System Police
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2012 2:27 pm
My online group is slowly moving towards getting this off the ground. I thought I would share some of the process with y'all.
First off, this campaign is a continuation of a Champions game called Red Dragon Universe (named after the first PC, Red Dragon) that has gone on for some 20 years. It has pretty much petered out lately due to the fact that Neil, the main GM, doesn't game much anymore and all the players scattered across the country.
I spent some 17 years playing in RDU myself, mostly as a player with multiple characters and sometimes as a co-GM.
If you are curious, RDU does have a pretty decent wiki (with plenty of pics, most done by me) up here:
http://rdu.wikispaces.com/
When RDU kinda stumbled to a halt, the one big sword of damocles hanging over the heads of the characters, was a HUGE alien invasion that was going to take a decade to arrive to wage war upon the planet. A coalition of alien forces, terrified by Earth's use of super population and a connection to a mysterious material called Crystaltech, aimed to wipe Earth off of the galactic maps.
We never got to tell that story. The group dissolved too much for that plot line to move forward. And to be truthful, I think it was too gigantic to do with anything less that a really dedicated weekly game. I had moved to Ithaca, NY, the game was in Ann Arbor, MI. Other players had drifted away too.
So, now, here is what I'm pitching to two former players and another gamer who we've played with a lot, but is new to RDU.
Here is what I pitched to the guys for an online game, which we've already been doing with a sword and sorcery game I ran called Swords of a Dying Empire using Legends of Anglerre as a system. The pitch:
I’ve also been having superheroes a bit on the brain. Probably because I just finished the 1st year of Young Justice cartoon (which, btw, starts out kinda meh...but there are subplots that take awhile to bear any fruit. The last three eps rock hard.). Recently, I acquired a light superhero game called BASH that is a cross between a much lighter Champions and the old Marvel Supers game. It kinda intrigues me, because one of its selling points is that a Daredevil type can go up against a Thor type and with a bit of luck, win. (its because the dice explode and doubles do certain things too). I have it as pdf and can share it with y’all, so no expenditures of loot.
I’ve also have been watching some police procedurals, most notably, Flashpoint. A canadian SWAT-like show. But with a really strong emphasis on talk first, shoot only as a last resort. Most of the episodes deal with trying to figure out what the bad guy(s) need/want, how to give it to them if they can, defuse the situation and keep everyone alive.
So, I was thinking of a more earth-centric, Green Lantern corp-analogy. If y’all are interested, and Neil is copacetic, I even come up with a cunning plan to put it into RDU. If Neil isn’t, then, no biggie, file off the serial numbers and do an alternate earth.
Here is my RDU pitch: One of the biggest problems that RDU faces is this alien invasion. Its so big, so weighty, I think it just kinda overwhelmed Neil, he’s never had the timing, with the players to pull it together. So, let’s avoid it all together and use it as a springboard.
The alien invasion happened. The Crystaltech arch (and other pockets of Crystaltech) in China responded and shattered into millions of pieces, flying around the globe and embedding themselves in the population. Overnight, there were 5 million new paranormals on the planet. Maybe Locke did it. Maybe the Arch did it by it self. That new force manage to take to the stars and to cripple and destroy the invasion. The loss of free will to the Crystaltech that the alien armada invaders feared (and it is why they’ve quarantined 3 other worlds) never manifested itself.
Cut to 5 -10 years later. Humanity has taken to the solar system. The Confederation of Aliens (some who allied with Earth) is still worried about Crystaltech “poisoning” of the race and some Crystaltech recipients have not become the most stable of citizens. And other supers pop up from time to time too, from other sources. So, the Confederation has as strong presence in the solar system too.
So all the close to 1g planets and moons are colonized. With P-norms as your terraforming force, the process is very accelerated. Plus, alien tech is streaming via a robust trade with Earth. Dozens upon dozens of space stations are out there, capable of supporting decent size populations.
That is where the PCs come in. They are part of a joint solar system Police force. You are human, your boss is alien and answers to the high Confed muckety-mucks. Your jurisdiction is the solar system, excluding Earth plant-fall itself. Its the Green Lantern corp meets the Wire. Well, maybe not quite as wrapped in red tape as the Wire.. because that would make for a lot of inertia. Can you have a LOT of inertia? nvm.
So. The Confederation police forces in their own worlds is an awfully liberal, trying for an utopian ideal. That is what they expect, but know that Earth has to police its own too. No codenames, no secret identities. In order to build rapport with criminals and try to bring peaceful resolutions, you use your full name, maybe with a Sgt or Lt in front of it. Lethal force is totally allowed and expected if the perps are about to use lethal force on others. But then expect several hours with that really distractingly cute psychiatrist and enormous amounts of debrief and paperwork (although, that will be off camera).
First off, this campaign is a continuation of a Champions game called Red Dragon Universe (named after the first PC, Red Dragon) that has gone on for some 20 years. It has pretty much petered out lately due to the fact that Neil, the main GM, doesn't game much anymore and all the players scattered across the country.
I spent some 17 years playing in RDU myself, mostly as a player with multiple characters and sometimes as a co-GM.
If you are curious, RDU does have a pretty decent wiki (with plenty of pics, most done by me) up here:
http://rdu.wikispaces.com/
When RDU kinda stumbled to a halt, the one big sword of damocles hanging over the heads of the characters, was a HUGE alien invasion that was going to take a decade to arrive to wage war upon the planet. A coalition of alien forces, terrified by Earth's use of super population and a connection to a mysterious material called Crystaltech, aimed to wipe Earth off of the galactic maps.
We never got to tell that story. The group dissolved too much for that plot line to move forward. And to be truthful, I think it was too gigantic to do with anything less that a really dedicated weekly game. I had moved to Ithaca, NY, the game was in Ann Arbor, MI. Other players had drifted away too.
So, now, here is what I'm pitching to two former players and another gamer who we've played with a lot, but is new to RDU.
Here is what I pitched to the guys for an online game, which we've already been doing with a sword and sorcery game I ran called Swords of a Dying Empire using Legends of Anglerre as a system. The pitch:
I’ve also been having superheroes a bit on the brain. Probably because I just finished the 1st year of Young Justice cartoon (which, btw, starts out kinda meh...but there are subplots that take awhile to bear any fruit. The last three eps rock hard.). Recently, I acquired a light superhero game called BASH that is a cross between a much lighter Champions and the old Marvel Supers game. It kinda intrigues me, because one of its selling points is that a Daredevil type can go up against a Thor type and with a bit of luck, win. (its because the dice explode and doubles do certain things too). I have it as pdf and can share it with y’all, so no expenditures of loot.
I’ve also have been watching some police procedurals, most notably, Flashpoint. A canadian SWAT-like show. But with a really strong emphasis on talk first, shoot only as a last resort. Most of the episodes deal with trying to figure out what the bad guy(s) need/want, how to give it to them if they can, defuse the situation and keep everyone alive.
So, I was thinking of a more earth-centric, Green Lantern corp-analogy. If y’all are interested, and Neil is copacetic, I even come up with a cunning plan to put it into RDU. If Neil isn’t, then, no biggie, file off the serial numbers and do an alternate earth.
Here is my RDU pitch: One of the biggest problems that RDU faces is this alien invasion. Its so big, so weighty, I think it just kinda overwhelmed Neil, he’s never had the timing, with the players to pull it together. So, let’s avoid it all together and use it as a springboard.
The alien invasion happened. The Crystaltech arch (and other pockets of Crystaltech) in China responded and shattered into millions of pieces, flying around the globe and embedding themselves in the population. Overnight, there were 5 million new paranormals on the planet. Maybe Locke did it. Maybe the Arch did it by it self. That new force manage to take to the stars and to cripple and destroy the invasion. The loss of free will to the Crystaltech that the alien armada invaders feared (and it is why they’ve quarantined 3 other worlds) never manifested itself.
Cut to 5 -10 years later. Humanity has taken to the solar system. The Confederation of Aliens (some who allied with Earth) is still worried about Crystaltech “poisoning” of the race and some Crystaltech recipients have not become the most stable of citizens. And other supers pop up from time to time too, from other sources. So, the Confederation has as strong presence in the solar system too.
So all the close to 1g planets and moons are colonized. With P-norms as your terraforming force, the process is very accelerated. Plus, alien tech is streaming via a robust trade with Earth. Dozens upon dozens of space stations are out there, capable of supporting decent size populations.
That is where the PCs come in. They are part of a joint solar system Police force. You are human, your boss is alien and answers to the high Confed muckety-mucks. Your jurisdiction is the solar system, excluding Earth plant-fall itself. Its the Green Lantern corp meets the Wire. Well, maybe not quite as wrapped in red tape as the Wire.. because that would make for a lot of inertia. Can you have a LOT of inertia? nvm.
So. The Confederation police forces in their own worlds is an awfully liberal, trying for an utopian ideal. That is what they expect, but know that Earth has to police its own too. No codenames, no secret identities. In order to build rapport with criminals and try to bring peaceful resolutions, you use your full name, maybe with a Sgt or Lt in front of it. Lethal force is totally allowed and expected if the perps are about to use lethal force on others. But then expect several hours with that really distractingly cute psychiatrist and enormous amounts of debrief and paperwork (although, that will be off camera).