Hey, I'd like to hear from you fellow GMs some advice on the following issue (if any of my players are reading this, stop now).
There is an imperial agent/informer in the PCs group. Another PC knows that there is a spy - he has no idea who that is. But he secretly informs the Rebel commander they work with about this situation.
Now - how to expose that spy? What would a rebel commander do?
Feed false info to a group member. Just one at a time. Wait. See if any actions are taken that can be linked to this information. If nothing happens, repeat with a different group member. After cycling through the group, start again with different information. It's not going to be fast.
A real commander would take the whole team out of operation probably and 'debrief' the hell out of all of them until they figured it out.
Hmm have the team gather and announce they're being sent out to collect a data pad from a contact on Mos Shuuta containing important information for the Rebel Council.
Each member is then interviewed separately where the Rebel Commander will give them a Data chip which they will need to use on the terminal the contact tells them so they can download the information on a Data pad rather than immediately delete it if someone other than a Rebel Operative accesses it.
He will pass the Data Chip to each PC and hold on to it after they hold it activating the Data Chip making it clear this is a security precaution used for passing encrypted hardware to Rebel Operatives.
The PC who reported to the Commander will be told via an aide that the information is on a new base being used as a makeshift Jedi Academy for the few members so far discovered and to not reveal that detail until after they leave the base and are about to reach Tattooine.
The location for the meet is actually a cantina where they receive a holo message to head across to where they've landed and access the terminal there for the information this holo message will be interrupted when someone rushes in and out the back followed by a pair of Storm Troopers who swiftly follow the first figure.
Now what's really going on:
Each Datachip has a list of one location per member of the PC's team as well as their fingerprint so they can tell which member is using whichever of the Data Chips.
If a Data Chip is cracked to reveal what's on it, it will be effectively useless so that's one less they have and until they meet their contact they won't know how many of them they need to download the information.
Once they do and know where the terminal is whoever gets their first can use the terminal to download the information, please note there is nothing on the terminal the very act of putting the Data Chip in and linking it to their Data Pad is what causes the Chip to download whichever of the location ties up to the PC who has put the Data Chip in the Terminal (Yes there's one specific to each character on this mission and each location leads to an old abandoned Rebel base like the one Leia mentioned in A New Hope
).
Now that pair of Storm Troopers and the person they were chasing?
They're part of the rebel cell sent to keep an eye on the PCs, another two are at the spaceport keeping an eye on the PCs ship specifically checking the records on the bugs that was planted to check whether any of the PCs cracked the Data Chips or whether anyone tried to send a signal out once they lifted off since they wouldn't have a chance until they left the Rebel Base to contact their handler.
Even if they wait for another PC to download the intel the three other rebel operatives will have been keeping an eye on them since they can track those Data Chips without them alerting the Imperial Authorities so can tell if one of the PCs passes their Data Chip on if they figure out it can be tracked and will be able to tell who contacted the authorities.
Now its possible the players will decide not to fall for this lure but revealing its the location of a Rebel Base specifically one for training would be Jedi should be irresistible unless they've read this thread!
Oh before I forget make sure the PC who warned the Rebel Commander think this is an actual mission and to avoid him being secretive because of his suspicions he's ordered to pass on that gossip to the rest of his team in case he decides to be a ******!
I may have missed a few things do me a favour and poke holes in this idea for me, please?
Edited by copperbellAs far as what would a Rebel commander do with such a group... As little as possible. They are compromised. Simply don't give them any further sensitive tasks. Any sensitive info you do feed them should be misinformation. It really wouldn't matter which of them is the informer - just treat the whole group as a risk.
The whole unit is compromised and will be taken out of the field, unless circumstances prevent this.
Why did the player turn?
Feed false info to a group member. Just one at a time. Wait. See if any actions are taken that can be linked to this information. If nothing happens, repeat with a different group member. After cycling through the group, start again with different information. It's not going to be fast.
This is really the best option for the long game. If you need to bring it to a head though, I would suggest using the traitor's motive for turning as bait to draw him out and expose him. I can't really get anymore specific than that without knowing the background.
Now - how to expose that spy? What would a rebel commander do?
Shoot the Bothan and call it a day.
If you don't have a Bothan, witch hunts are so much fun for party drama! See the Red Scare and McCarthy for details.
The Rebels - for now at least - have to work with the group, since the PCs are crucial in a galaxy-threatening plot. I think the option with false info for each PCs is the best - if they were briefed separately the spy would immediately start to suspect something.
Well have them posted to a new base only to discover its been abandoned for a few decades!
Their orders are to reassemble the base and will be reinforced at some point in the near future (try sometime in the future!) and then run the game from there.
If and when the Rebel Commander is ready he or their successor will arrange a few missions before trying to establish if there is an informant on the team.
If your players argue simply mention their commander has orders to get several bases into operation as the Empire is cracking down on their activities perhaps "leak" details of a base on another world which only they know about and leave someone to watch the supposed new base to see if Imperial interests pay a visit...
As for the PC's have them run through a few scenario's on the Edge side as part of rebuilding their base and then see what they think about it.
If your informant actually tries something please remember that new base is isolated and there are limits to who they can contact without their team being present and if they do get the Empire down their heads that will confirm the suspicion there is a spy in their team something the true spy if they have any sense would want to avoid but sometimes the best way to out a spy in a party is to let them enough rope to hang themselves... just not literally okay?
Edited by copperbellGreat idea, but unfortunately there is no time for now for this - there is a Nemesis who is 'this' close to unleashing a million-year old virus (a product of a long-extinct race) on the Empire. The Empire wants to stop him. The Rebels too (because even though they want to see Empire toppled they don't want billions of beings dead or mutated)- but they're also afraid that the Empire would claim the virus and later used it against them. That's why the Rebels have to work with PCs (one of them is an expert on the extinct race' tech).
Put them in a situation that is urgent enough that the traitor cannot delay breaking cover and transmit the information on a "see you guys tomorrow" basis, but has to get it to the Empire right now. Make the information valuable enough that the traitor thinks it worth breaking cover over. E.g. the players are immediately placed on a journey without warning to attack a vital Imperial installation. Pretend there is some special circumstance as to why it will succeed even though the Empire thinks it couldn't. (e.g. the Rebel commander has the codes for the imperial shields or something). Make sure there is ready access to ships the traitor can escape on, but which have secretly disabled hyperdrives.
Now from the traitor's point of view, they're suddenly on their way to meet up with a large rebel force (they're not) and about to devastate a vital installation. There's no time to sneak away to a comms station, but they can climb on to one of the fast vessels and go warn the Empire and receive their fat reward. Now you wait to see who ends up sitting in a non-working spaceship trying to think up explanations.
There are variations on this. Keypoints are no time to do anything else, valuable enough its worth breaking cover. Involve the player in thinking up the trap. The command should probably just propose those two key points and let the player come up with something that fits.
I would keep the team involved with the overall plan and just limit them to low profile infromation. When the time was right and a major incursion is planned I would infrom them of all the details but change the location. The enemy will be expecting the attack to come in one location and prepare there because their spy has provided reliable infromation. The real attack will be a complete surprise. Once the attack begins the PCs will realize they were lied to and the traitor will either try to contact the imperials or try to escape. Either way he can be flushed out or removed from the picture.
It took some time (and a month-long break) but we finally finished the problem - just posting an update here, so those of you who helped get some closure and know how it all ended!
The PCs (including the spy) together with Rebels (aware that there was a spy) raided an important Imperial stronghold for the main-plot related issue. During the raid some of the rebels (PC-s not included) went to a different part of the base to cause a diversion.
After both groups joined afterwards, the rebels announced loudly that 'we managed to hit the ISB bunker in this base and now have information on all the imperial agents and informers in the sector!' while waving around a code cylinder.
Next, the whole group moved to a secret base elsewhere - ostensibly to wait for a transport and decode the cylinder so the data can be copied and read. In reality it was an entrapment. The Rebel Commander lied that the base might be hit soon, but there were too few soldiers and everyone had to be alone on their post. It was a perfect setup for the agent to leave his position and try to destroy the cylinder.
However, the agent is seriously tired of being the agent and decided not to do anything, or perhaps he had a hunch?, so he stayed. The Rebels assumed then that the agent is not with the group - especially that one other PC had stayed in the imperial stronghold.
Very interesting! I'm immensely curious as to what the spy will do now. You mentioned the spy may be growing tired of the deception; is there a chance they might defect to the Rebels? Or will they realize that the cylinder must not have had their name, and thus they are free to continue their activities?
He now knows that the cylinder was a fake and he's quite safe. Still, before the session, he (and the player) were almost ready to confess in "Les Miserables" style (he even had the song "who am I", from the musical, ready to play
). So I'm also curious, but hopefully, since it's Star Wars, it will be a tale of redemption. And saving his family.