Night's Black Agents - Skype game - room for one more!

Farangu

You used to uncover secrets, or maybe killed to keep them. You used to serve your country in the shadows, doing things - or stopping things - that couldn't be shown in daylight or on the evening news.

Then you stopped. Maybe you got tired, or maybe you got burned. Maybe you got out while you could. But you didn't go into the daylight. Not just yet. You stayed in the shadows, in Europe's deniable underground networks of crime and conflict. But you did it on your terms. You did a few ops, and you asked fewer questions. You worked for money in secret accounts, and for people you didn't know.

But they weren't people. It turned out they couldn't be shown in daylight or on the news either.

Because they were vampires. And now you know. And they know that you know.

Vampires exist. What can they do? Who do they own? Where is safe? How much is legend, and what is the truth? You don't know these answers yet. So you'd better start asking questions and picking targets. You have to trace the bloodsuckers' operations, penetrate their networks, follow their trail, and target their weak points. Because if you don't hunt them, they will hunt you. And they will kill you.

Or worse.

You must mount your own shadow war, on a secret terror that only you know exists. Stay alert, and stay awake. Its going to be a long night.

What's This?

This is a game of Night's Black Agents, an RPG based on the GUMSHOE engine. The party is a group of modern-day agents formerly involved in espionage work, who for one reason or another have left their agencies and stumble upon a massive vampire conspiracy in the European mainland. Think spy thriller style, Jason Bourne vs. Dracula.

That description alone does a lot to sell the game.

Yea, well I want more details!

Ok then. Have you ever run a game that has intricate puzzles and mysteries, filled with interesting NPC's, that all depended on a player making a Perception Roll to kick it all off? Or a scene with a vital clue almost staring the group in the face? If you have, then you probably remember the moment of sheer panic when all the players botch that roll, and you have to awkwardly force the knowledge onto someone.

That doesn't happen here. In GUMSHOE games, if a player is able to find a clue, they get it. No rolls needed. They can spend from a limited point pool to get even MORE info if they want, but the narrative never stalls because of someone's inability to roll decently. Everyone has a chance to get the spotlight each session.

Ooooh.

Yep. The base .pdf can be gotten from DrivethruRPG for ~$25. For a quick rundown, the basic adventure Excess Baggage is free on Drivethru. I'd like to run a game through some VoIP protocol - Mumble or Vent seem easiest to me, but I'm not picky - with Roll20 for the limited dice rolling needed. Due to family matters (raising a baby takes effort, who knew?), it's likely games will be either bi-weekly or monthly, or a mix of the two depending on life. My free days are going to be either Saturday or Sunday, afternoon or evening CST. I'm looking for 3-5 players.

This is a thing I want to do!

Cool! You can make a character - the expansion, Double Tap, is on the table, though not required - or if you want some more detail, you can put your input on what Mode you want to run.

Mode?

Oh yes - just as there isn't only one type of spy thriller, there isn't only one mood for this game. The following are all different Modes for the game, with their own different themes and rules:

BURN mode tends to focus on psychological damage - losing your humanity is as much a danger as losing your life. In this mode, your mental Stability is capped lower, and degrades faster; killing others is never easy, and never free. Media examples: The Bourne Trilogy, Alias, Graham Greene novels

MIRROR modes take place in worlds of hidden agendas and secret allegiances. The only mode that encourages player v. player story lines, everyone you know is unreliable, and can only be trusted so much. Media examples: Ronin, Mission Impossible, The Prisoner.

For a more gritty and lo-fi feel, DUST mode brings back that old school vibe. Anything that's not human is much more powerful, and the players lose access to abilities that can save them in a pinch, forcing them to rely more on their brains. Media examples: The Sandbaggers, Rubicon, Three Days of the Condor

For those reading the book, whichever mode we use we will also use the STAKES mode in conjunction - each of your characters can have a higher motivation or purpose aside from survival. This can motivate you to go above and beyond, but can also be a liability to you. Media Examples: Burn Notice, Taken

Once a Mode consensus is reached it will be easier for people to make a character. In the meantime, feel free to put out character concepts - how you all get thrown together is decided collaboratively, after all. Feel free to PM with any questions.

Bursar

I'm not sure I could take part, but the setting of modern spies vs. vampires is intensely interesting.

OptimusZed

I've been very interested in this system for a while now, but I don't have any of the materials at this point.

I do have Mumble functionality, though. Sort of. When every computer in my house doesn't combust in sequence.

Farangu

@OptimusZed Making a character is really quite easy; if you like we can work through it at some point through PM/gmail/what have you

OptimusZed

I could be interested in that, for sure.

Farangu

Anyone else possibly interested? I'd be happy to work with anyone regarding character creation or setting questions.

Auralynx

Bursar wrote: »

I'm not sure I could take part, but the setting of modern spies vs. vampires is intensely interesting.

I'm kind of in this same boat, unfortunately. This game's been on my radar but I don't know where it'd fit in time-wise.

Farangu

Well we'll try this out then - if you think this is a game you'd like to play, and the days listed above are a concern to you, PM me with your free days. Saturday and Sunday are definitely the days easiest for me personally, but if folks don't necessarily mind shorter sessions I can work with certain weeknights.

OptimusZed

I'm definitely still interested, I've just been inordinately busy of late.

Weekends are generally going to be fine for me as well.

Auralynx

I'd probably be able to do afternoons on weekends but nights are out. Plus I'm on the East Coast.

Farangu

Afternoons on weekends are definitely doable.

Farangu

One thing I forgot to mention earlier: due to the afore-mentioned tyke I'm responsible for, games will be shorter than average; probably no more than two hours each time. Due to this, I might be angling for a smaller game of 2-3 folks, at least at first.

Auralynx

Farangu wrote: »

One thing I forgot to mention earlier: due to the afore-mentioned tyke I'm responsible for, games will be shorter than average; probably no more than two hours each time. Due to this, I might be angling for a smaller game of 2-3 folks, at least at first.

Suits me a bit better at that point.

OptimusZed

I'm good with that. I've got similar responsibilities.

Farangu

Well I think we can start moving then. @OptimusZed which mode strikes your fancy?

OptimusZed

BURN sounds interesting.

Farangu

Sounds good. @Auralynx only specified "not Dust," so we can move forward with Burn mode. If you don't already have the materials, send me your gmail and we can work out some characters.

I likely won't be able to start until the first weekend in June, as an aside, so if one more feels like jumping in, there's room.

Auralynx

I was considering a desk-jockey of some kind, Zed. Did you have anything in particular in mind?

OptimusZed

I tend to play muscle of some description. Maybe a bodyguard who saw too much.

Auralynx

OptimusZed wrote: »

I tend to play muscle of some description. Maybe a bodyguard who saw too much.

That seems like a reasonable pair of secret persons in over their head against dire odds!

Farangu

You can also go ahead and come up with a collaborative backstory, and where you'd probably find yourselves in Europe

Edit: also, your character doesn't know about supernatural things just yet - that will be handled in game

OptimusZed

I'm thinking Muscle background, maybe focusing on VIP extraction. So some driving skills might be in order as well.

I'm also thinking Russian.

Edit: Though I could definitely see this guy being the child of a Cold War refugee to the west, too. That could be kind of cool. British MI6 with a Russian name.

OptimusZed

Looking at the skills available, I'm coming up with some ideas.

Parents defected, possibly as intelligence assets, from the USSR to Britain during the Cold War. Kid grew up with a Russian name, ended up getting bullied and falling into gang life after one or both of his parents were killed in reprisal. Got good at the underworld thing, and the fighting thing, was recruited by the intelligence service because of his name, background and skills (including his ability to speak Russian with a Moscow accent). Pretty good at blending into urban environments and criminal elements, better at throwing down and running when necessary. After a couple of years, kind of ended up specialized in extracting things and people from dangerous situations, usually impersonating someone from the former Soviet bloc to misplace suspicion.

Auralynx

I've been trying to decide which background to combine either Analyst or Watcher with to create someone with a specialty in something like Cryptography or Forensic Pathology and a bunch of points scattered around the "Figure stuff out from data" skills. Human Terrain was another point of interest.

It hasn't quite gelled yet, though.

Farangu

Important thing to note is that Backgrounds are just pre-spent point packages, and don't give any mechanical benefit, so you can completely skip picking one if you want.

@OptimusZed I like the sounds of that so far! Good start.

Auralynx

Farangu wrote: »

Important thing to note is that Backgrounds are just pre-spent point packages, and don't give any mechanical benefit, so you can completely skip picking one if you want.

OptimusZed I like the sounds of that so far! Good start.

I think you're supposed to have at least one?

Either way they're solid pointers.

I'm wondering now about someone who used to work on the security end of a casino. Should fit some of the analytical and surveillance stuff I'd like into a reasonable context.

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Farangu

You can choose to have no background and make the character free-form if you want to, those are just packages selections that would fit with a given prior occupation.

OptimusZed

70 points seems like a lot until you start building.

Farangu

Aegeri wrote: »

You don't have to have backgrounds at all, they're flavorful suggestions and a good way to get new players building a character with a suitable spy theme.

I wonder if you're going to be using anything from the Dracula Dossier? Because my god, that's one amazing sourcebook for an RPG right there.

I thought that was just a campaign? I'll have to take a look at that.

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OptimusZed

Some preliminary stats for Lana Vladov, Agent of MI-6.

Investigative: 32/32

Architecture 1
Bullshit Detector 3
Bureaucracy 1
Cop Talk 2
Criminology 1
Flattery 1
Flirting 1
Forgery 1
Human Terrain 1
Interrogation 1
Languages 2
Law 2
Military Science 1
Negotiation 2
Notice 3
Outdoor Survival 1
Reassurance 2
Research 1
Streetwise 2
Tradecraft 2
Urban Survival 3

General: 70/70
Athletics 8
Conceal 5
Cover 10*
Disguise 5
Driving 8
Filch 5
Hand to Hand 8
Health 6/4*
Infiltration 5
Network 12*
Piloting 4
Sense Trouble 8
Shooting 4
Stability 8/4*
Surveilance 4

Auralynx

Preliminary stats for Edvin Sorenson

Investigative 30/32:
Accounting 2, Architecture 1, Bullshit Detector 1, Bureaucracy 1, Criminology 1, Cryptography 2, Data Recovery 2, Electronic Surveillance 2, Flattery 1, Forensic Pathology 1, High Society 1, History 1, Human Terrain 3, Interrogation 2, Languages 2, Law 1, Negotiation 1, Pharmacy 1, Reassurance 1, Research 2, Streetwise 1, Tradecraft 1, Traffic Analysis 1

General Abilities 70/70:
Cover 10*
Digital Intrusion 6
Gambling 6
Hand to Hand 8
Health 12 (4+8)
Infiltration 2
Mechanics 2
Network 17 (12 Free +5)
Preparedness 4
Sense Trouble 8
Shrink 2
Shooting 5
Stability 10 (Free +6)
Surveillance 9 (MOS)

Looks to me like we have a couple of areas of overlap but nothing major.

Edvin is a Danish diplomat's son who never really did enjoy the outdoors but definitely enjoyed museums, reading, puzzles, and observing the locals quite intensely. Also parties and, eventually, gambling. He has a degree in economics from King's College London and spent several years in his 20s working in the Casino Marienlyst in Denmark as part of their security staff - a friend's father was the casino head at the time, and Edvin had no particular career plans. He was later recruited by the PET, Denmark's domestic counterintelligence agency, after helping to thwart money-laundering through the casino and forging relationships with several of their agents.

Edvin is cultured and very polite, but understands people better through trends and numbers than as individuals. He has an excellent memory for faces and an intuitive understanding of surveillance, both electronic and physical.

OptimusZed

I'm thinking Lana is an extraction specialist that regularly goes undercover as law enforcement or lawyers to spring VIPs and get them out of town as quickly as possible. I'm still going around a bit on her specific stats.

I notice you've got H-t-H at 8 as well. That could lead to some interesting professional rivalries. And we've both got Spider-Sense.

Edit: Your stats are making me self-conscious about my Stability and Health levels. I'm not sure what a reasonable amount looks like.

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Farangu

Maybe not EVERY time, but it will definitely happen more than once.

OptimusZed

I think my concept might need to contract a bit to get better values in some of these skills, then. I'll look through it a bit.

I also think that my original street rat concept will have an interesting interplay with the well-connected trust fund kid, so I'll push a little more that way.

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OptimusZed

New stat block for Svetlana Mikaelovna Vladof.

Investigative: 32/32

Architecture 1
Art History 1
Bullshit Detector 3
Criminology 2
Flirt 1
Forgery 2
Intimidation 2
Languages 2
Military Science 2
Negotiation 1
Notice 3
Occult Studies 1
Outdoor Survival 1
Reassurance 2
Research 1
Streetwise 2*
Tradecraft 2
Urban Survival 3

General: 70/70

Athletics 8
Conceal 2
Cover 10*
Driving 8
Hand to Hand 12
Health 10*
Infiltration 8
Network 12*
Sense Trouble 8
Shooting 8
Stability 10*
Surveillance 4


Symbol: Unconstrained Wildlife

Solace: Mother

Safety: London Dojo

Drive: Altruism; getting people to safety.

I'm not quite sure what her MOS is yet. HtH is the obvious option, but I'm not sure that makes sense given Edvin also has a respectable punching-people score. Maybe Drive or Athletics.

I'm treating her ranks in Bullshit Detector, Notice and Sense Trouble as a natural proclivity for awareness honed by years spent running from trouble. At the GM's option, I'm sort of working in some character hooks that might end up pointing to them being more spooky than that based on family history. Her Occult Studies and Art History ranks factor into that too, a bit. Basically, her mom may or may not be from a family of oracles or such. I'll post a longer backstory later. If you'd rather I didn't start with that kind of knowledge, I can always just pick up History or something.

Farangu

Occult knowledge is fine. Starting with vampirology is a no go, though. I like the look of it so far, @OptimusZed.

If people want to put up what they think vampires will operate like, that's fine and dandy - always nice to see how I can subvert or play with expectations.

OptimusZed

I'd really like to get Disguise back in her repertoire somehow. I'll have to look at ways to do that.

If Occult Studies is in, I think I'll feature it a little more prominently. I really like the idea of Lana learning from her mom's folk tales of the old country.