"Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

[Scifi_Toughguy]

As a GM I'm thinking of having one of my PC's girlfriends work for VIPER. He won't know about it. Is that a no-no? I mean its only fair, right? She doesn't know he's a super hero, he doesn't know she belongs to a terrorist organization, right?

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Depending on the player, I could see this exploding in your face or being very well received. Not much great advice there, I'm afraid.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

I don't see why not. It could definitely add a level of drama when they find out one another's secrets. I often make NPCs whose secret lives would alarm the PCs, if they only knew. Sometimes they find out, and then start getting suspicious of everyone I put in their paths. Sometimes they don't.

[Hermit]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

I've got a game where one of the characters has an older sister who is a Nest Leader, so it isn't like I can throw stones

[Flames]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Sounds like something Joss Whedon would do.

 

Buffy & Riley, for instance, in Season Four.

[clsage]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

As a GM I'm thinking of having one of my PC's girlfriends work for VIPER. He won't know about it. Is that a no-no? I mean its only fair' date=' right? She doesn't know he's a super hero, he doesn't know she belongs to a terrorist organization, right? [/quote']

 

Seems to be pretty much "in genre" to me...And could be fun if she

is his DNPC. It would, obviously, explain why she always seems to

be around when VIPER attacks/causes trouble in .

And he just thought she was an unlucky bystander.

 

-Carl-

[Cygnia]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

How devoted is she to VIPER's cause? If/when the truth of everything gets revealed will she side with her boyfriend or with VIPER (or try to cut her losses and get away from both)?

 

How well does the PC treat said girlfriend anyway?

[StGrimblefig]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

It seems to me that for him to not know, she would have to have a more "behind-the-scenes" job with VIPER. I would think that it would be more difficult to keep it hidden if she were one of the basic shock troops.

 

It would be kind of interesting if she worked in their IT department, or developing software for their payroll system.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Personally... I'm going to veer off a little from what some of the folks here have said.

 

I don't think it's such a good idea, unless the player is OK with it, or it's a plot thread that's been planned since Day 1 of the relationship.

 

Some players would be more accepting of it than others, but if you're going to turn the player's DNPC into a dedicated member of VIPER, then you *really* ought to let him know that "rescue missions" are likely to be replaced by "intra-party conflict when he doesn't punch the agent in the face."

[Lord Fyre]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

As a GM I'm thinking of having one of my PC's girlfriends work for VIPER. He won't know about it. Is that a no-no? I mean its only fair' date=' right? She doesn't know he's a super hero, he doesn't know she belongs to a terrorist organization, right? [/quote']

 

The moral to this story is always have your PC's girlfriend be a Superheroine!

[Lord Fyre]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

It seems to me that for him to not know, she would have to have a more "behind-the-scenes" job with VIPER. I would think that it would be more difficult to keep it hidden if she were one of the basic shock troops.

 

It would be kind of interesting if she worked in their IT department, or developing software for their payroll system.

 

Depends, if he is off heroing and she hasn't figured it out then what is to say that she doesn't have a more importand and direct role in VIPER?

 

Hmmm . . . mayhaps she has already penitrated the hero's Secret ID . . . would also lead to some interresting story options - as well as explain why she has put up with his "strange" disappearances (i.e., when he is off crimefighting).

[casualplayer]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

I don't know if this was ripped from in-game or just exclusive to the comic but the old school Champions character Icestar's girlfriend was a criminal mastermind who clashed with him all the time.

 

Try foreshadowing it a bit with her having mysterious absences or frequent vaguely-explained nights out without him. He may be relieved that she isn't cheating on him!

[pinecone]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

As a GM I'm thinking of having one of my PC's girlfriends work for VIPER. He won't know about it. Is that a no-no? I mean its only fair' date=' right? She doesn't know he's a super hero, he doesn't know she belongs to a terrorist organization, right? [/quote']

 

Sounds totally cool to me...heck I once specified that my DNPC was a villian that I only knew in secret ID..."How does madame Syn Always know my plans!" I say go for it!

[Balabanto]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

You should make her the local Nest Leader. That will lead to some tough moments.

[ghost-angel]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Bad-Girls are Hot!!

 

Go for it!

[Flames]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Or, if you want it to be more innocuous, she could be working for VIPER without really knowing that she does. She could be in charge of running a front company or non-profit organization, and perhaps has her suspicions that things aren't what they seem, but is getting paid well enough to opt for keeping her mouth shut and looking the other way.

 

How about she runs a "safe harbor" shelter for runaway teens, without realize that VIPER uses it as a recruiting ground? She wonders why those same two guys who make the regular deliveries of food and clothing are so chatty with the kids, and once considered intervening when she thought she saw one of them slipping a kid a wad of bills, but she doesn't want to stir up any trouble that might hurt the kids at all, so she's turning a blind eye to it for now.

 

Then later on, the heroes bust up a VIPER op and notice that one of the kids from the shelter is a VIPER agent and the whole thing comes unglued. Maybe he lies and says something horrible like, "Yeah, she knows! She knows all about it! She don't care, she's gettin' paid, she don't care," and the heroes are off to confront her.

 

But then if VIPER sees the heroes in their costumed identities anywhere near that shelter, they'll blow it to Kingdom Come to cover their tracks, with everyone inside, if need be.

[Tom]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

I've got a game where one of the characters has an older sister who is a Nest Leader' date=' so it isn't like I can throw stones [/quote']

Why am I suddenly nervous...

 

Though I did have a PC 'date' a VIPER agent briefly. When she found out about it later, she was less than gentle with the poor fellow...

 

(She was also really worried how her current boyfriend {and teammate} would react when he found out -- since saying he hates VIPER is something of an understatement...)

[The Doctor]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Congrats,

Ghost Angel on your 10,000th post.

 

Scifi,

 

I say go for it! As long as you have the integrity of your game within your sights. Sometimes as game masters we have really cool ideas, but our players aren't developed enough or we haven't thought through the different aspects of a particular subplot: Does it maintain consistency with the tone you've set up for the campaign, is the sub-plot suitable for this player character at this time and are you willing to commit to the "GOOSH".

A "GOOSH" is a sub-sub plot buried so deep that sometimes it can last for years in the background of a campaign. If the pcs aren't particularly diligent in their observations of all the little things that would make you question a persons motivations or secret life.

When I planted a GOOSH in our campaign I had the NPC ask the player(Aylwin13) out socially in game play after a particularly unusual first encounter where the NPC had given off the vibe that she was definitely more than an ancillary character. From there on the biggest thing was having that character be true to themselves while remaining interesting and fresh, because if the PC breaks up with the GOOSH before they can piece together the deception the fork is lost and I kind of assume you're wanting to play this for the fork. You know the point where the PC understands the level of deception they have been blind to and that their signficant other not only didn't harm the PC when they could have, but may have actually helped them a time or two out of love or loyalty or whatever. Thus giving the PC a series of questions to answer and none of them are good. Should the PC lock up the love interest or should they let this person that could have done them some serious damage go and hope that it doesn't bite them in the butt.

 

GOOD LUCK!!! I'd love to know what happened if you go for it.

 

TD

[assault]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

My approach to this kind of situation would depend on both the Player's and the PC's past interactions with the DNPC.

 

In some cases, a DNPC is integral to a Player's view of their PC. In other words, you can't have a Superman without a Lois. Radical changes to the relationship between them breaks a key element of Superman's character.

 

Other DNPCs are less critical. For decades, Peter Parker was dating a bunch of different women. Gwen Stacy was, of course, famously killed off. In this case, the Romantic Interest role was continuously present, but that characters that filled it varied.

 

The situation discussed in this thread would work if the second situation applies. It would be a disaster in the first case, unless there was some kind of escape clause to restore the status quo by the end of the plot arc. Of course, you need to discuss the situation with the Player in order to clearly determine which situation exists. This is probably worthwhile in any case, since a DNPC is/can be such an important element of a character's characterisation.

 

Just don't confuse a Mary Jane Watson with a Gwen Stacy.

 

 

EDIT: Here is my concrete advice: Have an escape clause and be prepared to use it!

 

If the player is reacting badly, make sure you can restore the original situation. Be prepared for the need to declare that the DNPC has been duped, brainwashed, blackmailed or framed, is infiltrating VIPER in a Lois Lane-style insanely dangerous search for a scoop, or whatever works for the character in question.

 

This way, if the player reacts well to your plot, you can continue as you intended. If not, you can undo the damage, pursue a plotline that can be equally as interesting, and reuse most of the elements of your intended plot anyway.

[incrdbil]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Go for it. The sudden 'I can't beliebe you work for them' twist is a classic as far as I'm concerned.

 

I has one of my plaeyrs, a young teen mutant, finally decide to 'come out' to his parents. Just before he made hsi announcement, his dad told the family that he had a great new job, and money would not be a problem any more..thanks to now being a Public Relations man for the IHA, warning all the decent people about those dangerous muties.

[input.jack]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

This ONLY works if the girlfriend has always been the kind of person to have and keep the job you want her to have. Making a sweet-hearted, doe-eyed innocent a Nest Leader for shock value aint gonna fly. But if shes always been an adventurous, strong-willed woman who has evidenced the kind of personality needed to do that kind of job, then yeah, go for it!

[Hermit]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

My approach to this kind of situation would depend on both the Player's and the PC's past interactions with the DNPC.

 

In some cases, a DNPC is integral to a Player's view of their PC. In other words, you can't have a Superman without a Lois. Radical changes to the relationship between them breaks a key element of Superman's character.

 

Other DNPCs are less critical. For decades, Peter Parker was dating a bunch of different women. Gwen Stacy was, of course, famously killed off. In this case, the Romantic Interest role was continuously present, but that characters that filled it varied.

 

The situation discussed in this thread would work if the second situation applies. It would be a disaster in the first case, unless there was some kind of escape clause to restore the status quo by the end of the plot arc. Of course, you need to discuss the situation with the Player in order to clearly determine which situation exists. This is probably worthwhile in any case, since a DNPC is/can be such an important element of a character's characterisation.

 

Just don't confuse a Mary Jane Watson with a Gwen Stacy.

 

 

EDIT: Here is my concrete advice: Have an escape clause and be prepared to use it!

 

If the player is reacting badly, make sure you can restore the original situation. Be prepared for the need to declare that the DNPC has been duped, brainwashed, blackmailed or framed, is infiltrating VIPER in a Lois Lane-style insanely dangerous search for a scoop, or whatever works for the character in question.

 

This way, if the player reacts well to your plot, you can continue as you intended. If not, you can undo the damage, pursue a plotline that can be equally as interesting, and reuse most of the elements of your intended plot anyway.

 

This is all good advice. In fact...*digs around for rep*

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Sounds cool, just be careful. Some Players respond badly to those kind of surprises.

 

 

Good luck

 

 

QM

[Cygnia]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

Sounds cool, just be careful. Some Players respond badly to those kind of surprises.

 

 

Good luck

 

 

QM

 

Yeah, this can definitely be a concern. What sort of a player is he? Does he react well to this sort of swerve (or as I asked early does he actually react to his GF at all) or did he take a DNPC solely for the points and will think of her as XP to turn into once the reveal happens?

[Scifi_Toughguy]

Re: "Your girlfriend works for VIPER!" Huh?

 

The campaign is still very young. We're all still getting our feet wet with the genre (role-playing-wise) and the system. I'm leaning more towards the player 'took it for points' side, not because thats bad or the player is bad. Its more because we're beginners with the disad system and that the GF is pretty much a blank page at this point.

 

This character is a private bodyguard for a wealthy business man and the DNPC/GF is the big bosses secretary. If she is working for VIPER, its certainly in an espionage type role. My difficulty is in reconciling the attraction between them while allowing for this subversive element. That remains my biggest hurdle. I think I am going to go with it. I have a goal this time around (as GM) to make the NPCs 'real' and I think this will go along with the accomplishment thereof.