adding the Jack Ryan universe

[Mark Rand]

Re: adding the Jack Ryan universe

 

Translation: all the Ryanverse elements have now been classified above the PCs' clearance.

 

"Clark?" Never heard of him... Doesn't he write for the Planet?

 

Truth be told, based on what I've read re: your other posts on this topic, it sounds like Collingsworth is more interesting a choice as a President than Jack Ryan. You've put quite a bit into this character's background- I say go with your original creation.

 

Well, they'd know the general information about the First Family, but not a lot about the military and intelligence community.

[Mark Rand]

Re: adding the Jack Ryan universe

 

I have a minor change. I'm reducing the number of the President's relatives at the circus.

 

According to The Bear and the Dragon, all members of the cabinet have security. Since the Secretary of the Treasury has four Secret Service agents, does that mean that everyone in the Cabinet has Secret Service protection?

 

Also, according to an old Carson and Barnes Circus routebook entry, on Friday, July 11, 1986, Secretary of Education William Bennett and family (and big black cars, police escort and bodyguards) visited the 4:00 performance.

[Vulcan]

Re: adding the Jack Ryan universe

 

I have to confess that the only Clancy book I have read in it's entirety is Rainbow Six. I found that Clancy tends to be a bit long winded for my tastes. I don't doubt his ability as a storyteller' date=' but I sometimes found myself thinking "[i']Get to the *&%%^$#( point already!!![/i]"

 

For his last book, The Teeth of the Tiger, he finally got a new editor that wasn't afraid to tell him that. The Teeth of the Tiger is back down to the size of The Hunt For Red October.

 

But yeah, Clancy is famous for side-plots and foreshadowing that go exactly nowhere. Executive Orders was his worst example of it.

[Shaft]

Re: adding the Jack Ryan universe

 

Ryan-verse elements that translate well into 4 Colour Champions, IMHO:

 

John Clark- he would make an excellent Nick Fury type. As head of Rainbow, UNTIL, UNIT or whatever. His shadowy background parrallels Fury's years of expertise.

 

Likewise, Chavez makes a good field commander for the same group. Slapping his name on a recurring UNTIL field commander or Silver Avenger gives the character a sense of history instead of making the same UNTIL guy a nameless clone. Having him married to Clark's daughter is appropriate for the four colour feel (in a highly realisitic game, I doubt that Clark would be allowed to oversee his son-in-law's actions due to the probablt conflict of interest).

 

Jack Ryan- I like him better as a highly placed, Washington insider with espionage contacts that is trustworthy rather than a president. At any rate, I can see him as they type of person Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne would have in their respective Rolodexes. Or he might make a great secret ID- after all, in his younger years, he's got that same quality as Tony or Bruce. The best part is that the PCs might not suspect his nocturnal adventuring since as soon as they hear Jack Ryan, they'll take him at face value as written. No one would suspect him of also being... Minuteman- the Sentinel of Liberty! or something. Maybe the chopper crash that gave him his back injury also triggered a power in him.

 

Admiral James Greer: at first glance, it might be easy to have him function like Clark as a Nick Fury stand in, but Clark and Fury are a lot more active and still have "field agent" quality to them while Greer feels right behind a desk. He works well as a liason or a bit like the Chief in Get Smart.

 

Captain Marko Ramius: I can imagine him taking the Red October and having stayed rogue instead of defecting. He might be a Captain Nemo like figure who is able ot elude the authorities with the stealth capabilities of his sub. Add a power armour style diving suit and he'd make a good Black, er... Red Manta.

 

The Campus/Hendley Associates: An off the record Intelligence Agency that doesn't answer to the government and whose members are all related? I don't think this needs to be converted to four-colour...