HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

[Steve]

I was reading through Hudson City over the weekend, and I came to the section on Hudson City's Police Department, and that there are twelve districts that divide up the city. I'd been thinking of doing something set in Hudson City with a supernatural twist, and then I got this idea.

 

The 13th District: police officers who deal with crimes from all over the city, crimes that involve the supernatural, sort of a cross between Monster Hunters and Urban Fantasy. From a Faerie druglord dealing a different sort of 'pixie dust' to vampire attacks in the parks, Hudson City's thin blue line is there to deal with it. Since each district is further divided down into precincts, I've been debating having more than one precinct in the 13th District, but I think having multiple precincts would over-complicate this.

 

The officers and detectives who make up the 13th District will also be a little... odd themselves. I'm thinking of setting this as Powerful Heroic (100 base + 100 disads).

 

I'm looking for any ideas for filling out the staff that makes up the 13th District, from patrol officers and detectives to the support staff, or any suggestions for plotlines.

[RPMiller]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Are the officers in the 13th district meta humans? Maybe lowpowered metas? They couldn't really go toe to toe with the supervillains, but they have enough 'superness' that it gives them an advantage over their peers and instead of letting those abilities go to waste in 'normal police work' they get assigned to the cases that the 'normal cops' would find difficult. Maybe the head of the 13th district is a mage or someone intimate with the supernatural?

[Eosin]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

I was reading through Hudson City over the weekend' date=' and I came to the section on Hudson City's Police Department, and that there are twelve districts that divide up the city. I'd been thinking of doing something set in Hudson City with a supernatural twist, and then I got this idea.[/quote']

 

What a great idea. REP to you when I recover the Charges.

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Are the officers in the 13th district meta humans? Maybe lowpowered metas? They couldn't really go toe to toe with the supervillains' date=' but they have enough 'superness' that it gives them an advantage over their peers and instead of letting those abilities go to waste in 'normal police work' they get assigned to the cases that the 'normal cops' would find difficult. Maybe the head of the 13th district is a mage or someone intimate with the supernatural?[/quote']

 

Well, I was thinking of having the officers be well-trained normal humans to low-powered metas, and I was planning to have the Captain of the 13th District be something other than fully human, a mage or possibly some kind of supernatural entity. I don't intend for the bad guys to be anything more powerful than you'd find in Predators, but I'd give them more of a supernatural twist. Depending on the source material, a man with a gun and the right ammo can take down a vampire or werewolf.

 

I was thinking of it being a less campy version of Buffy but also not quite as weird conspiracy as X-Files, mixed in with Men In Black. I don't know if I'd actually go so far as to have officers of the 13th District carrying around some kind of hypnotism crystal to erase memories of encounters with the supernatural though. The TV series Forever Knight might be more what I'm looking at.

 

I could see the Captain answering only to the Commissioner, maybe even the Mayor's office not being aware of the 13th District's existence.

 

I could see officers having specialty areas, like one being an expert on asian mythology and beasties, another having contacts among the Fae (or maybe being part Fae as well), and maybe there's a detective who's a vampire (but a heroic one).

 

With 200 points, I think you can do some interesting characters with low-powered abilities that won't overshadow the normal humans with training. As I get more ideas and more full-blown character concepts, I'll post them to the boards for review.

[Sketchpad]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Does sound like a neat idea ... may want to check out White Wolf's WOD: Tales of the 13th Precinct for ideas

[Steve Long]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Nice idea!

[Thia Halmades]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Hey Steve. This is smack in my wheelhouse, but I'll try not to drown out your thoughts with my own (as loud as my thoughts tend to be, as you're well aware, this sometimes poses an uncessary challenge for me). But. Having recently come off of my Ravenloft campaign, and having read Predators, there are some things that sprang to mind.

 

- There's some of pyrotechnician in Predators whose boom-boom power would do well to be a great starting adventure, whether if it's because the PCs are regular joes who happen to stumble across this and that sets up the creation of the 13th District, or if it gets 'reactivated' I would suggest something low-key (okay, being able to blow people up with your brain isn't REALLY low key, but you know what I mean) to kick the campaign off, give them a chewy mystery, and have D13 "reactivated." Why was it shut down originally? Why now does it need to be started up? Who was that masked man?

 

- You'll want to consider a strong metaplot for this, because when doing weird conspiracy it's important (more so than in say, a Supers Game) to have a strong linkage of cause & effect from one event to another, so when you step outside of that, it's obvious; it's the difference between talking about the Alien invasion, and going & tracking down Cancer Man. Both were important plot points in the series, but they were separate from each other.

 

- I would consider using the recreation & recruitment of D13 as a strong possilbiity; that would be another way to start the campaign actually would be to have the PCs get 'recruited' after dealing with said Pyromaniac. I'm focused on FIRE today, I don't know why. Separate question for another thread.

 

From there you can start out your metaplot - whether it involves spies from another world, an ancient Vampyr war, what have you - the Normal Hunter is almost always a good time, despite the obvious balance issues of having Pulp Heroes go up against Dracula.

 

Wow. I just came up with my Holloween concept. Pulp Heroes vs. Dracula. next year I'll do "The Wolfman!"

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Nice idea!

 

Hmm. If Mr. Long likes the concept, maybe I should sit down and write it up as a Digital Hero article.

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Hey Steve. This is smack in my wheelhouse' date=' but I'll try not to drown out your thoughts with my own (as loud as my thoughts tend to be, as you're well aware, this sometimes poses an uncessary challenge for me). But. Having recently come off of my Ravenloft campaign, and having read Predators, there are some things that sprang to mind.[/quote']

 

No problem. I asked for suggestions.

 

- There's some of pyrotechnician in Predators whose boom-boom power would do well to be a great starting adventure, whether if it's because the PCs are regular joes who happen to stumble across this and that sets up the creation of the 13th District, or if it gets 'reactivated' I would suggest something low-key (okay, being able to blow people up with your brain isn't REALLY low key, but you know what I mean) to kick the campaign off, give them a chewy mystery, and have D13 "reactivated." Why was it shut down originally? Why now does it need to be started up? Who was that masked man?

 

I like the idea of calling it D13. It gives it a special agency feel.

 

My original idea was to give PCs the choice of already being part of D13 (the old hands) or to let them be recruited (the rookies). Mind you, a police officer who has years on the regular force would probably still be considered a rookie to the D13 officers. "You think a junkie whacked out on PCP is tough, newbie? Wait until you see a werewolf when it's enraged. And don't get me started on what it's like to deal with some of the domestic dispute calls we get."

 

Having D13 mothballed years ago does give some interesting plot ideas as well. I'll have to mull that one over.

 

 

- You'll want to consider a strong metaplot for this, because when doing weird conspiracy it's important (more so than in say, a Supers Game) to have a strong linkage of cause & effect from one event to another, so when you step outside of that, it's obvious; it's the difference between talking about the Alien invasion, and going & tracking down Cancer Man. Both were important plot points in the series, but they were separate from each other.

 

There are a few metaplots I can think of. If D13 acts to deal with supernatural events, I can go a couple of different ways with its origins.

 

One would be to make it a purely human creation, but one that's grown and evolved over the years into something that doesn't even get its funding from the regular city coffers, allowing it to run "under the radar" so to speak, like an urban legend of the police department. Could you imagine how much clips of silver ammo would run? This would be more the Monster Hunter sort of origin, and I could see it having its origins back in the Pulp Hero era, maybe even associated with the Raven somehow.

 

Another way would be to have D13 be a joint effort with beings from the Land of Legends. This would be more in line with an Urban Fantasy sort of feel, since this would allow me to mix more non-humans into the mix. Picture a valkyrie warrior dressed in Hudson City police blues and smoking a cigarette, or an elf sorcerer on loan from D13's counterparts in the Land of Legends, maybe a city like Babylon.

 

 

- I would consider using the recreation & recruitment of D13 as a strong possilbiity; that would be another way to start the campaign actually would be to have the PCs get 'recruited' after dealing with said Pyromaniac. I'm focused on FIRE today, I don't know why. Separate question for another thread.

 

From there you can start out your metaplot - whether it involves spies from another world, an ancient Vampyr war, what have you - the Normal Hunter is almost always a good time, despite the obvious balance issues of having Pulp Heroes go up against Dracula.

 

The first session would have its tone set by the origins of D13. Is it active now, or is it being re-activated? And who is that Smoking Man who says he's from the Mayor's Office sitting with the Captain?

[Zane_Marlowe]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

If you haven't already seen it, check out a comic book series called "Fables," which includes a lot of the Urban Fantasy elements I think you're interested in, and (at least in the stories I've read) there's a good whodunnit in the first major plot arc.

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

I have read Fables. You're right. It is a good fit for this sort of campaign. It probably wouldn't be hard to set something like Fabletown somewhere in Hudson City.

[sbarron]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Are you planning to have average citizens acknowledge the presence of the supernatural, or will most people not believe in that "superstitious nonsense?" I'd go the people "don't believe" route, because it just causes so many wonderful problems for the PCs that way. But maybe you have other ideas?

 

The Dresden Files novels also touch on this a bit, with its own little paranormal police task force that flies under the radar, handling threats that most don't even want to know about.

[Prometheus]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Have you looked at Alan Moore's Top Ten? It would make for some good source material, though some of the situations in it are occasionally campy.

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Are you planning to have average citizens acknowledge the presence of the supernatural, or will most people not believe in that "superstitious nonsense?" I'd go the people "don't believe" route, because it just causes so many wonderful problems for the PCs that way. But maybe you have other ideas?

 

The Dresden Files novels also touch on this a bit, with its own little paranormal police task force that flies under the radar, handling threats that most don't even want to know about.

 

I'd forgotten about the Dresden Files. Yes, I was thinking of having most people be unaware or not believing in the supernatural. Of course, there's also the Silent Mobius notion of supernatural police work, with the D13 types being elite police recognized by their peers.

 

Of course, there is something to be said about putting them (in the beginning of the campaign) down in some file room with leaking pipes or something.

[Sketchpad]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

I'd forgotten about the Dresden Files. Yes, I was thinking of having most people be unaware or not believing in the supernatural. Of course, there's also the Silent Mobius notion of supernatural police work, with the D13 types being elite police recognized by their peers.

 

Of course, there is something to be said about putting them (in the beginning of the campaign) down in some file room with leaking pipes or something.

For Silent Mobius info, I'd recommend Mike Surbrook's Silent Mobius Zeta for ideas

[chrome_gnome]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Well using the 100+100 for points will certainly let you build some interesting creations. I'd envision the 13th as a place where the malcontent members of the HCPD go when they are too unstable to deal with the general public but too good at what they do to be fired from the force. Heck it could be the state or even national dumping ground for talented but terrifying police officers.

 

It would be very possible to have storylines involving internal affairs and police unions trying to occasionally track down members who seem to be on permanent "undercover assignment" or "administrative leave". These types of "bad guys" would certainly pose a challenge the players couldn't simply kill off to solve. They are the opposition but not the enemy kind of thing.

 

Perhaps a tad like Mel Gibson's character in Lethal Weapon. A group kept under key with the warning "Break Glass in Event of Wierdness" pasted across thier dossiers. Its existance would have to be kept on the hush-hush, meaning no squad cars, flashing lights and helicopeter searches. The garbage truck from the movie "Hellboy" seems appropriate as an example. However instead of being a sort of "elite response team" these guys would get hand me down equipment and would have to see what they could beg, borrow or steal from other agencies. A "doing the most with the least sort of deal".

[Thia Halmades]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

That's kind of what makes it cool, though, is that there are a lot of different ways to tackle it. You can go whole-hog with the MIB route, where D13 is better equipped than darn near anything else out there. You can, as you suggest, dial it down where they're struggling to replace individual bullets and accomplishing anything within they're beauracracy is an extra hassle as not only are they 'D13' they also have to answer to the local Precinct chief, giving them entirely separate problems.

 

I just find the whole idea appealing as a variation on Hunter: The Time We Wrote Up Normals for White Wolf and Tried To Keep Them Alive.

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Well using the 100+100 for points will certainly let you build some interesting creations. I'd envision the 13th as a place where the malcontent members of the HCPD go when they are too unstable to deal with the general public but too good at what they do to be fired from the force. Heck it could be the state or even national dumping ground for talented but terrifying police officers.

 

That's one option I was definitely considering doing, and this thread has helped me see things a bit more clearly. On one hand I can have D13 as a "top secret" elite group, and on the other a collection of misfits and weirdos who don't fit in on the regular force, a collection of Mulder and Skully sorts. My players would probably prefer to go the loose cannons route. With 200 points, I foresee some interesting creations. I hadn't considered them as part of a state or national force, but that's a possibility. There is an old rpg called Bureau 13 which is sort of a national version of what I see D13 being for Hudson City.

 

 

It would be very possible to have storylines involving internal affairs and police unions trying to occasionally track down members who seem to be on permanent "undercover assignment" or "administrative leave". These types of "bad guys" would certainly pose a challenge the players couldn't simply kill off to solve. They are the opposition but not the enemy kind of thing.

 

Yes, there would also be people in the Mayor's office wondering what taxpayer money is going towards. Collateral damage might be something to worry about, especially when dealing with the supernatural. I'm sure the city accounting office would get in on the act, wondering about these piles of damage claims showing up after some big dustup with an ugly of some kind.

 

 

Perhaps a tad like Mel Gibson's character in Lethal Weapon. A group kept under key with the warning "Break Glass in Event of Wierdness" pasted across thier dossiers. Its existance would have to be kept on the hush-hush' date=' meaning no squad cars, flashing lights and helicopeter searches. The garbage truck from the movie "Hellboy" seems appropriate as an example. However instead of being a sort of "elite response team" these guys would get hand me down equipment and would have to see what they could beg, borrow or steal from other agencies. A "doing the most with the least sort of deal".[/quote']

 

The first part of this paragraph kind of reminds me of the IM Force, doing it as a covert police operation.

 

"Good evening, Captain Phelps. The pictures you are seeing represent our latest sightings of the vampire known as Vlad, who has made himself a home amidst the Scattucci mafia. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to stop Vlad and root out any converts he's made before they can spread through the city. As always, should any of your D13 group be caught or killed, the Mayor's Office and the Commissioner will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds."

[chrome_gnome]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

I just find the whole idea appealing as a variation on Hunter: The Time We Wrote Up Normals for White Wolf and Tried To Keep Them Alive.

 

That's the truth, Hunter was an absolutely kick butt setting, as long as you ran it with some other set of rules.

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

That's kind of what makes it cool' date=' though, is that there are a lot of different ways to tackle it. You can go whole-hog with the MIB route, where D13 is [i']better[/i] equipped than darn near anything else out there. You can, as you suggest, dial it down where they're struggling to replace individual bullets and accomplishing anything within they're beauracracy is an extra hassle as not only are they 'D13' they also have to answer to the local Precinct chief, giving them entirely separate problems.

 

I just find the whole idea appealing as a variation on Hunter: The Time We Wrote Up Normals for White Wolf and Tried To Keep Them Alive.

 

Well, I could do it as a whole Demon Hunter X (to borrow from White Wolf), with plenty of funding and tech toys, or I could do it as the weird group in the precinct basement in the old file room with the leaky pipes. I could also start it as lower key, and then build up their importance as time goes on, especially if I decide to go with your idea of D13 being shut down for a while.

 

Giving that notion some thought, it could be that supernatural activity comes in tides, like TSR's Dark Matter campaign setting proposed. When the number of instances of spooky stuff ebbed away a generation ago, D13 was mothballed. Now the tide is coming up again, and a new group is needed to be brough in. Knowing how eclectic players can be, I half-expect to see homages to X-Files, MIB, and maybe even a nod to Kolchak.

 

Actually, a Kolchak type would be kind of funny to bring in as an NPC. "I'm telling you! The city's got some kind of special group that deals with this stuff! I'll get that story! You'll see!"

[Thia Halmades]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Oh heavens I hated that show - with the Townsend kid and Gabrielle whatshername? Horrible show. She was smokin', though. I had already had the same idea of ebb & flow - it goes with most of the urban horror/fantasy settings; we go through a period where nothing happens at all and then:

 

Homeless people found dead, with a horrible pallor and bizarre bite marks on their necks.

 

Animals attacking for no reason, rats swarming in broad daylight causing disgust, rabies and car accidents. Cockroaches being vomited out of the sewers in a torrent of vermin. Clearly the local police can't be brought into deal with this, and the government can't get overtly involved.

 

Some time back, we had put together a specialized task force to investigate, research, and determine the nature & threat of these things. That was nearly seventy years ago, and, not unlike World War II, no one really believes any of it happened. Much of those events coincided with Hitler's purported research into the supernatural, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

 

We've had strange reports cropping up in the newspapers lately. Fireman who get to arson sites but find no evidence of accelrants. The church called this morning and wanted to open an investigation as to why half their grave yard was dug up last night - and seven caskets were found open. And empty.

 

That's where you come in. As of right now I'm officially reactivating the 13th District, or as the boys used to call it, 'D13.' I've arranged for you to meet with some of the original members. Meet me at eight, in the gypsy quarter. Bring a spare pair of shorts and some liquid confidence. You'll need 'em both.

 

"Why's that, Chief? Why are you making an interview sound so damn creepy?"

 

Why? Son, didn't I just tell you? The last time D13 was active was 70 years ago. The people you're going to interview tonight? Son, they're dead.

[Steve]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Well, I've just seen the first couple of episodes of Torchwood, and it gives me some more fodder to think about.

 

1) I could borrow from TSR's Urban Arcana to explain the presence of supernatural types. They've simply 'washed ashore' into Hudson City's reality, forming an invisible sort of subculture that melds into the cityscape.

 

2) When dealing with the supernatural, should D13 be more tech-oriented and not have any supernatural elements like spellcasters on the payroll? This would be something more like Ghostbusters in a way. Also, I could imagine the type of CSI work that might go on, with supernatural effects classified and typed in a scientific method in D13's files.

[csyphrett]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

2) When dealing with the supernatural, should D13 be more tech-oriented and not have any supernatural elements like spellcasters on the payroll? This would be something more like Ghostbusters in a way. Also, I could imagine the type of CSI work that might go on, with supernatural effects classified and typed in a scientific method in D13's files.

 

The equipment will have to be there to deal with the monsters. I think ultraviolet and Blade had UV lamps for vampires, Particle guns for ghosts, silver for werewolves.

 

Plus someone will have to be the researcher to find out the weaknesses of each in the vast library.

CES

[RPMiller]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Also, have you looked at Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman? That has some elements that would fit I think.

[Teflon Billy]

Re: HCPD - The 13th District (Campaign Idea)

 

Well' date=' I've just seen the first couple of episodes of [i']Torchwood[/i], and it gives me some more fodder to think about.

 

1) I could borrow from TSR's Urban Arcana to explain the presence of supernatural types. They've simply 'washed ashore' into Hudson City's reality, forming an invisible sort of subculture that melds into the cityscape.

 

2) When dealing with the supernatural, should D13 be more tech-oriented and not have any supernatural elements like spellcasters on the payroll? This would be something more like Ghostbusters in a way. Also, I could imagine the type of CSI work that might go on, with supernatural effects classified and typed in a scientific method in D13's files.

Can't it have both magic and tech?

 

Where you have D13s version of Q making neato gadgets to defeat this week's supernatural menace, but also have the archmage down in the library who can tell you that ley lines and the moon are in conjunction so wear extra wolfsbane because the werewolves will be out in force.

 

I don't see why there has to be so much either/or, there is no reason why you can't have both.

 

TB