Colour:Grey
Issuing Dept.:Cloak Division
Package:Any (combat Operatives Preferred)
SCL:8
Control:Station Analysis
CBS:0.4 SCL, 400cr/op+bounty
BPN Code:GR/117564/CD (or appropriate for WoP)
Contact:Agent S.Wilson, SCL4, Cloak Division.
Details:High Profile termination. Contact Agent S. Wilson, Cloak Division for further details.
and/or
Colour:Silver
Issuing Dept.:Third Eye
Package:Kick Murder
SCL:8
Control:Third Eye News
CBS:0.5 SCL, 350cr/op+bounty
BPN Code:SI/7564879/TE (or appropriate for WoP)
Contact:Eloise Sherman, SCL4, Third Eye News
Details:Operatives required for infiltration of an upcoming media event. Well presented operatives and/or squads only.
Intro:
With four corpses laying in his wake, Cobalt sauntered towards the exit of the office. He never did like those sponsors anyway and the upcoming gorezone would cement his place in the Contract Circuit forever. Giving his customised flick scythe a brief wipe with an Orientan handkerchief, he giggled to himself. " It's time to be moving up in the world."
Behind him, the hidden security camera recorded everything, relaying it to both Third Eye and Cloak Division.
" Yes, it's true that I was fined four times by Cloak Division for "unnecessary violence to civilians" during my career as an operative. What's your point? I still insist that it was self-defence. Yes, even when I stabbed that child twenty-six times. I had to find the bomb that was planted on her. Why didn't I search her? I don't like touching people. "
Cobalt SCL 8C-CK, interviewed by Gorezone. Not for public release.
Synopsis:
Cobalt is a contract killer who has pushed the boundaries just a little too far. During a recent meeting with his sponsors (DPB), he snapped and killed the officials who were briefing him on his upcoming Gorezone appearance.
The meeting was, of course, observed by Third Eye News, monitoring for any "unfair tactics or weapons" that might have been brought up during the meeting, so they saw everything. Unbeknownst to Third Eye, Cloak Division has been monitoring Cobalt ever since his last fine as an operative and had tapped into the monitoring device.
Both Third Eye and Cloak Division want Cobalt dead.
Cloak Division wants him terminated before his appearance on Gorezone (which happens to be the same night the BPN is issued) to ensure that he does not become a martyr for other CKs that go too far.
Third Eye wants him to die during the Gorezone, because he is popular with the viewing audience.
The Cloak Division BPN will be considered a failure if Cobalt makes his appearance on Gorezone. The Third Eye BPN will be considered a failure if he doesn't appear. (Cruel GMs could easily assign a squad the Third Eye BPN, while having Cloak Division assign the grey BPN to a second squad)
Note: Brief bios will be given at the end of the BPN detailing the major protagonists. No statistics will be given (apart from SCLs/rep) for ease of incorporating into different gaming styles.
The Meetings:
Cloak Division:
Agent Wilson will be all business. When contacted he will order the quad to assemble at one point (preferably one of the squad members residences) within 30 minutes and will send an APC to collect the squad. The APC is a modified Battle Taxi, fitted out with a data projection screen and a satellite vid-phone (which is currently connected to the vid-phone in his office). Wilson will wait for the ops to be seated and then give them the briefing while the APC is in motion.
The DPS will show a picture of Cobalt, as well as displaying his operative career. His specialty was close combat Red BPNs and he always worked solo. Before becoming a CK, he was an SCL 8C operative, although he would easily have been SCL7 if not for the fines he had received from Cloak Division.
His home address (in uptown), as well as the address of his current, known, girlfriend (Sharon Mitchell, unemployed, downtown) will be given, as will Search and Seizure warrants for both addresses. A signed and validated termination warrant is already waiting in the back of the APC. If asked for, Agent Wilson will authorise a liability waiver for the squad, for the course of the BPN.
He will stress that Cobalt is NOT to make it to the Gorezone. The second he enters the combat zone, the BPN is over.
If asked for:
Cobalt's medical history:
Addiction: KickStart Solo
Chronic Paranoia
Sub-Clinical Volatility
Gorezone Contact:
Peter Stevenson, SCL8, media operative
Proficiency Levels:
Considered a Master of Polearms (particularly his custom flick scythe)
Expert rating with most weapons, although rates very poorly in all forms of unarmed combat.
At the conclusion of the briefing, the APC will deposit the operatives where they originally started.
Third Eye:
Unlike the Cloak Division briefing, the Third Eye briefing is a very laid back affair. The squad will be asked to come in for a meeting at Third Eye, "preferably within the next hour, although any time soon would be great".
Once there, the operatives will be treated well, with drinks supplied for them, as well as comfortable seating. Once everyone has been seated, Eloise will begin the briefing.
Smiling the entire time, Eloise will inform the squad that she wants them as participants in tonight's Gorezone, so that they will be able to eliminate Cobalt, while enabling Third Eye to get the best footage possible. A bonus of 100cr will be awarded if the kill is performed in close combat, with an extra 50cr possible if it is spectacularly gruesome.
Eloise will be able to provide the operatives entrance into the Gorezone (operatives are eligible to enter, after all), as well as feeding them information about Cobalt's whereabouts during the event. (Spot-Bee drones are a double-edged sword).
Apart from that, she will have the same information and warrants that Agent Wilson has; though only the termination warrant will be offered. (The rest must be asked for). Very little information about Cobalt will be given, other than his current standing in the Contract Circuit (rep 6, DPB as sole sponsor), and his weapon proficiency ratings. (Again, Eloise has the same information that Agent Wilson does, but will not be as forthcoming with it)
During the BPN(s):
Cloak Division:
Cobalt's apartment is empty and sterile. There has been nothing moved in, or out of the place since it's purchase three months ago (Cobalt thinks the land-lord is a DarkNight agent - coincidentally, he is right, but that shouldn't affect the BPN). He has never been shopping in any of the stores nearby, and, in fact, most of the people that share the apartment block with him (all SCL 7 or lower) are blissfully unaware that they share their residence with a Contract Killer.
Cobalt doesn't go anywhere, other than to his girlfriend's place (she is the only person he trusts). Seeing as she is unemployed (Cobalt supplies everything she would ever want, except for an apartment somewhere except downtown), she spends most of her day at home, watching TV, having sex (usually with Cobalt, but that is not always the case) and shopping. Her apartment is in upper downtown, on the 3rd floor of the MacMillan Complex (East District, Sector 12, Bowen Suburb).
Sharon will answer the door if/when the operatives arrive, asking a few questions first, before allowing them in (but only if they show the search and seizure warrant). As soon as the ops mention the warrant, Cobalt will throw himself through the wall of the apartment (which is currently unoccupied - the tenants work at the SuperSnail in the district, into the neighbouring one. He will then duck out of the window and onto the fire escape. If given the chance to reach ground level, Cobalt will vanish into the alleyways of the district, before heading into the sewers, to resurface later at the Gorezone.
The only other place to encounter Cobalt would be at his meeting place with Peter Stevenson. Mr Stevenson is unaware of what happened at the meeting with Cobalt's sponsors and has been holding onto his modified Powercell, ensuring it was in perfect working order before the Gorezone. If the termination warrant is flashed in his face, he will quickly capitulate and assist the ops in any way possible, even acting as bait to lure Cobalt into an ambush. From there it should be simple…
Third Eye:
Once the briefing has been completed, the ops will be thrust into the preparation for the Gorezone. Make-up teams, photographers and interviewers will descend upon the unsuspecting ops, performing a barrage of photo shoots, interviews, basic psychological questionnaires and, in general, be as obsequious as possible, while ordering them to do whatever they think looks best for the cameras.
The only thing that could really go wrong (before the Gorezone) is if the GM is cruel enough to have a Cloak Division team take Cobalt out before he makes it into the event. Regardless of whether or not Cobalt enters the event, the operative(s) will be forced too (they have been entered, after all).
The Gorezone:
For the basic details of a Gorezone event, see p.14 Contract Directory.
With the exception of the op(s) and Cobalt, the list of competitors stands at:
5 mostly unknown Contract Killers (rep 3-5)
4 ops (varying between SCL 8 and SCL 5)
Stalker, rep 6 (a shaktar Contract Killer specialising in stealth and close combat)
Knight, rep 6 (a DarkNight interceptor who entered the contract circuit. Specialising in heavy weapons and explosives)
Hassen Alba (see Contract Directory)
The Preacher (see Contract Directory)
Burn (see Contract Directory)
GMs should feel free to throw all manner of beasties at the characters during the Gorezone. Encounters may include Carrien, Cannibals, Serial Killers, Carnivorous pigs, Scavs, Manchines, DarkNight interceptors looking for an easy kill, Ex-War Crims, Thresher strike teams looking to crash the party, as well as poor terrain and collapsing buildings. Add violence to taste.
At some point during the Event, the characters should run into Cobalt. (A personal favourite is to have Cobalt assist the characters while engaged in combat with something that they would normally find impossible (or at least, really difficult) - war crims or manchines are good choices.)
What happens from then on, is up to the players.
Conclusion:
Cloak Division:
Regardless of their success or failure, the characters will be collected by the same APC that they were originally briefed in. While there, they will be either congratulated, or admonished by the vid phone image of Agent Wilson. Payments will be forwarded to their accounts (or fines deducted) while they are in the vehicle and SCLs will be updated immediately.
They will then be deposited wherever is most convenient for them, with vague comments from Agent Wilson about maybe working with them in the future.
Third Eye:
If the ops are unsuccessful in the BPN, then the only time they will hear from Eloise again, is when they receive the paperwork detailing their fines as a result of failing the BPN.
However, if the Ops are successful in the BPN, Eloise will personally conduct their interviews at the conclusion of the Gorezone. She will happily pay them the bounties promised (as well as ensuring the bounties for any kills during the Gorezone are credited into the accounts of the ops ASAP. She may also be a useful contact for helping the Ops out with any media-related information they may need in the past. Considering that she just made a fortune off the BPN, she is more than willing to lend a hand whenever they may ask for it. For all of two weeks before she is apprehended by Cloak Division for "questioning" about her recently acquired fortune…
The Main Characters:
Cobalt:
(The picture this competition is based on should be shown when the dossier of Cobalt is given to the characters.)
Cobalt, SCL8C-CK, Rep 6
Formerly a kickmurder operative, he has always worked solo. He doesn't trust people, nor does he touch anyone that he doesn't trust. Right now, his list of trusted people (other than himself) is two. His girlfriend ((Sharon Mitchell) and his Gorezone Contact (Peter Stevenson, who also happens to be his CK media handler).
Prior to his entrance into the Contract Circuit, Cobalt was diagnosed with acute paranoia, combined with chronic self-loathing and volatility. After almost a year of therapy, the doctors have downgraded his mental illnesses to the levels shown on his dossier. At that point, he was released from medical care and allowed to enter the contract circuit.
When not in a combat scenario, Cobalt dressed expensively (although his girlfriend on his behalf purchases all his clothes), in tailored Velkra outfits. When in a combat environment, he is usually clad in his modified Powercell armour (complete with retractable vibro-blades in the forearms and shoulders).
Video footage of Cobalt in action is plentiful, most of it showing him decimating hordes of lesser opponents (Carrien, cannibals, etc) in close combat. There is no footage of him involved in a Kinetic Pit event of any kind.
Agent S.Wilson, Cloak Division:
Agent Wilson has been working for Cloak Division for the last four years. He was recruited by Cloak when he was an SCL8 I&I operative. His mind has been compared to a supercomputer in its ability to correlate various pieces of information and accurately predict a course of action.
Throughout his time in Cloak, Agent Wilson has never been wrong, and this has brought him a lot of attention, both positive and negative. There are people within cloak division that are waiting for him to fail, watching the moves of the people he assigns to BPNs.
It has been rumoured that some want him to fail so badly, that they are willing to do more than just watch.
Agent Wilson is just under six feet tall (178cm), with an average build. He rarely takes his sunglasses off, but when he does a pair of mirror-like black eyes are revealed. He always keeps his brown hair short, in a conservative cut, as well as usually dressing in dark suits.
Eloise Sherman:
Eloise Sherman is the archetypical representation of a bubbly blond. She is very attractive (good looks 5); wearing short skirts and low cut tops to show off her figure (Good figure 6). Added to that, she has a vibrant personality and is full of energy. In short, she is everything that a World of Progress shouldn't have. There are numerous rumours going around the Third Eye offices, mentioning Eloise with no less than fifteen different men (although the names do change with each telling), and hence why she has risen through the ranks so quickly.
The truth is, Eloise is an expert psychiatrist, who has a knack for reading her rivals in the business perfectly. During her time at Third Eye, she has always been just one step ahead of her rivals, always managing to beat them to the juicy news stories, or having the reports in minutes earlier.
Although she is good at reading people, she is not all that good at reading the big picture. She views Cobalt as an excellent piece of video footage, wanting photogenic ops to take him down, on camera, so she can reap the benefits (she has a large portion of her own fortune, placed through numerous lackeys, that Cobalt will be killed during the Gorezone, by a group of Operatives). She is completely unaware that Cloak Division has been monitoring Cobalt's activities, and will be financially crippled if he either fails to enter the Gorezone, or Survives.
This has been a BPN brought to you by Masque, too much caffeine, not enough sleep, and the letter K.
Masque@powerup.com.au
It's interesting that both liam and Masque decided the gentleman in question was some one who'd been pushed to far and gone mad and needed hunting down like a dog:) And both included reference to the obvious flicksyth.
What gave this the edge was the double nature of the entry - with 2 conflicting BPN's making it open to different squad/game styles. It would be interesting to send a squad out with the silver BPN and have a few of them get a cloak BPN dropped on a few of them and watch the sparks fly.:)
I also like the idea of using the image as a handout in the actually adventure. Also the briefings on the NPC's make they useful in later adventures - either as friends or enemies...
Down side is that both BPN's are a bit short.
The 'paper chase' to find where he is hiding is a little simple. However there are enough hints to pad - like the darknight land lord, and their is the prospect of chasing him through the sewer and intercepting him before the Gorezone..
The gorezone on the surface would be one long 'slug it out' - but I like the suggestion that they should find Cobalt by him saving them - which could cause a conflict in less money obsessed in the squads.