Semi-Heroic Criminals

[Michael Hopcroft]

Although this idea mainly comes from reading about the Yakuza, who began as police in areas where the feudal Japanese authorities didn't want to go, but it could apply to other "organzied crime" gropus as well.

 

What sort of a campaign could you build around characters who are criminals, and do illegal things for a living, but who have a moral code of their own and lines they never cross -- and find themsvles opposing and oppsoed by other criminals for whom there is no such code, not to mention by the authorities?

 

There are numeorus examples of this in fiction, from thieves who secretly support charities such as orphanges and commit crimes to ebenfit them to assassins who only go after other killers and refuse contracts to kill innocents. Such characters would frequently have to mete out vigilante justice, because turning in their enemies to the police would serve to endanger their own freedom.

 

Another example would be the character who pretects petty criminals from the local crimelords.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

well, I admit to being utterly biased here, but I could totally run this kind of campaign during the pulp era with all the players as members of the IRA (this would be during the Michael Collins/Eamonn DeValera era, when the Irish were inventing modern terrorism because the British authorities refused to treat the defeated soliders of the 1916 as legitimate soliders and instead executed and or imprisoned them as traitors despite public and world opinion).

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

And of course there is a great example of this genre convention currently in theaters... Sin City

[Susano]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

Technically, Star Wars is like this (the Rebel Alliance is technically criminals in the eyes of the Empire). As is Robin Hood, and any others "steals from the rich" and gives to the poor character. Oh! And the crew of Serenity, from Firefly. Mostly (petty) criminals who have no liking for the all-powerful (and presumably fascist) Alliance (which is known to kidnap smart young girls simply to see how their brains tick).

[Vondy]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

This sounds like your average Dungeons and Dragons adventuring party.

 

More seriously, several hard-boiled detectives are fairly dubious, even though you ordinarily wouldn't consider them criminals (Sam Spade). And some are criminals. McDonald's Travis McGee is a perfect example, as is Lawrence Block's Mathew Scudder (a cat burglar) and Keller (an assassin having a mid-life crisis). Several of the characters in Casablanca are, until the end of the film, fairly dubious as well.

[Inu]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

Australian history: Ned Kelly. One of the classic bushrangers. Basically a thief, but developed a folk hero status because the British regime at the time was fairly oppressive to his area, and he tended to hit government targets.

 

You could say he was a superhero prototype, 'cause he even had a power! He wore home-fashioned armour: big pot helmet, with iron plates on his front and back.

 

Needless to say, the myth has been blown out of all proportion to reality. But he still has folk hero status.

 

To apply to game: in a country with an oppressive government, types who might be called 'terrorist' may be in fact heroic. Remember, Nelson Mandela did time for terrorism and treason.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

Australian history: Ned Kelly. One of the classic bushrangers. Basically a thief, but developed a folk hero status because the British regime at the time was fairly oppressive to his area, and he tended to hit government targets.

 

You could say he was a superhero prototype, 'cause he even had a power! He wore home-fashioned armour: big pot helmet, with iron plates on his front and back.

 

Needless to say, the myth has been blown out of all proportion to reality. But he still has folk hero status.

 

To apply to game: in a country with an oppressive government, types who might be called 'terrorist' may be in fact heroic. Remember, Nelson Mandela did time for terrorism and treason.

LOL...the British regime of the time was fairly oppressive to a lot of areas. I'm personally amazed that the people of India don't harbor a lot more hatred for the Briotish than they do.

[Trencher]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

Although this idea mainly comes from reading about the Yakuza' date=' who began as [i']police[/i] in areas where the feudal Japanese authorities didn't want to go, but it could apply to other "organzied crime" gropus as well.

Actually they were the clans/families who dealt with the more unplesent aspects of civilisation like gambling and prostitution. They were had to walk on the “wrong†side of the road to show their lesser status as a clan. Yakuza means “the wrong side of the roadâ€. Off course there are many legends and on _why_ the different individuals chose the wrong side of the road, and I think that is where you get all the different “heroic†legends from.

What sort of a campaign could you build around characters who are criminals, and do illegal things for a living, but who have a moral code of their own and lines they never cross -- and find themsvles opposing and oppsoed by other criminals for whom there is no such code, not to mention by the authorities?

Well you could just go for it. Have the players have a mentor who they have particular reason to be lojal too, like he saved their life when they were young or something. Then you have him being concerned with keeping things “in the family†and not drawing undue attention to themselves by harming innocents being more of a bother than absolutely necessary to society around them. Since his crew of pc’s are probably going to succeed in crushing all opposition to him after a while he will be a power to be reckoned with and will get more power and territory. You can make him as noble as you want to but he could also just be pragmatic, a total psycho could not lead any organized crime group for long after all. An Example of not so evil mentors from film would be: That guy who hires Ghost Dog in the Ghost dog movie.

[quote=Michael Hopcroft

Another example would be the character who pretects petty criminals from the local crimelords.

Would that not just be ordinary vigilantes? The main difference between a vigilante and other criminals are who they go after and why they do it. A vigilante is not in it for the money after all. While a criminal campaign without fancy cars lot’s of cash and pretty women would not be what most players had in mind, discuss it with your players first.

well' date=' I admit to being utterly biased here, but I could totally run this kind of campaign during the pulp era with all the players as members of the IRA (this would be during the Michael Collins/Eamonn DeValera era, when the Irish were inventing modern terrorism because the British authorities refused to treat the defeated soliders of the 1916 as legitimate soliders and instead executed and or imprisoned them as traitors despite public and world opinion).[/quote] Actually the Irish public opinion were against the ira to begin with, they even threw rocks at the militia as they were lead away in chains by the British soldiers. However after the ira built up their network of informants they got to hear who had most against the ira among themselves or those who actually like the extra freedom provided under the British. Then after they started killing and maiming the anyone who stood against them they quickly got control, this is a carbon copy on how the communist got control in Russia and the national socialist got control over the populace in Germany. The informants are everywhere and like a secret police force they have a strangle hold on the populace.

 

LOL...the British regime of the time was fairly oppressive to a lot of areas. I'm personally amazed that the people of India don't harbor a lot more hatred for the Briotish than they do.

It is because their fight for freedom was an actual fight for freedom and not an excuse for setting up a profitable authoritarian drug and weapons network. If ira had copied the Indian tactics they would have won, off course then the people of Ireland would rule themselves and the ira would not have any say in how the populace should live their lives, their drug trade would quickly be the subject of unwanted attention as well.

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If you are going to run a criminal campaign I have following advice. Check with the players that they are not going to be complete hack and slashers, the pc’s could turn worse than the enemies they are supposed to fight.

Also try to make the victims of their crimes as disgusting as possible the movie Leon gives a good example of this in the opening sequence of the film, notice how the business man is greasy fat and ugly, a really slimy customer. In sharp contrast the pc’s and their allies should be more sympathetic and good looking. Even those who are borderline evil or will betray the pc’s later should be sympathetic. The opposition should be not only more evil but also meaner, uglier, dirtier and sometimes completely mad.

Also don’t go overboard with trying to make the pc’s heroes, just make them the lesser of two evils. Also their enemies should be evil the players should be pretty sure of if they break into some random persons house to steal the TV they will also find something to indicate that the owner of the house deserve it, maybe he is a kidnapper and his latest victim is chained up in the basement or he is and insurance agent and his desk is filled with papers explaining how to screw over the customers and cheat out honest folk out of their insurance. If the players play black pc’s all their targets can be racist and so on.

All the cops who come after them are corrupt and the honest (if they even know that the pc’s exist) cops see through the fingers with the pc’s antics because they know that they are good at heart. Off course it can take some time before the honest cop understand it but they should in the end. And if the pc’s or their organisation should give the honest cops some bribes it is more of an extravagant gift, an invitation to a secret party or they pay for their mother/wife/child/father’s very important operation who nobody else care about. The ugly vs pretty principle comes into play here: When the villains bribe it happens in a dark damp factory surrounded by gorilla like goons and they bribe with cash in a black suitcase. When the pc’s bribe it is in a friendly setting (maybe a fancy bar they own) and it is a gift to help them out of a tight spot, no money changes hands (it is all done off-screen) and the actual sum is not mentioned.

When the villains go out for strippers and prostitutes the place is sleazy and either run down or hideously decorated (or both) the women are often underage and have bruises. They don’t want to be there but they have no choice because they are poor or drug addicts or both.

When the players hang goes to their bars it is a much happier place the strippers and prostitutes are intelligent, independent and happy, and they does what they does for a living because they chose to. Off course this is just the extremes if you want to differentiate some more you just mix and match the different genre bits. One genre bit that I don’t think would translate well is the villain who turns out to be a hero or a hostage taker who turns around to protect the hostages for example I think it would be frustrating and boring for the players.

[Peregrine]

Re: Semi-Heroic Criminals

 

Technically' date=' [i']Star Wars[/i] is like this (the Rebel Alliance is technically criminals in the eyes of the Empire). As is Robin Hood, and any others "steals from the rich" and gives to the poor character. Oh! And the crew of Serenity, from Firefly. Mostly (petty) criminals who have no liking for the all-powerful (and presumably fascist) Alliance (which is known to kidnap smart young girls simply to see how their brains tick).

 

Well, Robin Hood was more "take from the tax collector and return to the taxpayer", but overall you are spot on.