The War on Christmas

[phoenix240]

(Campaign city or Location) is being hit with a major crime waves. Gangs of heavily armed and well equipped thieves are striking citywide, targeting shopping malls, big name stores, fancy holiday parties, parades. and similar targets that are associated with Christmas. There are several groups with names like the Chanukah Hooligans, the Humbugs and Kwanza Kommandos but they have a few things in common like an excellent grasp of small unit tactics and amusingly holiday themed but highly advanced and effective (even against metahumans) but largely nonlethal weaponry. Their crimes are mostly property crimes theft, robbery and vandalism but a few people, particularly greedy or ruthless sorts that have profiteering off the notion of Christmas have been targeted. They make references to "Mastermind" called: The Grinch. Interestingly no Christmas charities or charitable functions or private citizens have come under attack nor have any strictly religious functions or displays.

 

 

 

WWYCD?

[Vulcan]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

Vigil would ignore it. Humans and metahumans are very nearly at war, and if it comes to blows the body count will reflect that. We've got bigger issues to deal with.

 

If he trips over them, he'll stay out of the fight and hitch a ride on top of one of their escape vehicles, then tell the authorities where to find them. But he's certainly not going to waste time dealing with petty thieves.

[psyber624]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

Me? Join in on the fun (I personally hate Christmas )

 

My characters: Mostly dismiss it as a problem the police can handle. Petty thievery is not the sort of crime my guys would get involved in. If any of them happened upon one in progress and the police weren't around they would probably step in to stop it but unless there are signs of some deeper plot getting more active about it is unlikely.

[phoenix240]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

Stinger: Follows the crimes in the news but unless the criminals take a more aggressive, violent turn (actually injuring or killing someone, for example) she doesn't intervene as, on some level, she agrees with the implied message in their actions and as she's acting as vigilante herself feels it would almost hypocritical to do otherwise.

 

Knighthawk: Feeling like he's in the old Batman television show, Knighthawk tries to predict the next attack to intervene. He was to capture the crooks and interrogate him. His suspicion is that they this is a cover for something or a diversion. It's too flashy, bizarre and expensive (their gear must cost more than the perps are getting in their robberies) yet seemingly pointless to be anything else.

Wild Child: Probably wouldn't notice. Everyone dresses funny as far as she's concerned. If her "family" was threatened she'd retaliate and violently though...

[Tigereye]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

Deuce: Sounds like CLOWN, from what studies he's done so far on criminal gangs, so he'll wait for the punch line this is the set-up for. The Grinch is probably a cover for someone outside the organization, with a taste for larceny, but similarly non-lethal. Probably not Foxbat. Unfortunately, he's not familiar with the details of the members enough to find out who the ringleader is. (Problem when the last full year you've remembered is 1966.)

Guardian: Will be initially confused by the gag weapons - does she attack these humans? Are they legitimate targets? After a few telepathic interrogations, she might actually get into the spirit of the holidays a little bit, with her own odd, very alien sense of humor (You've never lived until you've seen a Yautja imitate Santa Claus... Scary Christmas! HOHOHOooohhhh...)

Spellvis: Will put on a Christmas concert as a way of catching the criminals. He'll invite a ton of great impersonators in addition to himself, and if any heroes have decent musical ability, he'll put them in the orchestra or on stage. He'll get some of the wealthier Scrooges in town to actually donate something for the impoverished in town, too.

[Badger]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

Me? Join in on the fun (I personally hate Christmas )

 

My characters: Mostly dismiss it as a problem the police can handle. Petty thievery is not the sort of crime my guys would get involved in. If any of them happened upon one in progress and the police weren't around they would probably step in to stop it but unless there are signs of some deeper plot getting more active about it is unlikely.

 

I dont exactly hate Christmas, but a 2-month holiday of non-stop Christmas gets on my nerves.....at around November 10.......and you can imagine how I feel now.

 

Anyway, (Me with Superpowers): If I have superpowers, do these thieves really think it a good idea to get on my bad side, when it is likely I will take out my holiday frustration on them if I catch them?

[Lucius]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

Quetzlcoatl: Would be the personal nemesis of these Counter-Christmas Crusaders, leading and directing pursuit, searching for clues, finding leads, proposing theories of who is responsible and plans for how to capture them.

 

Or rather, misleading and misdirecting pursuit, destroying clues before anyone else notices them, manufacturing false leads, and coming up with ideas to waste the time of anyone who might stand a chance of discovering the secret known only to one person in the entire city: That Quetzelcoatal himself is the Grinch.

 

Even the agents carrying out his plans don't know "The Grinch" by either his superhero name nor the name of his true secret identity; they have seen him only while he was masked or disguised. They have seen what they think is his true face. They also have access to a password protected website he uses to communicate, and a warehouse where they store much of what was stolen. They are paid with stolen cash and the more untraceable items taken, plus large amounts of small denomination bills. The last payday is the 24th. Their last job is the least fun, using the warehouse's machine shop and incinerator to destroy the costumes, weapons, and equipment - "No evidence at all, boys" The Grinch says, "You'll never be caught. I'll be in touch next year." But it's not the Grinch's last job. Christmas morning, some lucky precinct finds on its doorstep a gift-wrapped suspect, with a note saying "Here's your Grinch. Signed, Santa Claus" and a letter with information including the location of the warehouse, proof that it is owned by the suspect via several proxies, and codes to access the server of the website, which is located in the suspect's home. The same computer has a series of journal entries showing the motivation for the crimes, as well as much of the planning. The suspect is a wealthy local pundit who gets a lot of mileage every year out of ranting about the War on Christmas. His secret electronic journal reveals that, frustrated that there were still too many people not taking his message seriously, he had hit on a way to FORCE everyone to take the defense of Christmas seriously by demonstrating that it was indeed under attack in a literal way. At the warehouse will be evidence that someone began destroying the merchandise, just enough of the gang's equipment left to show that's what it was without being useful as evidence, signs of a struggle, and a bloodstain matching the pundit. A message on one of the computers there says "I caught him in the act of destroying evidence, hope there's enough left. Santa Claus." The pundit does indeed claim to have been assaulted by someone in a Santa suit, but claims it happened at home when he awakened and went to investigate a clatter on the roof. Of course he can afford the best possible defense and will probably get off, so even when one of those who actually did the various crimes comes forward to say that's the face they saw when the Grinch let his mask slip (and inevitably, some or all of them will come forward) he will probably escape conviction. He should be a free man by November. Giving Quetzlcoatl that much time to decide if he wants to risk trying the same scam again.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says hello to spice

[Drhoz]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

Well, if this had happened during Vitus' first year stuck on Earth, it would have made for an interesting conversation, and some memorable expressions on his muzzle.

 

Beginning, of course, with Vitus asking how the deity being worshipped by this holiday is likely to react. Once that is explained to him, and especially if it leads on to the other kinds of Acts of God that get attributed to him by his cultists, then he he decide one of two things. 1) The cultists are insane. 2) The deity is insane, but has terrible aim, and be safely ignored.

 

Then he'll probably head up onto the roof, Unseen Servant the snow off his observatory, and continue with his observations of the solstice.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

 

Knighthawk: Feeling like he's in the old Batman television show, Knighthawk tries to predict the next attack to intervene. He was to capture the crooks and interrogate him. His suspicion is that they this is a cover for something or a diversion. It's too flashy, bizarre and expensive (their gear must cost more than the perps are getting in their robberies) yet seemingly pointless to be anything else.

 

thats what TUFF-MAN'd do he has no patience for anyone who'd stel from a holiday toy drie or charity anyone trying THAT while he's around gets a free martial arts lessonTHE HARD WAY

[Egyptoid]

Re: The War on Christmas

 

as many have said, this sort of crime is way beneath their character.

and from certain point of view, it is beneath White Knite.

 

So he'll jump right on it, try to solve it and trace the Grinch himself down.

Probably let a few more jobs happen so as to "gun-walk" in closer to head honcho.

 

because this kind of thing can escalate. Grinch might be al-qaeda, or worse.

besides, it gives me a chance to buy The Common Man as an 11 or less contact.

 

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Sandor-San could solve it fifteen minutes, unless the gangsters are ready for magic.

 

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Cosmo-Knite would maybe be on the its-beneath-me route, saying aren't there any noob heroes in town ?