ESPionage: The Role-Playing Game

The spy game ain't what it used to be. Not that it ever was.

Even in the heady days of the Cold War; car chases, gunfights, and stunts, were a small sliver of real-life espionage service. Gambling showdowns across a game of baccarat happened rarely, if at all. As our civilian lives have digitized, so has the work and world of the spy. Emphasis on human intelligence has mostly given way to the technical. But there's another layer below the intelligence community, where humans with powerful minds wage secret wars no computer ever could.

Welcome to the world of ESPionage. Welcome to the Strip. A world kept secret from other spies, where psychic powers are subtle, specialized, and sometimes sloppy. Psychic agents are Cards, teams of these agents are a Hand, and the non-psychic commanders of a Hand are Proposition Players.

ESPionage is stale beer with martini moments, more Jason Borne than James Bond. This game takes its queues from John le Carré and Tim Powers, with an occasional nod to Ian Flemming. A secret world that’s less about good guys versus bad, and more about getting the job done. Whatever the cost.

In ESPionage, Cards are the most powerful individuals alive, but still have to watch their backs. A bullet to the skull doesn’t care how powerful the brain inside was.

ESPionage is about characters with mental disorders living their lives and doing their jobs, without being defined by their conditions.

ESPionage is about characters getting their hands dirty in the field, not rooms full of servers crunching data.

ESPionage is about teamwork. A small group of talented agents who depend on each other to accomplish the mission and look out for each other. It’s not about calling Homeland Security for help with a threat. Sometimes, Homeland Security is the threat.

ESPionage is about a secret war with many sides and shifting alliances. Nations, terrorists, gods, and ghosts pushing forward with their agendas at the cost of anyone who gets in their way. It’s not about safety or working toward retirement. Once you’ve played on the Strip you’re in the game for good.

In development for Fate Condensed and Savage Worlds.