I'll be starting up a new game for my wife. She's still thinking about a character, but she knows it's going to be a spy. I've done a Shadowrun game in the past, so I have some ideas, but looking for help. At the start, she'll be a spy for hire, but at some point will turn to the Rebellion. My immediate thoughts.

Industrial Espionage - either spying or detecting a spy

Political Espionage - especially early in the Empire, I imagine a lot of political parties are continuing as before.

Strikebreaking or making

INCOM - I have to use the defection of the INCOM engineers at some point in this. She doesn't even have to know that she was hired by the Rebellion, just information for an extraction of personnel.

I don't see assassination as being her cup of tea.

Any thoughts that you would like to share? Thanks!

Edit - she made her character. Charmer/Performer.

There's really no reason why you can't pull almost any Shadowrun style mission for an EotE group/individual. Everything that made Shadowrun work is there in Star Wars, just in spaaaaceee . So yeah, if you have experience with Shadowrun, i'd leverage it. In addition, there's a lot of criminal activity she could work for/with/against, such as Hutt or Black Sun operations.

One quick question, is this going to be a single player game?

I'm out of town unfortunately but I pulled about 100 sabotage and spy ideas from Hogan's Herod. An old TV show about a ww11 espianage ring. You can watch episodes for free on you tube. If to would like the list pm me and I can send it next week. Thug it is mostly just quick notes.

Aside from traditional James Bond type spy activities, don't forget Slicing. A couple notes/opinions:

Industrial Espionage - Pretty vicious and top end in multi-nationals now, so just imagine how cutthroat galaxy-spanning corporations would be. Assassination might not be for your wife's character, but it is definitely on the table. So she could easily be tasked with extracting a scientist that is defecting from a corporation, or just keeping one alive while finding out who is trying to kill them.

Political Espionage - This would be an unending nest of backstabbing and dirty dealings. I can't imagine anyone being the good guys with this, even on a smaller world with a more limited government. A freelance might be called in simply because all the regulars are compromised, or at least suspect.
Wife: "Why did you hire me, an outsider?"

Politico: "I'm paying you. I figure that means at least a 50/50 chance you'll stay loyal."
Wife: "50/50?"

Politico: "Believe me, that's an improvement."

Government Espionage - There is of course the ISB. However, out in the Rim and in many enclaves there are planetary governments. Even Imperial Governors are likely to have their own spies. And outside the Rebellion, there are likely to be small fringe groups that are anti-Imperial or anti-local gov't as well.

Freelance Espionage - This is the domain of the Infochant. Information, however obtained, is worth credits and influence. In the EU there was Talon Karrde. Ostensibly he was a smuggler, but he had a wide network of spies and informants that gathered information for him. The trip to becoming a spymaster like that would be very interesting I'd imagine. Competition from local Infochants, larger organizations, and the Empire or Rebellion would be fierce at every level. You could easily, quite often, end up between the Rebellion and Empire. Both want a particular piece of technology or hidden data (new planets or hyperspace routes for example). Your wife's employer is the current owner and wants to protect it. Or, your wife is hired by the owner's competitor who wants to steal it (or protect is, or bury it because it's too dangerous, etc.).

The beautiful thing about spy missions is you are never sure you're on the right side. Or even if there is a right side. Heck, sometimes you can't even tell if there are sides because all you know is everyone is after you .

Single player. So, she is a special snowflake.

Hogan's Heroes. That's brilliant. I'm old enough that I was alive when Bob Crane was murdered (rest in peace), so quite familiar with the show. Loved it as a kid. Sabotage missions could definitely be a thought.

Slicing has been on my mind. Oooh, I really like your idea for technology, new planets or hyperspace routes. That's also brilliant. Some really great examples, Admiral!

I'll be starting up a new game for my wife. She's still thinking about a character, but she knows it's going to be a spy. I've done a Shadowrun game in the past, so I have some ideas, but looking for help. At the start, she'll be a spy for hire, but at some point will turn to the Rebellion. My immediate thoughts.

Industrial Espionage - either spying or detecting a spy

Political Espionage - especially early in the Empire, I imagine a lot of political parties are continuing as before.

Strikebreaking or making

INCOM - I have to use the defection of the INCOM engineers at some point in this. She doesn't even have to know that she was hired by the Rebellion, just information for an extraction of personnel.

I don't see assassination as being her cup of tea.

Any thoughts that you would like to share? Thanks!

She works for an independent safe house of Coruscant that hires themselves out to clientele needing to be kept safe and to 'assist' from time to time. Allows you to 'tack on' various NPCs as you see fit.

Industrial Espionage Mission (or is it?)

The next year's budget for the Outer Rim sector of the Imperial Fleet is due next month and is being finalized in the week's prior. Sienar Fleet Systems, makers of the T-4A Lambda-class Shuttle are pushing for the fleet to purchase 1,200 new assault versions. Cygnus, the primary subcontractor for these, is trying to hide or address some concerns with the military design, mostly concerning high maintenance costs and lack of replacement parts in the Outer Rim areas.

Kuat Drive Yards meanwhile, is pushing the Imperial Fleet to purchase YT-49 Decimator assault craft instead, though at nearly twice the cost. The Decimator is relatively new, and is certainly fairly rare in the Outer Rim. It is a far superior craft, but at twice the cost it is difficult to justify, especially as the Imperial Navy has consistently chosen quantity over quality in the past (TIE Fighters for example).

Spying between the three ship makers has always been high, with plans, inventories, budgets, and manufacturing data flowing between them so much that it probably eclipses what they'd achieve with intentional sharing. Because of this, counter-espionage efforts are extreme and extremely effective, leading to a high turnover among agents.

KDY has decided to hire you as a freelancer. They want you to break into the regional HQ of Cygnus (SFS would be far too difficult a target) and find out their current inventory and supply bottlenecks on production of the military spec Lambda-class. Their intention is to buy out whatever materials they can to slow down Cygnus' production so that the Decimator will look to be more attractive since it can be delivered sooner.

GM Info - Unknown to KDY or the PC, the Rebellion is also interested in slowing down the production of assault shuttles, or possibly stealing some off the lines. They've sent an agent (or a few) to determine where they can sabotage, assault, steal, or whatever. The PC and the rebel agent(s) are almost certain to bump into each other since there's a limited window to get the info before security upgrades go in place.

Unknown to any of the above, the ISB has sent an agent team (2 men) because they are tracking and trying to kill the rebel agents. Cygnus security is unaware of any of this, and will just be trying to do their job.

Several commercial interests would be very interested in the supply line data, as this would allow them to get an advantage over competitors on bidding for the supply contracts with Cygnus. Some of them may have sent a freelance agent to get the info, or perhaps to steal/copy it from the PC. Inevitably, some of those freelance agents will be from opposing corporations.

Industrial Espionage Mission #2

A small corporation in the Outer Rim has apparently constructed a transparisteel factory on an underdeveloped planet. An agent (not spy) of the company had set up a press release meeting on a fairly populous planet (you pick, based on your campaign). However, the morning of the meeting, the agent's body was discovered in his room, obviously murdered. The local authorities have no leads on finding the murderer. Many authorities are looking into that aspect. However, the PC has been hired by an established transparisteel firm to investigate because no information about the press release, the location of the new factory, pricing, production capability or anything was found with the body or in the hotel room.

The PCs mission is to find the missing data, preferably before law enforcement or competitors can do so, and bring it back.

GM Info

The new company had sent out invitations for the press release party to local industry as well as larger firms such as Sienar Fleet Systems, Kuat Drive Yards, Incom and various other potential customers; including both the Empire and Rebellion.

No one knows for sure if the new factory even exists. They certainly don't know where. Absolutely everyone wants to know where this new factory is and what its capacity might be. The Imperials will let it run, with a small garrison of Imperial overseers to make sure the Rebellion is not a customer and cannot easily steal the transparisteel. The Rebellion is very interested in getting a supply source that the Imperials cannot track. Established competitors would rather see the factory destroyed or in their hands. Perhaps one of these is the thief of the press release info.

Or perhaps it is the local indigenous population who would rather that their: 1) sacred grounds not be disturbed, 2) slave workers be freed, 3) local gov't get a cut in taxes, 4) hauler's guild get an exclusive contract, 5) etc.

For sure, a lot of people are interested in finding the information and having exclusive access. So if the PC does find it first, it's going to be like a game of capture the flag where whomever is holding the press release is a target for everyone who isn't.