New campaign, new member here...

[graiae66]

but I've played/run Champions since 1984 (yes, I'm buffing my liver spots and only my hair dresser knows for sure--heck, he's the best source of gossip in this 1-bit town).

Weylan, my spouse, posted a bit about the new campaign I'm starting over on the Champions thread (Powers classification or something like that), and though I don't frequent many game-related boards (lack of time, not interest), I thought I might try it out.

LSS: I'm attaching the backstory of our campaign, and I would appreciate feedback. I'm more than willing to give it in return. We've played one game, wherein the two players met and made contact with a couple of key NPCs. I'll have a 3rd player coming in soon. So things are quite open and flexible now if I've made some glaring error or left a gaping hole.

Fun notes and caveats:


I didn't make up the stuff about Rhine and Ziner--that's real world.
Why the Research Triangle? I grew up in NC and have visited there a lot, still have friends in the area. Plus it's got plenty of juicy things a campaign can use (science, tech, libraries, etc.)
Why am I so mean to Merck? I think they did some very naughty and unethical things in our world.
So I appreciate any comments, and like I said, I'd be happy to reciprocate.

Best,

Dee

[Vassoom]

Welcome! I'll gladly take a look at your attachment and provide any feedback as appropriate.

But in any event, welcome to the forums (from another HERO gamer who's also been playing since the early 80's)! :p

- Vassoom

[Vassoom]

Having now read your intro, all I can say is it looks like a very intriguing setting for a supers game. Although you refer to many other influences in the footnote, your historical timeline actually seems to follow several of the same social threads used in the X-Men, which surely is a good thing since that is a tremendously smart and well-crafted franchise. As you say, however, your world looks to be a tad darker, which I also think will work well and make for some exciting gameplay.

Although I can only surmise from the intro what the exact scenario is that your players initially find themselves, I would like to offer one note of caution (although it may not be needed, especially if I have presumed incorrectly that your players are some of the "renegade" paranormals pursuing vigilante justice while avoiding the PRA and PAUS): Be advised that basing much of the entire campaign on the players' ability to remain "elusive" and "hidden" from a massive, powerful, and omnipresent government (and many of its citizens) puts significant limitations on various scenarios, and also creates numerous additional burdens for you as the GM. If you haven't already, I would strongly encourage you to always have at least 1 (and possibly even 2 or more) Deus Ex Machina scenarios in your back pocket for those times when the players blunder badly and by all accounts should end up completely exposed or even caught. It is almost certain to happen eventually, and it would otherwise shatter any tension and hard-earned dramatic realism to be forced to "hand wave" an implausible and unrealistic "escape". Having run such games before, I speak from experience...but this is just one GM's humble opinion. :)

Good luck with your game!

- Vassoom

[graiae66]

Excellent point, Vassoom. I hadn't really thought of them as such (but you are right, I should), but I have two or three "informal" deus ex machina--1) Padaeia, who is still alive but in hiding and 2) Prototype, albeit a normal, who has great connections. Right now, I am counting on the players not to be too stupid. :)

Thanks for the feedback!

dee

[Manic Typist]

Right now, I am counting on the players not to be too stupid. :)




Famous last words.

[bigdamnhero]

Never underestimate player stupidity. :D Seriously, even smart players occasionally make stupid mistakes, so you need to have thought out how you're going to handle it when it happens.

Your background info made for a great read - thanks! I'm a tad confused, tho, about the specifics of the Owens-Parr Act and surrounding legislation. There's a world of difference between saying 1) paranormals have no right to take the law into their own hands, and 2) paranormals have no right to life or other basic human rights. From our point of view the two may seem inexorably linked, because we we’ve been conditioned by 50+ years of comics to equate superhumans with vigilante crimefighters. But from a legal standpoint, those are two very different things; passing a law saying “paranormals acting outside the law are vigilantes” doesn’t automatically equate to trying to kill or forcibly “cure” law-abiding paranormals. I’m not saying you can’t have both things going on, just that they are two distinct points that ought to be addressed separately, and it seems to me like you’ve got them blurred together a little.

But that’s nitpicking, really. Overall, it sounds like a fun campaign. Good luck, let us know how it develops, and welcome to the Boards!

[graiae66]

Points well taken, and everyone is right about the stupid players. Even I've been a stupid player on occasion. :)

About the Owens-Parr Act, points well taken--One of the things I am working on is drafting the actual legislation, but the intent of the law was never to define paranormals "automatically" as hostile simply because they had odd abilities--yet that's exactly what happened. (I thought I might even have one of the pair, Owen or Parr, backtrack on the law's passage at some point, stating "I never meant it to be that way!" Too late, dude). The interpretation of the law went awry, overboard, and too far in a "better be safe than sorry" direction, spearheaded (behind the scenes, actually) by the PRA. The model I was looking at, if it wasn't already apparent, was based on the sorts of things that started happening in Nazi Germany. The government took little steps at first--curfews, limits on public transport, etc. Then, the effects on various members of the population became much more brutal and harsh and then finally genocidal because of religious beliefs, sexual preferences, or even national/ethnic origin. (And I'm not letting the US off the hook--between the treatment of the Nisei and various other ethnic groups in this country, we've done some pretty awful things).

Anyway, bottom line is that I agree--there are two separate issues at work here that need addressing. My short term goal is getting the players involved in the "underground" which Prototype and some colleagues are leading.

Thanks for reading-I'll keep you posted!

Dee

[Weylan]

There are several points (about the law and other things) that still need to be worked out before things really get going. But I agree that A) otherwise-normal looking folks B) with superhuman powers C) representing a tiny minority of the population could be enough to scare the general population to committing some very unconstitutional actions.

And since the GM knows how I feel about insurmountable odds, I expect she'll be gentle in the beginning. :)

Anyway, the current two characters are basically Zeds (unknown, unregistered) to the government. There are rumours coming from the local criminal community about the shadowy Nemesis but he hasn't made enough of a nuisance of himself they haven't pushed to nab him. The other character, a Ninja-type, is new in town and not on the registry either.

[bigdamnhero]

About the Owens-Parr Act, points well taken--One of the things I am working on is drafting the actual legislation, but the intent of the law was never to define paranormals "automatically" as hostile simply because they had odd abilities--yet that's exactly what happened. (I thought I might even have one of the pair, Owen or Parr, backtrack on the law's passage at some point, stating "I never meant it to be that way!" Too late, dude). The interpretation of the law went awry, overboard, and too far in a "better be safe than sorry" direction, spearheaded (behind the scenes, actually) by the PRA. The model I was looking at, if it wasn't already apparent, was based on the sorts of things that started happening in Nazi Germany. The government took little steps at first--curfews, limits on public transport, etc. Then, the effects on various members of the population became much more brutal and harsh and then finally genocidal because of religious beliefs, sexual preferences, or even national/ethnic origin. (And I'm not letting the US off the hook--between the treatment of the Nisei and various other ethnic groups in this country, we've done some pretty awful things).
Ah okay, sounds great to me. :thumbup:

[Basil]

I'm reading your document right now, and have (in the first page or so) run into problems with history. Sorry if some of this seems nit-picking, but I've got a good background in history, and some of this stuff grates. Since little (if any) of it is vital to the setting, I'll just wade in and let you know what I see as "off".

"There, in 1928, a small group of maverick scientists in the new field of nuclear physics built an atomic reactor."
Since it wasn't until ~1934 that Enrico Fermi did the experiments that gave such peculiar results that the idea of a "chain reaction" was reached (~1939), there's no way anyone could have made a reactor in 1928. Put simply, no-one would have the beginnings of an inkling that anything even vaguely like a reactor was worth trying to build until a decade after your date.

"never mind Hawai’ian sovereignty"
Hawaii became a territory of the USA in 1897, with the full cooperation of the internationally recognized government of Hawaii. Thus, no such thing as "Hawai’ian [sic] sovereignty" for half a century before your date.

"Rhine had been around far too long and had way too many supporters and fans in Congress for McCarthy’s accusations to carry much weight."
Supporters, in Congress, of a mere "egghead," willing to stand up to one of America's most successful demogogues? In the virulently anti-intellectual early '50's?? Un-freaking-believable.

The early 1950's is a bit early to be talking about "the babby boomer generation," at least as determining general public sentiment.

"Following Rhine’s model, the Stanford Center operated under the most rigorous scientific and ethical principles possible."
Check CSICOP or similar groups: Rhine's "research" was so sloppy it scarely seems possible he got away with it.

"Connors vs. Astra"
I'll let Steve Long, or one of the other lawyers there may be on these boards, explain amicus curiae.


A non-historical matter:
"Skill points range: 25-80"
80 points spent on a Skill?!?? Are you sure this isn't an error?

[Vassoom]

A non-historical matter:
"Skill points range: 25-80"
80 points spent on a Skill?!?? Are you sure this isn't an error?
I think what she means with that is between 25 and 80 total points spent on all skills. It's quite common for GMs to set point limits for the various categories for new campaigns, such as no more than 60 total points can be spent on Characteristics, no more than 50 points on Skills, etc. That helps ensure that the players make well balanced characters rather than one-dimensional Stats Monsters™ or Skills Whores™. ;)

And as for the historical quibbles, I gave her a little latitude since I assumed she "tweaked" historical realism to better fit her fictional world. To use your objection to the research on nuclear power as an example, since it was critical that the technology be around for quite a while before WWII, I figured she pushed its initial development back several years before Fermi in order for the "effects" of the radiation to set in and create the first paranormals in time for her scientists to discover them in the 30's. Et cetera. You know, creative license and all that... :)

- Vassoom

[graiae66]

I'm reading your document right now, and have (in the first page or so) run into problems with history. Sorry if some of this seems nit-picking, but I've got a good background in history, and some of this stuff grates. Since little (if any) of it is vital to the setting, I'll just wade in and let you know what I see as "off".

Gee whiz, and here I am a college history professor. Let me double check and make sure UGA is an accredited instition (checks diploma). Yep, 'fraid it is. :)

I was taking a LOT of liberties; I wasn't trying to replicate history "perfectly" in any way. I was trying to take "bits" of real history and fold them into the game world and/or alter them to create a semi-realistic background. Sure, Fermi came up with the idea of a chain reaction later...but in my game world, the Duke folks were doing top secret experiments based on their own research. It was a miserable failure. This was entirely fiction on my part--I wasn't trying to write "real" history by any means, and sorry if I implied otherwise.


"never mind Hawai’ian sovereignty"
I was referring not to the present in that statement, but to the past...Yes, by WW II, Hawaii was an official territory. Doesn't excuse the fact that the legitimate government years before had been usurped by the US.


"Rhine had been around far too long and had way too many supporters and fans in Congress for McCarthy’s accusations to carry much weight."
Supporters, in Congress, of a mere "egghead," willing to stand up to one of America's most successful demogogues? In the virulently anti-intellectual early '50's?? Un-freaking-believable.
Anti-intellectual? In many ways, yes. But there was also a tremendous push for education in the math, sciences and foreign languages to keep up with the Russians in the Cold War/Space Race (which most historians agree started around 1946-48). And the US Congress has done some really foolish decision making over the years. FWIW, a lot of people did NOT support McCarthy, and although a lot of lives were ruined, he did finally get knocked down pretty hard in the end.


The early 1950's is a bit early to be talking about "the babby boomer generation," at least as determining general public sentiment.
Maybe so, but the writer is looking at it in retrospect, giving her own historiographical spin on things.


"Following Rhine’s model, the Stanford Center operated under the most rigorous scientific and ethical principles possible."
Check CSICOP or similar groups: Rhine's "research" was so sloppy it scarely seems possible he got away with it.
Again, bending/twisting some real history for the game...Stanford greatly improved on Rhine's track record, but I didn't dwell overlong on that. But I'll certainly give CSICOP a look. (Just did)


"Connors vs. Astra"
I'll let Steve Long, or one of the other lawyers there may be on these boards, explain amicus curiae.
I'd certainly appreciate more information. I'm not a lawyer. I got the idea from the way Julian May set up the law for parapsychics in her "Intervention" and "Galactic Milieu" books. I liked the model, so I borrowed it.


A non-historical matter:
"Skill points range: 25-80"
80 points spent on a Skill?!?? Are you sure this isn't an error?
Total points on skills, in case someone wants to come up with a small power, lots of skills...

I'm a little dismayed that you didn't realize that I was NOT trying to write down a completely accurate history of the US from the 1920s to the present, and then sticking in paranormals on the side. I was trying to take a skeleton of US history, and then change things so that the existence of heroes and the present state of paranormal affairs would come to the point (for the start of the game) that I wanted. Again, if I implied in any way that I was writing accurate and real world history, I apologize. Vassoom essentially summed it up nicely--I tweaked historical realism to make it fit the world I wanted. IF you want the real history, let's see, I teach US to 1865 on MW and US from 1865 on TR. ;)

Dee

[Weylan]

I suppose she could have just had a strange green meteor skip through the atmosphere, bringing about a world of superpower do-gooders who have free-run of the planet, but I thought a little bit of real history mixed in made the setting more interesting. There are some pretty darn silly notions in your standard superhero comic, after all.

Geez, Basil, don't you think that was a bit harsh?

[graiae66]

OK, well, back to brainstorming. One NPC the players have met (so yeah, it's all right for me to talk about her on here) is a normal who helps out paranormals. Her code name is Prototype, and it was from her POV that the player handout was made. (No, she's not a lawyer OR a history professor ;)) She acts as a go-between, for example, and is as good as Sidney Bristow at disguising her appearance when she wants to do so. (Do you remember the Alias episode with the color hairspray and the animal print sticky contact paper "skirt"? Amazing).

I have some ideas why a normal would want to help paranormals in such a way--she is risking her life--but they're all kind of trite ("My mommy was a para and they took her away and left me all alone" or "I believe in a greater good" stuff). I'm looking for a new spin on things. Any thoughts?

dee

[Vassoom]

OK, well, back to brainstorming. One NPC the players have met (so yeah, it's all right for me to talk about her on here) is a normal who helps out paranormals. Her code name is Prototype, and it was from her POV that the player handout was made. (No, she's not a lawyer OR a history professor ;)) She acts as a go-between, for example, and is as good as Sidney Bristow at disguising her appearance when she wants to do so. (Do you remember the Alias episode with the color hairspray and the animal print sticky contact paper "skirt"? Amazing).

I have some ideas why a normal would want to help paranormals in such a way--she is risking her life--but they're all kind of trite ("My mommy was a para and they took her away and left me all alone" or "I believe in a greater good" stuff). I'm looking for a new spin on things. Any thoughts?

dee
Aww...but the "trite" rationales are so much easier! <thinks a little harder> :think:

OK, here are a few off the top of my head:

There's the equally trite but still somewhat compelling option of having her married to a paranormal. Excellent motivation for her to help them out. Slightly more poignant variation: She was engaged to a paranormal and either a) "they" killed him, b) he killed himself, or c) her initial reaction was very negative when she found out, and she lost him as a result, and later realized how petty, foolish, and cruel her initial reaction was...and is disgusted with the society/government that conditioned her to react that way against another human being who is simply "different".
An also trite variation on the theme, but what if instead of her significant other, it was her brother that was a paranormal, and she witnessed firsthand his persecution and vowed to do whatever she could to put a stop to it.
Perhaps she is a staunch civil libertarian, and sees this as her duty to help the latest in a long string of persecutions by the American government of a particular class (e.g., Blacks, Women, Japanese [during WWII], Communists, Gays, Muslims [post 9/11], and now Paranormals...). Or perhaps she was/is a member of such a persecuted class, and is therefore motivated to help.
Along the same line, perhaps her family was Jewish and suffered through the holocaust, and she sees the recent government trend toward "identification" and then "purification" as just a little too similar to what happened in Nazi Germany...
You would need to tweak the opening language in your document a little, but what if she *used* to be a paranormal herself, but succumbed to the pressure and underwent the "cure" of the Hyche vaccine, and now knows the decision was a tragic mistake...one that she wants to ensure no other paranormals are ever faced with.
Perhaps an unknown paranormal saved her life or the life of someone in her family, and was then immediately caught as a result of risking his life to save her (without even knowing who she was) and was consequently "punished" for using his paranormal powers in public...
Final thought: what if she secretly longs to have the amazing powers of a paranormal, and is thus strongly motivated to help them and surround herself with them. She might even try to persuade them to let her be their "sidekick" of sorts, if you want to make her a "full-time" NPC. Also, if her desire is a bit pathological, it would certainly explain the extraordinarily risky behavior she engages in, and it would also allow for some very interesting roleplaying interaction between her and the PCs.That's all I've got off the top of my head. I'll mull it over a little and see if I can offer up anything more compelling...

- Vassoom

[Play4Keeps]

I have some ideas why a normal would want to help paranormals in such a way--she is risking her life--but they're all kind of trite ("My mommy was a para and they took her away and left me all alone" or "I believe in a greater good" stuff). I'm looking for a new spin on things. Any thoughts?

She knows how to (or only thinks she does) create metahumans. So she wants the restrictions off so she can offer to turn people into metas--for a price, of course.

Or she can turn them into metas who will obey her. That means of course she's as evil as the people she fights. Kinda a surprise for the PC's. :eg: :eg:

[Ephelides]

I have some ideas why a normal would want to help paranormals in such a way--she is risking her life--but they're all kind of trite ("My mommy was a para and they took her away and left me all alone" or "I believe in a greater good" stuff). I'm looking for a new spin on things. Any thoughts?

dee

She wants to keep "the super resistance" alive, the anger of superpeople building, until they lash out at the government. In the confusion that follows, she will take over the country! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Over the top? What does that mean? :winkgrin:

You have not said what the rest of the world is like, regarding supers. Perhaps the rest of the world has a calm, rational reaction to supers. She is so embarrassed by the USA's reaction that she is determined to change it so her country is not a laughingstock.

She wants to "investigate" supers to find out how they do what they do. She cannot experiment on-=-=-oops, "test" and "research" them-=-=-if they are all in hiding or neutralized.

I will think on this to see if other ideas occur to me.

[graiae66]

Thanks, everyone, for the ideas. To answer Ephelides' question, we're still working on the rest of the world. One player is writing up Britain, the other Japan, and we'll fill in the rest of the holes gradually, I think.

Ultimately, Prototype IS a good guy. She has a desire to help, no megalomania, and definitely hasn't the training or inclination to hurt paranormals. I took several ideas from y'all, and kind of rolled them into her personality profile. I finished her stats and such a couple days ago, but I'm still working on her complete background. So I very much appreciate all the help with brainstorming.

I asked Weylan if he'd write up the first adventure log and post it, so maybe he'll find the time to do that soon.

Thanks again,

Dee

[Ephelides]

Thanks, everyone, for the ideas. To answer Ephelides' question, we're still working on the rest of the world. One player is writing up Britain, the other Japan, and we'll fill in the rest of the holes gradually, I think.

Um, I was more thinking about the general attitude sorta thing. Like, are most nations cool with supers, or as freaked out paranoid as the Entire States?

But it's all good. ;)


Ultimately, Prototype IS a good guy. She has a desire to help, no megalomania, and definitely hasn't the training or inclination to hurt paranormals. I took several ideas from y'all, and kind of rolled them into her personality profile. I finished her stats and such a couple days ago, but I'm still working on her complete background. So I very much appreciate all the help with brainstorming.

If she's all goody-nice, that kills my more interesting ideas. :eg:

Perhaps she knows (or thinks) that the more supers there are, the more there will be. IOW, the number of supers is increasing at a rate that itself increases. So soon there's gonna be tens of thousands. She knows the gummint can't keep that many oppressed, and wants to change the way supers are handled before there's a war of supers vs. norms.

[Basil]

I apologize for the tone of my last post. I was running late, trying to deal with off-line stuff, and (though I didn't know it at the time) coming down with a really bad head cold. I let my frustration and scatter-minded-ness overcome me.

[i3ullseye]

Great intro... and in any game, liberties certainly may (Should?) be taken.

One point I would look to, depending on your gaming group, is your presentation of Merck. How black and white is this world? How prone are your gamers to look up real world info to help them with game decisions since so much of your world is based on real history and companies, albeit shifted for your preference?

In an Ethics course I am currently in, Business Ethics to be more specific, Merck is a very active topic of discussion. Not only their new HPV Vaccine, and the way they are trying to roll it out... but also times in the past where they have taken a bath on certain meds but still released them to third world nations where they were needed most. Sometimes their domestic products cost more to counter losses with foreign distrobutions that help those nations mroe in need.

All in all, painting that company with a single Black or White brush would be impossible, so it would be really fun to use them as a backdrop since you coudl never be sure just where they stand as a whole. One player may come with info showing how altruistic they are, and another could argue they are trying to force their HPV vaccine into schools unethically.

Fun stuff for politically minded gaming groups.

[bigdamnhero]

...and is as good as Sidney Bristow at disguising her appearance when she wants to do so.
Actually I never thought Sidney was any good at disguise: no matter what she did, she always looked like Jennifer Garner to me. :D



Perhaps she is a staunch civil libertarian, and sees this as her duty to help the latest in a long string of persecutions by the American government of a particular class (e.g., Blacks, Women, Japanese [during WWII], Communists, Gays, Muslims [post 9/11], and now Paranormals...).
Any of Vassoom's suggestions would work, but I think I'd be inclined to go along these lines: she helps paras because it's the right thing to do. Most of the people who ran the Underground Railroad in the early 1800s didn't have any ulterior motive, didn't have black family members, or were themselves former slaves or whatever. They just believed that slavery was wrong and that good people had a moral duty to oppose it.

Even in the darkest campaigns it's sometimes nice to have one bright light of decency, even if only for the contrast.

[graiae66]

Perhaps she knows (or thinks) that the more supers there are, the more there will be. IOW, the number of supers is increasing at a rate that itself increases. So soon there's gonna be tens of thousands. She knows the gummint can't keep that many oppressed, and wants to change the way supers are handled before there's a war of supers vs. norms.

In fact, she tipped the heroes off to this very suspicion last game...now they have to find the hard evidence. One of the questions is, why is the number of paras being hidden? Why is the truth being kept hush hush? All things the players should be wondering...:)

[graiae66]

I apologize for the tone of my last post. I was running late, trying to deal with off-line stuff, and (though I didn't know it at the time) coming down with a really bad head cold. I let my frustration and scatter-minded-ness overcome me.

It's okay. Hope you feel better.

dee

[graiae66]

Great intro... and in any game, liberties certainly may (Should?) be taken.

One point I would look to, depending on your gaming group, is your presentation of Merck. How black and white is this world? How prone are your gamers to look up real world info to help them with game decisions since so much of your world is based on real history and companies, albeit shifted for your preference?

Thanks, and you make a fine point. It would be boring of me to make Merck totally without some kind of remorse and/or ameliorating factors. I'm not quite sure what those will be, but it's given me something to think about. I believe the day I worked on the Merck part of the campaign was when NPR broke the bit about how the company had KNOWN the adverse effects of Vioxx...and released it anyway, but kept the side effects quiet.

What ARE they doing with the HPV vaccine anyway? Isn't that the one that some scientists are suggesting be given to girls as young as 9 and 10 (hopefully before they are sexually active) to prevent cervical cancer? Or am I wrong? Science isn't my strong suit...:)

I'm all for stopping cervical cancer. I would worry, though, about long-range effects in such a young population.

dee

[graiae66]

Actually I never thought Sidney was any good at disguise: no matter what she did, she always looked like Jennifer Garner to me. :D

LOL, okay, you got me there. I'm waiting for season 5 to reach Netflix. I can't deal with watching them one a week.


Even in the darkest campaigns it's sometimes nice to have one bright light of decency, even if only for the contrast.

And *ultimately* that is why she is doing it--altruism and wanting to do the right thing. There are now some, hmmm, complicating factors, but at heart, Prototype is a caring do-good type.

Dee

[Ephelides]

In fact, she tipped the heroes off to this very suspicion last game...now they have to find the hard evidence. One of the questions is, why is the number of paras being hidden? Why is the truth being kept hush hush? All things the players should be wondering...:)

Ah ha! See what a genius I am?!


j/k :winkgrin:

[i3ullseye]

Yes, the HPV vaccine seems to all but eliminate on of the largest cancerous killers of women. But religious right groups have attacked the company, stating that preventing such a thing woudl promote promiscuous sex in youth. It was a very heated debate, but the voices of reason seemed to side with Merck, as did the government.

Then the next hiccup occurred. They proposed to move forward by trying to get the government to list this vaccine as one of those required for public school admission. Now while the effects if this can't be understated, the financial gain of making this not just a legally available drug, but a legally required one for all females within the school system... that raised more than a few eyebrows.

But in the past they have as a company taken some losses on drugs to make sure they made it to the people in need. Not quite on the same scale as Johnson and Johnson have... but maybe this vaccine will be another where they sacrifice profits to have it instituted for school admission. Only time will tell.

[Weylan]

I apologize for the tone of my last post. I was running late, trying to deal with off-line stuff, and (though I didn't know it at the time) coming down with a really bad head cold. I let my frustration and scatter-minded-ness overcome me.

Been there. Done that. Caught the flames. :)

I understand. 'nuff said.

[graiae66]

I'd meant to try and get this posted much earlier. We finally seem to have our lives settled enough for the two regular PCs and a new PC to join the game and keep it rolling on a regular basis (for us, that's about twice a month--luckily we're neighbors and married to each other--one PC to me, the other two PCs to each other, handily enough). Anyway, here is the log from Adventure 1. The lazy players didn't take the extra XP bait, but I think they will do the writing from here on out. :)

dee

[Vassoom]

I'd meant to try and get this posted much earlier. We finally seem to have our lives settled enough for the two regular PCs and a new PC to join the game and keep it rolling on a regular basis (for us, that's about twice a month--luckily we're neighbors and married to each other--one PC to me, the other two PCs to each other, handily enough). Anyway, here is the log from Adventure 1. The lazy players didn't take the extra XP bait, but I think they will do the writing from here on out. :)

dee
Looks like a great start. Thanks for posting the writeup.

And definitely try to get those "lazy players" to draft the log next time...it's a ton of additional work for you as the GM if they don't. ;)

- Vassoom

[graiae66]

Mercifully, Weylan took the XP bait and wrote up session 2. We play again on the 15th. :)

Dee

Game 2: Lunatic in my Head
Game Date: March 17, 2006
Real Date: September 1, 2006

PCs:
Aaron Roth, aka Nemesis (Stealth/Mentalist/Power Mimic)
Tetsumito Kogashi, aka Bladerunner (Stealth/Speed/Martial Arts)
“Mariah”(Mentalist?)

NPCs:
Firebrand (Energy projector/Flight)
Synthesis (Telepath)
Cracker (Gadgeteer/ “Technopath”)
Cal/Madog (shapeshifter)

PAUS team
Well trained security guards

Game Summary
Aaron Roth, aka Nemesis, was waiting for a contact at a bar when the TV flashed to a paranormal attack on the FBI building in Raleigh. The structure was ablaze when a PAUS team showed up and engaged the perpetrators. Roth was on the move when he got a call from the modulated voice of Netwalker, who asked if he could meet the attackers and get an assessment of the situation. A short while later, Nemesis picks up Bladerunner, and they head to a construction site near Duke University. Two vans, one looking rather well-worn, were parked inside the 8’ fence. Inside the nicer van is a woman feverishly trying to stop a patient’s bleeding while another woman watches anxiously; a very large wolf paces the fence. These three--the wolf, the wounded female, and the anxious woman--are apparently the people who attacked the FBI building: Firebrand, Madog, and Cracker. Everyone is initially somewhat mistrustful (except Cracker, who is unconscious and critically wounded), but dropping Netwalker’s name seems to make the group more reasonable. After Mariah stabilizes the woman, they go to the terrorists’ hideout a few miles out of town. Mariah continues working; thoughts of settling in are fleeting, as the Durham crowd finds out that one of the terrorists –a telepath – was captured. Netwalker supplies them with a safe house in which to regroup and take stock. Firebrand, the hot-headed leader of the cell, says that the PAUS team probably wouldn’t have been in the city if it hadn’t been for the series of bank robberies the previous month. When she leaves Cracker’s side, Mariah is briefly but probingly questioned about her paranormal status by Nemesis; she is quite reluctant to discuss matters. It is decided that they must free the para prisoner, despite the hazards.

Together, the locals cook up a plan, using the two functional strangers to draw off some or all of the PAUS team; Firebrand and Madog go to start a ruckus at a BATF facility (a logical target). Netwalker procures an ambulance, and manages to zap a technician in the PRA building and fields the resulting 911 call. The ambulance enters the compound, and the Durham team (in nondescript but professional-looking coveralls and billed caps – the men sporting fake mustaches and dark glasses) are escorted into a lab in the basement level. As Mariah appears to check on the injured man, Bladerunner throws shuriken to disable the cameras and Nemesis punches the security guard escorting them. The guard turns and shoots him in the arm. In moments, an ice-caster appears from the elevator and shatters the glass wall of the lab. Then, two more para agents come out of the lab next door, and general violence ensues. In addition to the woman wielding ice powers, one PAUS agent is able to alter the environment while the other seems to have astonishing luck and perhaps even alters probability matrices. Each member of the team manages to slow PAUS agents down enough for Bladerunner to rush in and cut them down with his sword. With the agents dead or bleeding, the team recovers the unconscious telepath in the next lab. Samples had already been sent off, and the two scientists cowering in the corner are of little help. Still, the Durham group collect the prisoner and (with Bladerunner assisting the wounded Mariah) head up the elevator. Instead of getting out on the first floor or top floor, they exit onto the second floor, break a window, and jump onto the ambulance roof. Once they leave the scene, they cut the lights and drive sedately for a mile or so before ditching the vehicle and walking back to the safe house. Firebrand and Madog are battered, but they were successful in torching the BATF building and drawing off three PAUS agents from the PRA facility; one, a telepath, is dead. Nemesis berates Firebrand for the initial attack (which Netwalker had no knowledge of), saying it was senseless and only hurt the para cause. He tells her to let Netwalker do the planning from now on. Firebrand’s team determines to leave the city as soon as all are well enough to travel; they will carry Netwalker’s secure cell phones but won’t reveal where they are going.

The Upshot:
Three of the six-member PAUS team are dead (the telepath from BATF, the environment changer from the PRA building, and the probability changer from the PRA building). The FBI and BATF offices are in flames. The PRA has some physical data from the captured para and descriptions of all the terrorists, and probably have rough descriptions of the Durham cell. Firebrand’s team escaped.

Ramifications:
The Bad
-Security at PRA complexes will improve. PAUS teams will modify their tactics.
-The existence of active paras in the Triangle is confirmed. The PRA have some descriptions of the people involved, and they know someone has O negative blood. (But it’s not clear to the PCs if the PRA knows exactly whose blood it is).
-Firebrand’s action will be a boon to anti-para factions, who will likely play up the notion of an imminent para terrorism threat.

The Good:
-Other paras might take notice; this might aid in the formation of the resistance movement or the strengthening of the fledgling movement that already exists.
-If they move quickly, pro-para factions might be able to spin this into a civil rights issue rather than a terrorism issue.

[graiae66]

The writeup from adventure 3...by Weylan



Game 2: A Prairie Home Companion Road Trip
Game Date: April 3, 2006
Real Date: September 15, 2006

PCs:
Aaron Roth, aka Nemesis (Stealth/Mentalist/Power Mimic)
Tetsumito Kogashi, aka Bladerunner (Stealth/Speed/Martial Arts)
“Mariah”(Mentalist?)

NPCs:
Professor Corbin Ellis (former para): Adjunct in Math, NC State
Lumilla Rasakov (Enhanced perception, dexterity): Cat burglar
Dr. Bernard Westendorf

Game Summary
Now ensconced in one of Netwalker’s safe houses that is serving as their base of operations, the resistance cell decides to abscond with some of the Hyche vaccine as well as data and notes on its use. After some research, they decide on the Genetics Center at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. As they make preparations, they decide to question someone who had taken the vaccine. Tetsumito (in the clever guise of college student, uh, Tetsumito) questions Professor Corbin Ellis at NC State about the vaccine process, who said said it was an all-day affair; he was pretty loopy so he doesn’t remember much except they gave the vaccine to him through an IV drip. Ellis was nervous when the student told him of his unregistered status, and then indignant when Tetsumito questioned him about his choice of the vaccine. Ellis called in the PRA as soon as the student left.

The group went northward on the 4th, tooling along in a Honda Accord provided by Netwalker to meet a contact also provided by Netwalker. At the swanky Lorenzo’s in Chicago, they meet with Lumilla Rasakov, an unregistered para and cat burglar. They outline the plan, and she agrees to help for a vial of the vaccine. Lumilla give them a detailed list of electronics and other equipment, and they spend several hours going to multiple stores to pick everything up.

Mayo Clinic
In Rochester, the group gets a motel, and stakes out the Mayo Clinic. Nemesis and Bladerunner case the parking lot while Mariah sits in the waiting room of the Genetic Center and notes the names of the staff. With some internet access and deduction, they get a basic profile of five doctors who might have access to such things as codes and procedures. The group stakes out the homes of two; unfortunately, both have numerous kids and a dog. They finally decide to catch one, Bernard Westendorf, while he rides his bike through a park. Mariah plays a jogger, but while she plans to trip and collide with the doctor, she misses and bangs her knees. As Westendorf stops to help her, Bladerunner zips out of the woods and injects the victim with a tranq using a small needle. After a few moments, he gets woozy and collapses. Maria sifts through his memories for access codes, procedures, security and layouts, while the other two get retinal photos and a handprint. Among other things, they find the process is a day-long affair, and usually requires two vials of vaccine mixed into Ringers solution. The doctor wakes a short while later with Maria bent over him looking concerned.

With all the necessary intel, they contact Lumilla. At two in the morning, they make their move, slipping past various electronic security measures. Lumilla loads two flash drives with data from Dr. Westendorf’s computer, and the others get into the refrigerated vault and get all six vials of vaccine, and manage to get out without killing or even alerting the security guard. They give Lumilla two vials, and she gives them one of the flash drives and leaves. They take a leisurely drive back to the safehouse, where Mariah begins working on analysis of the vaccine. Among the files, they find a list of names of people who have taken the vaccine. The list shows a 92% success rate, 4% failure; 3% develop autoimmune disorders but keep their powers, and !% die immediately. Several of the successes have since disappeared. When this last bit was reported to Netwalker, he/she/it seemed quite perturbed. The next day, when Aaron gave Prototype two vials of vaccine and a copy of the flash drive, she likewise seemed rather nervous. He shadowed her to a house similar to the group’s safehouse, only with more security.

Netwalker says that to make up for the shortfall in manpower, the PRA is trying to recruit implanted paras, without much success.


The Upshot:
The super-secret vaccine has been compromised and is being studied by multiple sources. The PRA, which was stretched thin, has even more places it is trying to cover. Aaron knows where another safehouse is, although whether that is Netwalker’s base or just Prototype’s hideout isn’t known.

Ramifications:
The Bad
-Security at PRA complexes has improved; now the vaccine centers will be upgraded as well. PAUS teams will modify their tactics.
-It won’t take a wild leap of intuition to connect a sword-wielding killer ninja with a Japanese student who is an unregistered para, even if his passport is a cover.

The Good:
-The vaccine is now being analyzed. The figures show that side effects have been covered up by the manufacturer and possibly the FDA. This info can be useful against the anti-paras.
-PRA and PAUS forces are spread thin.

Quoteworthy
Nemesis: “I thought ninjas were supposed to be subtle.”
Bladerunner: “I am when I have the suit on.”
– after the interview at NC State