on their security budget) to resist.
The Results:
Attacker Wins: You uncover a piece of their secret project, gain a specific clue, or successfully execute a disruption. The target player is privately notified that a security breach happened.
Defender Wins: Your agents are locked out, or worse—burned. The target nation learns that someone tried to spy on them and gets a clue pointing toward who you are.
The Payoff: The Public Reveal
The best part of a secret project is the shock value when it finally sees the light of day. Once your project is finished—or if an opposing nation successfully uncovers you through espionage—you get to drop the reveal on the public board.
No more awkward “pretending not to read things”—from now on, if it’s truly a secret, nobody knows it exists until you pull the curtain back.
Let me know if you have any questions about the system, and happy plotting!
Something else:
On Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings, I told you that it is SUPER important to develop your economies and buy things off the ledger. The ledger showcases your current capabilities, and ties back to your accumulated economies and so on. With that said, here’s an example of how we will determine your capabilities in the field.
National Security & Intelligence Capabilities
Your nation’s intelligence modifier, which determines your effectiveness in running secret projects, defending against foreign surveillance, or launching counter-intelligence operations—is directly tied to your economy and the Maturity of your assets on the Financial Ledger:
Standard Security (+0 Modifier): Baseline state. You possess standard domestic police and border security, but lack advanced foreign intelligence reach or deep cyber defenses.
Advanced Agency (+2 Modifier): Unlocked by owning fully operational, mature assets under SC&T (Sovereign Tech & Telecom) or advanced industrial hubs. You have active foreign intelligence desks, secure communications, and telecommunications interception capabilities.
Superpower Intelligence (+4 Modifier): Unlocked only when your high-end Mega-Projects (N-MP)—such as the National Cybersecurity & Digital Defense Grid or Sovereign Space & Satellite Command—reach full Maturity.
Note on Pacing: Infrastructure takes time to build. Unripe or under-construction projects do not grant intelligence modifiers or defensive security bonuses until they have reached full maturity on your ledger!