Special Operations Bureau

[Mark Rand]

In the TV-movie She Knows Too Much, we're introduced to the Special Operations Bureau, which is mandated to operate in undercover areas out of bounds to the CIA and FBI.

 

In this film, the late Robert Unich plays Agent Harry Scofield, a clumsy, somewhat boring third-generation actuary who plays the picalo and finally gets the field assignment he's always wanted. Meridith Baxter plays Samantha Ann White, a high-class cat burglar parolled to him.

 

I'm considering them as either federal liaison officers to a superhero or superhero team or as part of a team the Specoial Operations Bureau creates. Any advice would be appriciated.

[Badger]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

I vaguely remember this one. Sort of. Hmmmm. I'll go to imdb to find out and see if I can help.

[Badger]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

Dang, not much info, other than actors and director. Apparently no info on character names for the most part.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

Dang' date=' not much info, other than actors and director. Apparently no info on character names for the most part.[/quote']

I know. It was on NBC in 1989, then later on WE. I taped it then, and made my notes while watching the tape.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

Looking over this again, I'm thinking of having Samantha paroled to an intelligence agency that uses her skils on occasion, then, eventually, assigns her to a Dark Champions Animated superhero team as their liaison. (In this campaign, the DOSPA isn't the only agency that sends liaisons to superhero teams.)

[Shaft]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

Any planned tie in with StarGate Command?

[Mark Rand]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

Any planned tie in with StarGate Command?

 

She tranq darted a couple of NID agents while committing a burglary outside the country. However, since she was masked, they don't know who she is.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

I've been giving this a bit more thought and realized that the characters work best as a team.

 

Harry is a boring accountant who likes to quote actuary tables and is a bit clumsy. (In the movie, he dropped his issued weapon, a snubnose revolver, and all the bullets fell out.)

 

Samantha is a classy cat burglar who was in jail twice and puts up with and supports him. She carries an issued compressed air pistol loaded with knockout darts and works masked. (In the movie, she was unarmed and, instead of a mask, wore a hood that covered most of her blonde hair.)

[Shaft]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

I've been giving this a bit more thought and realized that the characters work best as a team.

 

Harry is a boring accountant who likes to quote actuary tables and is a bit clumsy. (In the movie, he dropped his issued weapon, a snubnose revolver, and all the bullets fell out.)

 

I'm reminded of a comic (I can't remember which one) where one of the characters was being held by a pair of IRS agents (FBI or Secret Service agents were unavailable) who were built like Schwartzenegger clones, licensed to carry guns as federal agents(?) and dressed like Secret Service. They would alternate between kept threatening their captive with audits if he didn't talk while the other reviewed various tax forms that were in their work log, gleefully spotting errors and false claims. I've been itching to work them into a campaign that I run.

 

Samantha... carries an issued compressed air pistol loaded with knockout darts and works masked.

 

Knockout is a natural "code name" for her, assuming your not using the heroine from Libra in Hudson City.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

Knockout is a natural "code name" for her' date=' assuming your not using the heroine from Libra in Hudson City.[/quote']

 

She's not a heroine. She's just a cat burglar, paroled to the federal government, and assigned, with Harry, to the DOSPA. For some reason, they're assigned as liaisons to the team Batman's forming.

[Shaft]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

She's not a heroine. She's just a cat burglar' date=' paroled to the federal government, and assigned, with Harry, to the DOSPA. For some reason, they're assigned as liaisons to the team Batman's forming.[/quote']

 

That makes her an agent, and code names for agents is classic to the genre.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

That makes her an agent' date=' and code names for agents is classic to the genre.[/quote']

 

True, but she was never a spy. The Special Operations Bureau, where she and Harry were before joining the DOSPA, is part of the Department of Justice and, as a cat burglar, she never used an alias.

[Mark Rand]

Re: Special Operations Bureau

 

In my campaign, Doctor Destroyer leveled Washington, D.C. in February of 2006. Both before and after that time, many intelligence and law enforcement agencies do their best to show up other agencies.

 

This occurs with superhero liaisons, too. Although the DOSPA provides the official liaison, other agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security, and PRIMUS also provide their own liaisons for the simple reason that some don't trust the DOSPA.

 

Liaisons get assigned based on their skills and personality. An liaison that the government likes will be assigned to a well-respected team. The ones they don't like will be sent to heroes like Batman.