New PRIMUS teams

[Mark Rand]

With the recent increase in metahuman crime, PRIMUS has been given permission to form superhero teams for all its bases. Four cities with PRIMUS bases have been chosen for the first teams. One is the campaign city. I'd love to use Pittsburgh, but I can't think of a good reason for PRIMUS to set up a base here. Any ideas? If I don't have a good reason to use Pittsburgh, I'll use Las Vegas.

 

Would the team be based at the local PRIMUS headquarters or their own base?

 

Would any agents be assigned to work full time with them?

 

If they have their own base, what, if any, support staff members would be from PRIMUS?

[Chuckg]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Depends on how they obtained their supers. Were they able to find that many already suitable people on the Federal payroll somewhere? Or are they taking in new hires w/o established histories working for the Man?

 

If the latter, then the # of support personnel at the base goes up -- more people to keep an eye on them. Remember that lovely bit from the "Castle Security" Adventurer's Club article, where the old receptionist for that Miami superteam had actually been a PRIMUS undercover operative?

[Battlestaff]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

As to setting up the base in Pittsburgh, it's your world, you can do what you want. Maybe PRIMUS chose Pittsburgh because they got a great deal on land for their base, the city granted some big concession, etc. Or maybe even a non-public reason, which could be the basis for a sub-plot......

 

As for where the team would be based, that would depend on how the team is organized. If it's set up as an 'on-call' superteam, that agrees to respond any time PRIMUS needs them, but otherwise can act on its own as it wishes, then most likely they will use their own base. However, if they are directly controlled by PRIMUS (the supers are employed by PRIMUS, for example), then they will most likely operate out of the PRIMUS base.

 

As for agent assitance, again it would depend on the relationship with PRIMUS. The on-call team would most likely have a liaison appointed to the team, but would not have agents working regularly with them or operate out of the hero's base. If need be the team could probably call on PRIMUS for help when things get tough. If the heroes are PRIMUS employees, they could probably call on aid anytime they want, and have agents permanently assigned to work with the team (better teamwork through regular training, etc.).

[SKJAM!]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

It could be an absence that prompts PRIMUS to plant a hero team in Pittsburgh. That is, there's no established group of heroes in the area, or all the previous heroes were wiped out.

[SleepyDrug]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

With the recent increase in metahuman crime, PRIMUS has been given permission to form superhero teams for all its bases. Four cities with PRIMUS bases have been chosen for the first teams. One is the campaign city. I'd love to use Pittsburgh, but I can't think of a good reason for PRIMUS to set up a base here. Any ideas? If I don't have a good reason to use Pittsburgh, I'll use Las Vegas.

 

Good idea.

 

Would the team be based at the local PRIMUS headquarters or their own base?

 

Well...from a logical point, would the government find it easier to expand the PRIMUS base to accomodate heroes or build an entirely new structure? I'd say expand.

 

Would any agents be assigned to work full time with them?

 

Almost definately. Probably a liaison/team director, doctor, and maybe a dedicated field team.

 

If they have their own base, what, if any, support staff members would be from PRIMUS?

 

see above

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

I just dug through my disorganized collection of maps and found the maps for PRIMUS's Portland base from Digital Hero #6. On level one is a tunnel to the base danger room. The team could have either a three story base, consisting of labs, offices and living quarters for the heroes, liaison, physician, nurse and team of assault and intelligence agents, above it or use the fastness of the team's mage which is linked, by way of a gate that lets only authorized people to pass through it, to a shed on the base grounds.

 

Given the fact that, in my universe, women wear gloves even with jeans and a tee shirt, it's no surprise that the team's liaison/director, who was an actress in a university rep company and CIA black-bag jobs expert before joining PRIMUS and becoming an intelligence agent, always wears them.

 

The physician and nurse, who are sisters, were in the air force before coming to PRIMUS. They wear navy-blue scrubs under navy-blue flightsuits.

 

One of the support team's intelligence agents is an electronics engineer, a kunoichi, or female ninja and an Olympic gymnast who drives a Lamborghini Diablo in SCCA-sanctioned races for fun and the pace car at various car tracks.

[TheEmerged]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Well, one schtick you might want to use is to call this the Superhuman America Team program -- so you can bring SAT (an old Champions acronym) into 5th Edition. Hey, it's working in my campaign

[Stone]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

With the recent increase in metahuman crime, PRIMUS has been given permission to form superhero teams for all its bases. Four cities with PRIMUS bases have been chosen for the first teams. One is the campaign city. I'd love to use Pittsburgh, but I can't think of a good reason for PRIMUS to set up a base here. Any ideas? If I don't have a good reason to use Pittsburgh, I'll use Las Vegas.

Would the team be based at the local PRIMUS headquarters or their own base?

Would any agents be assigned to work full time with them?

If they have their own base, what, if any, support staff members would be from PRIMUS?

 

As already detailed, Pittsburgh could easily be explained as a base operations. Anything from being a recent hot spot of para/super activity to good deal on land/building (use an abandoned steel mill for a base). If Primus has organized the team, then I would say they are staying at the base and there would be plenty of agents/techs/Dr's at the base as well. In fact the heroes may actually have some type of rank in Primus that would allow them to give orders to agents (maybe on par w/Silver Avengers). This could allow a sinlge member to lead a group of agents on missions. And of course the heroes staying at the base makes it that much easier for Primus to watch them.

[Shikarr]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Well for mine. I am using the PRIMUS formed team in my campaign and it went like this. PRIMUS provided the base, and some support staff(mainly psychologists disguised as the service staff although the team doesn't know that. Afterall PRIMUS is very concerned about anyone with superpowers going crazy and wants to be on top of that from the get go.) But also some tech support and 3 recovered and rebuilt vehicles. Also computer support which is also heavily monitored. They have a PRIMUS Liason and basic press agent to smooth over stuff although not officially on the PRIMUS payroll. All of this was provided with some simple expedient rules. Follow general police procedure, turn over any captured equipment or villains for incarceration, storage, or study. Investigate leads that we have if possible and share information with PRIMUS about all supervillains. In return they get the base, tech help, and press help. PRIMUS gets access to a great deal of information and a level of deniability when needed. Is it a good deal, fair deal, or such. Depends on how it is played. So far it has been a good deal for them. But that does not mean it always will be.

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

I was looking over the maps from Digital Hero #6 again when I realized that the electronics, chemistry and physics labs that were in the PRIMUS base maps when they first came out, aren't in the new version. I decided to couple them to the danger room and the team's headquarters.

Exiting through the tunnel, you come to a guard post, the changing rooms for the danger room, and an elevator and stairs to the upper floors.

 

The second floor has a guard post and the danger room's control room.

 

The third floor has a guard post, the electronics, chemistry and physics labs and the lab offices.

The fourth floor is the team's headquarters. Beyond the guard post are a second electronics lab, the nurse's office, a conference room with a kitchenette, offices and six bedrooms with full bathrooms.

When Warder, the team's mage, noted the limited living quarters, she asked Silver Avenger Mariko Nakamura if she could cast a spell that would create a gate that give the team extra living space and link the floor to her fastness. She added that only she and her familiar, Amber, a western screech owl, would be able to go throuh the gate leading to the fastness. Silver Avenger Nakamura promised to pass the request up through channels.

 

The answer came back one week later. Permission was granted, provided that a team of at least two intelligence agents checked the extra living space out before the team used it. Avenger Nakamura chose two intelligence agents that would be assigned to the team. They were Christine Hunter, a former stage actress and CIA black-bag jobs expert who would be the team liaison officer and April Curtis, an electronics engineer, Olympic gymnast, ninja and amateur race car driver, who would be the team's electronics expert.

 

Next, we journey with April and Christine.

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Sorry about the delay. It's taking me longer to gather my notes and maps than I thought.

 

I was going to add background on Silver Avenger Nakamura, Agents Curtis and Hunter, Warder and Amber, her familiar, and others into the text. Then I decided to do it as a separate post before continuing the story. Look for it by the evening of Friday, July 2, 2004.

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Silver Avenger Mariko Nakamura is a Japanese-American woman who resembles fellow silver avenger Maria Chow and may be related to her. A natural athlete, she is skilleded in ninjitsu and gymnastics and surprises foes when she uses this training in combat. She also carries a katana, weighted chain, throwing stars, and, sometimes, other ninja gear. The sword, Lady of Light, has been in her family since it was made 600-years ago by the finest craftsman of that time. The other weapons were bought from an uncle's martial arts supply store.

 

Although nothing official has been said, there is speculation that Silver Avenger Terry Kestler (Portland) and some members of her staff are being transferred to Pittsburgh.

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Some information in this post is from Shelley's PRIMUS Updates in Digital Hero issues 2 and 6.

 

PRIMUS Intelligence Agent and superhero team liaison/director Beth Beth Davies looked at the three women in the room with her and asked, "Everyone ready?"

 

"Soon as I check their pulses one more time," replied Denise Clark, R.N., the team's nurse. A former USAF flight nurse, she wore a sage-green flightsuit, with PRIMUS patches over her scrubs. She quickly checked April and Christine, then said, "Let's do it."

 

April Curtis, a redheaded PRIMUS intelligence agent, electronics engineer, ninja, gymnast and amateur race car driver, wearing a black jumpsuit, combat boots, webbing and jacket, and latex gloves,said, "Agreed."

 

"Likewise," PRIMUS Intelligence Agent Christine Huner, a blue-eyed blonde former CIA black-bags expert who once acted in college plays and was garbed like April, said. "All April and I have to do is mask ourselves and grab our climbing gear. Remember, ladies, we're going to look like cat burglars."

 

Once they were masked and had their gear, Denise said, "You're right. You do look like cat burglars."

 

"Meow," April said.

 

Beth, Christine and Denise laughed, then the four women left the room and went to join Terry Kestler, Pittsburgh's recently appointed silver avenger and their other accociates.

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

"We're set," Beth Davies said as she, April, Christine and Denise joined Silver Avenger Terry Kestler, Intelligence Mariko Yamashiro, a computer expert, Assault Agent Paul Carter, an ex-marine, Assault Agent Annie Woods, a former policewoman, and Rhonda Nelson, M.D., the team's physician, a black woman whose braided black hair fell below her shoulders.

 

"Good," Silver Avenger Kestler said. "Warder's heading this way."

 

As the team's black and gold-garbed lady mage joined them, they noted that her familiar, Amber, a western screech owl, was just behind her. "Sorry I'm late," Warder said. "It took me a while to find the spell I needed."

 

"No problem, Terry said as Amber landed on one of the perchs that had been provided for her use. "Where do you want us?"

 

"Where you are is fine," Warder replied before casting her spell. When she finished, a part of the wall opened onto a hallway. Warder quickly checked her work, then said, "Go through the gate on your left. The one on the right leads to my apartment and is accessable only by myself and Amber."

 

"True, but I'm sure I can visit you there," came a female voice from their right. They watched as a woman with dark-blonde hair, wearing a light-green evening gown and opera-length white gloves, materialized.

 

"Aunt Cathy!" Warder gasped. What are you doing here and how did you do that? Last I heard, you were murdered by some punks that did a drive-by shooting outside your house."

 

"I was, now I'm a ghost." Turning to the others, she said, "I had just arrived home from a gala when some gang members, seeing rival gang members, fired on them with submachine guns. Most of the rounds missed them and flew through the house. A few went through me."

 

"I see," Silver Avenger Kestler said. "Do you want us to catch them?"

 

"No. The police heard the shots and chased the vehicle. The van the gang members were in tried to run under a semi. The van was totaled and the punks literally lost their heads."

 

"Ouch," Rhonda said.

 

"Yeah." Turning to Warder, Aunt Cathy said, "The Powers That Be sent me here as an advisor. I'll be around when you need me."

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

"Who are these 'Powers That Be'?" Terry asked.

 

"The Powers That Be, otherwise known as The Higher Powers, The Elders and other names, some of which are impolite, are celestial beings that maintain the balance between supernatural good and evil," Warder replied.

 

"Oh," Terry said.

 

"Is there a problem we have to deal with, Aunt Cathy?" Warder asked.

 

"No, but I'm to give you information about what your gate connects to."

 

"I'm listening."

 

"Beings known to the Powers That Be found an Earth where, in 1969, terrorists destroyed a germ warfare lab, releasing everything. Everyone on that Earth died within five days. These beings decontaminated it and moved the buildings to various pocket universes. Your gateway leads to one of them. You will find bodies there, but they can be cremated. You can, of course, keep the clothes that they were wearing."

 

"What buildings are beyond our gateway?" April asked.

 

"They didn't tell me," Aunt Cathy replied. "You'll have to find that out for yourselves."

 

"We will," Christine said.

 

"Aunt Cathy, I wish I could have one last hug from you."

 

"You can. I can become solid for ten seconds each visit."

 

"Good," Warder said as Aunt Cathy became solid and they hugged.

 

"Take care," Aunt Cathy said as she vanished. "I'm so proud of all of you."

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

"Shouldn't you two be gloved?" Annie asked. "Cat burglars, which you're going in as, always wear them."

 

"We're wearing latex gloves," April replied. "According to Christine, some cat burglars are using them."

 

"They give you the dexterity of an ungloved hand without leaving fingerprints behind," Christine added. "I should know. Burglaries, especially high-tech ones, are my specialty."

 

"I think she was expecting black gloves," Terry said.

 

"Oh, we have them, too," April said. "Should we wear them over our latex gloves, Christine?"

 

"Yes." The two black-clad women pulled black leather gloves on and walked through the gateway.

 

"We're in a hotel," April said.

 

"Yeah. According to this sign, there are four meeting rooms here, Let's see if anyone's inside."

 

"Agreed." They did. "Must be a conference of Islamic women," April said when they reached the lobby.

 

"It is," Christine said, pointing to a sign. "The state's council of Islamic women is meeting here."

 

"They're not the only ones here," April said, pointing to a group of white-gloved uniformed women. "They're United stewardesses. That's the uniform they wore in the late 60s."

 

"April, I see four different uniforms of the same style."

 

"Their uniform was a short-sleeve, A-line dress with four different color combinations, red with white trim, white with red trim, white with blue trim, and blue with white trim. A red hat was worn with the dresses that had red in them, while a white one was worn with the dresses that had blue in them. Footwear was either knee-high black boots or black pumps. Their coats and uniforms were color-coordinated and they had black bags and white gloves."

 

"I thought they only wore them for publicity and advertising photos, which is why stewardesses in movies always wore them."

 

"Maybe here it's different," April said, grabbing her digital camera. We need photographs. I'll take some of the Islamic women, too."

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

"Good idea," Christine said. "We should also look for ashtrays, matchbooks and anything else with the hotel's name."

 

"Agreed. I'll also photograph maid and waitress uniforms as well as other clothes that'll look good in our era."

 

"Good plan, April." After identifying the hotel as the Black Diamond and shooting more pictures, they left, saw a building on each side, toured them and took more photographs. One had Amy's Coffee Shop, Jake's Bar, Nick's (a buffet-style restaraunt) and Cathy's Beauty Salon. The other was the East Side Medical Clinic.

 

"What did you think of those places?" April asked.

 

"Interesting," Christine replied. "The nurses and secretaries wore white lab coats over their uniforms and the nurses actually wore caps."

 

"Many nurses in medical offices wore caps back then," April said. "There's a church across the street. Let's tour it next."

 

"Agreed."

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

I'm starting to think it should be an "on-call" team, like Marvel's Avengers, instead of a team employed by PRIMUS. Less NPCs to create that way.

 

The next installment of April and Christine's adventure will be posted soon.

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

"East End Free Mothodist Church," April read from the signboard.

 

"I like how it was designed."

 

"Me, too." They went inside and noted the signs for the health fair in the basement classrooms and the blood drive in the Fellowship Hall. "No doubt there are more ladies in white uniforms," April said as they decended the stairs and entered the basement hall. "But then, in this era, nurses wore them instead of scrubs."

 

"I know."

 

By the time they'd left the church, April and Christine had seen nurses, student nurses, cheerleaders and bellydancers that were at the health fair, choir robes, and a church custodian dressed like a working cowgirl.

[ShelleyCM]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Terry and Beth in one post. Mark, you've done my heart good.

 

-Shelley

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Terry and Beth in one post. Mark, you've done my heart good.

 

-Shelley

Thanks, Shelley. I like Terry and I chose Beth because I thought she'd work well with a PRIMUS superhero team. What do you think of the other agents and what I have going on at PRIMUS Pittsburgh? Any idea how many agents should be in the superhero team's agent squad, how many should be assault agents and how many should be intelligence agents?

[ShelleyCM]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

I'm enjoying what I've read! Do keep posting.

 

To respond to your question, I think it really depends on the overall power level of the villains, as well as the turn you want the game to take. If it's more combat oriented, more assault agents; if it's more investigative (as your game seems to be), then more intelligence agents. The way I designed both investigative and assault agents is that neither character type would be bored in game -- investigative agents have some combat skills, assault agents have some investigative skills.

 

-Shelley

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Thanks, Shelley. What I'm posting will be part of the information given to the players at the start of the campaign. It'll have some information about the PRIMUS personal assigned to the base, then April and Christine getting ready to tour the pocket reality andthe tour itself. I left the information about the pocket reality vague because I'm not sure what the buildings will have.

 

Some of the details are taken from real life.

 

The nurses, or technicians, at my eye doctor's office once wore lab coats over their white uniforms. As far as the white caps go, although I've never seen them in a physician's office, the assistant in the office of the first dentist wore one, as did the nurses at my high school (I graduated in 1968).

 

Airline stewardesses did wear gloves in the 1960s, but they weren't always white. White gloves, however, were worn for publicity and advertising photos, which is probably where movie costume designers got the idea that all stewardesses wore gloves then.

 

The story posts will continue soon.

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

"A cemetery with a chapel and crematorium," Christine commented as they looked through the metal gate.

 

"Yeah," April said. "Pittsburgh has one, too."

 

"I see." THey walked through the cemetery, chapel, and crematorium, then returned to the hotel. "Time to return to PRIMUS."

 

I know."

 

As the two black-clad women returned to PRIMUS Pittsburgh, Silver Avenger Kestler was informed that a certain FBI agent was in the lobby and demanding to speak to her. "Can we keep him from seeing the portal?" Terry asked.

 

"Sure," Warder said. "If April and Christine want, they can duck into the portal. They'll be able to see and hear him, but he won't be able to see or hear them."

 

"Do it," Terry sasid. "This agent is a pompous, conceited jerk."

[Mark Rand]

Re: New PRIMUS teams

 

Easorted by two assault agents in business suits, Special Agent Robert Masters of the FBI joined Terry and her associates. "What can I do for you, Agent Masters?" Terry asked.

 

"You can stop playing games with me," he replied. "We found out about that gateway your pet witch created. How dare you do such a thing without consulting us?"

 

"Director Glenn gave us permission to do it," Terry replied. "Since it's an internal PRIMUS matter, we didn't need to consult the FBI."

 

"Yes, you did," he snarled as Terry walked away. He walked to where he could face her, with the gate at his back. "I insist that you give us all the data you collected on this matter to me. Since we're the premier investigative agency in the United States, we'll determine if it should be used. Meanwhile I'll have a team of federal marshalls making sure you don't use it."

 

"I refuse," Terry said. "You have no legal authority in this matter."

 

"Yes I do," he said, reaching into a pocket and removing a letter. "The Director of the FBI has auuthorized me to take charge of this matter. Furthur, you are to turn the agents that investigated this gateway over to me for medical examination immediately."

 

"My agents are istill investigating the gateway world and I will not turn a PRIMUS matter over to the FBI, especially when the agent that assigned himself to the case is a publicity-seeking glory hound that has forced police agencies to turn cases over to him so that he can grab all the glory and headlines."

 

"I demand to know where your agents are right now!" Masters yelled at the blonde silver avenger.

 

Hearing this, Christine and April crept through the gateway and, as if in sync, said, "Meow."

 

"You won't get away with this," Agent Masters said once he regained his composure.

 

"This meeting is over," Terry said. "Turning to Agent Masters's escorts, she said, "Please show Agent Masters out and tell reception that he's no longer welcome here."

 

"You'll regret not doing what I command," Masters said as he was escorted out.

 

"Nice work, ladies," Terry said, trying to keep from laughing.

 

More to come.