View source for Missions

Periodically, the game will enter the mission phase, during which all factions will secretly assign their councilors to missions. These missions will be resolved in a sequence over the next few days or weeks. While some missions are automatically successful, most are contested and require a success roll. Missions typically target nations, regions, control points, space facilities, and other councilors.

Between mission phases, missions resolve in a partially predetermined order, denoted by the number of small clock symbols visible in the mission description. Uncontested and defensive missions trigger earlier than contested ones. When two councilors are attempting the same mission, the one with the higher primary attribute used in calculating the mission success chance goes first.

== Uncontested Missions ==
Uncontested missions are always successful.
{| class="wikitable"
! Mission !! Cost !! Success XP !! Success factors !! Effect
|-
| [[File:ICO advisenation on.png|70px]] Advise
| 10 Influence
| 1
| 
* Councillor's Command
* Councillor's Administration
* Councillor's Science
| Improves a nation's or hab's research output, combat capabilities and financial performance. Additional councilors with the same mission provide a diminishing benefit.
|-
| [[File:ICO contact on.png|70px]] Contact
| 10 Influence
| 1
| 
* None
| Attempts a diplomatic exchange with the targeted councilor's faction.
|-
| [[File:ICO defendinterest on.png|70px]] Defend Interests
| 20 Influence
| 1
| 
* None
| Temporarily decreases the success chance of Coup, Crackdown and Purge missions in the targeted nation.
|-
| [[File:ICO deorbit on.png|70px]] Deorbit
| None
| 1
| 
* None
| Move from a hab or ship in orbit to the surface of a space body, or from Luna to Earth.
|-
| [[File:ICO gotoground on.png|70px]] Go To Ground
| None
| 1
| 
* None
| Go into hiding in an Earth region to escape enemy detection and attacks.
|-
| [[File:ICO detectcouncilactivity on.png|70px]] Surveil Location
| None
| 1
| 
* None
| Increases the chance to detect other factions' agents in the targeted hab, fleet or region. May also detect hidden alien assets in nearby Earth regions.
|}

== Contested missions ==
For contested missions, the success chance is determined by adding all the relevant bonuses and maluses for a particular mission, and the faction conducting the mission may spend resources to improve its chance of success. If the bonuses and maluses add up to zero, the success chance is 50 percent; otherwise, each point in one direction has a decreasingly powerful impact on the outcome. Changing conditions on Earth can modify success chances between the mission assignment phase and the mission resolution.

When a contested mission resolves, a random number between 0 and 100 is generated; if it is less than or equal to the success chance, the mission is a success; otherwise it fails. Results that are less than 10% of the success chance mark a critical success, which typically offers bonuses over a normal success; results in the top 10% of the range of possible failure values are a critical failure and have worse consequences.
{| class="wikitable"
! Mission !! Cost !! Success XP !! Difficulty !! Success factors !! Failure factors !! width=18% | Effect
|-
| [[File:ICO assassinate on.png|70px]] Assassinate
| Variable Ops
| 3
| 12
| 
* Councillor's Espionage
* Security Apparatus control point in the target's nation
* Target is detained
* Intel on the target
| 
* Target's Security
* Protect Target mission on the target
* Target's faction owns a control point in the target's nation
| Kills the targeted enemy councilor.
|-
| [[File:ICO assaultfacility on.png|70px]] Assault Alien Asset
| Variable Ops
| 3
| 4
| 
* Councillor's Command
| 
* Protect Target mission on the target
| Destroys the targeted asset.
|-
| [[File:ICO gain influence on.png|70px]] Control Nation
| Variable Influence
| 2
| 0
| 
* Councillor's Persuasion
* Control points in the target
* Control points in nations adjacent to the target
* Bureaucracy control point in the target's nation
* Ideological similarity with the target's population
| 
* Target's GDP
* Target's Rivalries
| Gain a control point in the targeted nation.
|-
| [[File:ICO controlspaceasset on.png|70px]] Control Space Asset
| Variable Influence
| 2
| 12
| 
* Councillor's Persuasion
* Target is being decomissioned
* Target's faction has negative influence
* Ideological similarity with the target's faction
| 
* Target's core module tier
* Target's crew
* Defend Interests mission on the target
* Protect Target mission on the target
| Targeted hab or ship joins the councilor's faction.
|-
| [[File:ICO coup on.png|70px]] Coup d'Etat
| Variable Ops
| 2
| 6
| 
* Councillor's Command
* Oligarchs control point in the target nation
* Ideological similarity with the target's population
| 
* Target's Cohesion
* Target's GDP
* Target's Government
* Target's Unrest
* Target's faction owns an Oligarchs control point in the target's nation
* Another faction owns control points in the target
| Targeted nation's control points become unowned.
|-
| [[File:ICO crackdown on.png|70px]] Crackdown
| Variable Influence
| 2
| 0
| 
* Councillor's Investigation
* Security Apparatus control point in the target's nation
* Target's faction exceeds its control points cap
* Ideological similarity with the target's population
| 
* Target's GDP
* Defend Interests mission on the target
| Temporarily disables the benefits of the targeted control point, removes Defend Interests mission protection and increases the Purge mission success chance.
|-
| [[File:ICO detain on.png|70px]] Detain Councilor
| Variable Ops
| 2
| 8
| 
* Councillor's Investigation
* Security Apparatus control point in the target's nation
* Intel on the target
| 
* Target's Security
* Protect Target mission on the target
| Targeted councilor is detained for interrogation and their mission is canceled.
|-
| [[File:ICO extract on.png|70px]] Extract Councilor
| Variable Ops
| 2
| 8
| 
* Councillor's Command
* Control points in the target
* Security Apparatus control point in the target's nation
| 
* Target's faction owns a Security Apparatus control point in the target's nation
| Targeted detained councilor becomes free.
|}