Espionage

Espionage is the genre of spycraft and intrigue, about secret agents working in the shadows to gather information, commit sabotage, and gain the upper hand on their rivals. It's spy vs. spy, information warfare, intelligence and counterintelligence. Grounded, realistic espionage stories focus on governments going toe-to-toe in cold war or proxy war, but more action-adventure oriented espionage might also feature independent agencies, shadowy organizations, secret societies, and lone operators or small teams. Espionage tabletop roleplaying games usually cast their players as such a team, with specialist skills and bleeding-edge tech. Spy games might pit players against another team like them, a villainous organization, another government or even their own. Players might need to gather information on their rivals' plans, infiltrate locations or organizations, execute sabotage, or take out dangerous targets.