Proposed Unit: Terrorist

[PresidentMike]

Terrorists infiltrate across international borders, wreaking chaos and devastation in an enemy's heartland. Supplied and funded by an intelligence agency, they are capable of performing a wide range of missions. Terrorists can destroy roads, railroads, mines and irrigation, capture workers and settlers, attack military units, destroy city improvements, and kill a city's inhabitants. They are difficult for a conventional military to combat, and the covert nature of their operations makes it all but impossible to "prove" who is sponsoring them. Foreign governments may suspect, but that's all they can do. Terrorists provide a cheap and safe way of harassing an enemy.

Prerequisite: Espionage
Shield Cost: 15
Movement: 2
Attack: 2
Defense: 2
Bombardment: 6 (mortar attacks, car bombs, etc.)
Range: 1
Rate of Fire: 2

Unit Abilities
All terrain as roads
Hidden Nationality

Special Actions
Load
Bombard
Pillage

AI Strategies
Offense
Artillery

Other Ideas
There needs to be a way to reveal a terrorist's true nationality. Perhaps when the military destroys a terrorist unit there is a chance it's nationality will be revealed. Or perhaps "reveal terrorist operation" could become an espionage mission.

Terrorists also should fit into the game's diplomacy somehow. "Cease your terrorist activity or I will declare war."

Finally, city improvements and governments should have an impact on the terrorist unit. It would be harder for a democracy to identify a terrorist's true nationality, owing to the free and open nature of the government; the opposite would be true for a communist government. Police stations and courthouses may also have an impact on identifying and/or stopping terrorists.

[Duddha]

You can download a Terrorist unit from Civfanatics.com, I made mine a cheap mans cruise missile, with hidden nationalisty.

[n8mac]

Nice idea. The game needs more special units to stir things up, but I have a different view of terrorists.

Terrorists are planted in cities of their choice (preferably those large cities in the enemies heartland) and stay there until they strike. So the unit should appear from the targeted city if successfully planted.

Terrorists generally kill themselves or flee the scene, not stay and fight like the military, so they will only last for one turn and their gone.

The terrorist would appear in the city on the turn after being planted and you would then have a choice of
1. taking a chance and blowing up a city improvement (if not successful then two movements taken away and cannot repeat)
2. spying and revealing city (end of unit)
3. or moving out of the city and taking over workers and blowing up land improvements. If you choose this way and move out of the city you have 4 moves to cause havock. Remember that taking out a worker or destroying an improvement takes a turn. The terrorist can continue to attack until the last move is over and the unit disappears.

The attacked civ will have a small chance of finding the guilty civ. If the targeted city had a police station and/or courthouse the chances would increase in that civs favor. The world would look unfavorably to the guilty civ if exposed. If discovered you cannot use terrorist on that civ until you make peace because the terrorist would be exposed.

Attack: 1
Defense: 0
Movement: 4
Rate of fire: 4

Its another way of looking at terrorists. Lots of possible methods, but must be different than conventional units. Should be introduced.

[cdinkle]

It's a good idea, I've seen it before, but it's still a good idea. I think, though, it shouldn't be so advanced as a Cruise Missile, more along the lines of a notch below Marines. Give them bombard ability or something fancy.

[YC4B4U]

The unit you seem to describe is really a special operative, spy or special forces unit.

IMO Terrorists (or freedom fighters) should attack population or cause a reduction in production. Perhaps they would be produced when a city is conquered, similar to partisans (Civ2) except they remain in the city.

I guess I am questioning what you think a terrorist is, because your example would say that the WWII French resistance were terrorists (if you were German in WWII then you would say yes).

[Galvatron]

Well the resistance were more or less terrorists. Everybody trying to overthrow the current government (regardless if it's good or evil) can be understand as a terrorist in my book.

I like the idea of Civ III units which reduces citizen-points as in real life often civilians were the victims of terrorist attacks.

[=DrJambo=]

this is definitely what the game needs... some more interesting and specialised units, although this one to me sounds more like a mercenary than a terrorist.

[TacticalGrace]

Terrorists are not anywhere near effective enough in real life to be considered worth putting into the game. Their effect on population is small (usually) and in game terms not enough to knockl it down a population point. They are ineffective against military units.

In WWII is is doubtful that resistance/partisan forces had any significant effect.

The most useful effect is intelligence and that is already covered in the game.

[Galvatron]

Originally posted by =DrJambo=
although this one to me sounds more like a mercenary than a terrorist.

Is there a difference? One kills for money the other for his "aims".

[Q Classic]

it sounds as if you want a specops unit or a gov't funded terrorist-- and if that were the case, i'd much rather not have a unit, but a more robust espionage menu-- such as "plant terrorist" or what not next to a "plant spy" option. this "terrorist" (i think there's a better term for it, actually, since it's state-funded) would take on the functions of destroying improvements and what not, or poisoning the water supply, etc., rather than having the spy (who's more information-natured) do it.

[=DrJambo=]

Originally posted by Galvatron


Is there a difference? One kills for money the other for his "aims".

That's just it, you answered your own question.

[Galvatron]

Originally posted by =DrJambo=


That's just it, you answered your own question.

Well but in the end both kill.

That’s right Q Cubed I support the idea of a governmental supported mercenary (this term is better than terrorist). It could be a unit with improved spying-abilities (like the one you stated out) but also good combat stats so more or less an allrounder as mercenaries were trained to infiltrate states and operate hidden but also in fighting. Would be a tough one and of course my favourite: I'm sneaky

[Thrawn05]

This belongs in the creation forum.



Besides, I think the player would exploit this unit. I wouldn't want it.

[Hagbart]

Well units in civ3 represent a small army of soldiers.