| From: | Danyel N Woods <9604801@********.AC.NZ> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | NightStalkers: the World Tour (long) |
| Date: | Tue, 5 May 1998 12:35:43 +1200 |
the list's opinion of his current campaign-setting and setup. So, here
it is:
Many of you know (or should) that in 2044, a group of vampires in New
Orleans began a series of attacks on public institutions and government
facilities which lasted for several months. The coven was eventually
defeated by the formation and operations of an elite counter-paranormal
force known as the Night Stalkers, who remain(?) operational to this day
(IIRC).
Cut to Los Angeles, June 2052: my PC, an LA police sergeant by the name
of 'Duke' Hawkins, who received a fair amount of high-grade bioware
through some undercover work (read: previous games, in 'truer' Shadowrun
style), is summarily ordered to appear before the Los Angeles City
Council. He is surprised to find that he is to be promoted to Lieutenant
and placed in command of a covert Paranormal Response Team, modelled on
and named for the New Orleans Night Stalkers. His team includes an
elven marksman/decker ('Ricochet' Jeff Conway, ex-SWAT and Duke's
partner/undercover teammate), a sorcery adept (Karyn 'Steel' Cody, a
relative rookie and another undercover-teammate), 'Claymore' (ork
heavy-weapons - former SAS(!)), and a dwarven rigger called Sandman (who
has a real mad-on for the Azzies). The NPC support team includes the
normal mix of techs, our team liaison (more on him in a moment), and a
doctor/paramedic who can cure HMVV(!!!!) This came in handy in
providing the team with its final (NPC) member: one Major Taniko
Fujimoto, a member of the elite Imperial Marine 'Jade Samurai' Covert
Action Brigade (read: ninja), and a vampire who wished to defect.
Upon meeting and talking with the (NPC) team liaison, Duke is astounded
to learn that the Night-Stalkers are actually a world-wide organisation
that actually pre-dates the Awakening by a large margin (they've been
secretly fighting vampires and so forth for some time). The ten-strong
ruling Council is scattered worldwide (each member in a different area,
ranging from FDC to Amazonia to London to Azania), issuing directives to
Regional Commanders like Duke (whose team now has responsibility for
combating paranormals throughout Cal-Free). There are few areas in the
world that do not fall under one NS Region or another; they even have
their own 'Area 51'-style research facility somewhere in North America
(including Sasquatch, T'Skrang and Windling scientists). Equipment is
highly specialised for the role; anyone who's seen the recent Vampirella
comic-arc about the 'fighting nuns' would recognise most of the gear.
(Duke prefers his .45s, though: he's one of those
born-sixty-years-too-late types.)
Unfortunately, the kitty-cat stuff that Duke's had to deal with so far
is just the beginning. It seems that 'the enemy' (maybe that should be
the Enemy?) are far more organised than one would think: there are
dozens of paracritter groups and covens out there, all just itching to
wreck havoc. One group in particular has made itself known: the
'Shogun's coven', a group of Japanese vampires, several hundred strong,
whose history goes back to the feudal era of that nation. These are the
same people who Brought Over Major Fujimoto (they'd convinced her the
Night Stalkers were the bad guys), before she realised the truth and
defected.
Meanwhile, the politico-military front is hotting up as well.
Basically, Cal-Free has had enough. Enough of the keebs nibbling at
their north borders, the Azzies sniffing around their south, and the
I-Marines running roughshod over Californian citizens in the streets of
'Frisco. Officially, the I-Marines are being encouraged to withdraw;
unofficially, they're being told to 'frag off or get hurt'. The UCAS is
offering to deploy troops to replace the departing I-Marines, 'purely in
a peacekeeping capacity'. Tensions on the south border are especially
high, and war is expected within the next twelve to eighteen months -
and the odds offered on a Cal-Free victory aren't as long as one might
expect. The President is laying in heavy supplies from 'undisclosed
sources' (mainly UCAS), including thunderbirds, Stonewalls, EFAs and
Eagles, and (this one's a stretch) a full carrier battle-group. UCAS
military 'advisors' are everywhere, and Cal-Free owes the UCAS a
horrible amount for all this hardware.
Of course, if it comes to war, the LA City Council might decide to score
some points with Sacramento: LA already has this covert strike team set
up, why not send them on a couple of truly patriotic missions for a
change? <GM grins evilly>
However, the President seems so focussed on the short-term goal of
victory over the Azzies that he doesn't see the potential cost to CFS:
the creeping loss of sovereignty to the UCAS might see his once-proud
Cal-Free reunited with the UCAS on *their* terms. (While that might
not, on the whole, be a *bad* thing, from his perspective, 'twere
better done to Cal-Free's tune, neh?) Nor does he know the threat the
paranormals pose to his nation; not only are they strong enough to wreck
havoc on a group-by-group basis, should they ever get together and
organise (and the NS Council is *fairly sure* that'll never happen
<cynical laugh>), Cal-Free would be swamped. In fact, the paranormals
may be fomenting the war with the Azzies; in the confusion of such
events, they could make great gains almost unnoticed.
I won't even *start* with all the problems Duke has within his team and
support crew, because this post is pretty long already and many of you
probably wouldn't be interested. But anyone with any opinions on the
above scenario, suggestions as to what could be retuned, and so forth,
don't be shy, okay?
Danyel Woods
9604801@********.ac.nz
'Are you deliberately trying to drive me insane?'
'The universe is already mad. Anything else would be
redundant.'
