But Dad, why am I a fugative?!?

[Von Ether]

The Intro:
I am tempted to set up a game like this, I tell the players to design teenagers in a slightly futuristic setting (I'll have okay occupations on a case-by-case basis, or make up a few more of the student variety).

Then I plop them all down at big picnic, where their families all mingle with other families that seem to have no real connection to each other, other than the parents seem to be close friends or have a shared past they don't talk about. I may randomly roll to say that some parents aren't attendence, they never go out much, and act like the related PCs think it is no big deal.

Then the black helicopters come.

Everyone runs, the parents tell the PC to watch the young ones and then pull out some heavy ordinence. The stress starts to have a strain on some PC and they feel strange.

The Set up:

The PC are the children of Moreau escapees. It seems that their children look human until adolecence and then things kick in. What I may do so as to not pull a total bait and switch is allow players to also pick a "normal" human racial template. Gamewise, the PC is like a normal human, but they still carry Moreau genes and can be found out through medical tests. This way the player can back out if he feel too railroaded to play a Moreau, but he still has motivation to stay with the group and hide. I know that I won't allow for psionic classes unless the player has picked an acutal Moreau race.

From there, I think I have plenty of material to steal from. I can play up anything from X-Men comics to historical underground railroads. I also had a previous game where being psionic gave your brain amplfied brainwaves that could be easily picked up by machines and thus made psionicist and latents prime pilots for power armor and the like that used "neural helmets." If the game manages to go on for a while, I may introduce that storyline and save me a lot prep time.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

it does sound like an episode of mutant x
heh.

 

[Golem2176]

I think this is a wonderful idea, I may have to 'borrow' it (although modified).

 

[Von Ether]

I think this is a wonderful idea, I may have to 'borrow' it (although modified).

Thanks, the "beauty" of the idea is that with the Genetech Poly article, you pretty much can play this out of the box. i.e. you spend more time thinking up of what to do instead of how to do it.

Another nice feature is that since the PC are teenagers AND mutants, you pretty much have explained away how they get a lot better down the road as they advance in class levels.

And then just like ArthurQ mentioned, there is plenty of resources out there for ideas.

 

[Biohazard]

The Intro:
I am tempted to set up a game like this, I tell the players to design teenagers in a slightly futuristic setting (I'll have okay occupations on a case-by-case basis, or make up a few more of the student variety).

Then I plop them all down at big picnic, where their families all mingle with other families that seem to have no real connection to each other, other than the parents seem to be close friends or have a shared past they don't talk about. I may randomly roll to say that some parents aren't attendence, they never go out much, and act like the related PCs think it is no big deal.

Then the black helicopters come.

Awesome--sounds like a superb premise. Have you ever checked out GURPS Illuminati? It's a nifty resource for all manner of conspiracy gaming.

 

[Von Ether]

Awesome--sounds like a superb premise. Have you ever checked out GURPS Illuminati? It's a nifty resource for all manner of conspiracy gaming.

Thanks. I was thinking about it a little more today. I am liking it more in the idea that I'd change the focus of the campaign as the power level goes up. Just some ideas there:

Level 1-4: Running From the Law
At this point in the game, the PC will spend more time dealing with low threats and running from black helicopters. Hopefuly being low level and knowing it, players won't feel eager to rush in and do combat. It will be reminded that one can get XP for overcoming a problem rather than elimanting it.

Level 5-7: Setting Up Shop
At this stage, hopefuly, natural leaders and teamwork will evolve. PC will get in touch with others of their kind and find out that there is a whole potential for an underground. By their own inititive or by NPC sponsors, they will help set up the infrastructure, safe houses, allies, drop off points. Conflict maybe with other more feral Moreau and criminals who are hoping to abuse those without resources (sweatshops, legbreakers, etc.)

Levels 8-10: Putting up Resistance:
Now the group is skilled and trained enough that they may option to take the fight to the goverment. This is where they could fall into the trap of being unintentional terrorists, or can be easly labled as such by goverenment propoganda. They may do big, ballsy operations that could get the local law enforcement involved. And those boys in blue are just doing their job.edit: addendum I forgot to add that is may also be the spot where I could use regluar adventures with a twist. The motivation for the usual investigation isn't because the group is the ususal group of P.I. or trouble shooters. The group is hunting down the cause of strange occurances so as to ensure the press and police don't get to nosy and find the PC by accident.

Levels 11 &12: Who Invited You To the Party/Campaign Twist?
At this point, I'd like to make a massive shift in the game. Perhaps an Alien invasion or natural disaster, where suddenly the goverment has a lot more on its plate and there are a lot of refugees are living at the same standard as the PC have done for ages. Do they fight to keep their stuff, share it, or take "normies" in. (Some of this idea is an experiment. A lot of GMs have large villans with tons of henchmen for each challenge rating, but to me the game still feels the same, only the power level increases. I am curious to see if this concept gives a new mood to the game at about the same time most players just go on automatic pilot)

Levels 13-?: First For Sport, Now For Survival
If I did the Alien invasion, this is where I would introduce the second part I talked about. The governement's few Moreau captives would be used as guniea pigs and the "secret" of psi synergy with neural helmets would be discovered. So the PC end up being hunted again, but not for extermination, but for an offer. Suit up to save the Earth and you get ... What would the PCs specificly ask for? Would they be savvy enough to ascertain that their conduct would reflect on future Moreau/governement relations? How should I assign the PC team? With a human miltary officer?, an mixed unit of humans and Moreau? How would you feel if a bear/human creature that piloted a 2 ton suit of power armor with the firepower of tankwas assigned to your squad?

Future levels:
Play out the invasion story line and wrap up the game on a shattering final battle climax.

 

[Tellerve]

Sounds very good, although I wonder about those black helicopters and the people behind them. Would they be some government fringe that is trying to round up the "failed" experiments? Would they leave the "normal" government law structure out of the loop in trying to capture the group?

Anyways, does sound quite interesting.

Tellerve

 

[Von Ether]

Anyways, does sound quite interesting.

Thanks, I am still hammering out "what"the black helicopters really are. I am pretty sure of "who," either a "fringe" or a "The Company" arm of the governement or consipieracy that operates beyond control of normal law enforcement.

Now do I make them just tough humans, or perhaps the "successful" results of the experiment?

I do know that I want them to look human, complete with "secret service" look, just so I can do my best "Agent Smith" impression. I want to see if the players will jump to the conclusion that I am running some sort of d20 Modern Matrix set up before I spring the real set up on them.

 

[Von Ether]

Hmmm, I am also tinkering with the idea of making the setting more "Earth like" than just the real world, mostly so that I can explain things away with "relics" of the Ancients, i.e. lost tech from colonists who seeded the planet with humanity centuries ago.

With this concept, I can hopefuly use the lost science to expalin way the "magic" I can't retool out of any advetures I steal from, such as the d20 Modern freebies, most of which heavly rely on the assuption that you are using magic in your game. *rolls eyes*

 

[Macbeth]

This is some nice stuff. I had looked at the Genetech setting, read a bit, and decided it wasn't for me, but this campaign model is making me consider digging up that old Polyhedron...