I can't really put it in words, but I feel like that's more of an excuse for laziness on the part of leadership. It's a leader's job to build up team spirit, which also builds loyalty, and makes it easier to find spies just by family relations. You could also speak in more general terms, such as "we're so much better than so-and-so, we'll take their capital right out of their hands!" No, people don't necessarily get involved in the planning that way, but they do feel a part of the team.
I'm sure we could debate it endlessly once I find my words, but something feels wrong about the extreme negativity for IC-IC spying.
I agree.
I am not at all against IC spying. I am against people excluding others because they fear it could happen. While IC spying can be used as an excuse to form closed circles, it does not have to be. Even if IC spying can be shown to be 100% responsible for the loss of a battle, it does not mean that you have to become angry, paranoid and exclusionary. The game can still be fun - should remain fun.
Plus, as in real life, if someone really wants to get you, they will. All the extra security and paranoia is only likely to inconvenience a determined spy while is is far more likely to discourage trustworthy players who really want to contribute. Given the choice, I would always chose against secret councils and paranoia! Then again, I may be a bit of an idealist here!
Again, the advice of "playing as f you were playing a game amongst friends" really rings true here. If a friend busts out a surprise move in a game of Risk, I congratulate him. If an opponent slams me to the mat for an Ippon using a sneaky tactic, I try to learn from it and shake his hand. If there is some ind of unsportsmanlike like conduct going on (Sharing info via OOC means, exploiting bugs to more effectively spy, and the like, then there is a problem.
