sources for Gurps Espionage

[jason taylor]

Istanbul Intrigues by Barry Rubin: already mentioned elsewhere. Splendid work on WWii espionage. My very favorite.

Secret Diplomacy by James Westfall Thomson and Saul K, Padover: one of the best works on early modern era espionage.
The eighteenth-century is a wonderful era for spy stories. Espionage organization had developed to the point where it resembled the modern era, yet it had not yet become depersonalized. It is not plagued by the bipolarity that is the disadvantage of Cold War spy stories-there were always about half a dozen major powers and dozens of minor powers. Furthermore violence would not be restrained as much because the costs were less and their were fewer pesky newsmen-great for RPG's. Moreover the 18th century allowed a whole world to travel in-one which was not quite tamed, thus the excitement of an exploration game can be combined with an Espionage game. Moreover there are interesting extras that can be made of this(was courier X kidnapped by the Venetians or was he just mugged by highway robbers?). Finnally few people's ideological predilections are wrapped up in the eighteenth century system-though it may by useful to have the PC's serve the faction they nostalgically sympathize most with(I.E a Scottish PC might want to be a Jacobite agent, etc). The chief disadvantage is lack of tech. I always thought tech a minor point, but others might devour tech like ice cream. Still others would find lack of tech a positive attraction.

Great Game trilogy, by Peter Hopkirk

A splendid series about espionage in Asia during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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for fiction

Much of fiction is best as an idea for "tone", rather then a source of espionage technique. Some, notably "Kim" give ideas that sound remarkably realistic at times

Kim by Kipling

The first thought that occurs when one thinks of ninteenth-century spy fiction. Supriseingly gritty in a few places for nineteenth century work-not gritty by comparison with twentieth century work of course. Told from the point of view of a street waif who is promoted into the Raj secret services for his skill as a "cut-out". Gives also his conflict between that world and a more otherworldly one(the resouloution is not given but left to the readers imagination). Interestingly the bad guys are seldom identifyed-which may make it supriseingly realistic-real spies probably often spy on people without knowing who they are or why they are spying on them. Indeed the focus really is not on the "spy-game" but on how it affects the title character.

Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope

Has the haunting quaintness of old style spy-stories. It is courtly rather then grity. Has the disadvantage of assuming the rightness of one faction without explaining why it is right. The hero, by defending dynastic law is in a sense defending rule of law against "might is right" but dynastic law is a crude form of rule of law and their is no evidence given that the other factions candidate might not actually be better for Ruitania. The other faction is prepared to do murder of course, but the candidate the "good-guys" favor is obviously incompetant. That said it is a splendid book, well written.
The movie version is fairly good(I forget which edition I am refering to-there may have been more then one, but this one was black and white which is to bad as it would have been splendid in color). Unfortunatly it downplays the intrigue for the sake of showing aristocratic pagentry. Good "special effects" ok story line.

Scarcrow & Mrs. King, Sue Thomas FBI

I put these together because they resemble each other greatly. They give a "cute" air that would attract some, repulse others, and do both at the same time to others.
Scarcrow is a story roughly about the relationship between an "apple-pie American" civilian recruit and her "handler"(who eventually maries her). Mrs King is the typical innocent-who-shows-suprising-talent and Scarcrow the handler is a "mildly jaded veteran" (there is only so jaded it can get without ruining the mood though).

Sue is about a deaf woman who becomes successful in the FBI(largely because of her lipreading talents). It is aparently based vaguely on the career

Both shows are meant to be "heart-warming" and succeed. Unfortunatly both overdue the heroines successes-a little more difficulty might help. Still neither show is meant to be realistic.
If the above criticisms sound harsh I will say that I like both shows greatly. I also think that a GM might consider them once in a while as a change of pace, depending on his PC's. I am guessing he will only want to use that tone occasionally-but it is there as an option.

[quarkstomper]

Of course the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming are must-reads for any espionage fan. If you only know Bond from the movies, the books will give you a different perspective on the Well-Known Secret Agent. Fleming was big on background details that give his books some wonderful flavor. Of course, saying that the books are more realistic than the movies isn't really saying much; but both are fun in their own ways.

For the Bond fan, James Bond: The Authorized Biography of 007 by John Pearson is a must-read. It gives us a bit of Bond's early life; how he became a spy, how he met Flemming and how SMERSH's vendetta against him inspired Flemming to write the novels as an elaborate disinformation campaign. It also describes some of the adventures Flemming never described and gives Bond's own take on the books.

[jason taylor]

Ah yes-I should have mentioned James Bond-I guess I just thought it an axiom.

[jason taylor]

I suppose "league of extrodinary gentlemen" would do-that is kind of a crossover with Supers, I think.

[jason taylor]

"Secret Diplomacy by James Westfall Thomson and Saul K, Padover"
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in one part it describes a fascinating incident. A diplomatic courier was carrying information in a sealed metel capsule. Instead of killing or abducting him the Venetians went through an elaborate proceedure. First they drugged him. Then they broke open the capsule. Then they carefully copied the message. Then they wielded the capsule shut in such a matter that it looked like it hadn't been tampered with. Then they left the courier alone to wake up with a big hangover, probably curseing himself for getting drunk on duty and no doubt hopeing his employers would never find out. The courier had no idea what had been done and presumably neither did his employers. I forget whether anyone else found ought or whether the author just dug it out of archives long after the incident had ceased to matter beyond it's historical interest.

[Luther]

Interesting subject. Keep going!

[zogo]

Don't Forget Alias The chronicles of super-spy Sydney Bristow as she deals with various threats to the US and world order some of which are her family members...

I especially reccomend season 1 where Sydney is a double agent within the mercenary group SD6.

[Wonder Lemming]

Munchkin Impossible - Steve Jackson Games

How NOT to do it!

[jason taylor]

The Unseen War in Europe by John H White gives a large number of interesting cases. There are also some fascinating details. For instance Allen Dulles in Switzerland rather then keeping a low profile, practically advertised himself in the hope that recruits would beat a path to his door. Interestingly the unorthodox strategy worked.

The diplomat Harold Nicholson tells how at the Versailes negotiations, the British took care to bring their own garbage collectors along-in memory of how the Hapsburgs had been able to rifle the garbage of other powers at the Congress of Vienna, due to the fact that all the garbage collecters were on their payroll, as the city of Vienna was their home ground. An interesting bit of the trivial stuff that affects the real Great Game.

[jason taylor]

One interesting one that I am suprised I left out:

Spies Wives by Karen L. Chiao and Mariellen B. O'Brien

This is a sourse for information into the lifes of CIA families. It is not a scholarly study but a collection of accounts by members of Company families. If the GM desires a picture of the mundane life of the CIA it can be most useful.