UK using the champions system

[LWhitehead]

The Problem is that I need in London and the UK a level of Crime for a Batman level suitable for the Dark Champions setting,

 

 

LW

[death tribble]

Well in London that is very possible. London has had its share of 'characters'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kray_twins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brink%27s-Mat_robbery

 

And with the amount of wealth wandering around London, no problem. Also London is close to the continent so Northern France, Belgium, Holland and Denmark are easily reached. Interpol works closely with the British Police so you can easily have a flavour of that. There are ferries to Norway and Spain as well.

 

If this is not a help, let me know and I'll try and pin down some more specifics for you. 

[PaladinAg]

There has always been a lot of Arab money in the UK, and since the wall came down there is a lot of Russian oligarch money too.  The latter like to splash it around a lot and it is claimed that some of them came through their wealth through not fully above board means.

 

The city is as big (or bigger, not sure) in high finance as New York and the City is getting a lot of high rise buildings now. 

 

Cyber crime is a big challenge although GCHQ is as good as anybody else at this (and the UK has a declared 'offensive capability') 

 

Drugs is as much an issue as any other major world city.

 

UK politics is pretty bribery free.  To give you an example the "big" scandal was in 2009 over MP expenses.  Some had even spent money on fancy food and computers!  It ran for weeks in the media.  The cronyism seen in comic settings doesn't really exist as our political system is usually pretty brutal to those with even a whiff of naughtiness about them.

 

There have seen suggestions of links between individual police officers and the underworld but, despite the reputation of British libel laws, public interest arguments means that these stories do get aired.

 

The UK media is effectively London based and the only city wide newspaper "Evening Standard" often covers a lot of national stories too.  However, conversely, stuff happening in London (crime, flooding etc) does get to the national media pretty quick.

 

PaladinAg

[Lord Liaden]

It's a shame those folks have never been statted out- save for Samhain and Cateran in the Villains books, and the London Watch in Kingdom of Champions (although their designs are a wee bit dated).  Someone really should take the initiative and do so.

 

Darren Watts has written he'll be statting out the British heroes active during WW II in his soon-to-arrive Golden Age Champions source book. So we'll at least be getting character sheets and illos for Albion and Skymaster.

[LWhitehead]

What I mean is that Major American Cities has more murders then London in a Year, A Batman level of Vigilate character needs endless source of Crime and Bad Guys and Corruption,

 

 

London has nether of these,

 

LW

[TheQuestionMan]

White collar crimes are not sexy enough?

 

Corruption in the UK is not interesting enough?

 

Violence in the UK is less lethal, but just as common.

 

Ethnic neighborhoods, immigrant gangs, and more.

 

Banking and financial hub of Europe.

 

Espionage and Special Operations.

 

Atlanteans and Lyonesse in the oceans.

 

Lost, Secret, or hidden locations of Avalon, Faerie, etc...

 

The UK has the highest number of Mystic superhumans, threats, and more...

[death tribble]

Gun crime is not as severe as in America.

 

I was part of a campaign that used three super teams in the country, London, Manchester and Newcastle Upon Tyne. Never ran out of ideas. There were several heroes in the Batman/Daredevil mould. 

 

The roads and streets in the cities are not built on the block principles that the States uses so you have that to take into account. The speed limit on the motorways is 70 mph.

 

Unexploded ordinance is still being found. You can work on this. Batman also does not just go after gun wielding criminals.

[steriaca]

Batman also does not just go after gun wielding criminals.

So true. And you don't need a gun to be a violant psychopath criminal. A sharp knife and some creativity can go a long way.

[bubba smith]

why not have the heroes infiltrate an illegal fight tournament ?

[Cassandra]

I was so disappointed that the new Prime Minister was Theresa May, and not Mathilda May.

[PaladinAg]

Alternatively, Melinda May.  Considering some of those running for Conservative leader/PM, Theresa May could certainly be considered the cavalry!

 

PaladinAg

[PaladinAg]

Back on Topic:

Drug smuggling

People smuggling

Slavery (mostly associated with the above)

Remnant republicans

ISIS/AQ inspired groups

 

And depending how closet to today you want to go:

Russian spy type threats

Any another bad guy from a Bond movie or episode of Sherlock. (who needs Batman when you have a high functioning sociopath to hand?)

 

PaladinAg

[freakboy6117]

Plenty of street crime in London just not a lot of murders. You can always use the Paul Cornell trick of creating British versions of American villains

 

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Jarvis_Poker_(New_Earth)

[steriaca]

Plenty of street crime in London just not a lot of murders. You can always use the Paul Cornell trick of creating British versions of American villains

 

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Jarvis_Poker_(New_Earth)

What a sad story. But at least Jarvis Poker went with a purpose...

[LWhitehead]

I didn't mean to upset some British posters and I want to as close as to True UK problems and crimes mention by Skilled Normal.

 

 

LW

[freakboy6117]

Fundamentally I think the main difference is that super heroes in the UK deal with more supernatural threats than supercriminals. the big names in supervillainy go abroad the locals tend to be small time and non lethal.

 

Expect more heist succeed I

 

Unlike in the states their is no posse comitas act and pretty much every major city in the UK has a military base with tanks etc available.

 

so you can expect things to be more low key just to avoid that make too big a scene and instead of a guy in spandex you can expect a full Armoured Infantry unit to rock up.

 

I think Paul Cornell's work on both Knight and squire for DC and captain Britain and MI13 are really good examples of how the British Super hero scene would be different equally doctor who or quatermass shows UK low key alien invasions monsters in the Tube, unexploded Nazi superweapons.

[PaladinAg]

The use of the military inside the UK is actually very limited usually.  A legacy of our Civil War and the subsequent reign of James II.  However notwithstanding this:

 

The first line up of special firepower will be SO19.  This is the UK police force special force unit.  Highly training with full police enforcement powers.

 

The UK military usually only gets involved if the police ask them to against all but genuine miilitary threats but this will take several forms:

1.  Remember the UK (especially England) land mass is small.  This means that the fighter QRF (2 or 4 Typhoons) will be on hand very quickly and they have permission to travel supersonic over land.

 

2.  Again, land mass is small.  The SAS alert squadron at Hereford will be in London in less than 40 minutes (and quicker if the rumoured V-22 buy goes ahead).  Their reputation for competence and application of extreme violence is fully justified.  As well as the SAS, UK SF also has a battalion sized "support group" equivalent to the US Rangers (at least)

 

3. Whilst the regular army is mainly in barracks well away from conurbations, most towns and cities have an army reserve unit.  Whilst they won't have tanks or IFVs, they are well trained and often ex-regular.

 

4.  Currently very few of the regular army are on deployment.  There is an armoured division on Salisbury plain (about 80 miles from London) and an air assault brigade nearby.

 

5.  Don't forget Royal.  The Royal Marines have 2 battalion sized units in the South West and one in Scotland.  There is also the SBS based in Dorset. 

 

6.  Behind the QRF there are more UK based fighter squadrons and (shortly) UCAVs able to fly and fight in congested/civilian airspace.

 

And of course, in any "super" world, even without superheroes, the UK has the "00" section  

 

PaladinAg.

[assault]

And of course, in any "super" world, even without superheroes, the UK has the "00" section

 

This.

[steriaca]

And of course, in any "super" world, even without superheroes, the UK has the "00" section

 

PaladinAg.

While Sir James might not be available all the time, a typical 00 can easly sneak into any VIPER base in any country with only a rumpled tuxido to show for it.

[Christopher R Taylor]

From what I've read and seen, a lot of the low end street crime (shoplifting, ATM skimming, prostitution, etc) is run by "Eastern Europeans" or "Romanians" which seems like code for something too un PC to say out loud, possibly Rom or Russian mafia.  But that gives you an easy bad guy group to face, old Eastern bloc criminal groups perhaps led by former members of KGB and other satellite country secret services like East Germany's Stasi.

 

I've mentioned the commonality of cameras in England here before, its an issue that supers might have concern about (secret ID's) or can use to their advantage (powers that work through video feeds like teleportation).  The secret services may just know every superhero's identity but keep it secret as part of an agreement that they're more use secret from the public than exposed and annoyed at the government.

[PaladinAg]

While Sir James might not be available all the time, a typical 00 can easly sneak into any VIPER base in any country with only a rumpled tuxido to show for it.

 

It is only Commander Bond Royal Navy.  You don't get a knighthood for saving the country/world several times.  You might get a medal, but even this will be from another country (which you have to reject). You do, however, get to put off the audit of your travel and subsistence expenses, which is a very nice reward :-)

 

PaladinAg

[steriaca]

It is only Commander Bond Royal Navy. You don't get a knighthood for saving the country/world several times. You might get a medal, but even this will be from another country (which you have to reject). You do, however, get to put off the audit of your travel and subsistence expenses, which is a very nice reward :-)

 

PaladinAg

Forgot about the "don't call me sir" aspect of the 00's. So it is Mister Bond, don't show up on Sky News Bond.

[PaladinAg]

It's only Mister Bond to his foes and Her Majesty (see the 2012 Olympic piece).

 

To his colleagues, boss he is either 007, James or Commander Bond

 

Oh and this...

 

This.

 

"Ashault, that'sh very kind of you to shay sho."  

 

PaladinAg

[steriaca]

You forgot "Preditor". Which is the code name given to Comander Bond after he renued his license after having it taken away.

 

Forcently, everybody else forgot Preditor also.

 

And, how does someone who joined MI6 just after the second world war keep his youth?

[Christopher R Taylor]

And, how does someone who joined MI6 just after the second world war keep his youth? 

 

 

That's one of the dangers of writing a very long ongoing series.  Spenser, for example, Robert Parker's rough Boston PI?  Fought in the Korean War.  Once you fix your character's age absolutely in time, after a while they become impossibly old to do the work readers want to see them in.  James Bond would be in his 90s, but people want Bond.

 

Personally, I prefer the "Bond as a code name" idea where the new guy gets the 007 and the title for a sense of continuity.