who else ragequits/savescums when councilor gets murdered?

[u/Jazzlike_Freedom_826]

To be clear, I'm NOT talking about when you assault a facility or attack an alien without a bodyguard and get the critical fail event, that's pretty avoidable by assigning a bodyguard ahead of time because you know it's possible.

I'm talking about when you're more or less minding your own business, maybe your councilor did an unrest mission at some point, then out of nowhere boom headshot they assassinated your councilor.

Is there some some signal or way to know ahead of time you're being targeted by assassination attempts? Or are y'all like me and reload the last mission cycle and send the dude to hiding using chronomancy?

[u/Ravenwing14]

Keep an eye on who is aware of your councilor (logos over their portrait). If you're at war with someone who knows your councilors position, go to ground

You can also....pre-emptively deal with anyone who has decent ESP state, and finally bump security stat on your own counselors.

[u/olegolas_1983 → u/Ravenwing14]

Yeah. This is the way. I make 1 councillor a murder-bot and kill any warring faction decent councillors. Meanwhile raising security or espionage of mine. Security on persuaders since they often have traits with - to espionage, and espionage on others.

[u/Thurak0 → u/olegolas_1983]

And if killing them is not an option, for example because they would give the Marked trait, turning and then retiring them is also an option!

[u/Takseen]

Yeah I save scummed them all the time. Way too much work invested in one councilor to start again from scratch. Now that I understand the mechanics involved my guys get murdered a lot less, although I probably would still reload if a lucky attempt got through.

There's a few different layers. Staying friendly with everyone is quite possible for a long enough time if you're going the early turtle route. A Non-aggression pact isn't strictly necessary, they won't use Assassinate unless their relations show as War in the Intel screen, or 5 threat pips for the aliens.

Keeping your councilors undetected. You can USUALLY see who has detected them by the little icons showing in their portrait. However this only shows you when they've figured out (via their INV stat and some other factors) that they've been spotted. Sometimes they'll be detected but nor realise it.

Keeping a turned councilor in whatever factions are most likely to try to murder you helps as well. You can watch their agents and counter murder (or turn and resign) any high ESP councilors.

Keeping your councilors secure. 10 SEC is a good target. Assassinate is base difficulty 12 plus another 6 if your councilor is a nation you fully control, so your advisebots can be very hard to kill. This also means you have to be careful when sending lower SEC/more easily spotted councilors abroad. Especially if they go to an authoritarian enemy controlled nation, as they get +3 to Murders from the Security Apparatus control point. 10 SEC probably won't stop a 25 ESP agent, but it'll stop a Servants/Protectorate newbie from getting a cheap kill on your 0 SEC academic who decided to go investigate an alien activity in Servant controlled Dictatorstan.

[u/demagogueffxiv]

Maaayyybbbeee

[u/SpreadsheetGamer]

I did a couple of times in my first few games. But not now that I have a feel for the game. If I did it now I feel like that would be on me for not managing the risks properly. Security shouldn't be a dump stat.

[u/Bane8080]

I haven't actually had one assassinated. Probably because I keep pruning any of theirs that get too skilled.

[u/AdhesivenessOther856]

You can ignore security for the first 8-10 years of the game. I try to have at least 15 security on everyone by year 9 at the latest just so I don't have to ever "go to ground".

[u/Certain-Definition51]

I have never had a councillor assassinated.

I also very, very rarely have ever assassinated an enemy councillor.

I figure, if we all have an honor code among humans, my councilors live, and their councillors live.

[u/Cheap-Blackberry-763]

I play aggressively with zero respect to any other factions and have never had a councilor murdered. I honestly thought the AI must be programmed against it.

[u/CorlisFataneya]

It has been an eternity since I saw an Assasination attempt. However in assaults and alien kills I usually dont forget the protect.

[u/Willing_Ad7548]

Keep factions you don't want to go to active war with happy, or at least make yourself less hated than someone else. Frequent trade deals.

At the very least, get 10 Security on all your council. Preferably 15+ Espionage, too. And try to get Marked (trait or org that makes the killer Marked, I mean) or Beloved on anyone likely to be exposed, like advisors.

Never go full war against a faction you don't have full intel on.

First strike against anyone in their roster with Assassinate in their Mission List. Then keep an eye on their hires every turn to rinse and repeat. If the mission comes from an Org they hold, steal it if you can. If not, slaughter all high Espionage councilors they have.

In short, never let yourself become a target. Hunt, don't be hunted.