Bond…in the future
As the Earth today wonders who will be the next James Bond, in the Earth Sector of Independence Games’ The Clement Sector roleplaying game setting using the Cepheus Engine YOU can be the next super secret agent. That is, if you are cleared to be read into Covert: Espionage in the Clement Sector by Senior Analyst John Watts from the Independence Games field office.
Covert: Espionage in the Clement Sector is a sourcebook for espionage related roleplaying adventures. As the cover sheet teases:
Everyone has secrets.
Covert: Espionage in Clement Sector pulls back the curtain on the clandestine world of spies, saboteurs, and deep cover agents with the richly detailed setting of the Clement Sector RPG. Whether you’re playing a loyal intelligence operative, a deep-cover infiltrator, or a rogue freelancer working the shadowy fringes, this sourcebook gives you everything you need to launch thrilling espionage campaigns across the stars.
Covert covers the history of real-world espionage and transitions into the 24th Century tracing the evolution of these agencies and how their clandestine operations shaped both Earth Sector and Clement Sector. Covert doesn’t just describe the agencies, it immerses you in their methods. Learn about dead drops, brush passes, infiltration, exfiltration, sleepers, and honey traps. Whether you’re a player or a Referee, you’ll find a wealth of information ready to be used in adventures.
Covert features eight new espionage-related careers for characters included analysts, couriers, freelancers, handlers, and direct action teams.
Whether you’re plotting sabotage on Minerva, exfiltrating a burned agent from Monroe, or turning a Cascadian diplomat into a double agent, Covert gives you the tools to play and run tense, thrilling campaigns of interstellar espionage.
The truth is classified. The mission is deniable. The game is on.
Reading you in
The content of Covert is separated into six compartments. Compartment 001 is a broad history of espionage; after all, it is one of the oldest professions. Compartments 002 and 003 covers the “history” of espionage agencies in Earth Sector traced from today through the start of The Clement Sector setting as well as the numerous espionage agencies operating in The Clement Sector itself. I recommend that all players, whether their campaign is set in Earth Sector, The Clement Sector, or elsewhere, read this section as there are many excellent plot seeds. For example, nn the planet Fairfax in the Cascadia Subsector the principle agency is the Fairfax protective Services (FPS) which has a subagency known as the Directorate of Xeno-Scientific Security (DXSS). This agency is charged with protecting alien artifacts. Imagine if there was a special agency in charge of Roswell or Area 51. Hmmm…
The next compartment, 004, in Covert is “Espionage Methods and Concepts.” This compartment is a encyclopedic collection of persons and methods—skills if you will—related to espionage. What is a Double Agent (p. 111)? How do you make a Brush Pass (Stealth, DEX, 1-6 seconds, Very Difficult (-4))(p. 100)? These 38 entries are not only useful in Covert but in most any adventure.
You want to be a spy? You need to access to compartment 005 “Careers.” I like how John Watts takes the standard Cepheus Engine lifepath character generation system and tailors it for Covert. After all, every good spy needs a 5000 Credit “Fine Clothing” allowance when they leave the service, yes? The eight career options are:
- Analyst
- Covert Courier
- Direct Action Team
- Field Operative
- Fixer
- Freelance Agent
- Handler
- Deep Cover Agent
Again, even if you do not use Cepheus Engine or run a campaign not in The Clement Sector there are many adventure and plot ideas in this compartment of Covert. For example, if you are a Covert Courier that suffers a mishap with a roll of [9] your life takes an interesting turn:
A person to whom you delivered an important package defected and your agency believes that you helped them escape. Now your agency wants you dead. Gain your agency as an Enemy and automatically enlist in the Vagabond career (Clement Sector, p. 290) to hide from them.
Covert, p. 149
Compartment 006 is equipment. You will not, however, find guns here but instead specialized equipment like Bugs, Bug Detectors, Trackers, and other like equipment. This is also where special drugs, like truth serums or the like, are found.
Simply put, Covert covers your entire career as a spy. That is, if you are game enough to try…
Quartermaster arrangements
Covert is delivered to players not in a locked courier bag but digitally secure direct from Independence Games or through a DriveThruRPG cutout. You also do not have to knock over a casino in Monte Carlo to afford the $12.99 price.
I strongly recommend acquiring Covert: Espionage in The Clement Sector; that is, if your characters are ready for impossible missions….
Feature image courtesy Independence Games
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Rocky Mountain Navy Gamer 
Interesting. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I’ve done espionage-related adventuring but it might be neat to have more resources. I play Classic Traveller and don’t use the Clement line, but I’ll bet I could use the equipment lists and adapt any chargen details. Perhaps this could dovetail in nicely with that campaign I’ve been mulling over, Kosmos 68 combined with Hostile! In space, Cold War is very cold!
Hmmm…had not thought of using Covert with HOSTILE but it could work! The careers and methods should easily transfer into any Classic Traveller or Cepheus Engine campaign.