ESPION - the game of spies (CLOSED)

[DEFCON 1]

ESPION - the game of spies

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Before I start getting inundated with request to play in this new online game... I'd like to make one thing clear right off the bat...

** THIS IS A MECHANICS-FREE GAME!!! **

There will be no RPG rules of any system used in this game. None for character generation, combat, or anything. All results of the players actions will be determined by me based on what works best for the story being created. I'm tired of having to go to random-number generators to determine whether or not players spot the bad guy watching them... when it really should come right down to whether or not it'd be more interesting and exciting for the plot if the players do or do not see him. Thus, for this game I am removing all dice-rolling and number crunching... this will be a free-form game for descriptive writing roleplayers where I will determine whether or not player's actions succeed or don't succeed based on how they write what they are doing, and what will result in the most interesting story and plot.

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Okay... now that that's been taken care of... HI GUYS AND GIRLS!

This is me recruiting email for a new PbP game I am starting based on the espionage genre. Spies, agents, and double agents abound! James Bond / Alias etc. etc. Only difference is that rather than working for the American C.I.A. or the British M.I.6, the characters work for the intelligence branch of the United Nations. Now yes, we all know the United Nations has no intelligence branch (that we know of)... but now they do. Thus characters can be of any nationality, and they can work with and/or against the intelligence branches of all the different individual nations based upon what the United Nations as a whole needs them to do. A whole new department of espionage agents working for the greater good of humanity.

As I said at the top... this game will not be using any of the mechanics from any RPGs out there... not d20 Modern, Spycraft, the James Bond RPG... none of it. I've played in (and currently GM) enough games to know that the part I find least enjoyable is when I have to look up character and monster information and determine what happens based on random dice and the thousands of RPG rules the games have. When playing around a table it's okay... since we as players have the books in front of us and the DM can speak and resolve issues with us immediately. However, when typing posts and stuff over the computer... I don't want to waste the time with all that junk. I just want the action to resolve quickly and interestingly... and that can't happen if I have to keep referring to character sheets and rules pages elsewhere on the web.

Thus, here's the deal. For anyone who is curious about my GM style... please check out my current Eberron game I GM called the Knightmares of Khorvaire (link in my Signature). I'm looking for 3 or 4 players who are very good writers who are interested in a "cooperative" spy-genre writing game... who do not feel they need to use any "game rules" to create interesting characters or actions for their characters to be in, and will be able to act and react accordingly to whatever situations I put their characters in. The game will basically look and play just like a normal PbP game here on ENWorld... you just won't need to print up or remember numbers, modifiers, or die-rolls.

So if anyone out there might be interested in trying a free-form, no-mechanics online roleplaying game... please respond to this post with links to any current game threads you are playing in, so I can see your writing style and how much detail you put into your posts (and how tied down you are or are not to game mechanics when you roleplay). This isn't first-come-first-served... I don't even want character concepts at this point... I just want to find a number of quality writers first off who might be interested in trying something like this. Once I find out if you're RP writing style will fit into my idea of how this game will run (and believe me... I fully understand my own ideosyncracies will preclude 95% of you from wanting to get with 200 yards of me and this game), I'll start giving out what I'm looking for in character creation (which will basically entail appearance, history, and primary strengths and weaknesses of skill and personality). Once I have my agency of spies lined up, then we'll start writing.

And that's that. If you're interested as I said... just provide me with links to some of your game threads that best exemplify your written roleplaying style, and I'll start snagging some of you for character concepts. Thanx much!!!

 

[Tor L'Tha]

Hi DEFCON. Well i did just post in the knightmare tread, and then see this one.
can you email me at simonl@broadpark.no if you think im qualified player?

Seems to me this could be a nice play, jumping all the rule stuff
Remember that mi first month will be quite slow though. Hearing from you!

 

[shadowbloodmoon]

Now this sounds interesting.... the last diceless game I played was Amber, but we'll leave that alone for now... I absolutely enjoy espionage games and would enjoy playing in this one, if you'll have me. I'll have to make this my last one though, as I am in three already. My sig has the first two games and my third is Watermark12's Sunless Citadel. I'll edit this post for the links when I return from work. Let me know what you think.

 

[Bobitron]

I love the way you are running the Knightmares game, and I would be interested in playing here as well. Sounds like a hoot! I don't consider myself a great writer, but I do love the games I'm in and like being part of a good story.

Some in game threads...

Wing and Sword

Gloria e Flamae Solei

Bad Moon over California

Delta Green: Rebirth (Dead Letter)

Chronicles of the Witch Hunter

Corvis University Discreet Investigation & Retrieval Union

That should give you an overview. I'm in quite a few games at the moment, and I can think of some people on here I think of as more deserving of the slot than I am, but let me know if you would like to have me onboard.

 

[Tonguez]

I too would love to participate in this endeavour, I'm not one for number crunching either and prefer a freeform style of play.

Hmm ex-SAS faceman sounds fun

 

[taitzu52]

Just lurking for now, I'm stretched too thin for another game methinks, but it sounds like a really great idea.
I just wanted to suggest to the players for source material; Delta Green has some awesome departmental resources for creating characters hailing from intel agencies around the world. Check it.

TZ

 

[Vendetta]

Hey, sounds like an interesting idea. I'm definately down for this.

Here are some of my sample RPs

Jack Chance post 167. A Call of Cthulu adventure I started in this adventure later than the rest and my first post in the adventure is #167. I'm in several other adventures with a similar "once per day" kind of rule and have no problem with that at all. (actually, like it a lot)

Zar-Vroxiar A grumpy sea elf in this D&D adventure in a homebrewed world.

Aalun, a Gand Jedi Findsman I Started this more past the middle... the group was very large and then sort of disappeared leaving me to a bit of a solo adventure.

Dangerous Legacy is a game that I GM. I have a couple of NPCs that I RP along with the rest of the group. This should give you an idea of how I work.

 

[Festy_Dog]

This game looks to have a lot of potential, I'd love to get in on it as I'm a sucker for espionage and a good story (or a combination of the two).

I've tried to pick out a good bunch of examples:

A Casual Game of D&D This game is up to its 3rd thread, and still going. Great players, very rp orientated.

Detchitoyo High School This game is up to its second thread but I've linked the first one as the second thread has only just started.

Kingdom Lost Died during its second thread, but was pretty good while it lasted.

Days of the Jackal Mechwarrior game which died pretty quickly after it started due to the DM falling ill, but it had a good assembly of players.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Thanx for the interest guys! Having looked over all your other threads, I think I made the right choice in describing my game the way I did, because all you who responded seem to fall into the kind of posters who might make this game work. Of the six who responded, I'm going to start with just five:

shadowbloodmoon, bobitron, tonguez, vendetta, and festy dog

Tol L'Tha... having heard what you said previously in Knightmares about your computer situation, I'd rather have you just concentrate on that game of mine rather than also trying to get you to do double-duty. I don't want Zook to suffer over there, so I'm going to greedily hoard you for that game, rather than split you up... my apologies, but I hope you're okay with that. But thanx for the interest in the second game! Now get over there and post! Heh heh.

Okay, now for the other five of you:

I was originally going to have the group work for the United Nations, thinking that as far as I knew it was an organization that didn't have any connection to any spy groups or shows or novels or anything already (trying to avoid the comparisions to MI6 and Bond, or the CIA and Alias etc.). Of course, no sooner did I put the idea down on this board that I noticed on the main ENWorld page the new listing for "UNION" from Vanishing Goblin - an espionage sourcebook for d20 Modern for the group called the United Nations Intelligence and Operations Network. So now I'm in a pickle... because I know if I stick with the UN connection with ESPION, I'm going to be constantly making "what if?" comparisions to UNION, because that's the kind of doofus I am (since my idea seemed to exactly match theirs). I was hoping to have nothing with which connections to be made to, so that I wouldn't tread on any sacred cows or concepts from other sources.

So for the time being... I'm removing ESPION from the connection to the United Nations. I don't know who/where I'm now going to connect the group to, but that shouldn't restrict character creation in the short term. Speaking of which... for character creation, I'd like the following info...

your character's name and appearance.

your character's history - where they went to school, did they have any jobs previous to being hired by ESPION, what departments did they advance from before they became field agents, etc.

your character's five "specialties" - it's figured that all field agents have moderate ability in all facets of the spy game, like Bond is. In other words, I figure all characters have trained to at least drive motorcycles, fly planes, pick locks, mountain climb etc. However, I'd like you to select five skills that your character is especially good at - preferably worked into the character's past history. Please remember, that since this is a non-mechanics game, you don't need to worry about trying to "min-max" the character and thus think you all need to select "shooting guns", "acrobatics", and "seduction" as your specialities or else your character will be underpowered compared to your fellow players. There's no such thing as being "underpowered" here, and it's my job as GM to put your characters into situations where you can show off your abilities. If you choose "haggling" as a specialty... I'll be damn sure to put the group into a situation where your skill will need to be used. Basically, all I'm trying to say is to be creative with your concepts and don't feel the need to toe the line with your "typical" Bondian character and select the standard specialities of your typical agent. You know what the typical spy can do (which is usually a little bit of everything), so you'll always have the bare minimum skill to do the job... thus your specialities can come out creatively from your concept and history and training.

your character's hubris - I'm directly ripping this list off from the 7th Sea roleplaying game (an AWESOME game system if I do say so myself), and I'd like each of you to choose one of the following hubrises that your character suffers from. All spies tend to be a little "damaged" as it were, so you can use the following to really give color to your characterization. I don't call them "weaknesses" or "flaws", because there are many times where your hubris will actually help you... but by taking one, it will shade your character and make them a little more human. And don't worry... these aren't here to dominate your character in-game and make you completely ineffective all the time... but rather it's to make your posts a bit more interesting. For instance, if you are "hot-headed", your interrogation of a prisoner might play out a bit differently than an agent who is "lazy". Both players will be able to get what they want... but the writing of how you get there will certainly be different. And like the specialities above, if you can work your hubris into your character history, it will only make things cooler. The hubrises are:

Ambitious: You chase after power even if it’s risky.
Arrogant: You show contempt or disdain for other people.
Cowardly: You avoid or escape from doing dangerous things.
Envious: You covet things belonging to other people.
Greedy: You try to get as much money as possible.
Hedonistic: You relax your guard and have a good time.
Hot-headed: You fly off the handle and lose your temper.
Inattentive: You do not pay attention to the little things around you.
Indecisive: You need time to consider things before springing to action.
Judgmental: You jump to conclusions and form unsubstantiated opinions of people.
Lazy: You only move to action when you feel like it.
Lecherous: You give in to temptation.
Loyal: You go back for a fallen comrade, or avoid leaving their side in the first place.
Misfortunate: You always seem to have bad luck.
Overconfident: You don’t have any doubts about your capabilities.
Overzealous: You strongly defend your opinions and actions, no matter how inappropriate the time and place.
Proud: You refuse offers of aid.
Rash: You jump into danger without considering the consequences.
Reckless: You do not take ample precautions when performing activities.
Righteous: You don’t have any doubts about the moral justifiability of your actions.
Star-crossed: You are shot with Cupid’s arrow…again.
Stubborn: You are prevented from changing your mind.
Trusting: You lose any doubts about other people.

James Bond would have the hubris "lecherous" for example. He can't help but try and bed most women he comes across. It doesn't prevent him from doing his job... but it does color how he interacts with female villains and such. Your characters will have the same problems.

And that's about it. Feel free to add anything else you'd like in your history that you feel might be useful for others to know. If you want to let me know of any "secret" info about your character (info that is buried in your personnel file for example), you can email it to me at FishASE(at)yahoo.com. Go ahead and start writing up your characters here in this thread, and when we get all of them together and worked out so they all mesh together, I'll create a rogue's gallery thread into which I'll post the characters. As a final reminder, all of you are mid to upper-level agents of ESPION, but not in the "super-spy" category of Bond. Also, because you are working as a group, let's try to avoid all of you taking the "watched my mother and father get killed so now I'm a fly-off-the-handle lone wolf" archetype as well, okay? Very few psychotics with mommy and daddy issues make it through the psychological screening process needed to advance within any job, let alone the espionage game. Thanx guys! I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

 

[shadowbloodmoon]

Jason Paquin

Jason Paquin was born to a family of folks who never wanted for anything. His father was a wealthy banker, or at least that is what they had told him. His father was always too busy to tell Jason much of anything. He was always in meetings or away on business trips. His mother was almost never present either, her vast social empire being the top of her list to take care of. She relied on the family's large amount of money to keep everyone, including Jason, well-taken care of. Unfortunately, it didn't take care of his emotional needs. He his it well, of course, not wanting to disappoint his parents, but their attention was focused more on Mark, who wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, not knowing what he was really getting into. Jason continued distancing himself from the family, but when they were around, he acted as if nothing was wrong, that everything was fine. Thus it came as a surprise the day that Jason came to his father and asked to leave home. All of fourteen years old, Jason had decided he wanted to see the world, travel around, learn new things, meet new people. Something other than be here where no one really cared about him. Jason's father, more interested in Mark's progress than Jason's, allowed him to go, on one condition. It was decided by his father however that he needed a chaperone for these trips, so his father sent hired guns to keep an eye on Jason's activities.

During his travels, Jason picked up numerous languages and cultural skills (Specialty#1, multicultural). He developed an ability to kow how to interact with people all over the world. His travels took him in an almost straight line across the globe. From the United States to Europe to the Russian territories to the Oriental countries, all the way south to Australia, back north to Indonesia and again west through India and the Middle East and then Africa, back to South America and then again to the U.S. Strangely enough, Jason never wanted to visit Canada.

During the first part of his journey, in Europe, he discovered boxing, and soon after, wrestling. Here was a way for Jason to take out his inner aggression and deal with hormones that had started to develop in him. It wasn't until his travel to the Orient that he developed a real fascination with Eastern martial arts. Learning what he could from wherever and whoever he could, Jason gained a smattering of hand to hand combat skills from all over the world (Specialty #2, open hand combat). He trained exclusively with a Chinese Buddhist temple for eight years before continuing the rest of his journey. While with the temple, besides the physical aspect of it, he had learned from the Buddhist philosophy that fighting was not about aggression, but a continuous learning of what mind and body are capable of. This helped him deal with the anger he felt at being left out of the family, but not the jealousy.

Along with learning how to fight, Jason learned that in order to truly know the real cultures of wherever he went, he would have to avoid his chaperones, thus he picked up a few techniques of evasion, both from his own experience and that of some of the people he met while doing so (Specialty#3, evasion). A few encounters with some shady individuals taught him about disappearing in plain sight and staying out of view, not only from his watchers, but from the law as well. Jason knew that some of the activities he engaged in sometimes skirted and often times literally broke the law, but as far as he was concerned, it was just another learning experience. Because he did not fully understand the Buddhist ways, he felt that in a way, they allowed him to do whatever was necessary to learn new things.

Also on his trips around the world, Jason had met many people, some decent folk, some not so decent folk. While his need to prove himself kept him from making many friends, on both sides of the fence, he could count many as sources of information, strictly in a business sense. He could find just about anything he wanted by talking to the right people in a new place. (Specialty#4, Human Networking).

Eventually, almost two decades had passed and Jason felt he learned what he could and anything else would come from experience. He also found out that his father was dying. Returning home to his father, he found that his father had decided to let Mark, who had been taking care of things for his father all this time, become heir of the Paquin fortune and business. Realizing that his father's business actually had to do more with criminal activities thatn Jason would have liked. Deciding that it was better this way, Jason thanked his father and left for parts unknown.

Unfortunately, as much as Jason tried to hide it, he was still jealous of Mark and how both his father and mother ignored him to groom Mark for position at the head of the family. It wasn't so much that Jason wanted that position, but he did want recognition for his own accomplishments. This feeling would color his interactions with people he would later meet. Since he no longer had the resources to pay for his excursions out into the world, Jason had to find something to make money. His contacts and combat skills earned him a place with another, less covert criminal syndicate. At the time however, Jason was told it was a legitimate business of dealing with imported weapons for the military. Moving up the ranks however taught him the truth. Eventually, Jason wanted out, seeing that eventually he would become exactly what Mark had become.

Making a deal with the CIA agent that had been assigned to watch this particular group, Jason helped bring the operation down to a halt. The agent was going to offer to help him get a new identity and a new life, but Jason turned it down, saying that he refused to hide from his former life. However Jason's inherent need for recognition (Hubris) kicked in and he decided he wanted to do what the agent did. He struggled however with another deeper reason. He secretly wanted to bring down his own family's operations, however he was unwilling to go against his own family, no matter how angry a part of him still was. The agent agreed that they could use someone with Jason's talents and eventually he was sent to the CIA training farm in Langley, Virginia. During his psych screen, it was determined that Jason's need for recognition went far deeper than his younger brother. Anyone that was better skilled at something than he was, Jason immediately had to strive to be that much better. His superiors decided this could be used to their benefit and kept Jason in training. During the course, Jason discovered that he had a knack for remembering technical details about equipment, and thus was able to identify almost anything from any part of the world (Specialty#5, military equipment identification). He had become in essence, an encyclopedia of that knowledge.

After his commission into actual field duty, Jason slowly became bored with what he was doing. At the same time, he was becoming frustrated with not being able to surpass the skills of some of the other agents in certain areas, thus causing some trouble within the community. It was also found out that Jason had been making too many contacts within other espionage communities, and he was wavering on a thin line as far as his superiors were concerned. Deciding that he was too valuable to lose, but that the information he had was too dangerous, Jason's superiors recommended him for the ESPION project.



Let me know what you think... Also, I was thinking that instead of tying ESPION to the UN or any nation for that matter, it could be an upper echelon type thing. A pool of agents who have no true allegiance except to the company and the mission, hired by any and all countries in order to perform activities their own agents do not want to dirty their hands with. Just a thought....