I’m Elisabeth Hall and today I’m taking you on a journey to the darkest corners of Europe. So grab your coat and hat, flip up your collar, put on your sunglasses, and come along!
You probably know some of my colleagues from movies like Mission Impossible, Kingsman or, for those with a little less talent, Johnny English. But this isn’t Hollywood, and here spies tend to work undercover by profession. I receive covert missions from my clients via headquarters, taking me to metropolises all over Europe. In order tomove undetected from one city to another, I send agents ahead to secure my route. For this reason, a good network, a Spy Connection, is essential for a successful mission
But there are always other cunning undercover organizations sending spies to these dangerous locales. My competition never sleeps! Oftentimes quick evaluation and strategic shifts in strategy are necessary to outplay my opponents.
Before I leave for my next mission, I will take you to a special ops meeting in Friedberg, Hesse, Germany. Our contact here is Sebastian Hein. For cover he works full-time as an editor at Pegasus Spiele. Behind the scenes, however, he has played a major role in the development of Spy Connection and can therefore give us important insights and strategy tips. Every good spy knows that small gifts keep friendships alive, so we start by handing Sebastian a bag of his favorite snack, Salt & Vinegar chips, and immediately he starts talking:
„It is very important that you always think carefully about which missions you want to accept. If you risk a lot, you can win a lot, but if you make the wrong decision, you might run out of agents along the way and not get anywhere. Sometimes, it can be worth leaving missions and coming back to them later, once your agents have returned from their latest assignment. The same is true for particularly dangerous routes where other agents and spies are already present. In order to safely travel through these routes, you will need many agents to support you, who could then be missing on your further journey. So think carefully about where and when you need to be somewhere! It is ideal if you can complete multiple assignments at the same time, because the less you have to travel, the faster you can complete missions and accept new ones.“
So far so good, Sebastian, but who is the mastermind behind this concept? And how did you manage to create a thoughtful concept that was both fast-paced and strategically challenging?
„It wasn’t that easy at all. The work on the mechanics was completed relatively quickly, but choosing the right setting took some time. The two writers, Matthew and Brett, had a spy theme in mind from the beginning. The theme was new, fresh, and appealed to us. Nevertheless, in what is quite a common editorial practice, we sat down and collected more suggestions. The decision for the original topic was then made by the many test players at various events, because they were convinced of their new job as master spies. After all, a life as a spy is more exciting than a simple office job! The theme wonderfully depicts the mechanics of setting and moving agents. But when theme and title were first set, all agents had to meet again in the head office to find a new title, because other spies had already published a game with the same name. In the end, however, we are very happy with the result – Spy Connection, which sounds modern, works well in the English market and is more than worthy of a great secret agent game! :)“
After so much background information, I would now like to tell you, dear readers, a little bit about my everyday life: In the headquarters there are always different missions that I can accept. When I have accepted one, the headquarters sends me a mission map on which my target locations are listed. Together with my agents, I begin to make connections between individual cities in order to complete my missions. interested in trying out the spy life for yourself, but feel like it might be a little tough to get started? Don’t worry! Every spy kit (a.k.a. game) that you buy comes complete with a manual full of examples and pictures to explain everything you need to know. This way, you’ll quickly find your way into the business – even if you have junior spies in your team!
So, whether you are an enthusiastic turn-by-turn player or a frequentgamer who is looking for a quick and entertaining, but still strategically challenging task similar to games such as Spirit Island, then Spy Connection is the right choice for you. I for one look forward to welcoming you to the team!
Want to learn more about Spy Connection or test it yourself? Check out the teaser video and try the game online on Tabletopia.
Questions, comments, feedback? Share your thoughts with us at blog@pegasus.de.
