Well, as far as the spy networks, you could establish a lot of (0)
guilds (or other holdings) in various provinces. There is no rule that says
a DM _must_ tell a regent who else has holdings in his provinces, and
(0)-level holdings do not take up "slots."

P.S. I'm also in favor of the idea of "split" (PC/DM) format for sourcebooks.



Lee.