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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: killking72 on June 07, 2015, 05:08:31 AM

Title: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: killking72 on June 07, 2015, 05:08:31 AM
When butcher was asked the question of is the US government aware of paranormal beings he said "well someone disappeared the loup garou tape". This gave me the inspiration to make basically a MIB agent. The only confusion I have is trying to flesh out this really secretive organization. Like under what part of the government is it, what're their motivations, how the operate. Any other ideas are welcome.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Sanctaphrax on June 07, 2015, 06:40:18 AM
I have an organization called AMBOSS in a game I GM which is basically a German version of that. I've never gone into detail about their organizational structure, but I can talk about their ideology and the way they operate.

The ideology is pretty similar to real-life military ideology. "We are the ones protecting the people, so we need to do some ugly stuff sometimes. We need secrecy, power, and control, and we need not to be questioned too much. It's okay because it's necessary. The world is full of magical beings that are the enemies of humanity, who would run rampant if not for us."

It's a bit toxic, but it also motivates them to fight evil so it could be a lot worse.

They mostly operate by using large amounts of money and manpower to collect and control as much supernatural stuff as possible. They'll hire anyone who seems useful, and they have warehouses full of magical items. Ideally, they want an army of superhumans obeying normal mundane leaders who have an arsenal of magical gear.

They also do their best to know everything about everyone, and to acquire technology that's useful against supernaturals. But that's probably obvious.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: jftravis on June 07, 2015, 09:44:28 AM
Sounds like a shadow branch of the NSA (National Security Agency), or at least the Hollywood/media version of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Steed on June 07, 2015, 12:36:31 PM
Motivation is going to depend a lot on whether you want them to be the good guys, the bad guys, or both.  In story reality, there's (usually) very different motivations for a good guy org and a bad guy org, even if they do more or less the same thing.  If they're the good guys, they have to do some unpleasant things sometimes, but their motivations are probably pretty pure, protect the world from the monsters, keep order, etc. etc.  If they're the bad guys?  They want to use the supernatural to dominate the natural.  If you want a more nuanced approach with both good and bad?  The "boots on the ground", so to speak, are good folks that want to protect the unaware and keep order, but the bosses are often unrepentant assholes who don't like agents that ask too many questions and sometimes the field agents wonder what the real aims of the agency are...

As far as department, determine what you want their motivation to be and slot them in where appropriate.  If their main goal is observation and analysis, I'd say stick them in the CIA or NSA.  If they're going the "protect the unawares" route, I'd say either DHS or a branch of the USAF would work best.  Or you could make them part of the FBI in a way similar to what they did with Mulder in X-Files.  I think my personal favorite way of doing it, though, is the way they did it in a Cthulhu supplement called Delta Green.  It's a secret organization that has no official branch itself.  Its agents are officially agents of other branches (ATF, DHS, CIA, FBI, Secret Service, sometimes even IRS) and spend most of their lives doing the normal stuff agents from those departments do.  However, when something supernatural comes up in their area, or if they're specific skillset is needed, they get activated by DG by receiving a (usually barebones and vague) briefing.  Doing it this way means that they're so secret that most of the government doesn't even know about them.

For operations, it'll depend a bit on where you put them in the government.  If they're a branch of an existing agency (CIA, NSA, FBI, whatever) they'll likely operate similarly to that agency, with adjustments where appropriate for dealing with and covering up the supernatural.  If you make them their own thing, you'll want to look at how other agencies operate and determine which policy structures fit your idea of the MIB the best.  If you Delta Green it, operations are basically "handle this problem, don't fuck up, and lie like the devil on your after action reports".
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Tsunami on June 08, 2015, 06:33:32 PM
I have an organization called AMBOSS in a game I GM which is basically a German version of that. I've never gone into detail about their organizational structure, but I can talk about their ideology and the way they operate.

[...]
My Invention!!!!  ;D

It's an acronym for: Amt des Bundes für Okkulte Sichtungen und Sicherheit

Nice to see it's still active :-)
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Haru on June 08, 2015, 06:42:31 PM
My Invention!!!!  ;D

It's an acronym for: Amt des Bundes für Okkulte Sichtungen und Sicherheit

Nice to see it's still active :-)
Großartig! :D

When butcher was asked the question of is the US government aware of paranormal beings he said "well someone disappeared the loup garou tape". This gave me the inspiration to make basically a MIB agent. The only confusion I have is trying to flesh out this really secretive organization. Like under what part of the government is it, what're their motivations, how the operate. Any other ideas are welcome.
One of my players is working for Special Collections, a division of the Library of Congress. They basically deal with all the supernatural stuff on a national and (if it's important enough) global scale. One of the ways they go about it is to fight fire with fire, so they collect and analyze magical items to hand them out to their field agents to be used at their discretion when investigating supernatural threats.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Quantus on June 08, 2015, 09:12:37 PM
When butcher was asked the question of is the US government aware of paranormal beings he said "well someone disappeared the loup garou tape". This gave me the inspiration to make basically a MIB agent. The only confusion I have is trying to flesh out this really secretive organization. Like under what part of the government is it, what're their motivations, how the operate. Any other ideas are welcome.
Well, if you dont want to go with the Library of Congress Special Collections (which is cannon per a WOJ if nothign else) then Id say the best place for a super-secret government organization would be in the basement of the IRS
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Steed on June 08, 2015, 11:17:58 PM
Well, if you dont want to go with the Library of Congress Special Collections (which is cannon per a WOJ if nothign else) then Id say the best place for a super-secret government organization would be in the basement of the IRS

No no, that's where you put the hellmouth.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Sanctaphrax on June 09, 2015, 01:20:09 AM
My Invention!!!!  ;D

It's an acronym for: Amt des Bundes für Okkulte Sichtungen und Sicherheit

Nice to see it's still active :-)

They've actually become pretty central to the game. Without them, the PC group would have little reason to be a group.

One thing I like a lot about them is that they provide a sort of "soft railroad". The players can do what they want, and AMBOSS really can't force anything on them...but in practice, they tend to do what AMBOSS says anyway. Keeps the plot moving.

Speaking of EtA, Bergelmir's still alive and well. I had him return to his bar and more-or-less stay out of trouble. If you want to drop back in and pilot him again, the spot's open.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: S1C0 on June 10, 2015, 12:21:33 AM
You could also make your own s.h.i.e.l.d agency.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: InFerrumVeritas on June 11, 2015, 12:25:57 PM
I really like the idea of it being a non-military, non-intelligence organization.  It keeps it away from the normal power structures of government (how many presidents are about libraries, or even the IRS's day to day operation).  It also helps keep things away from escalation of firepower.

For as to how they operate, I take a page from Warehouse 13 and "The Librarian" and its sequels.

Also, make the British Museum antagonistic allies (i.e. the British Museum still assumes it has jurisdiction over this sort of thing for the ENTIRE PLANET).
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Quantus on June 11, 2015, 05:09:55 PM
I really like the idea of it being a non-military, non-intelligence organization.  It keeps it away from the normal power structures of government (how many presidents are about libraries, or even the IRS's day to day operation).  It also helps keep things away from escalation of firepower.

For as to how they operate, I take a page from Warehouse 13 and "The Librarian" and its sequels.

Also, make the British Museum antagonistic allies (i.e. the British Museum still assumes it has jurisdiction over this sort of thing for the ENTIRE PLANET).
Agreed.  You could even take it a step further and make it entirely unaffiliated with the government, instead being privately operated (Kingsman style).  Though then you run the risk of being less distinguishable from the Venatori Umbrum. 

OOH!   How about a coallition of Nobel-level Scientists, whom ineviatbly trip over evidence of magic, and dedicate themselves to both understanding and cataloging, but also containing and preparing countermeasures for the Supernatural World?
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: PirateJack on June 11, 2015, 08:56:32 PM
Agreed.  You could even take it a step further and make it entirely unaffiliated with the government, instead being privately operated (Kingsman style).  Though then you run the risk of being less distinguishable from the Venatori Umbrum. 

OOH!   How about a coallition of Nobel-level Scientists, whom ineviatbly trip over evidence of magic, and dedicate themselves to both understanding and cataloging, but also containing and preparing countermeasures for the Supernatural World?

And they named it the SCP Foundation.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Quantus on June 11, 2015, 09:05:15 PM
And they named it the SCP Foundation.
"SCP Foundation"?
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: Steed on June 11, 2015, 09:09:54 PM
And they named it the SCP Foundation.

Trouble:  Just Got Assigned 682 Duty.
Title: Re: DFRPG MIB Theorcrafting
Post by: PirateJack on June 11, 2015, 09:44:38 PM
"SCP Foundation"?

Start here (http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-173). It's a wiki full of creepy stories.

I suggest reading it with the lights off, just before bed for best effect.