The Zhodani were busy. There was something on their minds.
A chilling thought you might say...:smirk:
the Great Game
- Thread starter Thanos
- Start date
The Zhodani were busy. There was something on their minds.
A chilling thought you might say...:smirk:
Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
The Zhodani seem more interested in creating a buffer zone, while the Solomani medium term goal is the recovery of their Sphere.
I know Thanos was asking about "large governments" when this was originally posted, but I'm thinking more broadly. I'm raising this from the dead because I'm making notes on "Imperial Intelligence," whatever that is. Let's leave that undefined for a moment.
Imperial Intelligence presumably keeps tabs on threats to the Imperium; real, developing, or potential. "Threats" can probably be defined as anything that can shake, oppose, or wreck the status quo of the strategic well-being of the 3I, including financial crises, terrorist plots, member inter-system alliances, Imperial family-level blackmailing, potential Quarantine events or other existential threats... or a bunch of other things.
"We don't know what we don't know" would also seem to apply, here.
Which entities to penetrate or otherwise keep tabs on? Externally, all the major polities are certainly watched. And here "watched" means specifically targeted with effort to surveil, gain covert influence, detect emerging threats or useful info, maintain strategic initiative against, and otherwise not be caught with one's pants down. Internally, I'd say again most member worlds along with all the megacorps and plenty of the "smaller" but hugely influential corporations.
That's a big org, doing this. Maybe not Navy big, but still.
Does this get sticky, because of Imperial noble ownership and presence in these places? I'd imagine so. No one loves a spy in their house.
This is all done with a variety of tools and methods - stealth spy platforms, sophont intelligence assets, coordinated and purposeful spying, and training people to do all this and keep quiet during and after.
Think of the tech. Think of agents-on-the ground recruiting spies, evading local surveillance, delivering gadgets, cleaning up untidy messes, calling in other agencies in oh-golly moments, or delivering the odd bit of kinetic diplomacy when called for.
Now who does this?
The Scouts seem likely candidates. And having just read the IRIS writeups I mostly like them too. Are there other mentions of such orgs or details anywhere to peruse? I'd like to write something up and could use a little "you should read this" help.
I am well-versed on contemporary real-world intel service operations, so maybe no need for that info. I'm looking for Traveller-specific material. Non-canon is fine as long as it's, er, intelligent and interesting.
Imperial Intelligence presumably keeps tabs on threats to the Imperium; real, developing, or potential. "Threats" can probably be defined as anything that can shake, oppose, or wreck the status quo of the strategic well-being of the 3I, including financial crises, terrorist plots, member inter-system alliances, Imperial family-level blackmailing, potential Quarantine events or other existential threats... or a bunch of other things.
"We don't know what we don't know" would also seem to apply, here.
Which entities to penetrate or otherwise keep tabs on? Externally, all the major polities are certainly watched. And here "watched" means specifically targeted with effort to surveil, gain covert influence, detect emerging threats or useful info, maintain strategic initiative against, and otherwise not be caught with one's pants down. Internally, I'd say again most member worlds along with all the megacorps and plenty of the "smaller" but hugely influential corporations.
That's a big org, doing this. Maybe not Navy big, but still.
Does this get sticky, because of Imperial noble ownership and presence in these places? I'd imagine so. No one loves a spy in their house.
This is all done with a variety of tools and methods - stealth spy platforms, sophont intelligence assets, coordinated and purposeful spying, and training people to do all this and keep quiet during and after.
Think of the tech. Think of agents-on-the ground recruiting spies, evading local surveillance, delivering gadgets, cleaning up untidy messes, calling in other agencies in oh-golly moments, or delivering the odd bit of kinetic diplomacy when called for.
Now who does this?
The Scouts seem likely candidates. And having just read the IRIS writeups I mostly like them too. Are there other mentions of such orgs or details anywhere to peruse? I'd like to write something up and could use a little "you should read this" help.
I am well-versed on contemporary real-world intel service operations, so maybe no need for that info. I'm looking for Traveller-specific material. Non-canon is fine as long as it's, er, intelligent and interesting.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Known canonical Imperial intelligence agencies:
Imperial Navy Intelligence
Imperial Army Intelligence
IISS
megacorporations maintain their own intelligence agencies
the jury is out on the canonicity of IRIS - and even if it does exist it is better as an internal rather than external intelligence agency IMHO.
[edit]IRIS is specifically mentioned as a MT variant when it is introduced in Challenge 33.[/edit]
Speculation time:
- dukes maintain an intelligence gathering apparatus for their subsector and beyond
- sector dukes maintain some sort of intelligence agency for keeping tabs on the rest of the subsector dukes
- MoJ special agents may be part of the ducal networks
Imperial Navy Intelligence
Imperial Army Intelligence
IISS
megacorporations maintain their own intelligence agencies
the jury is out on the canonicity of IRIS - and even if it does exist it is better as an internal rather than external intelligence agency IMHO.
[edit]IRIS is specifically mentioned as a MT variant when it is introduced in Challenge 33.[/edit]
Speculation time:
- dukes maintain an intelligence gathering apparatus for their subsector and beyond
- sector dukes maintain some sort of intelligence agency for keeping tabs on the rest of the subsector dukes
- MoJ special agents may be part of the ducal networks
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BlackBat242
SOC-14 1K
"The Great Game" was the term used in the British Empire for the international maneuvering etc between Britain and Russia (with complicating factors being provided by France, Germany, Austro-Hungary, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, etc) in the 1800s.
The term itself was used well before the 19th century and was associated with games of risk, such as cards and dice. The French equivalent Le grand jeu dates back to at least 1585 and is associated with meanings of risk, chance and deception.
In the summer of 1840, the principal British agent in Afghanistan, Sir William Hay Macnaghten, argued in a letter for the annexation of Herat in western Afghanistan by the British, and stated:
The term "The Great Game" is attributed to Captain Arthur Conolly (1807–42) who had been appointed as a political officer. In July 1840, in correspondence to Major Henry Rawlinson who had been recently appointed as the new political agent in Kandahar, Conolly wrote:
Conolly believed that Rawlinson's new post gave him the opportunity to advance humanitarianism in Afghanistan, and summed up his hopes:
One common popular use of the term is related to spies and their military value or political influence on the peoples of a region.
It was introduced into mainstream consciousness by the British novelist Rudyard Kipling in his novel Kim (1901).
It was first used academically by Professor H.W.C. Davis in a presentation titled The Great Game in Asia (1800-1844) on 10 November 1926, well after the close of the event, when it referred to what had once been British and Russian rivalry in Central Asia and the possible invasion of British India from the northwest by Russia.
The use of the term "The Great Game" to describe Anglo-Russian rivalry in Central Asia became common only after the Second World War. It was rarely used before that period.
Where are the canonical references to Imperial Army intelligence?
If the Imperial Army really exists as more tan cadres (and even if it's only cadres), I don't doubt it has an intelligence agency, but I'd expect it to be nearly irrelevant (mostly in the external part) when compared with INI and IISS...
If IRIS is accepted (I know that's quite controversial, to say the least), it has an external branch too, as it's quite clear in Challenge 34...
I'd also expect MoJ to have some external intelligence aparatus too, even if only for extradition and external piracy matters. Same about the Imperial DIplomatic Corps (however it is named, as few references to it exist AFAIK).
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Imperial Army Intelligence - Adventure 13 Signal GK
I just found a reference to Imperial Intelligence - no 'other' service tag - in Argon Gambit.
Now my question - is the Ministry of Justice mentioned in any actual rulebook or supplement or is it just a JTAS article too?
I just found a reference to Imperial Intelligence - no 'other' service tag - in Argon Gambit.
Now my question - is the Ministry of Justice mentioned in any actual rulebook or supplement or is it just a JTAS article too?
Xerxeskingofking
SOC-13
well, its in the mongoose spinward marchers supplement (ie the MgT's "official" version of the setting), so if you count MgT stuff, then yes.
Adv 1. The Kinunir, p 41 (under Prison Hulk).
ISTR there were articles about it in High Passage (and Far Trader #1), but that's not really canon.
And of course, it's in GT: Nobles.
In MT tte MoJ is refered as one of Lucan's intelligence services (RS, page 41). In some MT adventures they also appear (e.g. Arrival Vengeance).
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
So we have references for the MoJ existing within the 3I setting.
Now how much evidence is there for the existence of IRIS outside of the variant MT articles and its complete ridiculing in Survival Margin?
Now how much evidence is there for the existence of IRIS outside of the variant MT articles and its complete ridiculing in Survival Margin?
As for CT, in the double adventure Marooned/Marooned alone an Imperial Magistrate is named. While no Imperial Agency is, if I understand well what a Magistrate is (a judge), it can be infered an Imperial Judicial System exists. This is latter specified to be the MoJ.
Of course, this being just an inference, take it with a (big) grain of salt...
This is quite controversial, but IRIS, while being presented as an MT variant, takes quite an important role in latter JTAS news articles, being instrumental in the fall of Real Strephon when he refuses to allow them to test him.
It also appears in Arrival Vengeance adventure, when they are in Margaret stronghold (as IRIS sides with her in latter years of the Rebellion).
