PMCs--Private(and Public) Metahuman Contractors

[megaplayboy]

I have some thoughts on the subject, but before I share them just wanted to throw the subject open. If, in the real world, there are "private military contractors", companies that employ military vets to act as a supplement to regular military forces, to provide protection to companies in the field, etc., wouldn't there be a demand for something similar for metahuman services? That's assuming, of course, that there's enough metahumans around to justify the existence of things like that.
My baseline assumptions:
1. They'd get paid pretty well, particularly if they actually went to war zones--those who were under contract to provide supplemental law enforcement and/or investigative services for urban areas might get paid a bit less.
2. Not everything they got hired to do would involve straight-up combat. Some might get hired for emergency services(e.g., fire and EMS/rescue), to be fast couriers, or to use their special abilities to augment an investigation(criminal or civil).
3. They wouldn't automatically be involved in extralegal activities, but undoubtedly some might dabble or even specialize in such work(probably at a price premium).
4. They'd need some kind of insurance coverage.
5. Generally these contractors and organizations would operate on a for-profit basis, but it doesn't rule out them agreeing to do some work pro bono(assuming they can afford to and are so inclined).

Thoughts?

[Lawnmower Boy]

Cops, Crews, And Cabals gives us Bastion Security, which markets mass super soldiers for this function. (Spoiler: it has a Terrible Secret.) This addresses the main problem that arises when you assemble a heterogeneous group of supers for something like this, which is that they're heterogeneous. It's the old, "Last Hope Guy, you beat up everybody, save the hostages, dismantle the doomsday machine and put the Earth back into its orbit. Arrow Guy, here's some pom-poms. Oh, and if you see a kelvarite meteorite, kick it aside."

In the case where you expect your task force to be active, the problem of finding a group of supers who can work together effectively is likely to be intractable or even counterproductive. In the case where they're supposed to be deterrents, like the guy with a gun that guards the guy who empties the cash machine, you have to wonder how cost-effective your deterrent is. Much depends on expectations, and this in turn on the presumption that those guards will have some situationally-relevant powers. The Justice League, although awesomely powerful in the aggregate, does not give you this guarantee. If you want to knock over a cash machine guarded by the JLA, you might run into Superman, but also possibly Snapper Carr.

Bastion Security, by contrast, establishes a baseline. The question is, how much do you pay to raise your baseline from "normal guy with a really big gun" to "low level brick?" My hunch is that it might well not rise high enough to justify Bastion Security's services from a cost-benefit perspective. Depending on the established level of superhuman activity.

So Bastion Security seems to be the way to go, but only if the economic case can be made.

[megaplayboy]

I think it depends on the value of the target(person or cargo) to be protected, and the relative magnitude of the threat. If there's a known metahuman threat to attack a VIP(say, a billionaire or visiting head of state) or a precious cargo(worth tens of millions or more), then I think the cost-benefit analysis probably justifies hiring metahuman security, and paying a lot for it. Protecting an armored car, carrying a couple million dollars' worth of money, or a B-list celebrity who's got a superhuman stalker, less so. But maybe you can still afford those two guys in Turtle armor...

[Clonus]

I have some thoughts on the subject, but before I share them just wanted to throw the subject open. If, in the real world, there are "private military contractors", companies that employ military vets to act as a supplement to regular military forces, to provide protection to companies in the field, etc., wouldn't there be a demand for something similar for metahuman services?

http://secretworldchronicle.com/podcast/

Blacksnake, are military contractors now in competition with Echo, a nicer corporation that contracts to provide super law enforcement to municipalities and the Federal government. Both sides are trying to recruit all the remaining superhumans who are remotely manageable after the shortage caused by the invasion of the space nazis.

[Ninja-Bear]

In Normals Unbound, there is a Stronghold bondsman who has some supers to collect the bounty. The character is written up, but the metas powers and levels are only hinted at.

[Christopher]

4. They'd need some kind of insurance coverage.

And not only for themself, but also for the damage they might cause. You can easily compare it with driving a car: You are a higher danger to your sorrounding than yourself, so you have to have an insurance.

[Vulcan]

I toyed with a vaguely related idea - a superhuman who, instead of becoming a hero, a villian, or just ignoring his powers to try and live a normal life, used them to try and earn an honest living.

He was a winged brick and he worked as a 'heavy lift' deliveryman in Chicago. He'd be the guy you called to deliver an AC unit from the warehouse to the top of a skyscraper, or help take cranes down, or similar such things. He couldn't do construction; OSHA rules say that anyone working the high steel MUST wear a safety harness and... whassitcalled, the rope that keeps you from falling. Doesn't make much sense for a winged guy, but those are the rules.

The downfall of this whole thing was that the GM was running a grimdark world that really WAS out to get the supers...

[csyphrett]

The original Hero Hotline might fall into this. I liked the mini a lot. I think DC has done similar things over the years, but I am not sure.
CES

[Martin2]

My first Champions was a super strong brick. His back story (which had no effect on the game as it did not come up as the game only lasted a few sessions) was that he was a demolitions expert. He employed meta types in a specialist group what did demolitions in hard to reach places.

So why not have a company that employs supers to do specialist jobs.

Demolitions "I can slowly demolish that building from the top down and I need no bring in cranes. The building can drop on me and I wont feel a thing. Here are my qualification and insurance for this type of work".

Window cleaning "Need your high rise windows cleaning? I can do it quickly and I need no harness as I can fly"

Water searches "I can breath under water"

Cargo transfer "1ton freight containers anywhere in the world next second with teleport"

[csyphrett]

Martin's post reminded me of some of the things we talked about on Dr. Agenda's space program. I can totally see supers becoming mercenaries and changing the world beyond recognition.
CES

[Zen Archer]

The original Hero Hotline might fall into this. I liked the mini a lot. I think DC has done similar things over the years, but I am not sure.
CES

They've had corporate-backed superhero teams like the Conglomerate and the Power Company, but I think Hero Hotline was the only one to really specialize in "smaller" jobs.

I think Damage Control was the Marvel equivalent.

The current (and soon to be cancelled) DC comic Men of War's most recent storyline deals with super-powered military contractors.

[TheQuestionMan]

Atlantian Military Forces provide UN Peacekeepers for operations in the Oceans and Covert Operations in and around major water ways.

Makes for an interesting twist.

QM

[Ninja-Bear]

I toyed with a vaguely related idea - a superhuman who, instead of becoming a hero, a villian, or just ignoring his powers to try and live a normal life, used them to try and earn an honest living.

He was a winged brick and he worked as a 'heavy lift' deliveryman in Chicago. He'd be the guy you called to deliver an AC unit from the warehouse to the top of a skyscraper, or help take cranes down, or similar such things. He couldn't do construction; OSHA rules say that anyone working the high steel MUST wear a safety harness and... whassitcalled, the rope that keeps you from falling. Doesn't make much sense for a winged guy, but those are the rules.

The downfall of this whole thing was that the GM was running a grimdark world that really WAS out to get the supers...

I believe there was an episode in the X-men 90's where they introduced Collosus doing demolition work. And the workers were mad become the contractor fired all the other workers.