So why was the old man killed?

[BoloOfEarth]

NOTE TO ANY S-SQUAD PLAYERS! READ NO FURTHER! I MEAN IT!

 

Due to Terminal GM Laziness, I've created a situation without really thinking out the "why" or detailed all of the "how" of it. I had a vague idea, but it was one of those, "eh, I'll figure out the details later" things, so I'm willing to entertain any and all ideas someone here might have.

 

I'm probably giving too much information below, but I figured some of it might trigger ideas in peoples' heads, so you can skip what you want. I'll start with a condensed version.

 

 

The short version: A radiation-using superheroine and her family have bought a brownstone where the former owner (a retired jeweler) had been murdered during an apparent break-in (about 2 months ago). They've since had another break-in, with the thief chased off by the family's new dog. The heroine has done a general search of the building using her x-ray vision and found nothing. So, why was the former owner actually murdered? Hidden jewels? Or something else?

 

 

The full situation: Sentinel (secret ID: Caren Wells) bought a house in Chicago, and just moved in there with her new husband (Frank Hardy) and their adopted 14 year-old daughter (Sarah, orphaned and found living on the streets at age 8). Frank knows about his wife's superhero ID, but Sarah does not.

 

Their new home is a three-story brownstone, with each floor basically it's own apartment. There's also a basement, mostly for storage, as well as an old rooftop pigeon coop. I have not said how old the brownstone is, nor have I drawn up floorplans for it.

 

Sentinel / Caren got the place cheap, because the former owner (86 year-old retired jeweler Herbert Pappas) had been killed there. Pappas was stabbed to death in his third-floor apartment during an apparent break-in by a thief, who escaped without being identified. Sentinel has since discovered that Pappas had a sometimes-pet stray dog, an 8-9 year-old border collie he called Rex. Sarah has talked her mom into letting her keep Rex.

 

For the past four years, Pappas had rented the ground floor apartment to a single mother (Irene Lawler, age 42) with her 15 year-old son Rick. Caren and Frank have agreed to keep the Lawlers as tenants, and also moved an elderly friend (Mrs. Horowitz) into the 2nd floor apartment. (Mrs. Horowitz keeps an eye on Sarah, since Sarah's too old to really babysit.)

 

Shortly after moving in, while the family and Mrs. Horowitz were out to dinner, a thief climbed the fire escape and broke into the 3rd-floor apartment (cutting a hole in a window to unlock and open it). Rex took a bite out of the guy's pants, and the thief dove out a second window, apparently grabbed the fire escape, and got away without being seen. No prints left in either case, and they have the cloth from the guy's pants that Rex tore off (dark blue denim, otherwise unremarkable)

 

After the break-in, Sentinel did scan the building with her x-ray vision. She made several PER rolls, but no spectacular successes, so I told her she didn't find anything the thief might have been after. She mainly concentrated on the third floor, the roof, and the basement, though she did scan the second floor from above, and the first floor from below.

 

Minor pseudo-related subplot under the spoiler, just in case.

 

Thanks to Sentinel's radiation, Sarah has developed her own powers, which she's afraid to tell anyone about. She is an animal empath, able to summon and communicate with any animal, as well as heal animals over time and "borrow" animal bodies (as Desolid, leaves own body behind). Sarah has set up a small veterinary clinic in the basement, which Sentinel found while searching the building. She's also fixing up the bird coop on the roof, with Frank's help. They haven't told Sentinel / Caren about it yet, but Mrs. Horowitz has told her that Sarah's been up on the roof a lot.

 

Sarah has "talked" to Rex and learned that he saw Pappas get murdered. She hasn't told Sentinel. I haven't decided yet whether it's the same thief, or if one was a hireling, but I'm inclined to say both break-ins were done by the same person, and that Rex knows this.

 

I don't want Sentinel discovering Sarah's powers to be necessary for the heroes to solve the mystery; I plan to run the players in a one-shot Teen Champions game, where the players will likely discover Sarah's animal empathy.

 

 

 

The heroes have learned that Pappas owned a small jewelry store before he retired about a dozen years ago. They've done a (very) little digging and found nothing suspicious about the guy, at least yet. I haven't specified any details about the store (name, location, etc.), except to say that it was a small, one-store operation.

 

So, any suggestions for what the thief is after? Was the murder intentional? Did Pappas surprise the thief and get stabbed by accident? Or did he recognize the thief, and had to be silenced?

 

If something is hidden in the house, it doesn't need to be invisible to x-rays, though I would like suggestions for a good hiding place that would not be seen during an intial x-ray scan.

[Cygnia]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

The murder was intentional. Pappas had to be silenced due to the fact he found out about the Russian mob was laundering stolen gems. It was suspected he had a ledger. Said ledger is currently in the basement still in storage.

[Stone]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

I like Cygnia's idea. The ledger could be protected in a small area made of what ever blocks Sentinel's vision, or it could a computer file, or in a safe deposit box. Maybe the thief was looking for the key to the box.

[lochmonster]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

The Jeweler was killed to get his diary, but it's hidden somewhere inside the house.

 

 

The reason the X-Ray vision didn't see it?

The house is old: Lead Paint is still on some of the walls or in the attic.

 

 

Some say the Jeweler himself is a former Nazi, on the run, and the Diary has maps to hidden Nazi gold. Other say the diary is his journal of his days adventuring in South America, and has clues to lost cities. Perhaps he was working in diamond based optics and schematic for a powerful laser are in the diary?

[Yansuf]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

The Jeweler was killed to get his diary, but it's hidden somewhere inside the house.

The reason the X-Ray vision didn't see it?

The house is old: Lead Paint is still on some of the walls or in the attic.

 

I love the lead paint!

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

The reason the X-Ray vision didn't see it?

The house is old: Lead Paint is still on some of the walls or in the attic.

 

If there is an area that blocks X-Ray Vision, wouldn't Sentinal know there was an area she could not see into?

 

Maybe the X-Ray vision didn't see it because it's a nondescript book in a stack of nondescript books. She SAW it, but did not recognize it was in any way significant. It's in junk storage in the basement, mixed in with clutter from Pappas, as well as former and current tenants.

 

If Sarah has a vet clinic in the basement, maybe she finds it.

 

Maybe the other tenant is looking for the item as well, and she hired the burglar(s) after becoming frustrated at her inability to find the item in question.

[Cygnia]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

If there is an area that blocks X-Ray Vision, wouldn't Sentinal know there was an area she could not see into?

 

Maybe the X-Ray vision didn't see it because it's a nondescript book in a stack of nondescript books. She SAW it, but did not recognize it was in any way significant. It's in junk storage in the basement, mixed in with clutter from Pappas, as well as former and current tenants.

 

If Sarah has a vet clinic in the basement, maybe she finds it.

 

 

Yeah, the "Purloined Letter" approach could work better than "Lead paint/lead box! That's not suspicious at all!" (which is why I just suggested the ledger being stashed in the basement. It's not really hidden; it's just there.)

[lochmonster]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Yeah' date=' the "Purloined Letter" approach could work better than "Lead paint/lead box! That's not suspicious at all!" (which is why I just suggested the ledger being stashed in the basement. It's not really hidden; it's just there.)[/quote']

 

 

The OP said they recently moved into the house. I also assumed the old tenants stuff was moved out.

 

The only things that wouldn't have been trashed is stuff secreted away around the house, unless they just are living in an old man's house with his stuff lying around.

[mattingly]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

The ledger wasn't noticed by the x-ray scan or found by the thief because it's been glued page by page behind the wallpaper.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Great replies, all. Thanks everyone!

 

My initial vague idea was for it to tie back into something from WWII, given the victim's age, but I wasn't sure if that was too obvious or cliched.

 

The old man's apartment was cleared out, but the Lawlers were tenants from before, so their apartment wouldn't have been touched. And they likely had some stuff in storage in the basement. Easy enough for some of Pappas' stuff in the basement to be left behind.

 

I've used the lead-based paint idea before, and in the past have told the players that it doesn't block x-ray vision so much as make things hazy when looking through it. So easy enough for me to say, "Well, yeah you scanned that area but didn't make it well enough with the -3 PER to notice the (whatever) behind it."

 

I've also thought that the brownstone (I'm inclined to say it's an older building) might have some old lead pipes in the basement, maybe one that only looks like it's connected to anything, and that would be a perfect place to hide some gemstones, or a map or papers rolled up, or whatever.

 

Sarah could have found a ledger and unknowingly used it in the bottom of one of the animal cages in the basement, too.

 

I like the idea of papers hidden behind wallpaper, too. Sentinel's husband Frank is a handyman by trade, and I can see him noticing that a section of wallpaper isn't glued well to the wall. In fact, there's something amusing about the only non-superpowered person in the family actually finding the hidden Macguffin...

[Nothere]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Another approach would be Pappas running a small one man operation, occasionally did buisness with a shady type. At worse Pappas figured he was a diamond smuggler. Then Pappas learned his buisness partner was a notorious supervillan. Not wanting that kind of trouble, Pappas stole something of importance to the villian and threatened to destory./ turn it over to the police if the villian didn;'t leave him alone.

Fearing the villian would find it if Pappas hid it in the apartment, He hid it on Rex. Of course Rex being a stray that would probably involve the old microchip under the skin as opposed to in the collar trick. The theif either intending to tack over for or take on the old villian seacrhed the apartment for the item when he killed Pappas. He decided to make one last attempt, and when Rex bite him, the theif realized only one thing about the apartment was the smae since the new family moved in. Time for some dog napping.

[zagman]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Ledger, in basement wedged between heating duct and wooden ceiling. Xrays don't differentiate well between wood and paper.

 

Leger contains information on Pappas' transactions. Pappas purchased stolen gems of low quality and sold them off to four different buyers. In reality the thief had no knowledge that the gems were in fact a form of holographic data storage formerly in the possession of a government scientist. One of the crystals contains access codes and information related to Metahuman experiments in the early 60s, one of which showed promise in curing cancer. Same theif, same buyer.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Seems to me that there is an element of assumption here. The burglar may NOT actually be Pappas's murderer.

 

He could in fact be another party (possibly even a Good Guy) with his own stake in whatever is going on.

Or, he could be Pappas's long-lost son, trying to investigate his father's death.

Or, he could be a simple Red Herring (small-time crook who just happened to pick the wrong place at the wrong time, etc.). Coincidences happen, after all.

Or, might even be that there is an extra layer of complexity to this situation. Maybe Pappas had more than one "thing" going on, and now his chickens have started coming home to roost.

 

I see real potential for a "Maltese Falcon"-style situation here. Instead of a MacGuffin that one unknown person or group wants, you could have a number of people / groups (of varying methodologies, motives and degrees of weirdness) who ALL want the MacGuffin (or, at the very least, to prevent some other bunch from getting it).

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Another approach would be Pappas running a small one man operation, occasionally did buisness with a shady type. At worse Pappas figured he was a diamond smuggler. Then Pappas learned his buisness partner was a notorious supervillan. Not wanting that kind of trouble, Pappas stole something of importance to the villian and threatened to destory./ turn it over to the police if the villian didn;'t leave him alone.

Fearing the villian would find it if Pappas hid it in the apartment, He hid it on Rex. Of course Rex being a stray that would probably involve the old microchip under the skin as opposed to in the collar trick. The theif either intending to tack over for or take on the old villian seacrhed the apartment for the item when he killed Pappas. He decided to make one last attempt, and when Rex bite him, the theif realized only one thing about the apartment was the smae since the new family moved in. Time for some dog napping.

 

The first part has appeal, but hiding it on Rex wouldn't work since Sentinel did x-ray the dog fairly thoroughly. Now, if it *was* in a collar, and the collar had somehow got removed before Rex returned to the brownstone...

[csyphrett]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Do tattoos show up on xray scans? There could be a tattoo on Rex's butt with the unknown treasure as the prize.

CES

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

It occurs to me that the two month differance between Pappas's death and the present might make for difficulties. Specifically, I can easily see PCs saying awkward things like "Dude, he died two months ago. Why is all this stuff showing up NOW?"

 

Simple answer = Minor Retconning. Tell 'em that funny stuff has been going on ever since Pappas's death, it is just been so low-key that nobody noticed (big negative DMs on Perception, etc.).

 

For instance, the estate agent who sold Pappas's old place to the PC will, if specifically asked, casually mention that there was a couple of break-ins while the place was vacant. But nothing was broken or stolen, so it was assumed to be local kids fooling around.

 

Again, if specifically asked, the agent might also recall some very peculiar people who looked over the property as prospective buyers - eg. showed unusual interest in very specific areas, asked odd questions, tried to snoop around when the agent's back was turned, used ID details that later proved to be false, etc.. They might have even called back later asking about who finally bought the property.

 

Trust me, moving house is basically walking the knife's edge of chaos. It could be that a bunch of "odd" things happened whilst the PC and her family were moving in, and they were just too preoccupied to notice. Things that unaccountably went missing and then showed up later in odd places; doors and windows mysteriously left open; and so on. It is only much later, when people sit down and begin SERIOUSLY comparing notes that this becomes evident.

 

Here's an interesting thought for the mix - "phantom" tradespeople.

In the course of moving and settling in, there may have been a need to bring in tradespeople for repairs, or alterations, or renovations. Just suppose that one (or more) of them did more than just fix the toilet. A couple of months down the line, the PC thinks "That's odd, these guys came and did the work, but I haven't gotten a bill yet". The PC phones, and is told that they didn't come because somebody cancelled the request, or they showed and were told they weren't needed.

But, SOMEBODY worked on the plumbing (or the electricity, or ...). and presumably did some serious snooping in the process.

[Greywind]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

As Luther said of killing Rebecca: It seemed the thing to do at the time.

[Lucius]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Great replies, all. Thanks everyone!

 

My initial vague idea was for it to tie back into something from WWII, given the victim's age, but I wasn't sure if that was too obvious or cliched.

 

The old man's apartment was cleared out, but the Lawlers were tenants from before, so their apartment wouldn't have been touched. And they likely had some stuff in storage in the basement. Easy enough for some of Pappas' stuff in the basement to be left behind.

 

I've used the lead-based paint idea before, and in the past have told the players that it doesn't block x-ray vision so much as make things hazy when looking through it. So easy enough for me to say, "Well, yeah you scanned that area but didn't make it well enough with the -3 PER to notice the (whatever) behind it."

 

I've also thought that the brownstone (I'm inclined to say it's an older building) might have some old lead pipes in the basement, maybe one that only looks like it's connected to anything, and that would be a perfect place to hide some gemstones, or a map or papers rolled up, or whatever.

 

Sarah could have found a ledger and unknowingly used it in the bottom of one of the animal cages in the basement, too.

 

I like the idea of papers hidden behind wallpaper, too. Sentinel's husband Frank is a handyman by trade, and I can see him noticing that a section of wallpaper isn't glued well to the wall. In fact, there's something amusing about the only non-superpowered person in the family actually finding the hidden Macguffin...

 

 

The handyman is also the one most likely to notice an odd pipe that doesn't really connect with anything. That seems more likely to me than someone going to all the trouble of pasting stuff to the wall and wallpapering over it.

 

As for what it's about, connections to the jewel business or to WWII are fun red herrings, but it should probably be something totally unexpected.

 

Do you want finding it to be a "ta-dah!" moment, or to lead them into further adventures?

 

edit: A suggestion

 

That's in the pipe turns out to be the cowl and costume of a costumed adventurer from decades ago, including a striking medallion centered on a piece of carved jet. Anyone with KS: Local History or KS: Super Powered People, Past and Present, will recognize this as the gear of a vigilante who derived his powers from a magic amulet.

 

Trouble is, there doesn't seem to be any magic here, and no one who wears the amulet exhibits any different powers.

 

Clues will be found indicating that Pappas was this hero of old, such as (if they ask or look around) some odd things found in the basement of his store that seemed strange to investigators but not weird enough to make the news or anything.

 

The thief will keep coming back and probably be caught next time - maybe, in keeping with giving Frank the Handyman the spotlight, he can catch the non-powered crook.

 

The story (if he cracks at once, and he might) is that the murderer/thief's father was one of the crooks put away by the costumed hero many years ago. When the villain finally got out, he was too old for active crime himself, but still clever enough to track down his now long retired nemesis and send his son to avenge him - and retrieve the medallion. What do you mean, it has no powers?

 

Maybe whatever magic it had faded long ago. Maybe Pappas was actually a mutant and spread the rumor about the medallion in order to confuse and mislead criminals. Maybe the magic is hidden even from Detect Magic (if there's anyone around capable of that) until something evokes it - an incantation, a ritual, or just the right sort of situation.

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Palindromedary Enterprises

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Sorry, I've been out of town since Thursday, and just got back tonight.

 

It occurs to me that the two month differance between Pappas's death and the present might make for difficulties. Specifically' date=' I can easily see PCs saying awkward things like "Dude, he died two months ago. Why is all this stuff showing up NOW?"[/quote']

 

Good point. They haven't asked yet -- part of the problem is that rotating games / GMs are causing overly long breaks between sessions in my game, so the players assume that's the real reason. But I should have some logical explanation anyway.

 

The handyman is also the one most likely to notice an odd pipe that doesn't really connect with anything. That seems more likely to me than someone going to all the trouble of pasting stuff to the wall and wallpapering over it.

 

As for what it's about, connections to the jewel business or to WWII are fun red herrings, but it should probably be something totally unexpected.

 

Actually the idea of Pappas being a retired superhero or supervillain is something I seriously considered. But it's too similar to something I've done before, and I don't like rehashing past plots, so I reluctantly set that idea aside.

 

Here's where I'm currently heading (and keep in mind that I've been using the 4th Edition VIPER, rather than the 5th Edition one, so I don't know if the Serpentine Computer is part of the 5th Ed VIPER):

 

Back in the 1980s, VIPER was putting their Serpentine Computer systems into place, but manufacturing Serpentine Crystals was a costly, time-consuming, and tricky process. Looking for an alternative source of these key control crystals, Pappas was approached through a front company to procure low-cost gemstones and crystals matching certain combinations of carat / clarity / number of facets, etc. Pappas had a history of looking the other way on legalities if the price was right, so he had the skills as well as the "moral ambiguity" for the job.

 

However, the whole thing make Pappas suspicious, so despite his instructions to destroy all of his notes and what-not, Pappas kept a copy of the specifications as well as a handful of gemstones that fit those specs, strictly as an insurance policy. These were hidden (I'm liking the lead pipe idea for the gemstones with one set of specs, while another set is behind the wallpaper), with a third set left with a friend in case anything happened to Pappas. He didn't tell his "employer" any of this; he did it all on the sly. Luckily for Pappas as well as VIPER, the criminal organization paid the jeweler the handsome price they had quoted him and decided not to silence him permanently. So the "insurance policy" wasn't needed and became practically forgotten.

 

Some time in the past 20 years, Pappas' friend began suffering from Alzheimer's, and heaven only knows where those papers are now. So that's why they weren't made public after Pappas was killed.

 

So, who is after this stuff? Based loosely on a suggestion PM'd to me (thanks Balabanto), I'm thinking a two-bit loser looking to get his foot in the door with VIPER. He worked briefly at a rehab center where Pappas was recovering from a broken hip six months ago. (The loser was stealing residents' stuff and pawning it on the side, and got fired before Pappas went home.) When the jeweler was under the influence of painkillers, he blabbed about the specs and gemstones hidden "somewhere he could keep an eye on them." It took a while for the loser to find out where the guy lived (all arrangements were made through Pappas' son, so at first the loser broke into the wrong house -- this is why you don't buy 2d6 Unluck, kiddies), and by the time he found the right address, Pappas had gone home. He caught the loser breaking into his place, recognized him, and ended up dead for his trouble.

 

The loser broke in one other time before Sentinel and her family moved in, but he had to leave before he could do a thorough search because movers arrived to pack up Pappas' stuff and ship it to his son in another state. So he broke into the son's place again, as well as the place which was holding an estate sale on everything that Pappas' son didn't want to keep. The loser had enough time to do a thorough search of most of that stuff and didn't find anything, so he decided to continue his search back at the brownstone.

 

To complicate the matter, the loser recently had too much to drink and bragged about his "big score" coming up, and the word just got back to VIPER. Now I need to run a VIPER distraction op (say, a blatant hostage situation at the high school) to draw the residents away from the brownstone long enough for a covert team (dragging the loser along) to conduct a basement-to-rooftop search of the brownstone. Too bad for VIPER that (1) Frank already found the specs behind the wallpaper, and (2) Mrs. Horowitz doesn't leave her apartment much at all, and will call Caren / Sentinel on her cell phone, probably as the heroes are in the process of rescuing the hostages, just for fun.

 

I welcome any problems, nitpicks, or comments on this plan.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Reasonable ideas.

 

I suggest mixing things up a little -

 

(1) Have an obsessed "Hunts VIPER" NPC come into play. He was either tracking down Pappas as a supplier of something essential to the organization, or else he discovers that VIPER has a lot of interest in that particular address for reasons unknown.

 

(2) Have factionalizing or back-stabbing within the VIPER branch involved. Could be multiple groups of VIPER agents competing to get the MacGuffin; or maybe the Number Two guy wants rapid promotion, and intends to use the situation to have his immediate boss killed or compromised.

 

(3) Another secret organization has heard something about what is going on, and is working undercover to get the goods. Could be other good guys (technically) or bad guys.

 

Maybe those missing papers shwed up with one of the above at some point.

[BadTodd]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Or...

 

You could go a completely different direction. They haven't found anything in the house, because the thief/murderer wasn't after anything that was hidden in the house. Its not an item that is important - its a location. The third floor window just happens to have the only clear viewpoint to the neighbor's bedroom (where something illegal or illicit is going on), or maybe the decorative cut glass window is actually a magical portal to view into another dimension..

 

 

Todd

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Reasonable ideas.

 

I suggest mixing things up a little -

 

(1) Have an obsessed "Hunts VIPER" NPC come into play. He was either tracking down Pappas as a supplier of something essential to the organization, or else he discovers that VIPER has a lot of interest in that particular address for reasons unknown.

 

(2) Have factionalizing or back-stabbing within the VIPER branch involved. Could be multiple groups of VIPER agents competing to get the MacGuffin; or maybe the Number Two guy wants rapid promotion, and intends to use the situation to have his immediate boss killed or compromised.

 

(3) Another secret organization has heard something about what is going on, and is working undercover to get the goods. Could be other good guys (technically) or bad guys.

 

Maybe those missing papers showed up with one of the above at some point.

 

As to #2, the former Chicago Nest Leader (Windchill) has tried to re-take his former position from the current Nest Leader (Magnetite). Some of Windchill's loyal people could be involved in a race for the crystals. Unfortunately, Windchill is in Stronghold and a session ago the heroes specifically stopped him from getting out, so he can't be directly involved.

 

Hmm... on #3, I wonder how Sentinel would handle it if PRIMUS showed up and put her and her family in a Witness Protection-type program while they search the house and set up a sting operation to nab VIPER.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

As to #2' date=' the former Chicago Nest Leader (Windchill) [u']has[/u] tried to re-take his former position from the current Nest Leader (Magnetite). Some of Windchill's loyal people could be involved in a race for the crystals. Unfortunately, Windchill is in Stronghold and a session ago the heroes specifically stopped him from getting out, so he can't be directly involved.

 

Could do a little subtle retconning, and get the PCs wondering about WHY Windchill chose that particular time to attempt escape. When messing with the PCs' heads (which should ALWAYS be done), Paranoia is arguably the GM's best friend.

 

In any case, having a few of W's loyalists trying to turn the situation to their advantage would seem appropriate. Or maybe Magnetite, to avoid taking blame for this potential fiasco, has a ploy to pin it all on Windchill's tenure as leader. Makes things less ... predictable - otherwise, it could potentially be "VIPER wants something hidden in my house, ho hum".

 

Hmm... on #3' date=' I wonder how Sentinel would handle it if PRIMUS showed up and put her and her family in a Witness Protection-type program while they search the house and set up a sting operation to nab VIPER.[/quote']

 

Probably not that well, I'm guessing. Her prior relationship with them (or lack thereof) would have some bearing.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

You're quite welcome. We'll try to keep 'em coming - and are very interested to hear how it all turns out.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Could do a little subtle retconning' date=' and get the PCs wondering about WHY Windchill chose that particular time to attempt escape. When messing with the PCs' heads (which should ALWAYS be done), Paranoia is arguably the GM's best friend.[/quote']

 

Actually, the escape attempt occurred while aliens were attacking Stronghold trying to rescue one of their princes and some noblemen being held there. (Different story arc.) The aliens began releasing *all* prisoners, resulting in a prison riot which the PC heroes got caught in the middle of. For some reason, they really, REALLY don't like Windchill, to the point that, while making sure he didn't escape, they didn't even lift a finger to stop Viperia from getting out.

 

But I agree about messing with the PC's heads. After some of the things I've pulled on them, I'm surprised they don't submit their friends and family to daily identity checks and lie detector tests.

 

You're quite welcome. We'll try to keep 'em coming - and are very interested to hear how it all turns out.

 

Don't worry. I plan to post a synopsis after I run it.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: So why was the old man killed?

 

Actually, the escape attempt occurred while aliens were attacking Stronghold trying to rescue one of their princes and some noblemen being held there. (Different story arc.) The aliens began releasing *all* prisoners, resulting in a prison riot which the PC heroes got caught in the middle of. For some reason, they really, REALLY don't like Windchill, to the point that, while making sure he didn't escape, they didn't even lift a finger to stop Viperia from getting out.

 

But I agree about messing with the PC's heads. After some of the things I've pulled on them, I'm surprised they don't submit their friends and family to daily identity checks and lie detector tests. .

 

W-e-l-l. You could always get the PCs wondering whether the aforementioned aliens are somehow involved in THIS scenario. All it takes is a hint or two in the right place.

 

Getting people so paranoid that they actively search for and defend against bad guys who were never actually there is always such good fun.