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Does each (or some) race have intelligence operations?

For each race who would do:

Cryptography and signaling (like the NSA in the US or the GCHQ in the UK)

Military intelligence (like the DIA in the US or the DIS in the UK)

Foreign intelligence (like the CIA in the US or the SIS in the UK)

I imagine some races would have a single group that might do all three
(I think the Tyranid use Lictors and Genestealers/Genestealer cults to
do their reconnaissance and of course some races would not need
traditional intelligence gathering (like the Eldar. Who needs spies
when you have a Farseer). But what about the other races?

In case of necrons:
Crypteks handle their data network.
Infiltration is achieved via liberal usage of mindshackle scarabs. (well, in the sense of intelligence. for the purposesof asassination and sabotage there are flayed ones, wraiths, deathmarks)
Scouting is done using stalthy vessels. Shroud cruisers, Night scythes, raider vessels are all suitable.

I'm sure there are plenty of imperial spies, not to mention assassins working for the inquisition as far the imperium is concerned.

As for Eldar, I'd think the farseers treat all the information and they do alot of spying by scanning the possible future or just feeling psychic energies.

Zookie wrote:Does each (or some) race have intelligence operations?

For each race who would do:

Cryptography and signaling (like the NSA in the US or the GCHQ in the UK)

Military intelligence (like the DIA in the US or the DIS in the UK)

Foreign intelligence (like the CIA in the US or the SIS in the UK)

Most of the races will, but how about orkz?

Pretty sure orks dont need intel lol.

1hadhq wrote:

Zookie wrote:Does each (or some) race have intelligence operations?

For each race who would do:

Cryptography and signaling (like the NSA in the US or the GCHQ in the UK)

Military intelligence (like the DIA in the US or the DIS in the UK)

Foreign intelligence (like the CIA in the US or the SIS in the UK)

Most of the races will, but how about orkz?

Orkses don't need no informashun. We'z just runz in and gets to krumpin'!

Xeriapt wrote:Pretty sure orks dont need intel lol.

Sophisticated intel will only hamper the orks I imagine. They just need to know enemy positions to attack. And for that, I'm sure they have grotz.

The Imperium have a few intelligence agencies:

-Logis Strategos: The Administratum's intelligence agency
-Templars Psykologis: Seem to be the Departmento Munitorum's Intel agency, so a kind of military intelligence
-Imperial Navy: An agency known as "Naval Intelligence" is described.
-The Vanus Temple of the Officio Assassinorum
-The Inquisition: Inquisitors regularly study and collect intelligence

Chaos: I really don't think they have anything. More professionalized CSM may use cultists or conduct recon missions on a planet

Orks: Yeah, nothing

Eldar: Rangers provide this role

Tyranids: Genestealers gather intelligence about a victim planet

Tau: Pathfinders and Stealth Suit teams tactically, strategically I imagine the Tau have a sophisticated military intelligence branch.

Necrons: Oldcrons actually disguised themselves as humans and paraded around the civilian populous as part of some sinister C'tan plan. Newcrons are obsessed with honor and courage, so would consider spying or this "underhanded" tactic to be mean.

I agreed with you on everything until this:

Harriticus wrote:Necrons: Oldcrons actually disguised themselves as humans and paraded around the civilian populous as part of some sinister C'tan plan. Newcrons are obsessed with honor and courage, so would consider spying or this "underhanded" tactic to be mean.

Some necron lords believe in honor in the same way some old feudal lords lived and died by the rules of the duel, whereas others had no problem poisoning their rivals while they sleep. I don't see why the necrons couldn't still employ disguises or sleeper agents, particularly on tombworlds that make use of shards of the deciever.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Vanus_Temple#.T7aTDs1IFDw

Vanus temple of the Offcio Assassinorum.

edi:should have read post above.

I wonder if the IG have dedicated Intelligence Corps.

jareddm wrote:I agreed with you on everything until this:

Harriticus wrote:Necrons: Oldcrons actually disguised themselves as humans and paraded around the civilian populous as part of some sinister C'tan plan. Newcrons are obsessed with honor and courage, so would consider spying or this "underhanded" tactic to be mean.

Some necron lords believe in honor in the same way some old feudal lords lived and died by the rules of the duel, whereas others had no problem poisoning their rivals while they sleep. I don't see why the necrons couldn't still employ disguises or sleeper agents, particularly on tombworlds that make use of shards of the deciever.

The latest WD has the Necron "codes of battle" has this little phrase: "Never strike your enemy without a formal declaration. Victory without honor is meaningless". Newcrons don't even believe in surprise attacks anymore, and you think they'd use spies?

True there are Necrons who don't do things like give time for civilians to evacuate, use Deathmarks to assassinate commanders, don't engage in personal duels, use surprise attacks, etc.. However these "dishonorable" ones are looked down upon, rare, and considered abnormalities. Similar to how violent/genocidal Necrons or ones who embrace their machine nature are also considered abnormal/abhorrent by greater Necron society since the Newcrons.

It'd be like saying all humans in the Imperium are pirates or all Eldar are rangers. No, only a small fraction are and these ones are looked down upon by the rest of human/Eldar civilization.

Orks might send some Gretchen, Bikers or Storm Boys to scout/Recon an area.

The latest WD has the Necron "codes of battle" has this little phrase: "Never strike your enemy without a formal declaration. Victory without honor is meaningless". Newcrons don't even believe in surprise attacks anymore, and you think they'd use spies?

True there are Necrons who don't do things like give time for civilians to evacuate, use Deathmarks to assassinate commanders, don't engage in personal duels, use surprise attacks, etc.. However these "dishonorable" ones are looked down upon, rare, and considered abnormalities. Similar to how violent/genocidal Necrons or ones who embrace their machine nature are also considered abnormal/abhorrent by greater Necron society since the Newcrons.

It'd be like saying all humans in the Imperium are pirates or all Eldar are rangers. No, only a small fraction are and these ones are looked down upon by the rest of human/Eldar civilization.

Depends on which Dynasty your Newcron army is from, and what you're fighting. Some enemies are considered vermin, and are do not justify a formal declaration of war or the following of the codes of battle, because they aren't considered intelligent enough, or worthy enough, to bother with it.

The Eldar are one such foe. Some Dynasties consider humans to be such a foe as well. Few of the Dynasties get along, so what those Clankers over there think about you is irrelevant. Once you've crushed them and destroyed their nobles, you'll just re-brand their Warriors with your own Seal and then they will be yours.

kronk wrote:Orks might send some Gretchen, Bikers or Storm Boys to scout/Recon an area.

I can also see Orks launching raids to capture prisoners for information about the enemy. I would not want to be interrogated by a Pain boy or a Weird boy... That would be bad.

Sturmtruppen wrote:I wonder if the IG have dedicated Intelligence Corps.

They would probly use the other Imperial Intel agencys. (assasins and all that jazz)

Otherwise hey use a myriad of troop and vehicales to scout/recon locations.
Scout Sentinals
Valkaries and practically any aircraft availible can be used for recon
Centaurs or Salamanders
Chimeras could be outfitted with increased comms equipment and other scouting tech.
allegedly the Exterminator Leman Russ (Twin Auto Cannons one) is faster (fluffwise) then the standard Russ and can and has been used for scouting (that and if attacked it can fight back and take a beating)
Motorcycles have been mentioned fluffwise (i recall one known as the "Hornet" motorcycle used in Gunheads for scouting and messenger work when the vox didn't work),
Roughriders and their horses (or whatever they use for a mount) could be used.
Snipers
and so on.

Practically any unit can be made to scout or recon an area (but i dout they would use LRs or Baneblades and anything bigger)

practically any unit in the IG can scout (if told to).

Harriticus wrote:

jareddm wrote:I agreed with you on everything until this:

Harriticus wrote:Necrons: Oldcrons actually disguised themselves as humans and paraded around the civilian populous as part of some sinister C'tan plan. Newcrons are obsessed with honor and courage, so would consider spying or this "underhanded" tactic to be mean.

Some necron lords believe in honor in the same way some old feudal lords lived and died by the rules of the duel, whereas others had no problem poisoning their rivals while they sleep. I don't see why the necrons couldn't still employ disguises or sleeper agents, particularly on tombworlds that make use of shards of the deciever.

The latest WD has the Necron "codes of battle" has this little phrase: "Never strike your enemy without a formal declaration. Victory without honor is meaningless". Newcrons don't even believe in surprise attacks anymore, and you think they'd use spies?

True there are Necrons who don't do things like give time for civilians to evacuate, use Deathmarks to assassinate commanders, don't engage in personal duels, use surprise attacks, etc.. However these "dishonorable" ones are looked down upon, rare, and considered abnormalities. Similar to how violent/genocidal Necrons or ones who embrace their machine nature are also considered abnormal/abhorrent by greater Necron society since the Newcrons.

It'd be like saying all humans in the Imperium are pirates or all Eldar are rangers. No, only a small fraction are and these ones are looked down upon by the rest of human/Eldar civilization.

No, that sentince means that the enemy needs to know you phyiscally exist somewhere on the planet as your enemy. You are not allowed to do things like Japan's strike on Pearl Harbor (occured several hours before the Decleration of War made it to the United States)

This means a simple msg to tell the guy in charge "your bases belong to us" is good enough. Then you can perform ambushes and surprise attacks as normal. If they really believed that even the most basic form of surprise attack is a no go they wouldnt use things like snipers and everyone would be armed with swords.

Galdos wrote:This means a simple msg to tell the guy in charge "all your base are belong to us" is good enough.

Fixed that for you

Actually, according to the Codex, a Necron Dynasty that is following their codes of battle cannot make use of ambush, snipers or Deathmark Assassins.

This is kinda a High War/Low War sort of situation, where certain units and tactics are outlawed in one and the domain of the other, much as in the samurai/ninja dichotomy.

Deathmark Assassins might be super-effective, but they are never used by the Necrons when fighting an honorable foe.

Psienesis wrote:Actually, according to the Codex, a Necron Dynasty that is following their codes of battle cannot make use of ambush, snipers or Deathmark Assassins.

This is kinda a High War/Low War sort of situation, where certain units and tactics are outlawed in one and the domain of the other, much as in the samurai/ninja dichotomy.

Deathmark Assassins might be super-effective, but they are never used by the Necrons when fighting an honorable foe.

But that does not rule of intelligence gathering, spy satellites and the like. You can't defeat your foe if you do not know where they are.

Correct, but intelligence-gathering doesn't involve use of ambushes, snipers, or assassins. Though in most cases, the Necrons don't need to know where the enemy is, the enemy will come to them once the Monoliths start appearing and legions upon legions of Necron Warriors start phasing in.

The enemy has the choice to face the Necrons, or lose their world.

The codex points out that all these codes of battle don't apply to lesser races (aka anyone who isn't Necrons) there's plenty of Lords who'd be happy to get all sneaky like on humans. There's also other Lords who'd never break the codes regardless of foe. Flexibility in fluff is the Newcron thing.

The codes of battle wouldn't apply to scouting and such but IMO the OP is referring to espionage and the like which probably wouldn't be shiny under the codes of battle.
Whether the Necron Lord in particular cares is another matter...
It's unlikely anyone else would...

I'm fairly sure the eldar farseers would scry the 'strands of fate' for any information and if need be would send in pathfinders or rangers in if the seers cannot divine enough information

1hadhq wrote:

Zookie wrote:Does each (or some) race have intelligence operations?

For each race who would do:

Cryptography and signaling (like the NSA in the US or the GCHQ in the UK)

Military intelligence (like the DIA in the US or the DIS in the UK)

Foreign intelligence (like the CIA in the US or the SIS in the UK)

Most of the races will, but how about orkz?

Ork Kommandos using disguises to infiltrate the Imperium and other societies. Yes, that 7 foot tall hulking inquisitor with patches of green skin and a massive under bite is in fact as Ork that has been crudely painted the colour of human flesh.

Buttons wrote:
Ork Kommandos using disguises to infiltrate the Imperium and other societies. Yes, that 7 foot tall hulking inquisitor with patches of green skin and a massive under bite is in fact as Ork that has been crudely painted the colour of human flesh.

Don't forget that container with a shooter sticking out of it, that says "this is not an ork" the reality is, it indeed is an ork.

Well all of the subject of this discussion all falls under the officio assassinorum the have 6 types of assassin
The vindicare - sniper
The venenum - poisoners
The eversor - the beserker
The vanus - the information gatherer and computer genius
The callidus - shapeshifter
The culexus - the psychic. Nullifier, absorber and weapon

the dark king wrote:Well all of the subject of this discussion all falls under the officio assassinorum the have 6 types of assassin
The vindicare - sniper
The venenum - poisoners
The eversor - the beserker
The vanus - the information gatherer and computer genius
The callidus - shapeshifter
The culexus - the psychic. Nullifier, absorber and weapon

You also have Naval Intelligence and various Inquisitors and Lord Inquisitors...

yeah I actually forgot about them but also for the imperium there's scout squadrons that the space marines use

the dark king wrote:yeah I actually forgot about them but also for the imperium there's scout squadrons that the space marines use

Not entirely sure if they count in this case...