Campaign suggestions: Who Did It?

[bubba smith]

it probably is

[BoloOfEarth]

Mechanon hopes to suborn the robot factories. To this end he has placed viruses within computers controlling the factories that will upload into the robots too. Otherwise it is staying in the background and will not interfere until the end when it just might show up to protect his newest children.

 

Personally, I'd make Mechanon's code something that only kicks in days or weeks after the cheap VIPER robots have been handily defeated, torn apart, and dumped in the nearest junkyard for scrap.  At the Big M's order, they're now trying to come together to form a mega-robot.

 

Imagine various small robot parts that police or bystanders collected after the fight as souvenirs, now all over the city -- a robotic hand or foot here, a gyroscopic eye there -- all trying to make their way to the junkyard.  (Ever see Iron Giant?  That bit at the end is what I'm imagining.)  By the time the heroes figure it out, a majority of the parts have already come together to form a pretty tough customer.

 

Maybe it remembers how the heroes defeated its components parts and learned how to protect itself. Or perhaps it's protected by a force dome that the heroes can't get past... but the parts are rolling/hopping right through, so maybe they can sabotage the parts to cause the mega-bot to self-destruct before it's complete and goes on a rampage. 

[dsatow]

Personally, I'd provide ambiguous clues and let the players brainstorm.  Its interesting when they come up with a better plot than my original one and then I'd slowly make it real. 

 

As for your situation, I'd probably use Mechanon as a core villain behind the factory.  I'd use one of the ideas I was going to use a while ago at Dundracon here but never did.  The computers which run the factory were bought wholesale by the CFO.  High powered computers  which should have been cleaned properly but still have a fragmented core of Mechanon in them.  Its been slowly regaining itself and was now building its army.  The factory computers are a closed loop system, meaning now outside network contact, so replicant "Mechanon" only has so much to work with.

 

After this, I'd complicate things.  The villain needed to create, discretely, automated attack/defense robots.  These robots were supposed to be made during down times/hidden in runs in the factory and stored for his use.  His agents would come and retrieve the completed robots to send to his base.  He needs the robots for currently for defense as he is fighting another master villain.  He believe's this other master villain is responsible for sabotaging his defenses (the transported defense robots went haywire with some weird virus, go figure >).  The Mechanon core grabbed the new data and materials for the robots and subverted it for its own use.

 

Meanwhile, the rival master villain has noted that the heroes took out the factory that he himself was about to attack and subvert but thinks that the rampaging robots were actually an ambush set up by the other master villain.  He sends his own agents to investigate the factory.  Of course, they will extract logs and the virus from the computers.

 

Along with this, the original factory owners have taken this time to restart the factory.  The insurance money and possibly Google has brought renewed interest in the factory.  Of course, this means an update to the machines and network access soon.

 

Note that the splintered Mechanon thinks it is the real Mechanon.  The real Mechanon will probably not like this but could also begin sending drone helpers to the cause.

 

Players will have to sort out this three major villain mess, prevent the Mechanon virus from spreading, and clean everything up.  Add in the complication that if one of the two major villains go down, the other is no longer counter balanced and is free to take over the city.  If the players still want to do this, make sure that the forces of a single master villain will make them unable to take on the second master villain.  This should be obvious.

 

As I see it, the players should have no choice but to either stealth in to each major villain side or mediate between the two without letting them join forces against the heroes.

 

Again, this is just what I would do.  Go luck with whatever you go with. 

[drunkonduty]

Well I'm already 1 session in, next one tonight. Theheroes have been beating the streets (mostly they've been beating up small time cons, but you know, same thing) and trying to trace things from the street level. They also have an NPC trying to trace the technology. I'll give them their payout on this at the start of tonight's session and point them toward Larisagrad.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Personally, I'd make Mechanon's code something that only kicks in days or weeks after the cheap VIPER robots have been handily defeated, torn apart, and dumped in the nearest junkyard for scrap.  At the Big M's order, they're now trying to come together to form a mega-robot.

 

Imagine various small robot parts that police or bystanders collected after the fight as souvenirs, now all over the city -- a robotic hand or foot here, a gyroscopic eye there -- all trying to make their way to the junkyard.  (Ever see Iron Giant?  That bit at the end is what I'm imagining.)  By the time the heroes figure it out, a majority of the parts have already come together to form a pretty tough customer.

 

Maybe it remembers how the heroes defeated its components parts and learned how to protect itself. Or perhaps it's protected by a force dome that the heroes can't get past... but the parts are rolling/hopping right through, so maybe they can sabotage the parts to cause the mega-bot to self-destruct before it's complete and goes on a rampage. 

 

Since code is not just going to install itself in potential robot parts, the "rise of the machines" scenario might have many more ramifications, too, from that old favourite, the "Danger Room gone mad" scenario to people's phones breaking.

 

"I think the first clue was when my phone started chain-texting, 'Organics hate him! Mechanon discovers one great trick for universal genocide.  Get cheap Viagra at [deleted link].'"

[Spence]

 

"I think the first clue was when my phone started chain-texting, 'Organics hate him! Mechanon discovers one great trick for universal genocide.  Get cheap Viagra at [deleted link].'"

 

You made me snort my coffee.....

[Lawnmower Boy]

That is a great insight , Spence.

 

My master, Mechanon, makes $32,000/hour working on the computer at home. Click on this [deleted] to learn more!