The problem with worrying about spies is the "spies that aren't spies"
That is definitely an issue. I've received messages IG before during periods of low activity where people said that there's rumours going around that my character is a spy. I just blow it off, but I assume some others might take it personally.
As I think Vellos said in all that, low level spying about troop movements usually isn't very effective.
Having been burned by people relaying orders quite a few times, I have to disagree with this. When properly applied in the right situations, knowing that your enemy is misdirecting, or where they plan on actually moving, is quite powerful.
Have you ever seen all of your misdirects fail to draw any response from the enemy, and your real movement draw strong response exactly where it needs to go? Especially when it happens again and again, over a period of several weeks.
Have you ever tried to catch a late-moving looting force that knows exactly where the chasing army is moving?
Have you ever had to deal with an enemy that has all the scout reports of all of your army movements and positions, even the ones behind the front lines?
How about an enemy who knows your exact refit cycle, and when your forces will be returning to the front lines?
It's bad enough when even general realm plans and options are leaked to enemies or potential enemies. But when your plans are constantly ending up in enemy hands, it gets really old, really fast. The only way to foil it is to compartmentalize information.
It's all well and good to just say you should just ignore it and move on with business as usual. But who really enjoys a situation where your entire realm is an open book to the enemy?
