Current EA changes that affect this page
Hotfix 0.4.1 reduced attacks and shifted targeting toward more valuable carts. Update 0.4.5 rebalanced ambushes again to make them less frequent and more predictable. The official hotfix documents a 50% chance for the Fight response to provide strength-2 evidence. This is a specific patch-note rule, not a general crime success formula. The hotfix addresses characters failing to create evidence when committing a crime. That correction does not make every act automatically witnessed or every accusation valid. False accusations for crimes the player did not commit became much less likely in the tutorial. The developer explicitly says the problem can still occur.
Gathering information
The official description allows targeted spying with a trade-off between thoroughness, time and money, or personal effort using Energy. It does not provide a current detection formula. Record what the game actually returns after an investigation.
Choose the use before spending it
A charge starts a legal process, while blackmail seeks another kind of advantage. Selling evidence trades future options for money. The tracker can preserve those intentions without assuming that evidence has a fixed value or remains valid forever.
Keep provenance in your notebook
Write down the target, alleged act, source of the evidence, city, build and any expiry shown in-game. Treat a deadline as unknown if the UI does not specify one. This avoids inventing decay rules and makes the note useful when reviewing a patch.