About Goldmarks and Spies, can´t you intercept messages, destroy ressources etc. only by using Goldmarks? So if we say, no GM allowed, Spies are rather useless, right, because they can´t sabotage and intercept messages?
You can use gold marks (well, not in this game, if we agree not to) to get special spies. They take effect immediately (instead of every day at the day change), only work once, and you can choose exactly which job you want them to perform (instead of it being semi-random based on the type of spy you got).
Normal spies work once per day per spy, take effect at the day change, cost normal, in-game money (£ = pounds), and their effect is random based on which type of spy they are (intelligence, economical sabotage or military sabotage). Spies cost £20,000 to recruit and cost different amounts of money per day, depending on their mission: £500 per day if they have no mission, £1,000 per day if they are on counter-spy duty in your territory, £2,000 per day if they are on an intelligence mission and £4,000 per day if they are on an economical or military sabotage mission.