Latest revision as of 04:44, 25 January 2024

Rebel Spies Season Six Logo

The Game

Rebel Spies is an Imperial Holo Reality Game Show created by Gallus Drak and licensed to the Imperial Regional Government for production, syndication and translation. In the show, Officers of the Imperial Military and Government are invited to take on the fictional roles of Rebel Spies, Imperial Investigators and Citizens in a game of lying, bluffing and deceit. The setting of the show is on an Imperial starship travelling through hyperspace, having picked up several Rebel Spies who need to be captured and executed before they murder all of the loyal Imperials and take over the ship.

Example death notification - Jarik Zhet was executed on Day 5 of Season 4.

The game is played in phases, players are encouraged to enact a strategy to either deceive the other players of their true role, or identify themselves in hopes of being saved from assassination during the night phase. Players periodically vote to execute another player or give secret orders to the Game Master in order to change the game state. Secret orders typically take place during the night, and can include assassinations, investigations, interrogations, immunization from other actions and so forth.

During each day phase, the players are encouraged to discuss and investigate one another as to their true allegiance, and vote as a group whether or not to execute one of their own as a Spy. Distrust and paranoia is a common theme in the game, and can only be overcome by a strong leader emerging - which often puts them in the Rebel Spies' crosshairs. During the night phase, the spies are allowed to assassinate another player in secret, and other secret orders from other special roles may take place. There are other specialty roles such as Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Renegade. The roles rotate from season to season, and add variety to the game play.

Deaths in Rebel Spies are carried out in gruesome detail, albeit staged, for the sake of the show. The Rebel Spies are encouraged to come up with clever and original methods of assassination, which the staff painstakingly recreate for the show. Some players have been drowned, drawn and quartered, garroted, and even scratched to death by thousands of paper cuts. Though the mystery of holovision allows special effects to recreate these gruesome scenes, some citizens have complained regarding the level of violence present in the show.

Each faction and some solo roles have their own win conditions that need to be met. The Imperials must root out and kill every Rebel, or ensure they are dead before the end of the game. The Rebels need only assassinate or coordinate the execution of enough Imperials to even their numbers out between the two factions, which allows for the Rebels to overpower the remaining Imperials and take the ship. Other individual roles, such as the Bounty Hunter, can steal victory for himself by meeting a condition of his own. Much to the chagrin of the Imperial Faction, the Rebel Players have won more frequently in seasons past.

History

Rebel Spies was initially intended to be an Officer Training Program in counter-terrorism and espionage at the Imperial Academy. As external threats are constant in the Galactic Empire, a more thorough and creative solution was required to give Officers opportunities to use critical thinking and deception to further protect the Empire.

After the game was adopted by students at the Imperial Academy as "Smugglers" or "Mafia" - its entertainment value to students was seized upon by opportunistic Imperials intent on entertaining the citizens of the Galactic Empire. "Loose lips scuttle ships" was an early motto for the game as it was taught in the College of Governmental Sciences at the Imperial Academy on Prakith.

The Obsidian, the show's setting as of Season 9.

The game was initially adapted by Gallus Drak and proposed to the Regional Government as an unofficial wargame that could be broadcast for holo viewing across the galaxy. As an opportunity to both entertain and inform viewers of the strong willed characters that work diligently to protect them from the scum of the universe, Rebel Spies was put into production almost immediately - and broadcast to every corner of Imperial controlled space.

Containing no actual valuable secrets or strategy, the game's core value is to display the diligence of Imperial Officers, both in their actions to root out terrorist threats and in acting as clever spies. The cleverness of each player in the game is also testament to the rigorous training and education the Imperial Academy requires of its graduates.

Setting

The first eight seasons of Rebel Spies were holorecorded on both soundstages at an unknown location, and later, a Bulk Freighter converted to look like a large transport ship of generic design. The ship is typically shown to be a common Imperial transport with dark hallways that are rarely patrolled. The set design was intended to give viewers a sense of dread and discomfort in watching it, a stark contrast to the clean and safe ships in actual use by the Galactic Empire. It wasn't until the set began to break down in seasons seven and eight that the show invested in an actual CR-90 Assassin Class Corvette, dubbed the Obsidian.

Military personnel and crew featured in the first eight seasons were typically actors, except for the small squad of nameless Stormtroopers who were initially assigned as security for the show.

The Obsidian

The Obsidian was stripped of all proprietary Imperial technology, weaponry and defense systems and had cameras and projectors installed in all 36 rooms. With a skeleton operations crew, the show's production crew and the extras, actors and players, the ship is typically filled to capacity.

The Corvette received its moniker in a mail-in contest held by the production, and Draven Diesel's suggestion of "the Obsidian" was selected for it's dark imagery.

Sweeper Squad

In season nine, the Stormtroopers featured heavily through the first eight seasons returned, dubbed "The Sweeper Squad" by another mail-in contest. Though their individual names have yet to be revealed, they are real soldiers in service to the Empire, whose front line service was cut short in order to serve as Security Detail. Sometimes they can forget this, and there have been several on-set altercations involving the Stormtroopers assaulting the show's fake Rebel traitors.

Popularity

Rebel Spies was an instant hit during season one, and was broadcast across the Galactic Empire as an independent production. Subsequent seasons have been just as successful, expanding from 12 to 16 players in season six, and inviting a guest production for season five.

Many contestants have proven popular with audiences and have returned for multiple seasons of the game. Gambling was also briefly introduced in season four, but proved unpopular and was abandoned in season five.

The characters in the show aside from the players themselves include the as yet to be named Stormtrooper Sergeant and his small squad of Troopers. Their allegiance is purely with the Empire, and they are incredibly bloodthirsty to execute Rebels, and only find release when they are able to successfully root out a Rebel player with the assistance of the Imperial players.

Curse of the Medical Droid

The player assigned the role of Medical Droid has been killed early in the game many times, including on the first day/night phase three games in a row (seasons five, six and seven). Some say the role is cursed, others chalk it up to luck or even strategy on the Rebel Faction's part. Either way, being assigned the role of Medical Droid is often seen as a death sentence.

For the first three seasons, the Medical Droid survived to the end of the game, even though they were all Imperial losses. It wasn't until season four when Jarik Zhet, a polarizing player, was executed unfairly by his brethren to end the game, after which point, the Medical Droid has died within the first two days ever since.

The Night One Massacre

In season ten, Kal Eysar coordinated one of the most brutal and unimaginable strategies on the first day. The Rebel General claimed an Imperial leading role - the Buckethead. Imperial players flocked to his leadership, and gave up their roles immediately. Kal diverted all of them to visit the real Buckethead that night, who had turned his Alert power on.

Seven players were eliminated in one brutal swing - six at the hands of Kal Eysar's "Night One Massacre" and one at the hands of the Royal Guardsman. This would go down as the bloodiest single phase of the game, and will likely hold that honor for a very long time. In what was intended to be an all-star battle, removing six opponents on the first night was a massive slide of power for the Rebels, and shook the game to its roots.

Anyone who saw the massacre live on holoprojection will never forget its lasting impact on the "Join or Die" strategy.

Controversy

Seasons ten and eleven were both rife with controversy. Replacement players are not uncommon in Rebel Spies, however in Season Ten, players were forcibly removed from the Obsidian and replaced, forcing the season to be reshot from the beginning. In Season Eleven, a loophole in the rules allowed an unimpeded Imperial Victory, which was seen as unfair by many players and fans alike. Producers of Rebel Spies declined to comment on the specifics of the controversy, however stated that "...as in season's past, when a loophole or failure of the rules has caused an emergent situation to occur, we evaluated the options and chose not to make any changes. The Rebel Spies Judges elected not to intervene in season eleven."

Roles

There have been many roles used over the course of the Rebel Spies holo show. Some roles have special abilities that allow them to change the state of the game without other players being aware - and often times risk execution or assassination by revealing themselves.

It is important to note that all roles in Rebel Spies are fictional ones. Imperial Inquisitors are not actually Inquisitors, Force players are not necessarily Sith or Jedi. It's simply a role the player takes on in order to participate in the game.

Some roles have undergone changes throughout different seasons of the show. Some have been minor, such as the Renegade's faction when investigated, and some have been major overhauls to balance the game. The roles listed below are the most recently available rules, but not necessarily current with the ongoing season of Rebel Spies.

Rebel Spy

Loyal to Rebel Faction - The Rebel Spies begin the game aware of each other, and secretly vote during the night phase on who to assassinate. Typically, the Rebel Spy players know of any other roles loyal to their cause, or alternatively, see another Rebel Faction role as another Rebel Spy, even though that player may have additional abilities.

Jedi Master

Loyal to the Rebel Faction - New in Season Seven, The Jedi Master has intense FORCE SENSITIVITY and always knows how many other Force Users are in the game, however, not their allegiance. The Jedi Master is immune to any Jedi and Sith secret orders or abilities. The Jedi Master may also BE ONE WITH THE FORCE once per game, and prevent all night orders from taking place.

Jedi Knight

Loyal to Rebel Faction - The Jedi Knight is a member of the Rebel Spies, and votes with them during the night phase - the Jedi Knight appears to the other Rebel Spies as simply a "Rebel Spy" and may choose whether or not to reveal his or her identity to his teammates. The Jedi Knight has a MIND TRICK ability that makes any player appear as a member of the Neutral Faction if they are investigated during the night phase. They may use this ability only three times.

Jedi Padawan

Loyal to Rebel Faction - The Padawan is a member of the Rebel Spies, and votes with them during the night phase - the Jedi Padawan appears to the other Rebel Spies as simply a "Rebel Spy" and may choose whether or not to reveal his or her identity to his teammates. The Padawan may DISTRACT someone each night. Distraction prevents a player from taking their night action. The Padawan will not know if they succeeded or not.

Rebel General

Loyal to Rebel Faction - New in season eight, the Rebel General can't be killed at night. If investigated, the Rebel General appears to be a member of the Imperial Faction. The Rebel General may not assassinate during the night phase unless all other Rebel Faction members are dead.

Rebel Diplomat

Loyal to Rebel Faction - The Rebel Diplomat is a member of the Rebel Spies, and votes with them during the night phase - the Rebel Diplomat will appear to the other Rebel Spies as simply a "Rebel Spy" and may choose whether or not to reveal his or her identity to his teammates. The Rebel Diplomat is immune to investigation by the Imperial Inquisitor, and will appear as a member of the Neutral Faction.

Rebel Mole

Loyal to Rebel Faction - Being an expert at evasion and deception, the Rebel Plant has been among the Imperials for a long time, and knows just how to ruin their efficient method of investigation. The Rebel Mole may secretly block a player from using their night ability once per night.

Rebel Fixer

Loyal to Rebel Faction - The Rebel Fixer may secretly FIX one player each night, up to three times total. If the player who is targeted by this ability is assassinated or executed the following day, neither their role nor faction will appear to players when they die (nor will they be allowed to reveal it) - only the Fixer will be told what their role was.

Rebel Agent

Loyal to Rebel Faction - The Rebel Agent is a master spy, and has the documents to prove it. Once each night, the Rebel Agent may select one player to Mark as a Rebel Spy. If investigated, the marked player will appear to be a Rebel Spy.

Imperial Inquisitor

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - The Inquisitor may secretly investigate one player each night phase to determine their faction. The Inquisitor is the most powerful player in the game, and can root out Rebels or cement allies each turn. In games where the Inquisitor is lost early, the Imperials rarely stand a fighting chance.

Imperial Medical Droid

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - The Medical Droid may nominate one player to save each night phase to be immune to assassination. The Medical Droid is arguably the second most important role in the game, as she can directly influence the assassinations at night, unlike most any other role. Being able to prevent an Imperial death during the night phase can prolong the game enough to give the Imperial Team a distinct advantage.

Imperial Guard

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - Added in Season Eight, the Imperial Guard is similar to the Medical Droid and Sith Acolyte. The Imperial Guard may guard one player each night. If the player they guarded is attacked, the Guard will die instead of the player attacked.

Members of the Emperor's Secret Order

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - The two members of the Emperor's Secret Order are aware of each other and their allegiance. This role can give the Imperials a deadly advantage, but has only been effectively used a few times.

Buckethead

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - New in season eight, this grizzled ex-Stormtrooper is just too old for this sith. The Buckethead can go on ALERT at night three times during the game. While on alert, the Buckethead will shoot anyone who visits him, including assassins, droids and other visitors. He is immune to attacks while on alert.

Scout Trooper

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - New in season eight, the Scout Trooper is adept at sneaking and the like. He can FOLLOW one person each night to determine who they visit or where they go.

Slicer

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - New in season eight, the Slicer is a computers expert, and can remotely SLICE the ship each night to lock one person's room. That person may take no action during the "Night Phase."

Imperial Guard

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - New in season seven, the Imperial Guard may GUARD one player each night. If the player they guarded is attacked, the Guard will die instead of the player attacked - and the Assassin will be killed as well.

Sith Warrior

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - The Sith Warrior may use a FORCE TRANCE twice per game to make himself invulnerable during the night phase. If he is visited by special order during the night (this includes any ability that targets another player), then the Sith Warrior may choose to kill the person who visits him, without knowing their role. The Sith Warrior is immune to the Jedi mind trick, and if he is targeted by this power, it will alert the Jedi Knight that the force power failed. The Sith Warrior always knows the identity of any Sith Acolytes in the game.

Sith Acolyte

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - The Sith Acolyte may protect one player each night. If the player they protected is attacked, the Acolyte and their attacker will both die instead of the player targeted. The Acolyte is a sacrificial role, but can take with him a Rebel Spy.

Imperial Citizens

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - Imperial Citizens take no special actions. They are the backbone of the game, and must assist the Inquisitor and Medical Droid in rooting out the Rebel Spies. They can often be fodder for execution, however, if they don't play too carefully.

Renegade

Loyal to Both Factions - The Renegade starts the game as a member of the Imperial Faction, and wins with the Imperials if the Imperial Win condition is met. If the Renegade is assassinated during the night by the Rebel Spies, he switches allegiances, and no assassination is made - it appears to players as though a Medical Droid save has occurred. The Renegade will be put in contact with the Rebel Spies. The Renegade wins with the Rebel Spies if the Rebel Spies Win condition is met. If the Renegade is investigated, he always appears to be neutral, regardless of his true allegience. The Renegade has often been the swing condition in many games, and his turning can be a crucial strategy or debilitating blow to the Rebel Spies. The Renegade can only share in victory if he is alive at the end of the game!

Emperor's Royal Guardsman

Loyal only to the Emperor - The Royal Guardsman has the strictest orders: exterminatus. He cannot be killed during the night phase. If investigated, the Royal Guardsman will appear as a member of the IMPERIAL FACTION. The Royal Guardsman may elect one player to SLAY each night. A Slay action is considered a visit. If the Royal Guardsman is targeted by a BLOCK or SLICE, he will kill the player who targeted him and not his intended target for the night. The Royal Guardsman can only bring victory to the Emperor if every other player is killed. The Rebel Faction and Imperial Faction cannot win as long as the Royal Guardsman is alive, and they may need to work together to discover his identity.

ISB Agent

Loyal to the Imperial Faction - ISB Agents may QUESTION the Game Master each night phase. The ISB Agent may leave a three word note (which may not include punctuation, special capitalization, or compound words) to be discovered by the Imperials at the end of every night phase (after the Assassination). If the ISB Agent is investigated, he will appear to be neutral, due to his deep cover. No one may claim to be the ISB-Agent either in the thread or in private. An ISB Agent requires his cover to operate, and revealing himself is against the spirit of the game. If someone claims the role of ISB Agent, they should be immediately reported to the Game Master. The goal for the Imperials is to execute all of the Rebel Spies.

Bounty Hunter

Loyal to No Faction - The goal of the Bounty Hunter is to see all of the Rebels killed before he is, stealing the Imperial Victory all for himself. The Bounty Hunter has four secret actions, of which he may take any multiple times. He may only take three actions total. The Bounty Hunter may DISINTEGRATE a player during the day phase at any time. He may INTERROGATE one player during the night and learn their exact role, he may ask for and DIVERT the secret order of any role (the game state will reflect their hand in the change of orders) or he may HIDE and become invulnerable during one night phase. None of these actions betray the Bounty Hunter's identity. If he disintegrates an Imperial during the day, he will use an Escape Pod during the night phase (and exit the game). If investigated, the Bounty Hunter appears as neutral.

Strategy

Basic Strategy

The basic Rebel Spies strategy involves the Inquisitor revealing themselves so that the Medical Droid may heal them while they investigate. This allows the Imperials to rally behind a leader and begin executing safely on Day Two. However, a Rebel Spy may counterclaim the role of Inquisitor to confuse the Imperials and turn the odds in their favor. This is the root of the conflict that arises between the two factions.

Strategy with Secret Order

With the Secret Order in play, the Inquisitor can remain silent, and allow a member of the Order to step forward, putting themselves in the crosshairs while they organize a strategy. It's less dangerous for the Inquisitor, and more difficult for the Rebel Spies to overcome.

Renegade and Neutral Roles

The Renegade and Bounty Hunter are forced to hide behind their neutral roles, and should never reveal themselves to the Imperial players, or risk immediate execution. Their only hope is that the Imperial Citizenry choose to leave them alive in hopes that they are actually another Citizen or other special role.

Awards

Starting in Season Five, awards were given after the game's conclusion to the players who made the game more interesting or executed carefully crafted strategies.

Most Valuable Player

Awarded to the player who was most valuable to his team, the MVP award is the highest honor given in the game.

Big Move of the Game

Awarded to the player who initiated or carried out the most important, clever or effective move in the game.

Best Behind the Scenes Move

Awarded to the player who worked most effectively in the shadows, carrying out their plans without the knowledge of other players.

Best Lie of the Game

Awarded to the player who told the most devious and effective lie of the game, in plain sight of everyone.

Player Rankings

Based on a ranking algorithm used for professional Sabacc players, Rebel Spies participants who appear multiple times are ranked based on their games played, number of victories, the averages of both of those figures across all players, as well as other weighted figures to determine a baseline value of a victory, and the difficulty of said victory. The Top Five Players as of the completion of Season 12 are listed below.

Awards History

Game Results

Season One

Season One of Rebel Spies was an enormous hit from the moment it debuted. Twelve players were invited to participate, and the game took place on the Bulk Freighter "Eclipse" - which had been mocked up to appear as an Imperial Transport of unknown origin. The game lasted three days and three nights and featured six player deaths. Only the original roles were used, with three Rebel Spies, an Inquisitor and Medical Droid, and seven Imperial Citizens.

A solid Rebel victory was effortlessly earned. Imperial players and the Game Master would remark after the season that rule revisions were required in order to make the game more balanced. More special roles needed to be added and the ability to abstain from voting or skip an execution was drastically needed. The Rebel Spies Staff took these suggestions from players and fans into account when designing subsequent seasons, though the Rebel Victory was still celebrated by fans of those players.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season One Results

Season Two: The Force... Awakens?

Season Two of Rebel Spies was subtitled "The Force... Awakens?" - it was the first season to carry a subtitle. It was also the first season to introduce non-core special roles, the Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior. Retrospectively, the Game Master would admit these roles were not properly thought out, and a game breaking flaw was found within the Jedi Knight's power. They have not been used in subsequent seasons, and would be revised if they were reused again.

Season Two went for four days and three nights, and saw six player deaths. Another Rebel Victory was well earned, as the Imperials were in constant disarray and failed to formulate a lasting plan.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season Two Results

Season Three: There's Something Alive in Here...

Rebel Spies Season Three was subtitled "There's Something Alive in Here..." and featured three brand new roles. With the excision of the Jedi and Sith roles, a neutral Renegade was added, along with the Emperor's Secret Order and the Rebel Diplomat.

The Rebel Diplomat was intended to be a quasi Inquisitor for the Rebel Faction, but never proved very useful. The Renegade, however, turned out to be an incredibly popular role that would go on to affect future games significantly. The same can be said of the Secret Order, who became integral in every Imperial strategy in seasons to follow.

Having the Renegade switch sides during the course of the game created even more paranoia among the players, much to the pleasure of the Rebel Spies staff. Season three featured twelve players, six deaths, and went on for six days and six nights. It also marked the first Rebel death in any season, and was rife with controversy and behind the scenes drama between the players. It was the pinnacle of dramatic holo entertainment.

Many would later point to Season Three as being the first season where intricate strategy was used by the Imperials, though without lasting effect. Known colloquially as "the season where they abstained themselves to death" - The Imperials only executed three players in six days, and two were Imperials. The Rebels didn't win by default, however, as they successfully diverted attention from themselves until it was too late for the Imperials to mount a comeback.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season Three Results

Season Four: Wanted on 12 Systems

Rebel Spies Season Four was subtitled "Wanted on 12 Systems" and was the first season to offer a grand prize to its contestants. Gambling and the prize pool ended up being incredibly unpopular with fans of the holo show, and was cancelled for future seasons.

Season Four cemented the core gameplay preferred by players and the game's staff alike. Three Rebel Spies, an Inquisitor and Medical Droid, the Secret Order, a Renegade and four citizens. Despite an early spy execution, the Imperials fell flat due to infighting and lack of leadership. Their strategy was flawed and never fully baked. A masterful Rebel strategy kept the Imperials at each others' throats and forced multiple Imperial Executions and swayed suspicion away from the true culprits.

This also marked the first time the Renegade began working with the Rebels before he was turned. A bold and questionable strategy, it was deemed legitimate and fair by the Game Master, despite outcry from fans. The Renegade was turned on the final night, shifting the numbers into the Rebels' favor.

After five days and five nights, six Imperials and one Rebel were dead.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season Four Results

Season Five: No Choice But Lynching

Rebel Spies season five was subtitled "No Choice But Lynching" - though it had initially been called "The Ensign Strikes Back." The fifth season stumbled to start and initially had a different lineup of players before being retooled for its epic fifth debut.

Season five featured the classic roles established in seasons three and four, but removed the Renegade role. The option for a Renegade to enter the game later was established, though it never came to fruition. An unlucky early loss of the Medical Droid put the Imperials at an early disadvantage, however, a strategy emerged early in the season. With the Secret Order using the Imperial Basic Strategy to establish the key roles in backroom deals. However, after the Secret Order was eliminated, the Rebels once again took the upper hand and rode out to victory.

After six days and nights, only two players remained, and the Rebels declared their victory, even after losing two of their own in the middle of the game. Excellent Rebel strategy staved off the Imperials assumed victory through bluffing and paranoia.

This was the first season to give awards after the game's conclusion, with the Most Valuable Player, Biggest Move and Best Behind the Scenes Move being recognized.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season Five Results

Season Six: Return of the Jedi...And Sith?

Season Six was subtitled "Return of the Jedi... and Sith?" as the Force Sensitive roles were added back into the game, albeit with some adjustments. These new roles were less powerful, but easier to weild properly for strategy. The Sith Acolyte acting as a Bodyguard in the night, and the Jedi Padawan able to block secret roles from using their abilities.

Season Six featured the first Imperial Victory in Rebel Spies history. An excellent strategy dubbed "Join or Die" by the Game Master was implemented and carried out through excellent teamwork among the Imperial players. Rebel players were put on their heels almost immediately as extreme coordination between the Imperials with little defense thrown up by the Rebel players meant the Imperials could march swiftly to victory.

The Bounty Hunter role proved to be a favorite among players and fans, and the player assigned the role came close to a victory himself. Once again, however, high-level Imperial play prevented that victory from occurring.

Three awards were given at the game's conclusion, including Most Valuable Player, Big Move fo the Game (replacing "Biggest Move" and "Best Lie of the Game."

OUTCOME: IMPERIAL VICTORY

Season Six Results

Season Seven: Blinded by the Light

Season Seven was subtitled Blinded by the Light, as the infamous Imperial Transport had been infiltrated by a very powerful Jedi Master. The exact number of specific roles was randomized, meaning that there could be two Inquisitors, or none, and the same being true for all roles.

The season was highly controversial, with several errors unfortunately impacting the game on part of the staff. Luckily, these errors were all in favor of the losing side, and the integrity of the game was intact by the end.

Despite nailing a Rebel Spy in the first execution, an early power struggle between two strong competitors drove the Imperials to eat at one another - while the Rebel Faction created a strong strategy to target the powerful middle players, letting the strong willed players at the top compete with one another.

In the end, the Rebels scored another victory.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season Seven Results

Season Eight: The Basic Menace

Season Eight was subtitled: The Basic Menace, a reference to its return to very simplistic roles and an attempt at a very balanced game.

The Imperials turned in a near perfect performance with their basic Secret Order strategy, which earned high marks for their Inquisitor and Secret Order members. The Inquisitor was spot on with several investigations, and pulled two Rebels on nights two and three, and the Renegade on night four.

The Rebels never stood much of a chance in the face of a perfectly executed strategy - but they tried nonetheless. Some were included in private Imperial discussions, and one was able to convince the Medical Droid to out themselves privately, setting them up for an early assassination. The Rebels may have suffered from having two rookie players, though the Game Master remarked how well everyone served their roles.

Three awards were given in season eight, up from only two in season seven.

Season eight also saw the "destruction" of the game's ship, and the possible deaths of the Stormtroopers featured heavily in seasons one through eight.

OUTCOME: IMPERIAL VICTORY

Season Eight Results

Season Nine: They Came From Behind!

Season Nine was subtitled "They Came From Behind." With 20 players, it was the biggest season to date, and included several new roles including Rebel General, Rebel Fixer, Imperial Buckethead and Imperial Scout Trooper.

This season is considered to be the narrowest victory by any team thus far. The Rebels and Imperials were both in the game until only the very last few phases. Standout performances from Draven Diesel and Krakonico Petermind helped their Imperial team to victory. But the Rebels were no slouches either.

Intitially considered to be a bit unbalanced in favor of the Rebels, with five spies and three special roles, the Imperials overcame their disadvantage early and evcened the playing field by taking out a Rebel on Day two. It wouldn't be until two days later that they got their second. The first appearance of the Royal Guardsman was also marked in Season Nine. Being capable of slaying anyone he chooses and searching for his own victory made the Royal Guardsman a dangerous role that had to be dealt with.

OUTCOME: IMPERIAL VICTORY

Season Nine Results

Season Ten: Veteran's Day

Season Ten was subtitled "Veteran's Day" and later, "Take Two" due to the game requiring a restart shortly into its first day.

This was the first All-Star season of Rebel Spies, and it was a season full of many other firsts as well. The invited players were all former victors, award winners or players of high merit or worthy of regard for their actions within previous seasons of the game. Overall, 18 players were invited, two of whom declined to play, and two of whom were selected by an audience poll.

The All Star season started off with a bang, when Rebel General Kal Eysar coordinated a massacre on the first night by claiming an Imperial leading role - the Buckethead. Imperial players flocked to his leadership, and gave up their roles immediately. Kal diverted all of them to visit the real Buckethead that night, who had turned his Alert power on. Seven players were eliminated that night - six at the hands of Kal Eysar's "Night One Massacre" and one at the hands of the Royal Guardsman.

The Royal Guardsman watched the Rebels and Imperials fight - Eysar using a Royal Guardsman claim at one point to carry himself over and continue to keep the Buckethead doing his bidding. At the end of the day, however, the real Royal Guardsman stood up and took the reins of the game away from the Rebel General in the final hours, and solidified the first solo victory in Rebel Spies history.

OUTCOME: ROYAL GUARD VICTORY

Season Ten Results

Season Eleven: Who're you callin' Scruffy?

Season Eleven was subtitled "Who you callin' Scruffy?" and lasted for 10 official game days, however only lasted 8 days and nights in gameplay. A Rebel concession on Night eight forced the game to end.

Though the season was off to an excellent and exciting start, with the Emperor's Royal Guardsman being eliminated on only the second day, the season fell apart quickly. With missed and conflicting orders, both sides appeared to have taken their own missteps. Ultimately it was the Rebels that would fall apart entirely, mostly due to a fatal flaw within the rules which allowed the Imperial players to abuse a loophole which prevented all Rebel assassinations from occurring from night four onward.

After losing their first Rebel Spy to the Buckethead on the third night, the Imperial Slicer deduced the identity of the new assassin, and locked him in his quarters every night until the end of the game. This gave the Imperials enough time to execute everyone else in question on the ship before the Rebel Agent, turned Assassin. With no night time assassinations to worry about, the Rebels threw in the towel and the Imperials claimed their earned victory.

This is only the second season where two players were both honored with the MVP Award.

OUTCOME: IMPERIAL VICTORY

Season Eleven Results

Season Twelve: No Disintegrations!

Season Twelve was subtitled "No Disintegrations" After only four days, the game ended. The Rebels had successfully infiltrated the confirmed Imperial Council and compromised every Imperial decision. By the end of the fourth day, there were only two Imperials left, thanks to a combination of coordinated assassinations, executions, slayings and even a disintegration. This was, for all intents and purposes, a textbook Rebel victory, including counterclaims.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season Twelve Results

Season Thirteen: It's a Trap!

Season thirteen was another large season, with twenty players. A mixture of Veterans and Rookies to Rebel Spies made for an interesting dynamic, but the season's hook - three Renegades - made the Rebel Spies even harder to root out. With the Imperials never recognizing the value of Imperial Citizens to gameplay for this season, and a smattering of ineffective strategies (as well as a Rebel Mole inside the council, again) - the Rebels walked away with another easy victory. No awards were given for season thirteen.

OUTCOME: REBEL VICTORY

Season Thirteen Results

Imagery

Imagery used in the Rebel Spies Holovision Reality Game Show.

Gameplay Imagery

Medical Droid Save Image	Alternate Medical Droid Image used for obvious Renegade turn.
Rebel Victor Image	Imperial Victor Image

Season Logos

Season One Logo	Season Two Logo
Season Three Logo	Season Four Logo
Season Four Gambling Logo	Season Six Logo