| From: | Avenger <Avenger@*******.DEMON.CO.UK> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Couple of things... |
| Date: | Mon, 23 Feb 1998 04:19:08 +0000 |
Goldberg <mrgoldbe@**.NETCOM.COM> waffled & burbled about Couple of
things...
>[SNIP!]
>
>I'm not going to refute any of your arguments Pete. For the most part
>I agree with them. I, however, feel it is reasonable for the list to
>portray LSS in any light that won't jeapordize their contracts that
>FASA already says exist. I inclined to think that having them
>noticeably react in this case is necessary due to the amount of bad
>press that has already been attributed to them.
Agreed. However, in that respect I'm very nervous of indulging myself
with Lone Star. There's a very interesting and comprehensive book on
the Corporation, and the list has some fairly fixed ideas on how the
Star works - in the main, with some of the things that happens on
Shadowtk, yes they are treated with some contempt, possibly worse than
they deserve. However, as for jeapordising contracts - see end of this
post.
>As it stands, something in your post here on plot-d did spark 2
>questions of mine. I think we all know (just by watching the news) of
>the PR ranks that most corporations have. I would believe that LSS,
>based on what they do for a profit, would have an extensive PR
>department.
OK, I'll not disagree here. If the list will indulge me for a moment
I'll just write exactly what the book says...
Page 70 Lone Star Sourcebook
Public Relations Department
Like any corp, Lone Star believes in the power of PR. Good relations on
the street can help officers enforce the law; good relations in
corporate board rooms and municipal council chambers can net the Star
lucrative enforcement contracts. Every PR department has ample funds
and professional staffs who put out top quality work. The top flight PR
flacks earn every nuyen of their pay; more often than not, making Lone
Start's latest operations look good means making drek look like
diamonds. And they manage it chummer, almost every time.
That's it. The whole summary of their PR.
Now where does this leave your observations? You are right, they have
an excellent and extremely effective PR that is able to turn even
clusterfucks into glittering successes.
So, for instance the bombing campaign prior to the bus incidents. The
successful attack by Lone Star on three terrorist cells. Capturing two
terrorists, and killing the rest with almost minimal loss to public and
Police life. - Good PR would have come from that. The bus incidents.
Although Lynch was directly responsible for a successful recovery of one
bus of people, it was effectively a combined FBI/Lone Star attack that
saved 90 odd people - again a Public Relations success and something the
Star could use to cover the failure of the other buses.
That's not to say that the reactionary and militant members of the media
wouldn't have shown the rest in all it's gory detail, but the Star have
a chance at showing themselves in a better light, while still using the
situations to explain the need for heavily armed and armoured Officers
on the streets.
>1) Why is LSS taking such a beating by the public and not the FBI?
The FBI have been taken a beating. Achilles haven't. I know the
difference is negligible but... In comparison. Achilles has 47 agents
on it's staff, this includes a Matrix department. Seneca street Federal
Building has several hundred agents occupying several floors. (Seattle
source book) The FBI have been accused of being idle in this, this
beating over the last year is partly the justification for entities such
as Achilles - a proactive rather than reactive agency. Paul and I did
discuss at length during the bombing campaign and used the bad press as
a lever to allow proactive sanction for Achilles, and other projects
like this one around the UCAS. Greater and more dangerous/lethal crime
demanding more heavily armed and active Policing.
Media representation and reports, trid broadcasts and interviews for the
sorts of events that occur on this list might be interesting to some,
and better reflect what /we/ see on TV and hear on the radio. When
people get killed, it's the police we see talking, not the killers. On
Shadowtk, as a reflection of a shadowrun style node, we get to see the
killers, and work from comments made by others.
Paul and I have tried to make clear, without (IMO) boringly labouring
the point, that both Achilles and Seneca Street have gone overboard on
the PR and advertising to secure co-operative agreements with Lone Star.
Again IMO The FBI could not operate successfully in Seattle if they and
the Star were at each others throats - the city and it's citizens are
far too dangerous for that sort of inter departmental brow beating.
I've also used a couple of posts between D'Arkan and Lynch to discuss
the increasing presence of DEA and CIA agents, again to show the
increased activity resulting from Advertising campaigns. Strange though
it may seem, even bad press can be used to the advantage of Security and
Police agencies.
I can't speak for anyone else here, but I don't think that posting a
section on a reporters eye view of the failing situation of Law
Enforcement in Seattle, would be anywhere near as interesting or as much
fun as a discussion instigated by someone like Belial or Abbadon, Eblis
or Samhain or Ravelin on the excessive progression of Law Enforcement
into these SWAT style militia groups that FASA already portrays.
In comparison to Lone Star's SWAT, the FBI I use on the list, are
horribly under-equipped. LSS SWAT has access to full military
specification body armour, powered armour, heavy weapons such as PAC and
mini guns, they've got Yellow jackets, Wasps, and other luvverly little
toys that are designed to make the lives of Shadowrunners a living hell.
LSS also have HTRT, FRT and other specialist squads, that are fun to
play around with, but it would take a lot of work to portray it all. As
it would for an investigation into killings, corporate raids, data
steals, magical incidents etc. Again, not something that the list in
general seems to be overly interested in.
Strangely people ask me more questions concerning Achilles, Twitch, COT,
and the K12 posts than they do about anything else I've done on this
list.
>2) Why after LSS has taken a beating have they not forced the heat onto
>the FBI for not handling their case quickly enough?
Not to say they haven't, but again this is because I'm more nervous of
posting long rambles on behalf of Lone Star than I am about a "non-
existent" project like Achilles. And, as I've mentioned above, the FBI
have access to the Governments propoganda machine, which apparently
matches if not exceeds anything the corporations can put forward,
however, what I've tried to do, is show a reliance on Lone Star for
federal forces to operate successfully within the limits of Seattle. If
the star look bad, the Feds look even worse, so, it is in the FBI's
interest to make sure that Lone Star look good, indulging in a tit for
tat media PR battle achieves nothing.
Modern day Police do not like Federal Agents involving themselves in
cases mainly because the Feds take over, and the Police lose the
essential public relations that is generated from investigations into
crimes. In that respect, I try to get over that finally the Feds have
realised this, and treat the Star with respect when it comes to
jurisdiction, only taking over when it is part of an ongoing Federal
investigation.
If we look at the situation from a different point of view. How many
people would be interested in seeing PR advertisements, propoganda,
dissertations - whatever you want to call it, in Shadowtk, and how would
they make it to the list anyway? This sort of situation is better
reflected by other characters on the list making associated comments
regarding increased presence, the cack on the trid about Lone Star
pushing for heavier weapons, better armour, better vehicles etc.
Something that is mentioned in the FAQ. (character comments about
Police that is)
Again Paul and I have tried to portray some of it, in that we've
mentioned about Lone Star SWAT teams training in the Urban Combat
Simulator in Fort Lewis, against people like Ronin and others of his
ilk. In Lone Star's increased activities at crime scenes, and the
reticence of the FBI to walk in and announce jurisdiction, but rather
to work collaboratively and allow Lone Star to take some of the FBI's
busts, helping the PR engine to turn and churn out it's "diamonds from
drek." The increased weapons capability of the Achilles Project, and
Lynch's initial rejection of it, later accepting that these sort of
cannons is the way that law enforcement is heading. Through the rants
of people like Belial about the judgemental and dangerous situation that
is entering the streets from law enforcement and government agencies -
the black clad death squads etc. The thinly veiled references to Judge
Dread style policing, etc. I know a lot of this stuff is hidden in
amongst the general chit chat that Paul and my characters get involved
in, but we do try. :)
>LSS should be able to play the media for the 2-edge sword that it is
>worth. There seems to be a general lack on all the corporations
>protrayed here (exceptions from Maxim, Serenity, JICES, and IS&M -
>which are list member corporations) to damage control the situations
>and turn it to their advantage.
Agreed. But again, I for one do not wish to assume responsibility for
Lone Star on this list, unless I get voted to be the Law keeper or
something... I'd be quite happy to write stuff that would better
portray the whole concept, I enjoy writing for law enforcement far more
than I do for shadowrunners, which is why I rarely touch the shadows
with my characters. I have a team of mercenaries, the rest are all bit
players in a wide field. My main baby is Achilles, and now that I have
sufficient information to base my ramblings on, I can get down to acting
the part properly - before it was an exploration in possibilities.
As regards Lone Star reacting to the bus killings, the bombings (I
believe actually that Lone Star's part in that was greater than any
federal involvement - and it was in the main successful) their reactions
to some of the other major events - such as powered armour marching down
the streets of Tarislar etc, there most likely is a reaction. No event
occurs in any city without the accompaniement of police sirens. On the
few occassions when I've written from the Shadows - for instance the
assassination of the Korean, Kim Chun Pak. I wrote a comment in that
concerning the approaching sirens. It's a matter I think that most
people here don't want to make assumptions for major corporations just
in case there's a serious backlash from the list. There is also the
justification of posting it into a Shadowland node.
I suppose Paul and I could take some responsibility and post something
from seperate "shadowy" characters though Paul doesn't seem to have many
of those, but again is it likely to be important or provoke the sort of
debate that would undoubtedly arise on a real Shadowland node?
>If anything the 1st and 2nd tier corporations should be better at doing
>that than the player-run corps.... (Obviously that is purely my own
>opinion but still....)
Definately. More money, better resources and all that sort of thing.
Also with Lone Star, one mustn't forget that in 2056/7 prior to the
Seattle elections (and I'm still waiting to see who won that) Marion
Schultz re-negotiated the contract with Lone Star and secured a
considerable saving for the city. This indicates that although Lone
Star PR might be top notch, they failed to convince the Governor, and
competition was greater than they expected. Whether that reflects that
they have failed to keep law and order in Seattle, or that the
negotiating abilities of Marion Schultz are better than those of Lone
Star is debateable, and will be until FASA choose to explain that little
event. It also brings into question the power that corporations have
over local and national government, Schultz has displayed a lot more
strength in her position than many games allow for, indicating that even
though Lone Star are a top ranked corp, they don't have the leverage
some people think they do when it comes to the government - competition
of course also helps keep the bids down.
Anyway, I think I've rambled enough for the moment, I'll let someone
else get their two pennethworth in. |:)
--
Dark Avenger -:- http://www.shalako.demon.co.uk/index.htm -
Unofficial Shadowtk Newbies Guide, Edgerunners Datastore &
Beginnings of the Underseas Sourcebook.
http://freespace.virgin.net/pete.sims/index.htm - Alternative UK Sourcebook
(U/C)
