Covert Ops - GM Operation Manual

WELCOME

CH 01

Game masters operations manual

USING THIS BOOK

PG 1

WELCOME

CH 01

TABLE OF CONTENTS OPERAT OPERATIV IVES ES .................... ................... ........ 3 OPERATI OPERATIVE VE CREATION CREATION ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ... 3 PRIORITIZED PRIORITIZED ABILITY GENERATION GENERATION ...... ... ...... ...... ....... 4 UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDING ABILITY ABILITY SCORES ...... ... ...... ...... ... .5 UNDERSTANDING UNDERSTANDING SKILL LEVELS LEVELS ...... ... ...... ...... ...... ...... ... 7 OPERATIVE TRAINING CENTER .....................11

CREDITS

ROUNDING ROUNDING OUT AN OPERATIVE ...... ... ...... ...... ...... ...... ... 12

Design Co-Design Editing

ORIGI ORIGINS NS ..................................................... 17 SKIL SKILLS LS ...................................................... 18 OUTFITT OUTFITTING ING ...... ..... ...... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... .. 21

Cover Art Illustrations

MORAL MORAL CODE CODE............................................ 29 MARTIAL MARTIAL ARTS MANEUVERS MANEUVERS ..... ...... ...... .... 30 FIREARM FIREARM MANEUVE MANEUVERS RS ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... . 32 32

Bill Logan Larry Moore Jim White aka T.W.Wombat Khairul Hisham Octavirate 1 Entertainment 2 Louis Porter, Jr. 3 Bradley K McDevitt

OPERATI OPERATIVE VE DEVELO DEVELOPMENT PMENT ..... ...... ...... ...... 32 1

Some artwork copyright Octavirate Entertainment, Entertainment, used with permission.

2

Some artwork copyright LPJ Design, used with permission.

3

Some artwork copyright Bradley K. McDevit, used with permission.

GAME GAME GUIDELI GUIDELINES NES.................. .................. 49 ACTIO ACTIONS NS .................................................. 49 BONES BONES ...................................................... 51 GETTING HURT ......................................... 52 GETTING GETTING HEALED HEALED..... ...... ...... ...... ..... ...... .... 52 INITIATIVE ................................................ 53

LICENSING

COMBAT COMBAT ....................................................54

Covert Ops role-playing game™ is copyright 2013 and is a trademark of DwD Studios, used under the Creative Commons License (specifically, the Attribution Noncommercial Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0); Some Rights Reserved. To view this license, visit:

FLOWCH FLOWCHART ART CHASE SCENES SCENES ..... ...... ...... ... 55 CONDITIONS.............................................. 57 SOCIAL SOCIAL INTERACT INTERACTION ION ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ... 57

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OPERATI OPERATIVE VE CREATI CREATION ON ........ ...... ...... ...... ... 14 GAME GAME PLAY PLAY ........................................... 60 ENEMY ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION GENERATION GENERATION ..... 63

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MASTER VILLAIN GENERATION .............. 64

For specific details, appropriate credits, and updates to this license, please see:

MISSIO MISSION N GENERATION........ GENERATION........ ...... ...... ...... . 65

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GAME GAME MAST MASTERY ERY ..................... . .................... .................. 68 STORYTELLING STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES TECHNIQUES ... ...... ... ...... ...... ...... ....... 68 THEMAT THEMATIC IC ELEMENT ELEMENTS S ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... ... 81 LEARN THE THE LINGO LINGO ..... ...... ...... ..... ...... ...... .. 92

USING THIS BOOK

PG 1

CH 01

WELCOME

01

WELCOME USING THIS BOOK We at DwD Studios had a much bigger book in mind for Covert Ops. Much of it has been reduced, streamlined, or removed entirely as a direct result of play testing. Some of it was just too cool or too difficult to part with; most of that is in this book. differently than we we Covert Ops is a lite role- playing game. Some folks define “lite” differently do, but in our opinion page count has at least something to do with it. So th at’s why we decided to create this separate book. We hope it helps you become a better Game Master … or entertains you at least.

PG 2

USING THIS BOOK

OPERATIVES

CH 02

02

OPERATIVES OPERATIVE CREATION An operative in Covert Ops can technically be built pretty quickly. Roll a few dice, make a few choices, and write a bunch of stuff down. But players will want want to relate to their operatives, and you’ll want them to want to play often. Players are happiest when they’re able to create the operative t hey imagine without rules getting in their way. way. However, it’s also valid to strictly enforce the rules and tell players they’ll have to develop their t heir characters into the operative they envision. When Game Mastering operative generation, you basically have two options. These options won’t necessarily reflect how you run your games; operative creation is a different thing from storytelling or game mastering a mission.

MR. NICE GUY In this method, you listen to the needs of your players and bend any rule that gets in the way of their their envisioned operative. If a player opts to roll his ability scores, for instance, and ends up with nothing over 45% then he’s not go ing to be happy (especially if everyone else got stellar stellar scores). Tell him his die rolling offends you and give him the fixed ability set set to distribute: 65, 60, 55, and 50. If he rolls an origin that makes absolutely no sense to his concept, but lacks any remaining bones to spend on choosing choosing a different one… work with him. Tell him you didn’t see see the dice and you’d like him to re -roll. If anyone else else complains, tell them you’ll give them one reroll too. Just do whatever it takes to make the players make operatives they’ll enjoy playing.

STRICT ARBITER In this method, you enforce the rules strictly. That doesn’t mean you should be mean, of course. If a player has a vision of how his operative should be but the dice take him in a different direction, encourage him to spend bones to help direct the operative to meet his concept. Or, encourage him to accept what he rolled and to work with it. Tell him to be open and creative to embracing this background and incorporating it into his concept. Let him know that through development development point expenditure, he can grow his operative into the character he envisioned.

CREATE OPERATIVES AS A GROUP It is recommended that you gather your intended gaming group together and go through the steps of operative creation together during your first first session. This OPERATIVE CREATION

PG 3

CH 02

OPERATIVES

game works best when each operative operative has a special role. A good strategic response team consists of several specialists, specialists, all working together expertly. If the operatives work together, one will want to play a combat specialist, another a stealthy infiltration specialist, another will want to play the role of the pilot, another the controller. Someone could play the faceman, another the sleuth. If operative generation is done individually, the team will be less cohesive and your job will be more complicated because you’ll have to find ways to challenge an unbalanced team while not exploiting its weaknesses.

PRIORITIZED ABILITIES Consider this optional ability score generation method. method. It was considered for inclusion in the core rulebook to allow for a consistency between abilities and skills but was dropped because it was inconsistent with previously-released games using TM the d00Lite system.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ABILITIES Select one ability which is primary to your character concept. Then select one which is secondary. The other two are considered typical. You don’t have to write which is primary or secondary on your operative dossier; simply make a mental note of it or lightly write a “P” or “S” next to the t he abilities (erase after the next step).

ROLL SCORES Next, roll on the following table once for each ability, using the column which applies. Note that a “typical” ability can still result in a high score if players roll well. ROLL

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

TYPICAL

00-02 03-09 10-21 22-38 39-60 61-77 78-89 90-96 97-99

55 58 61 64 67 70 73 76 79

45 49 53 57 61 65 69 73 77

35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

SPENDING A BONE Players may choose to spend a k if they’re unhappy with a rolled score. Simply allow the player to reroll (and continue to do so until he scores a higher result). If a player wishes to reroll a score which is already quite high, consider just increasing the score by +5 (if typical), +4 (if secondary), or +3 (if primary) to avoid waiting for a hundred rerolls.

PG 4

PRIORITIZED ABILITIES

OPERATIVES

CH 02

UNDERSTANDING ABILITY SCORES Okay, so your operatives have scores. What do they mean? Clearly it’s obvious when compared one against another; everyone knows an operative with a STR score of 60 is stronger than an operative with a STR score score of 55, but how much stronger? The lists which follow provide some descriptive explanations.

STRENGTH …15

16-30 31-45

46-55

56-70 71-85

86…

Terminally weak, terminally ill, very young children or frail elderly. Very poor strength possessed by youth and elderly. May be able to lift own weight with extreme effort, but only because this person p erson is likely puny. Below average strength, perhaps normal in size and stature but has never done a hard (or perhaps too many) day’s labor. Lowest STR score that a player operative should possess. Able to lift own mass unless severely severely overweight. accustomed to the sweat of of hard labor. Typical strength. Currently (or once) accustomed Common STR score for player operatives. Can lift own body mass along with with worn and carried gear fairly fairly easily. Can dead-man carry another operative. operative. Very strong. Regular weight lifting or blessed genetic makeup. Can carry a struggling human. Either very heavy or very athletic athletic looking. Extreme weight lifter strength. Highest likely STR for an operative. Only obtainable through extreme extreme weight-lifting, weight-lifting, intense exercise, exercise, or chemical chemical aid. Can carry a couple humans and still haul a heavy backpack. Olympic-level weight lifter. Extremely difficult to maintain this weight without eating a lot of proteins and engaging engaging in intense weight lifting exercise. exercise. Rarely tires and possesses fortitude fortitude that defies conventional conventional belief. As long as his convictions convictions align with his employer, this is the perfect operative.

DEXTERITY disabled or elderly. Can’t really run and certainly can’t Feeble athletic ability. The disabled jump. Must be very careful with all movements to avoid falling or making some kind of accident. No operative could could survive with a DEX this low. low. 16-30 Poor hand-eye coordination. Possessing no training training and poor ability. Very careful movements, falls a lot, and wears the bruises and scratches of the truly clumsy. 31-45 Below average agility and coordination. Can manage well enough but isn’t probably winning any dance contests. Minimum DEX for a player player operative. 46-55 Typical maneuverability, balance, and aim. Average for player operatives. May possess some level of formal training, and likely engages in occasional exercise. 56-70 Very athletic with an extremely extremely steady steady hand. Engages in regular training and exercise. Probably has some level level of athletic coaching, coaching, superior talent, or or formal training (or all three). just about any sport effectively, effectively, could even even make 71-85 Extremely athletic. Can manage just a career of it. Extraordinary talent mixed with regular regular training. Can perform gymnastics and acrobatics quite easily. 86… Olympic athletic ability. Amazing levels of natural balance, grace, and coordination mixed mixed with intense regular regular training. Someone with this level of of training and talent can win medals in the Olympics. As long as his convictions align with his employer, this is the perfect operative. …15

UNDERSTANDING ABILITY SCORES

PG 5

CH 02

OPERATIVES

LOGIC of machines. Feeble intellect. Has trouble understanding all but the simplest of Possesses a fair grasp of own native language but any other language has a thick accent. Likely possesses no completed formal diploma. Impaired or diminished perceptive ability. Often distracted or unaware of surroundings. 16-30 Poor deductive capacity, limited education, poor instincts, or a little slow on the uptake. Otherwise perfectly functional functional in society. High school school education, education, perhaps perhaps with some skilled professional training. Can grasp grasp complex complex machines and technology if shown how. Intelligence Quotient (I.Q.) below 100. Is unlikely to be a master of one, but has knowledge of a fair number nu mber of topics. 31-45 Below average perception and logic. Most people fall into this general general category, category, possessing an I.Q. of around 100. Probably some vocational vocational training, a professional professional certification, and an an excellent grasp grasp of own native language. Possesses a diverse amount of knowledge about a fair number of topics. common eye for for detail. Probably has 46-55 Typical powers of deductive reasoning with a common 1-3 years of college behind him. Plays Sudoku and/or and/or Mahjong and can can manage crossword puzzles. This is the most common range for player operatives. I.Q. probably between between 105 and 115. Reads a little little and is knowledgeable knowledgeable about a large number of topics, with key expertise in a few. operatives fall in this category. Good enough enough grasp of 56-70 Perceptive and sharp. Many operatives linguistics that regional dialects dialects can be discerned and copied. Can work through complex puzzles and can can draw inspired conclusions from given facts. Probably has an I.Q. of around 120 and is a college graduate. graduate. Can grasp complex cutting edge machines and improve what he grasps. Possesses a large amount of of knowledge about a vast array of topics. Can do well on Jeopardy. 71-85 Extremely intuitive, vastly knowledgeable, and able to deduce creative conclusions from seemingly seemingly few clues. Likely possesses possesses one or more more college degrees, perhaps even possesses a PhD or MD. Has an I.Q. above 130. Usually figures out “who “who did it” before ever reaching the last chapter of a book, though probably reads a variety of books and publications publications all the time. time. May even possess a patent or two, two, and is able to accomplish great academic things. 86… Genius intellect. Seems to know everything everything about everything, everything, and whatever whatever he doesn’t know he has the capacity to discern from very few clues, facts, or written works. Possesses an I.Q. above above 140, and likely likely has a PhD from from an ivy ivy league university, and may even even have more more than one. Can perform calculus in his head. May even possess an eidetic memory. memory. Sees patterns and connections connections that others cannot, leading to conclusions that that change our understanding of the universe. universe. As long as his convictions align with his employer, this is the perfect p erfect operative. …15

WILLPOWER unlikeable, quiet, or annoying. annoying. Feeble willpower and presence. Is probably very unlikeable, Probably fails to uphold convictions when when they become obstacles. obstacles. Easily persuaded or brainwashed. Not an acceptable acceptable WIL for operatives. 16-30 Poor determination and charisma. Functional within society, but isn’t very persuasive and lacks presence. Doesn’t speak well in front of crowds but makes friends well enough. …15

PG 6

UNDERSTANDING ABILITY SCORES

OPERATIVES

CH 02

casual level of interrogation interrogation or 31-45 Below average mental fortitude. Can withstand a casual torture, but isn’t prepared for torture or prolonged interrogation. Makes and and keeps lifelong friends, but is perhaps a bit shy sh y or socially limited. about things when needed. needed. Can resist resist 46-55 Typical human willpower. Can be stubborn about temptations and apply solid convictions convictions against common common obstacles. Can withstand moderate levels of interrogation and very low levels of torture before breaking. Manages perfectly well in normal society, but might feel out of place in social situations which are not common to the operative. 56-70 Very willful. Makes friends and allies with minimal effort. Most people automatically like like this character. Can maintain personal personal convictions convictions against nearly all obstacles. Doesn’t become addicted to to things easily. Can withstand withstand impressive amounts of torture and interrogatio in terrogation. n. 71-85 Extreme mental fortitude. Can resist resist interrogation interrogation without breaking a sweat. sweat. Can fool a lie detector with effort. Will endure intense hardship before ever considering violating convictions. Makes friends friends and lovers lovers with with a smile and a nod. Can even even endure intense torture without giving up information. information. Captivates crowds when he speaks, if that is his intention. Cannot be mentally mentally conditioned unless he chooses to allow allow it. Cannot be hypnotized. 86… Indomitable mental fortitude and force of presence. p resence. Sees personal convictions as a force of nature which cannot be violated. violated. This operative cannot be conditioned or brainwashed, and is all but immune immune to both torture torture and interrogation. interrogation. He can integrate into any social situation nearly flawlessly, and can convince just about anyone to assist assist him with some time and effort. He has a presence presence which, if he chooses to use it, practically fills a room and can invoke fear, desire, or brotherhood. As long as his convictions align align with his employer, this is the perfect operative.

UNDERSTANDING SKILL LEVELS Everyone knows that a level 2 skill is better than a level level 1 skill, right? Well how much does it really really mean? How far could an operative operative with a level 3 skill get along in a profession which relies heavily on that skill? The first thing to remember is that skill level only represents knowledge, training, and experience. Talent plays a huge role in an operative’s overall skill (which (which is why all skill scores are derived from ability ability scores). Players wanting to increase increase their overall overall skill percentage score should weigh whether development points are better spent increasing a skill’s level or the ability score upon which its score is built. Additionally, when viewing viewing the level breakdown below, players shouldn’t think their starting -rank operatives are mere minions minions or disrespected disrespected apprentices. Player operatives operatives possess a high amount of of talent and unlimited potential, which is why they were recruited in the first place. Although they are untested, they are respected. Remember Remember that skill is not the same as profession, despite despite the way they are named. A soldier, for instance, likely possesses skill levels in soldier and martial artist, and a good soldier would take levels in leader and scout as well. Players shouldn’t feel like they are

UNDERSTANDING SKILL LEVELS

PG 7

CH 02

OPERATIVES

boxed into seeing skills as “character classes” but as individual broadly -reaching skillsets whose roles are typical for several types of professions/careers. professions/careers.

LEVELS 1 Novice. Apprentice. Internship. First year or so of experience. Still considered to be learning. Someone with with training, experience, experience, or knowledge, but not all three. three. This is a nice skill level from which to start a career, especially if you have high potential. Some employers employers prefer to hire people of this skill level level because they can be molded, and do not come to the table with false knowledge and inaccurate assumptions. However, the entry-level entry-level wage for someone someone with this level of ability is limited. experience or perhaps an associate’s degree, or an 2 Journeyman. A couple years of experience apprentice with a high amount amount of experience or knowledge. Could perform the job job functions of a career which which relies on this skill and earn earn a fair entry-level entry-level wage. A character can actually obtain a high level of respect and ability with this degree of skill alone, once he proves himself through acquired experience and knowledge, especially if his skill is balanced by a high degree degree of natural ability. This is an an important milestone for an operative’s path to excellence, and can be acquired fairly quickly (a single mission is usually enough to earn an operative enough DP to raise a skill level from level 1 to level 2). 3 Professional. A few years of experience or perhaps a b achelor’s degree. This is a typical skill level for someone who performs the functions of a career professionally. It represents a level of skill which is no longer learning (except to stay current) but also adding to the the collective knowledge knowledge base of a profession. This is a level of skill that most operatives strive for because it marks the beginning of excellence, though it also marks the begging of the point of diminishing returns on development point expenditure (from this point onward, it is unlikely or impossible to earn enough DP from one session to purchase a level upgrade). 4 Expert. Several years of experience or perhaps a m aster’s degree. An expert is highly sought and and well paid. paid. Experts can often often be sought sought for training, training, and might even have innovations which have have been professionally published. published. The character has a lot of respect in the professions which rely on this skill, but is relatively unknown outside those professions. experience or perhaps a doctorate degree. Well respected and has a 5 Elite. Vast experience reputation world-wide for excellence, even among professions not directly d irectly related to the skill in question . People don’t become elite just chasing a paycheck; they are devoted to this skill. Elite operatives don’t just train others, they write the books from which training is derived. derived. People quote the wisdom wisdom of people with elite elite levels of training and experience. renown for talent, talent, training and experience experience by all professions and 6 Master. World renown social circles. circles. Vast knowledge, expert expert training, and years of experience experience have made this operative the best best there is at what what he does. People become become novices because because they want to emulate emulate this master. This operative defines defines a profession. profession.

PG 8


OPERATIVES

CH 02

SKILLS ARE NOT PROFESSIONS P ROFESSIONS Skills are not “Character Class es” or professions, despite similar naming conventions. A soldier profession, for instance, isn't just someone who shoots things and blows things up. A soldier (by profession) is normally also capable in hand to hand combat, many are capable pilots, scouts or thieves (recon scouts or other special forces), or have skills in tech or science, etc. Some are leaders as well. However, the soldier skill only covers shooting things and blowing things up. To be a very effective soldier requires a lot of training in various skills, one of which is called "soldier." Similarly, there is no "spy" "spy" skill. An effective spy is someone with a diverse collection of skills. Likewise, many scientists have technical skills, etc.

SKILL SCOPE Some skills are very broad in scope while others are somewhat narrower, but that is by design. We wanted to avoid "dump" skills - skills that are there just for the sake sake of completeness, not really to be all that helpful in game. Most RPGs have these. Many players avoid them unless necessary. The more useful a skill is to action and adventure, the more narrowly focused it is in these rules. Academic, for instance, is by far the broadest skill, and could have been several different skills. But in a lite game designed for fast-paced action and and adventure, how would having more skills impact the pace of the game? So instead we made a single Academic skill and forced those who take levels in it to specify a “focus” to help narrow down their particular flavor of academics. In short, we intentionally aggressively categorize certain skills. In the end, all 10 skills are worth taking, either because they have a very direct impact on action and adventure (a part which we all enjoy), or because they're sufficiently comprehensive and broad-reaching that you get plenty of options for the DP investment.

SKILL-BALANCING A TEAM Generally, if you’re running a regular game with the same players, they’ll work together to build their operatives so that they can accomplish just about anything Command throws at them. You should of course encourage this. Ultimately, operatives will need to have abilities which cover all four of the following categories:

Confiscation – Thief skill levels or a very high DEX score which provides a decent default thief score. score. Operatives are often called called upon to steal things, plant evidence, infiltrate bases, or avoid alert guards.  Elimination – Soldier and/or martial artist skill levels, or a very high STR or DEX score which provides a good enough default d efault score for soldier and martial artist skills. Fights are not only inevitable, but common. 


PG 9

CH 02

OPERATIVES

DE X score which Transportation – Someone with pilot skills or a very high DEX provides a decent default default pilot score. Operatives are often forced to drive, fly, or operate vehicles in stressful situations.  Investigation – Someone with detective and/or academic skills, or possessing a very high LOG score to have a sufficient default detective score. Operatives must often often look for clues, analyze information, decode messages, etc. 

But sometimes you do n’t have a whole team of players, just one or two. Or sometimes you’ll GM a session for players whose operatives were generated before they ever sat down down together. That’s where you have have to give some consideration consideration to balancing the team. team. There are basically 3 ways to do it. CUSTOMIZE THE MISSION

Tailor the mission to the capabilities of player ’s operatives. This option is generally easy if you’re creating creating missions yourself. If you’re using a pre-written mission, you’ll have to read it thoroughly and remove or modify sections which rely on skills published mission mission for which your player’s team lacks capability. For instance, if a published has players facing a large battle when they are low in the Elimination category, give them a way to talk their way out of it, sneak past the enemy, enemy, etc. Alternatively you could keep the encounter in place but reduce the number of enemy combatants to give the operatives a fighting chance. INCREASE THE TEAM SIZE Provide an NPC o r two who has capabilities where your player’s team is deficient.

You can create the NPC operative yourself, or you can use a predefined operative archetype. It is up to you if you want to to force the players to pay for such skilled skilled backup with their equipment allowance. Command has a lot of field operatives, and they want to assure mission success as much as possible. po ssible. TRAIN THE TEAM

Hand out levels to the deficient players free of charge, explaining that they just got back from supplementary operative operative training. If you do this, be fair to all players. players. You can give everyone a level in the same missing skill, or can give a level in a different skill to each op erative, but don’t invalidate the usefulness of a player’s operative by making everyone as capable as he is at something which was his initial character concept. It’s not fun fun if everyone can can do one another’s job. Don’t bother deducting the cost of the added skill (3DP) from that session’s development point award; it’s not really worth it in i n the grand scheme of things.

PG 10


OPERATIVES

CH 02

OPERATIVE TRAINING CENTER Players roll on the following table to determine where Command sent them for training. After determining the location, players may select one of the options presented for that training center center locale. This table uses locations locations from the optional broad brush-stroke SECTOR setting provided provided in the core core book. If not using using that setting, adjust as necessary.

SPENDING A BONE Players may spend a bone to choose a training center rather than accept the one rolled, or to choose two options for their rolled training center. ROLL TRAINING OPTIONS

1 Beijing

 Speak Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese, or

Mongolian Mongolian

 A

criminal contact contact in a triad or tong  +10 to pilot skill checks (if have at least 1 level in Pilot) 2 Brussels  Speak French, Spanish, Italian, German, or Dutch  A European law-enforcement law-enforcement or counterintelligence counterintelligence contact contact  Has a family member, friend, or contact in MERK  Speak Japanese 3 Tokyo  A 3-point gadget gadget of your design permanently permanently assigned assigned  +10 to Academics checks (if have at least 1 level in Academic)  Speak Hindi, Bengali, Pakistani, Nepali, or Pashto 4 New  3-points of unsanctioned gear, Command seems to look the other way if Delhi they learn about gear.  Has an arms-dealing contact somewhere in the Middle East. 5 Sydney  Owns a large piece of property in the Australian outback  An Australian secret secret service or mercenary contact  +10 to Scout skill checks (if have at least 1 level in Scout)  Owns a beat-up outdated gray sedan (refurbished police car) 6 New  A New York Police Department Department contact York  +10 to Thief or Detective skill checks (choose one. Only receive bonus if have at least one level in chosen skill).  Speaks Spanish 7 San  Tanned, good-looking good-looking and benefitted from a personal trainer (+10 to WIL Diego checks dealing with the opposite gender)  Has access (clearance, knowledge of a secret entrance, etc.) to the Archive.  Speak any one extra language 8 Sao  Has a Brazilian contact in ABIN (intelligence agency), or a favor from a Paulo Brazilian wealthy business owner.  Is owed a favor from a highly skilled Brazilian hit man. 9 Istanbul  Speak Turkish, Kumanji, or Arabic  One extra martial maneuver (if have at least 1 level in Martial Arts)  Has a Turkish criminal, government, or espionage contact 10 Moscow  Speak Russian, Chechen, Armenian, Georgian, or Ukrainian  Has a contact in the Russian secret service or among the e nigmatic nigmatic and still present KGB.  Harsh weather training, +10 to Scout checks (if at least 1 level)

OPERATIVE TRAINING CENTER

PG 11

CH 02

OPERATIVES

ROUNDING OUT AN OPERATIVE Use these tables however you see see fit to help round out an operative. None of the results of these tables affects ability scores, skills, or anything statistical on the operative dossier, though things like vision correction and number of native languages may or may not be something you’re willing to leave up to dice. ROLL

GENDER

ROLL

00-49 50-99

Female Male

00-75 76-98 98-99

ROLL

00 01 02 03 04-05 06-07 08-09 10-29 30-49 50-69 70-89 90-92 93-95 96-97 98 99

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

00-02 03-08 09-16 17-27 28-41 42-57 58-71 72-82 83-90 91-96 97-99

Skinny Very Thin Thin Lean Below Average Average Above Average Husky Heavy Very Heavy Obese

PG 12

------ MALE ------

Extremely Short Very Short Very Short Short Short Below Average Below Average Below Average Average Above Average Above Average Tall Tall Very Tall Very Tall Extremely Tall

ROLL

HANDEDNESS

5’2” 5’3” 5’4” 5’5” 5’6” 5’7” 5’8” 5’9” 5’10” 5’11” 6’ 6’1” 6’2” 6’3” 6’4” 6’5”

------ FEMALE ------

118 lbs 124 lbs 130 lbs 136 lbs 142 lbs 148 lbs 154 lbs 160 lbs 166 lbs 172 lbs 178 lbs 184 lbs 190 lbs 196 lbs 202 lbs 208 lbs

ADJUSTMENT

ROLL

-30 lbs -25 lbs -20 lbs -15 lbs -10 lbs +/-5 lbs +10 lbs +20 lbs +30 lbs +40 lbs +50 lbs

00-24 25-74 75-99

ROUNDING OUT AN OPERATIVE

Right Left Ambidextrous

4’9” 4’10” 4’11” 5’ 5’1” 5’2” 5’3” 5’4” 5’5” 5’6” 5’7” 5’8” 5’9” 5’10” 5’11” 6’

90 lbs 93 lbs 96 lbs 100 lbs 105 lbs 110 lbs 115 lbs 120 lbs 125 lbs 130 lbs 135 lbs 140 lbs 145 lbs 150 lbs 155 lbs 160 lbs

AGE

Young Typical Mature

12+1D yrs 15+2D yrs 18+3D yrs

ROLL

VISION CORRECTION

00-69 70-89 90-99

No Correction Required Glasses or Contacts Needed Glasses Needed*

* Although not common, some people cannot use contacts.

OPERATIVES ROLL

NATIVE LANGUAGES (used instead of making LOG check)

ROLL

HAIR TYPE

00-74 75-94 95-99

Monolingual Bilingual Trilingual

00-29 30-69 70-99

Straight Wavy Curly

1 Native Language 2 Native Languages 3 Native Languages

ROLL

HAIR COLOR

ROLL

HAIR LENGTH

00-14 15-37 38-53 54-68 69-76 77-84 85-91 92-99

Black Brown Blond Auburn Chestnut Red Gray White

00-04 05-14 15-29 30-49 50-69 70-84 85-94 95-99

Bald Buzzed Short Medium Shoulder-length Long Very long Cut it, Rapunzel

CH 02

Males: Roll twice and take lowest result.

ROLL

EYE COLOR

00-04 05-34 35-49 50-64 65-74 75-84 85-94 95-99

Black Brown Blue Green Hazel Amber Gray Two different, roll twice

Females: Roll twice and take highest result.

ROUNDING OUT AN OPERATIVE

PG 13

CH 02

OPERATIVES

EXAMPLE OF OPERATIVE CREATION Although the process of creating an operative is detailed in the Covert Ops core rulebook, presented below is a detailed detailed step-by-step example. example. Refer here when something is unclear from the book. Some additional sidebar sidebar notes contain additional concepts, ideas, and explanations for the GM. Joshua wants to create an operative and grabs a blank copy of the operative dossier, 3 bones, several dice, and a pencil. pencil. He follows the steps outlined in the core rulebook. Origin – There is an optional alternative to using Origins on page 17. You can allow a player to have a second option from their origin by spending a bone. Abilities – Joshua didn’t, but he could have spent one of his bones to improve a score. If he wanted a higher WIL, for instance, he’d spend that bone and roll until he rolled a better better score score than than 62. If he wanted to get an even higher DEX score, he could even roll until he got a score above 71, though you’d all have to have patience while he rolled for a while. If using the predefined scores a player may spend a bone to reroll one of those scores as well. Skills – Players don’t have to place any of their starting skill levels in skills which have been labeled primary or secondary. In fact, some players prefer not to, placing levels in skills which cannot be used unskilled so their operative has more diverse options on their first few missions. Two skills skills require you to select a focus; you can allow players to spend a bone on a second focus, giving them more diverse starting options.

PG 14

1. ORIGIN Joshua rolls on the Origin table and gets “Diplomat.” This isn’t at all what he wanted. The GM informs him that he can cash in a bone to choose a different result. He doesn’t want to give up a bone (he wants to save them for in-game use later). He decides to keep the roll and focuses on the concept of an “interpreter.” Joshua decides his ace pilot used to travel around the world as an interpreter helping large corporations and governments settle contract disputes before he became an operative. He chooses the option that gives him a level 1 Academic skill and notes it on his sheet, intending to pick up Pilot in step 3.

2. ABILITIES Joshua rolls ability scores as follows: 65, 62 70 and 71. He envisions an ace pilot who can fly anything, carries a gun and wears a baseball cap. He looks at the skill list and notes that pilots use DEX. He assigns STR 65, DEX 71, LOG 70 and WIL 62. These are excellent scores; Joshua is excited about his operative.

3. SKILLS Next Joshua records Pilot as his Primary skill and Academic as his secondary (it fits his new concept). He then records level 1 for Pilot and focuses in Air vehicles. His origin gave him a level 1 academic skill, and he focuses in “linguist,” which allows him to select another starting language. He chooses Arabic, and decides much of his corporate interpreter past centered on the Middle East.

EXAMPLE OF OPERATIVE CREATION

OPERATIVES

4. DESCRIPTORS DESCRIPTORS Joshua has something in mind by reading through the creation process. He records “Afraid of the dark” and “Likes to show off”.

5. MORAL CODE Joshua picks guiding aspects for his operati ve’s moral code. He sees his operative as very kind (he helps those in need), totally focused (keen focus on the task at hand, that’s what pilot training taught him), somewhat selfish (he likes to get his way now and then), very honorable (he is loyal to his teammates) and totally brave (he won’t give up a fight). He records these on his sheet and likes how his operative is shaping up.

6. OUTFITTING Joshua’s operative has an equipment allowanc e of 6. He’s used to a certain lifestyle and picks Traveler’s Lifestyle for a cost of 3 and a bullet proof vest for 3 more. He records these along with the operative pack and semi-auto pistol (with spare ammo upgrade) he gets for free.

7. FINAL DETAILS Joshua goes through the checklist:  He would have a score of 70/2+10=45% for academic but adds +10 since it’s his secondary skill, so he has 55%, which applies to uses of linguistics or researcher.  Since his LOG score is 70, he records 70/2=35% for detective skill.  He gets a 0% score in leader , since it can’t be used unskilled and he has no levels.  He records 65/2=33% for martial arts.  He has to record 0% in medic.  Pilot gets to be 71/2, +10 for his h is skill level, +20 for it being his primary primary skill = 66%. 66%. Awesome. He decides not to specialize so he can pilot all land and air vehicles equally.  His scout score is 70/2=35%.  His soldier score is 71/2=36%. Not winning any shooting contests until he can spend DP. DP . 

His technician score is 0% since he can’t use it unskilled.  He records his thief score as 71/2=36%, not horrible but not great.

CH 02

Descriptors – Help players pick descriptors that are easy to demonstrate during game play. Moral Code – Not all people know their moral convictions on all things until those convictions are truly tested. This is especially especially true with with young people. people. If you’d like, you can allow a player who is struggling with making decisive choices on moral code to wait until the character’s moral code comes into question and then define them. This allows more freedom of choice for a player to play his operative during early missions while he seeks answers to internal questions. Don’t just do this for expedience; offer it only when someone is truly torn about their operative’s morality. Also note note that there is an optional alternative to using moral code, see page 29. page 29. Outfitting – Players don’t need to spend all their initial equipment allowance now. Doing so during operative creation helps to build a character concept, however, and the player should be encouraged to spend some to pick some signature gear. Opportunities Opportunities for pre-mission outfitting do not always present themselves, so being prepared is better than having a pool of unusable points on an operative dossier. Also, there are several optional rules relating to outfitting, including the use of cash instead of the standard equipment allowance system, see page 21. page 21. Final Details – It might look like a lot of math, this process goes much smoother and quicker than it appears in the example text!


PG 15

CH 02

OPERATIVES

Now that he has all of his skills done, he records the following:  Joshua records English as a native language. He also speaks Arabic (due to the Linguist focus of his Academic Academic skill). skill). He makes a LOG check and succeeds, so begins with fluency in one more language. He chooses Mandarin, and his interpreter concept is coming together nicely.  He records 65/2=33 body points (BP). His GM

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informs him he’s pretty rugged, since a minor NPC has only 10BP. Since his DEX and LOG are both 65 or higher, he benefits from an an INIT score of 3. A man of action; he’ll get to act first much of the time. Since his DEX and STR are both 65 or higher, he records a 10 for his MOV score. Since Joshua didn’t spend any of his bones during character creation, he records 3 for his bones score. He records 1 for rank and 0 for development points (DP). Since he has a bulletproof vest, he records DR score of 5 . It’s not going going to keep him alive in a heavy weapons fight, but should keep him from being killed by a single bullet or two. For his semi-auto pistol he records 36%, damage 2D+5 (normally 2D+2, but his DEX bonus adds +3), range M, ammo ammo 10. He hopes he doesn’t have to fire his weapon in the first mission or two so he can improve it later through development.

He names his operative Maverick (“Mav”) Kendall, a citizen of the USA and describes him as a tall, lean man with black hair and dark brown eyes. In his former career he was an experienced interpreter travelling the globe to assist in negotiating contracts between various corporations and governments. Now he’s a pilot operative working for Command.

Describing Operatives – Operatives – There are several items on the sheet to help players envision their operatives: age, gender, height, weight, and a more general “Appearance” entry where a player may note anything he wishes, from hair color and length to eye color. Specifying a nationality or race in the appearance section might be helpful as well. None of this matters mechanically, since all humans are equal statistically, but it helps players envision their operatives. If you want your players to use them, there are some optional tables provided in this chapter; see page 12. page 12. Background – Each operative has an origin, but what is his story? How did he get recruited by Command to become an operative? What is he trying to accomplish in life, what are his ambitions? Although little room exists on the operative dossier for elaborate stories, GMs should encourage players to develop rich background stories (which must be approved, of course) for their operatives. To encourage encourage this, this, you should consider “throwing a bone” to any player who, within the first mission, provides a solid background story for their character. This suggestion isn’t mandatory, but it helps you to build better missions which challenge not only the skills and talents of the operatives, but engages the players themselves in solid role-playing and character development.

Cliché Operatives – Encourage your players to model their operatives off characters from their favorite stories, stories, shows, and movies. movies. Especially those those players who sit down to make an operative but don’t have a unique concept of their own. Being able to relate to your operative is important, and imagining him doing the things you want him to do is much easier if you already have an imaginative basis from which to start. Don’t be concerned if the players create cliché stereotypes – they’re only cliché because they work.

PG 16


OPERATIVES

CH 02

ORIGINS

PG 17

ORIGINS Origins are a replacement for race selection in other games. In BareBones Fantasy RPG, for instance, characters are built with a race selection, followed by skill and ability determination. In Covert Covert Ops, or in the modern world in general, race is just a cultural/cosmetic thing and doesn’t carry with it any modifiers. Players can be any race or nationality they choose. However, they do have backgrounds, professions, etc. We call this an operative’s operative’s Origin. This helps define the character’s upbringing prior to becoming an operative working for Command. Some effort was made to create a list of origins which is comprehensive by its categorical nature, not by its exhaustiveness. Therefore, players shouldn’t need need you to create new origins to help define their background… just pick one which categorically is similar to what they’re looking for.

NOT USING ORIGINS You don’t HAVE to use the origins list. If you’d prefer, simply replace the origins step in character creation (step 1) with the following. Just allow players to roll one of the following background benefits or spend a bone to select instead: ROLL

BACKGROUND

00-19 20-34 35-44

Gifted Add 5 to an ability score. score. Experienced Place a level 1 in a skill. Well-Equipped Add 6 to Equipment Allowance. Traveler’s Lifestyle and add 3 Established to Equipment Allowance. Add 1 to MOV. Quick Alert Add 1 to INIT. Tough Add 5 to BP. Talented +10 to an ability check under a specific circumstance. Diverse Subtract 5 from lowest ability, then re-roll twice, ignoring results of 95+

45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85-94 95-99

BENEFIT

CH 02

OPERATIVES

SKILLS ATHLETIC SKILLS There are no skills which represent an operative’s abi lity to run fast, jump high, climb well, swing from a rope, balance on a branch, etc. Acts of athletic ability use straight ability checks. If a player wants to represent his operative’s athletic skill , he should buy up his dexterity and strength scores.

NON-ADVENTURING SKILLS Where are they? You may get a player who asks how he would explain that his operative is a carpenter, baker, sculptor, etc. These types of things are not necessary to codify in this role-playing game. Skills represent broader archetypical classifications of ability and training appropriate to the genre, not specific finite application of non-adventuring ability.

OPTION: DESCRIPTORS AS BACKGROUND SKILLS If you want a player’s operative to have a non-adventuring background that might come into play occasionally, you could always suggest that he specify it as one of his hi s descriptors. For instance, an operative has a descriptor of “skilled painter.” This might not often come into play, but a creative player could demonstrate it in imaginative ways. Encountering people who know of the operative’s more known paintings could result in some fun role-playing. Also, a player player might demonstrate his descriptor by relying on his composition experience and knowledge to identify where a concealed compartment might be in a painted object… by considering how he would have hidden it by creative application of color or texture. Descriptors don’t give you bonuses to actions, but when players demonstrate them during play they get rewarded by gaining bonus development points, which helps them excel in other things. You should should be able to handle most non-adventuring skills and abilities using descriptors. If you think a player’s request necessitates a new skill with more adventurous use, read on.

CREATING NEW SKILLS To create a new new skill, specify four aspects aspects or abilities. These might be simple and self-evident (see the pilot skill) or might have some complexity (see the leader skill), but all the aspects should be within within scope of, and not a duplicate duplicate of, those found. If you cannot come up with four unique aspects, then perhaps the skill isn’t broad enough to work within the scope of this categorical skill system. Next, decide which ability score would be used for most of the skill’s aspects and whether or not the skill’s aspects can be used unskilled. Lastly, decide whether or not specialization should be allowed. Normally, specialization is only appropriate for non-combative skills (to prevent “min/maxing”). Describe the types of specializations that make sense for the skill in question. PG 18

SKILLS

OPERATIVES

CH 02

EXAMPLE: CREATING NEW SKILLS A player wants to make a skill called “merchant” to represent the fact that before joining Command his operative was an arms dealer. You decide he should have the ability to spot a bad deal (or a good one!) with a skill check in case someone tries to pass faulty merchandise. T he first aspect you give him is “appraise.” Easy enough. Next, selling high and buying low is a real game of economics which is normally a focus of the academics skill, so you decide to leave economics out of it. Instead, you focus on a second aspect, “haggling,” which allows the merchant to make a skill check to lower an asking price of one item by an amount equal to his merchant skill level (minimum cost 1, may only try once per mission) when outfitting for a mission. Next, a merchant knows where to to find what he needs. Because of his intimate familiarity with markets (black or otherwise), the merchant operative can make a skill check to learn learn where and if an item item can be acquired. He may do this once per session. This doesn’t give the merchant merchant the means means to get it, but he discovers where he can obtain it. He announces to the GM what he wants and makes a skill check. If successful, the GM tells him where he can get his hands on it. The player likes this suggestion but asks if it can work both ways: if he can use the ability to know a fence or dealer who would be willing to pay for contraband or other obtained goods. The GM likes this and decides decides to name it “market “market scrounging.” Three out of four aspects are done. The player and GM scratch their heads and come up with another aspect: what merchant could survive with bad press? A merchant, if he is to be successful, needs to be a master of public representation and spin, needs to be able to sell a product and let his company look good doing it. The GM calls this ability “spin doctor” and it allows the merchant to make a skill check to identify spin, spin, create spin, or to to oppose it. Although this one is a bit more story-based than the others, i t’s a valid niche to fill in the skill list. The GM looks through the four aspects. Appraise sounds like a LOG LOG act, while haggling sounds like it would require WIL. Market scrounging and spin doctor both sound like they would use LOG, so he decides the skill is based on LOG and records it as “half LOG plus 10 x merchant level.” Since this isn’t a combat -related skill, the GM decides to allow area specialization, defining it as “specific types of products or markets” which allows an operative to pick “arms dealing” as an area of specialization, thus permitting the player’s original concept.

SKILLS

PG 19

CH 02

OPERATIVES

MERCHANT

This skill represents training and experience in making deals, appraising valuables, or obtaining goods from obscure sources. Score: Half LOG +10 per merchant level. Appraise – Represents knowledge of the quality and authenticity of works of value. With a skill check, the approximate value of an item may be assessed, as well as the presence of a phony.  Haggling – During outfitting section of a mission, this operative can haggle for a better deal. deal. This allows him to (with a skill check) lower the cost of any one item by an amount equal to his merchant skill level. The cost of the item may not be reduced lower than 1.  Market Scrounging – Once per game session, the merchant can make a skill check when he or his team needs to obtain something. If successful, the merchant knows who who has what is needed. This doesn’t give him the means to obtain it, only the knowledge of where wher e he may go to get it.  Spin Doctor – Being a master of spin and reputation management, this allows the merchant to make a skill check to identify spin (lies designed to manipulate public opinion), create spin, or oppose it. This is an openended story-based aspect of the merchant skill. 

Specializing: Many merchants specialize in one type of market or even a specific product. Normally, your score represents your ability ability to appraise, appraise, haggle, scrounge, scrounge, or spin any type of market/product. If you specialize, specialize, however, you receive a +10 bonus when your area of specialty is concerned. In other markets or products you have a -10 penalty. You can only specialize specialize at the time of operative creation, creation , and cannot change your specialization later. PG 20

SKILLS

OPERATIVES

CH 02

OUTFITTING CREATING SPECIFIC FIREARMS Defining statistics modeled from real-world firearms is a very subjective process. Every expert and hobbyist has his own take on what makes a weapon fire accurately or have more stopping power, and few will agree on these things. If you desire more complexity in your games and want to try to model real-world weapons, you can use these optional guidelines. 1. 2.

3.

4. 5. 6.

Start with a base weapon from the outfitting tables. Apply one or more of the following, each increases the cost by +1:  +5 accuracy bonus to hit  +5 bonus to thief checks to conceal con ceal the firearm from search (only handguns and sub machine guns)  +1 damage bonus per bullet  More bullets in the magazine (up to half normal ammo limit)  +1 range category (S to M, for instance)  Upgrade the firing action action (make a pistol pistol fire bursts, for instance). For the sake of modeling real-world weapons, mention the firing action with specificity; some weapons fire only short bursts, for instance. Apply one or more of the following, each decreases cost by -1:  -5 accuracy bonus to hit  -5 bonus to thief checks to conceal the firearm from search (only for handguns and sub machineguns)  -1 damage bonus per bullet  Fewer bullets in the magazine (up to half normal ammo limit)  -1 range category (M to S, for instance) For additional changes, apply firearm "upgrades" "up grades" as normal, creating new upgrades where necessary to accommodate a real-world weapon. Specify ammunition ammunition caliber (.357, .44, 9mm, etc.). etc.). This eliminates the question about whether or not scavenged ammo can be used by the operative’s firearm. If desired, note the firearm's firing action (single action revolver, double action revolver, or semi-automatic). semi-automatic). Although this has little to no effect in game mechanics it may help some players better imagine the situations their operative’s experience.

EXAMPLE: CREATING SPECIFIC FIREARMS You are creating a Glock 38, so you start with a semiautomatic pistol. It fires a fairly fairly large caliber bullet (.45), so you might apply a +1 damage bonus per bullet for a cost of +1. You believe it’s fairly concealable, allowing a bonus of +5 to any thief skill check to conceal conceal it for a cost of +1. +1. The Glock's magazine holds only 8 bullets, this lowers the cost by 1. You believe the manufacturer mass produces the weapon and doesn't specifically target military use and believe the weapon has a -5 modifier to accuracy for a cost of -1. Note that this system works for creating firearms of every type and size.

OUTFITTING

PG 21

CH 02

OPERATIVES GLOCK MODEL 38

Action: Accuracy: Range: Ammo:

Semi-auto -5 Medium 8

SPRINGFIELD ARMORY M1911


Semi-auto +5 Medium 7

RUGER SR22 RIMFIRE



SIG SAUER 250C



SMITH & WESSON .357 MAGNUM


Revolver +0 Medium 6

WALTHER PPK


(AUSTRIA)

Type: Damage : Conceal: Caliber: Cost:

Pistol 2D+3 +5 .45 GAP 3

(UNITED STATES)


Pistol 2D+3 +0 .45 ACP 4

(UNITED STATES)


Pistol 2D-1 +10 .22 LR 2

(SWITZERLAND)


Pistol 2D+2 +5 9mm 5

(UNITED STATES)


Pistol 2D+3 +0 .357 2

(WEINMAR REPUBLIC)


Type: Damage : Conceal: Caliber : Cost:

Pistol 2D+1 +10 9mm 4

As mentioned, mentioned, these are just one possible way these these guns could be statistically represented in these rules, other firearm enthusiasts’ opinions will vary.

PG 22

OUTFITTING

OPERATIVES

CH 02

VARIANT AMMUNITION If you want the added detail provided by specific types of ammunition, consider these options. This adds more complexity to the game and is provided only for those wanting the added detail. Either the initial or any additional purchased ammunition payloads can be of any of the following types. 

Armor Piercing – Weapons of this type would have a damage rating of -2 lower than normal for the weapon type from which it is fired, but bu t ignores DR from nonhardened targets. It is not considered “penetrating” “penetrating” but can get through most armor worn by enemy operatives. operatives. It normally passes through opponents and has a clear exit wound.

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assumed normal bullet used by operatives. It is Full Metal Jacket – This is the assumed versatile and and is best selected for unknown situations. It often travels through opponents and can clear glass and small shrubbery.

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Jacketed Soft Point – This ammunition has a soft point rather than a hollow one, but can get through armors a bit better than hollow points. Double any DR this ammunition comes comes into contact with. For instance, if fired at someone someone in a bulletproof vest, the DR is is considered 10 instead instead of 5. However, if fired fired at an unarmored target, damage is increased by +2.

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Jacketed Hollow Point – This type of ammunition is not very effective against armored targets. targets. The damage of this bullet is increased increased by +3, but reduce the damage rolled rolled by half if the target target has any DR at all. For instance, if a gun normally has a damage code of 2D+3 and is loaded with Jacketed Hollow Point rounds, then it has a damage code of 2D+6. If fired at a target with DR of 1 or higher, however, all damaged is halved before applying against that DR.

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Glaser Safety Slug – This type of ammunition is designed to eliminate potential damage to targets targets behind the intended one. It won’t penetrate too deeply into a target’s body. This makes it less less effective against armored opponents (-1 to damage) but the operative who fires it and gets a critical failure can rest assured he won’t likely be killing innocent civilians. civilians. Note that this type of bullet also generally shatters on impact with a solid surface, reducing ricochet and also the chance that the bullet’s fragments can be traced back to the registered owner’s firearm.

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Tracer Rounds – This type of ammunition includes small pyrotechnic charges in its base. While the bullet is in in flight, it leaves leaves behind an ignited ignited trail of of light. Tracer rounds aren’t normally used except in fully automatic weaponry every fifth round. This helps a shooter to follow the bullet trajectory and make aiming aiming corrections. corrections. If desired, you can include tracer rounds in your fully automatic weapon’s ammunition payload to grant a +10 to hit on any subsequent bursts fired in the same turn (this doesn’t fully offset the multi-action penalty, penalty, but it helps). The obvious nature of the trajectory illumination gives away the position of the firer, however, so operatives should avoid tracer rounds for stealth missions.

OUTFITTING

PG 23

CH 02

OPERATIVES

EXAMPLE GADGETS If you’re looking for some plausible gadgets, you can look no further than the internet. You’d be surprised surprised how many spy gadgets can be found. What follows is an example list of ten actual gadgets from the real world operatives might select, all of which are plausible (cost of 3).

Audio Jammer – This small hand-held device emits white noise (tones emitted on all wavelengths simultaneously). With a simple 9v battery it protects the voices in a single large room from being picked up effectively by audio recording equipment (“bugs”). Although not fool-proof, white noise generators are an old technology that works well against civilian-grade surveillance gear.  Auto Drone – This appears much like a common, if expensive, remote control helicopter or airplane. It can be launched by, and includes control software for, a linked to a cell phone. This aircraft can be set up to repeat a patrol pattern, and has built-in electronics to stream high definition video back to the controlling smart smart phone. The camera has 120 degrees of rotation and can zoom up to 4x optically (much more digitally). Pictures can be taken and stored on the phone. The auto drone will continue its patrol activity for up to 8 hours before it loses its charge and falls to the ground. Although by default it only includes high definition definition video recording, an improbable version might be equipped with other types of electronics (infra-red, radar, or even jamming equipment).  Coin Gadgets – This is a small, simple gadget. It looks like a quarter or a one Euro coin. It can be twisted and transformed into a key that fits most handcuffs. Other coin gadgets can be shifted open to reveal a small compartment for holding a surface-mount microchip or micro SD memory card. There are even coin gadgets that can reveal a razor-sharp titanium knife blade capable of causing surgical-level damage to targets.  Envelope X-ray Spray – This aerosol can sprays a non-conductive nonphoto reactive chemical onto normal paper (envelopes typically) and makes the paper temporary translucent enough that you can read the papers contained within. The effect lasts only around 30 seconds, then quickly evaporates away and leaves very little trace, unless chemically analyzed. 

PG 24

OUTFITTING

OPERATIVES 

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CH 02

GPS Wristwatch – The wristwatch is one of the best places for a gadget, and there exists a few of them in real life. The GPS wristwatch gives accurate (to 3 meters) positioning (including altitude), including the ability to program a home point, and the watch will point to it to help someone find their way back home. home. Some GPS Wristwatches might also include a signal broadcast option… great for calling for an extraction or silently alerting a teammate, but bad if someone’s looking for your operative digitally! Oh yeah – it tells time as well. Hypodermic Ring – This ring includes a small hypodermic needle which can be shifted into place. A single dose of substance can be contained in the ring, to be dispensed dispensed into someone. The injected toxin typically causes paralysis or unconsciousness, but could also be quite deadly. The ring is somewhat small, so it only works work s with very potent toxins or on targets with a low body weight. Identification Pen – This special pen contains a camera and can be programmed to identify the facial structure of a single person. If the person whose facial structure has been programmed is photographed (which occurs silently and without flash), a small blue design strip changes color to green. This can be used to help identify someone someone in disguise, since since it doesn’t use simple optical recognition but a host of physical characteristics to make its identity analysis. The pen can also be used to take photographs, though lighting must be good since it does not include a flash. Keyboard Monitoring Flash Drive – This small flash drive fits into a USB port on a computer. It silently monitors keystrokes and takes screen shots shots of computer information at specified time intervals or when certain definable criteria is met. met. Illegal in many states, this device stores all of this information in an encrypted file and emails it to a foreign address or stores it for later extraction. Great for finding typed passwords passwords and identifying illegal activity. Multi-function Counter Surveillance Detector – This hand-held device has many types of detectors. It is able to detect radio-frequency transmitting transmitting devices, telephone security systems, laser listening devices, even hidden cameras by their visual and radio-frequency radio-frequency signatures. It detects wireless devices as well as GPS systems and other transmitters. It is a must-have for the concerned spy. Video Recording Sunglasses – Basic polarized sunglasses (designer, of course) which include a micro-sized video recording camera. The lens is a small pin-hole in the bridge of the glasses and records an amazing 35 frames per second across a 72 degree wide angle. It even has a built-in microphone. It will record up to 4 hours of high definition definition video with stereo audio, and can take still pictures on demand with the touch of a small button on one side.

OUTFITTING

PG 25

CH 02

OPERATIVES

JUST USING MONEY If you’d prefer a campaign setting in which players are freelancers rather than operatives working for Command, you may be interested in considering this option. Instead of using equipment allowance, operatives will just just have money. This has certain campaign-changing results, but works for certain styles of game play.

Certain things are missing from the cash-based equipment tables – such as backup personnel and lifestyles, but replacing them are hireling wages and a categorical list of goods and services such as meals, clothes, etc. This is a bit more micro-managed than the equipment allowance system, but allows you the flexibility of finding prices online for things and having a price available for players. STARTING MONEY

Use normal operative creation rules to determine how many points of equipment allowance each operative begins play with. Then use that number on the following table to determine operative starting money (equal to $1,000 plus one month’s disposable income) and what holdings they have. An operative’s holdings can vary over time through game play, as will his wealth. But this is all too complicated to provide mechanics for and is up to the GM and players to manage. After noting an operative’s holdings and disposable income (which already includes upk eep of their holdings – players don’t have to pay rent) and starting funds, the equipment allowance score is eliminated and no longer used. STARTING EQUIPMENT ALLOWANCE

MONTHLY DISPOSABLE INCOME

DESCRIPTION

6 9 12 15 18

$ 500 $ 1,500 $ 6,000 $ 30,000 $ 100,000

Struggling Middle-class Well-off Wealthy Filthy Rich

HOLDINGS

studio apartment, bus pass apartment, motorcycle or car house, car business, large house, car, motorcycle large business, mansion, summer house, 2-3 cars, yacht

GAINING MONEY Each month they’ll gain money equal to their

disposable income, which they can use how they see fit. fit. However, how much should they charge for missions? Five hundred dollars apiece? A thousand? It all depends on the operative’s skills and their their needs. needs. As a general general guideline which may or may not apply to your style of play, consider the following rates based on operative rank.

PG 26

OUTFITTING

OPERATIVE RANK

1 2 3 4 5 6

MISSION RATES (PER OPERATIVE)

$ 100/day $ 250/day $ 500/day $ 1,000/day $ 2,000/day $ 3,000/day

OPERATIVES LIFESTYLE

COST 2,000/mo 20,000/mo

Traveler’s Extravagant

COVER IDENTITY Simple Complex BACKUP Basic Basic Group Skilled Commandos Expert

COST 1,000 10,000 COST 2,500/mo 7,500/mo 4,000/mo 15,000/mo 5,000/mo

GADGETS Plausible Improbable Super-science EQUIPMENT PACK Cold Weather Demolitions Disguise Forensics Infiltration Medic Operative Researcher Science SCUBA Surveillance Survivalist Technician PERSONAL GEAR Briefcase Full of Money Common Items Expensive Item Very Expensive Item

COST 1,000 10,000 1 Million COST 500 500 500 500 500 750 500 500 750 500 750 500 500 COST 1 Million 100 2,000 100,000+

PERSONAL DEFENSES COST Leather Jacket 100 Bardentic Clothes 500 Bullet Proof Vest 500 Impact Suit 750 Body Armor 2,500

FIREARMS Revolver Semi-Auto Pistol Submachine Gun Semi-Auto Rifle Shotgun Assault Rifle Sniper Rifle Flamethrower Rocket Launcher

COST 500 600 900 800 500 2,000 3,000 400 500

FIREARM UPGRADES UPGRADES COST Bayonet +50 Ceramic Polymer +COST Concealed Spring Holster +250 Extended Magazine +50 Heavier Caliber +COST Improved Sights +500 Laser Targeting System +500 Recognition Recognition Grip +500 Silencer/Suppressor +250 Spare Ammo +50 OTHER WEAPONS Axe Bow or Crossbow Brass Knuckles Club Knife Nightstick Nunchucks Pepper Spray Spear Staff Stun Gun Sword Taser Whip

COST 50 250 10 10 50 25 25 20 75 30 35 150 300 25

GRENADES Fragmentation Flash-Bang Smoke Incendiary Plastic Explosive Mine

COST 50 25 25 40 200 250

HEAVY WEAPONS Cannon Machine Gun Rocket Missile Bomb

COST 7,500 5,000 8,000 10,000 7,500

All costs are in dollars ($) and are guidelines only. only. +HALF, +COST, +TWICE means its cost is based on the item being upgraded (half, full, or two times the base cost, respectively). respectively).

LAND VEHICLES Dirtbike Motorcycle Subcompact car Compact car Midsize car Muscle car Sports car Luxury car Jeep SUV Hum-vee Minivan Full-sized van Passenger van Small pickup Pickup truck Monster truck Delivery truck Semi truck Bus AIR VEHICLES Helicopter Cargo Helicopter Propeller Plane Corporate Jet Cargo Jet WATER VEHICLES Jet Ski Sailboat Speedboat Yacht Personal Submersible Team Submersible

CH 02 COST 2,000 4,000 10,000 12,500 20,000 50,000 100,000 50,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 30,000 35,000 38,000 20,000 28,000 200,000 40,000 150,000 60,000 COST 250 ,000 10 Million 200,000 10 Million 20 Million COST 10,000 20,000 30,000 100,000 250,000 2 Million

VEHICLE UPGRADES COST Amphibious +COST Auto Tire Repair +5,000/tire Communications +10,000 Eject Seat +3,000 Gliderwings +COST Hardened +COST Heavy Armor (DR30) +TWICE Identity Change +HALF Light Armor (DR10) +HALF Medium Armor (DR20) +COST Offroad Conversion +10,000 Oil Slick +500 Performance Boost +HALF Remote Control +9,000 Security +2,000 Self-Destruct +10,000 Sensor suite +12,000 Smoke Screen +500 Speedster +HALF Spikestrip +500 Stealth Technology +COST

OUTFITTING

PG 27

CH 02

OPERATIVES

STANDARD EQUIPMENT PACKS A great deal of effort was made to try NOT to have exhaustive lists of all possible equipment. Imagine having to to buy boxes of bullets and empty magazine boxes, keeping track of all that? Imagine needing some duct tape on a mission and everyone going through lists and lists of what they have in their spy packs to see if anyone brought it? Secret agents and paramilitary heroes always seem to have what they need for a mission, so why shouldn’t the player’s operatives do the players have to keep track of their gear? Not same? On the other hand, shouldn’t players having what is needed is sometimes the catalyst for additional fun objectives of acquiring those things. Acquiring things in pursuit of mission objectives is part of the fun of being a resourceful operative too, right? To try to balance this, we designed Standard Equipment Packs. Players spend some of their equipment allowance deciding what types of mission objectives to be prepared for. If the operatives operatives are being dropped into a jungle jungle and have to make their way to the other side of an island to infiltrate a secret enemy base, they might all want survivalist and infiltration packs. In the core rulebook it mentions examples of the types of things contained in such packs, but these are intentionally vague and include verbiage such as “etc.” and “includes equipment such as.” ARBITRATING SPECIAL GEAR

When a player describes an action to you that requires special gear, ask him if he has such gear on his operative dossier. He will likely reply with what standard equipment packs he has and it’s up to you to judge whether or not those packs include such a piece of special gear. For instance, if the players want to photograph a weapon silo’s control panel from 100 yards away, let them know their operative pack satellite cellular phones lack the resolution to get such an accurate photo. If one of the players announces he has a surveillance pack, then it’s obvious they have what they they need. But what about if someone has a forensics pack? Does that include a camera camera with a sufficient zoom lens? That’s up to you to arbitrate. LETTING STORY DICTATE Since it’s your job to arbitrate whether or not various equipment packs include the

gear the players need, you can also make those decisions based on the needs of your story. If the players players need to affix something to to something else, you might decide they have what they need in their various packs without even asking them, moment. However, if you simply because it’s not important to the mission at the moment. felt that it was important to the story that they not perform that action – or better yet, if you have something planned for the story when the players go to look for what they need – then feel free to tell them they lack the gear, and let them know a way they might get what they they need. Letting story dictate dictate equipment availability arbitration is a great w ay to help move the story along directions you’d prefer.

PG 28

OUTFITTING

OPERATIVES

CH 02

MORAL CODE The moral code system presented in the core rules helps you define your operative’s personality personality and moral moral compass. In addition to this, this, or in place of it, consider using this optional system.

LOYALTIES In this system, system, players must define their loyalties. They may pick any number number of people, places, concepts, or groups to which they have loyalty. loyalty . They list list them in order on their operative dossiers. For instance, one operative may be loyal to Command, their Country, and to their Team. Team. Another might be loyal loyal to their Team Team and then to Command. Command. These two operatives prioritize things very very differently, placing the importance of their team in different perspectives. INCLUDING “SELF” Some GMs may wish to enforce that all players list where they rate “self” among

their loyalties. Someone who places places himself before his team will certainly certainly react differently to certain situations than one who places his team before himself. CHOOSING & CHANGING LOYALTIES

Players choose their loyalties, but may change them over time with the permission of (and at a rate determined by) the GM. For instance, at the end of one mission (or session) a GM might allow a requesting player to shift his loyalty order one step, swapping the position of two things. Or he may allow them to append another loyalty to the end of the list (like loyalty to a lover). Over time, a new loyalty might make its way to the top priority of the operative. CONFLICTING LOYALTIES

When a mission objective or concept causes his loyalties to conflict, an operative will have to make a WIL check to choose a different path than the one called for by their highest conflicted loyalty. For instance, if an operative is loyal to his team and then to Command and is given a mission to spy on his own team, he would have to succeed in a WIL check to pull it off. off. Otherwise he’d come clean to his team that Command wants him to spy on them.

MORAL CODE

PG 29

CH 02

OPERATIVES

MARTIAL ARTS MANEUVERS The maneuvers found in the core rulebook should give a lot of options for operatives. The quantity of them is about right to allow diversity among fighting styles of a number of operatives, while not overwhelming players with an evergrowing list of maneuvers from which to choose. Although future supplements may indeed contain new maneuvers to use against (and by) your players’ operatives, don’t be afraid to create new maneuvers yourself if you need one to meet a clever player’s fighting concept. Martial arts maneuvers were not meant to be a min/maxer’s toolkit, though many players see them that way. Similar to “feats” or “talents” or “advantages” found in other games, martial arts maneuvers are specific to unarmed fighting and should limit their application thusly. If you want to make your martial arts skill a bit more of a focus in the campaign, you can assign belt ranks to the skill levels, as shown on the table at right.

MARTIAL ARTS SKILL LEVEL

BELT COLOR

1 2 3 4 5 6

White Yellow Green Brown Black Red

CREATING NEW MANEUVERS Before approving a new maneuver, read through the existing maneuvers carefully to make sure sure your new one is needed. needed. Sometimes another maneuver accomplishes the same thing with with a slightly different mechanical mechanical technique or maneuver name. name. If you’re certain the new maneuver is needed, try to limit its bonuses or power to a very specific application of activity. Although some some maneuvers do indeed give bonuses to your operative in other ways (such as adding to INIT or MOV), try to prevent maneuvers which are always in effect. Creating too many maneuvers which are always in effect will put far too much emphasis on the martial artist skill in the game. Of course, if you want your campaign setting to focus more heavily on martial arts, then perhaps you’d enjoy adding many more specific maneuvers . The choice is yours.

MENTOR/TEACHER As an option, force players to have their operatives seek out a mentor, teacher, or school/academy of martial training . Gaining a new maneuver doesn’t happen automatically when they gain their level, they instead have to go to their academy or mentor and learn new moves, which takes time and is only possible between missions. This can also be used as a plot tool when when the mentor/teacher informs the player that he has learned everything the mentor knows, and he has to seek a new mentor. Additionally, missions might come from unusual sources and a martial arts instructor can show the operatives avenues for new adventures if used cleverly by the GM. Note that if you are using the optional loyalty rule from the previous page, you might enforce the player specify where his mentor rates among his loyalties, as this could become a source of conflict within a story.

PG 30

MARTIAL ARTS MANEUVERS

OPERATIVES

CH 02

Mentors may require the operative behave in a certain manner or adhere to a set of moral code. If the principles that might be d ifficult under the operative’s defined moral operative violates the tenets of the philosophy then the mentor might strip him of his belt and refuse to teach him further. This is just a story element; the operative doesn’t lose levels of his skill nor does he forget maneuvers.

FIGHTING STYLES Another option for a martial artist focused setting is to have anyone who takes a martial artist skill to pre-define his fighting style. That is, roll or select all the maneuvers he will ever get for his fighting style in a list with room to place checkboxes next to them. As he gains levels in the skill, he takes the next next maneuver in the list, in order. order. If he wants to have a maneuver not covered in his fighting style style then he has to find a new mentor/teacher with a new style. It is difficult to change a fighting style after after finding a new school. school. To unlearn what you know and learn the maneuvers of the new style will take time (between-mission) and effort (perhaps requiring DP expenditure, STR or DEX checks, or whatever the GM desires) to catch up and learn the new style.

MARTIAL MARTIAL MELEE If you want to have a more martial arts focused campaign, consider allowing players to pick a weapon other than their bare hands to which the martial arts maneuvers apply. The rules work as normal, but the operative gains all the unarmed bonuses bonuses when using a melee weapon instead. If you allow this, it makes a game where some people can do amazing things with swords and staves, but as long as the bad guys can do it too then you have a balanced system (though a bit more to keep up with). A player who wants to have martial training with more than one melee weapon would have to buy the skill multiple times, each having its own skill level. Alternatively, if you want to allow martial melee weapons to be a bit more common, consider adding the following new maneuver to the list approved for use by players: Weapon Kata – an operative with this maneuver can use all of his other martial arts maneuvers with one chosen melee weapon (sword, knife, etc.). To have martial training with more more than one weapon, select Weapon Kata more than once. To maintain this martial training with a weapon, the operative must practice with it regularly. If the operative buys or finds a different weapon than that which he trains with, he must train for at least 2 days with the new weapon to gain these benefits.

MARTIAL ARTS MANEUVERS

PG 31

CH 02

OPERATIVES

FIREARM MANEUVERS Not all marksmen are soldiers. Some folks are are just interested in shooting a pistol and not a lot else. To them, it’s unimportant unimportant to be trained trained in the use of heavy weapons or demolitions. In order to represent these “gun -fu” artists, the following optional system is provided. It is not a new skill; rather, it provides an additional optional rule for use with the soldier skill.

REPLACING DEMOLITIONS A soldier skill normally has four aspects (like all skills in this system): Pistols, Rifles, Gunnery, and Demolitions. If using this optional system, a player may replace “demolitions” with a new aspect called “Firearm Maneuvers.”

GAINING FIREARM MAN M ANEUVERS EUVERS If soldier is your operative’s primary skill , he is permitted to gain two firearm maneuvers per skill level. If soldier is your operative’s secondary skill, he is permitted one firearm maneuver per skill level. If soldier soldier is neither primary nor secondary, he receives one maneuver at levels 2, 4, and 6. This is consistent consistent with the martial maneuver rules from the martial arts skill. You may roll or choose from from the table (as the GM permits).

ROLL

FIREARM MANEUVER

00-03 04-07 08-11 12-15 16-19 20-23 24-27 28-31 32-35 36-39 40-43 44-47 48-51 52-55 56-59 60-63 64-67 68-71 72-75 76-79 80-83 84-87 88-91 92-95 96-99

9mm Master Key Arms Dealer Awkward Stance Breaching Casting Catch & Fire Cleaning Dead-to-Rights Extended Range Fire from Melee Fire into Melee Firearm Awareness Fire-on-the-run Guns Akimbo Insanely Cool Moves Point Blank Shot Quick Draw Rapid-fire Shot in the Dark Signature Weapon Snap Shot Swift Load Take it in the Shoulder Trick Shot Well-Maintained Firearm

9MM MASTER KEY

ARMS DEALER

This allows the operative to shoot at a locked door (mechanical or electronic) and guarantee (with a skill check) that the door will become unlocked. Either the lock mechanism is obliterated or the electronics glitch in such a way that it opens. The only risk is that if the soldier skill check fails, the lock (and door) is now quite jammed and can't be opened without tools, time, and/or explosives.

The operative gains an international arms dealer as a connection, similar to those gained by the detective skill. He may call upon aid from this dealer for weapons, defenses, ammunition, certain vehicle upgrades, information, etc. It won't be free; it typically comes with the cost of an owed "favor" for which the operative must later repay. Note that if the player refuses to return the owed favor, his arms dealer asset can quickly become a pain in the butt.

PG 32

FIREARM MANEUVERS

OPERATIVES

CH 02

AWKWARD STANCE

CLEANING

You can shoot normally even when not in an ideal firing position (hanging upside-down, leaning out of a doorway, dangling on a rope, etc.). No penalty should be assigned to the operative with this maneuver for poor footing or imbalance.

The operative can clean a “hot” firearm . That is, remove the serialization and markings, modify the bore to change the bullet casing markings, etc. The weapon is now clean - untraceable by all legal means. Even the most astute forensics expert will be unable to trace the bullet back to the specific firearm.

BREACHING

When not in combat, the operative automatically does the maximum damage for his weapon when shooting a door, machine, or other structure. Damage is tripled for shotguns, based on the assumption the shotgun is loaded with special breaching rounds. CASTING

The operative makes his own bullets. In game terms, assume all firearms he obtains from Command have the "Spare Ammo" upgrade, giving him one extra reload. This spare ammo upgrade can be of any of the types of ammunition shown in the Variant Ammunition section, page 23. page 23. CATCH & FIRE

This allows an operative to catch a firearm (from another teammate, or as a result of a disarm martial maneuver) in such a way that he may instantly prepare it for firing (switch off safety, cock the hammer, etc.) and squeeze off a shot without incurring any additional multi-action penalty. Actually catching the weapon in this way requires a soldier skill check (which may or may not have multi-action penalties based on the situation) but firing it directly afterward incurs no additional multiaction penalty.

DEAD-TO-RIGHTS

The operative makes a hit roll against an opponent but doesn't apply damage. Instead, he has the foe "dead to rights" and can choose to apply the damage (that is, actually fire the bullet) at any time thereafter as long as he maintains his drop on his opponent. This is usually used to capture someone, who would be a fool to attempt anything other than surrender. Taking damage or making a hit roll against anyone else while holding someone dead-to-rights breaks the drop on the opponent. EXTENDED RANGE

When taking one or more actions to aim, increase the base range of a weapon by one increment (one increment max). max). Thus a pistol could be effectively reach Long range, and a sniper rifle could hit just about anyone the sniper could see. FIRE FROM MELEE

GMs may disallow or impose a penalty to someone firing a weapon when he's engaged in melee combat. With this maneuver, the operative can fire his firearm freely whether he's currently engaged in melee or not.

FIREARM MANEUVERS

PG 33

CH 02

OPERATIVES

FIRE INTO MELEE

GMs may impose a penalty to someone firing at an opponent who is engaged in melee with another combatant. Although other modifiers may exist, this maneuver immunizes you against such a penalty. FIREARM AWARENESS

Knowledge of firearms and the types of people who use them allows the operative to make a soldier skill check to determine firearm-related situational conditions, such as whether or not someone has a gun concealed in an ankle holster, or which vehicle in any given parking lot has the highest chance of having a firearm in the glove compartment. Firearm Awareness can also be used to assess the threat level of someone aiming a firearm, such as whether or not they've fired before, if the safety is on or off, or even if it is loaded. FIRE-ON-THE-RUN

Your operative is trained to shoot while running, compensating for the bounce of his arm and coordinating the angle of his gun appropriately. If you perform a running action you may fire at an opponent without an additional multi-action penalty, though other penalties may still apply. GUNS AKIMBO

If the operative receives a pistol from Command outfitting, he automatically gets two for the same cost. Any PG 34

FIREARM MANEUVERS

upgrades are purchased separately. If the operative also has Casting, both of these pistols receive the Spare Ammo upgrades. INSANELY COOL MOVES

This maneuver works identically to the martial arts maneuver of the same name. POINT BLANK SHOT

The soldier with this maneuver receives a +10 modifier when firing at someone within 2 spaces. This modifier stacks with all other maneuver modifiers, making someone a very dangerous combatant in close quarters in the dark if rapid-firing a signature weapon.

QUICK DRAW

With a successful soldier skill check, you can instantly draw a weapon, prepare it for being fired (switch off the safety, cock the hammer, etc.), and squeeze off an initial shot with such speed that an opponent is considered surprised. This only works if it is done at the beginning of a firefight. Without this maneuver, an operative would have to make a DEX check to draw the weapon, then have a multi-action penalty to shoot it. RAPID-FIRE

With two rapidly fired shots you increase your chances of hitting your foe at the expense of wasting a bit of ammunition. You get +10 to

OPERATIVES

CH 02

hit but only one of the two bullets is assumed to hit its mark. This maneuver cannot be used when firing automatic bursts.

combat. This counts as an action and increases your multi-action penalty for any actions which follow, but itself requires no rolls.

SHOT IN THE DARK

TAKE IT IN THE SHOULDER

An operative with this maneuver is able to shoot at human targets in the dark based on the sounds they make. No penalty is assessed as long as the target is within 5 spaces. Beyond that, darkness is too restrictive for this maneuver to be effective.

The operative with this maneuver is so in tune with bullet trajectory and timing that he can, in place of a normal disadvantaged DEX-based resistance check against a bullet, use his full Soldier skill. If he succeeds, he takes the shot in the shoulder. If using the optional hit location system from page 54, 54, he may choose areas 4 or 5 as he wishes. If not using this optional system, he takes half normal damage bullet.

SIGNATURE WEAPON

The operative gains +5 on any soldier skill when shooting his personally modified and maintained maintained gun. gun. This gun needs to be specified when selecting this maneuver. Operatives may take this maneuver multiple times to have more than one signature weapon, but may not apply it multiple times to the same weapon. SNAP SHOT

Having a gun in your hand while your adrenaline rages is a comfort to you, clearing your mind and allowing you to make fast decisions well. Add +1 to your initiative score by taking a -10 to your soldier skill when shooting that turn. To receive this benefit, you must have a firearm in your hand. After getting to roll the additional initiative die (or receiving an extra initiative card if using the alternative rules on page 53), you don’t have to actually fire your firearm. SWIFT LOAD

Your operative automatically succeed at reloading a weapon that only takes one action without rolling any dice while in

TRICK SHOT

You may ricochet a bullet off an extremely hard surface, knowing how the bullet will respond. This allows you to make a normal hit roll against an opponent around obstacles, as long as you can see him. Although your knowledge of trajectory and bullet deformation is vast, you can't keep the bullet from losing some of its speed/effectiveness: the bullet will cause half normal damage when it hits. WELL-MAINTAINED FIREARM

The operative takes such good care of his firearms that once per session he may ignore a critical failure rolled while shooting. The player announces he's using his one-time-per-session ability and the GM should keep track of it. Then he rerolls the failed roll. Of course, nothing is stopping the dice from betraying the player and critically failing again.

FIREARM MANEUVERS

PG 35

CH 02

OPERATIVES

OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT Operatives should be given development points (DP) after each game session in accordance with with the guidelines found in the core rulebook. Some additional clarifications, options, and ideas follow.

RATE OF DEVELOPMENT The rate of operative operative development is intentionally quick in lower lower ranks. This helps the player quickly achieve achieve the type of operative he envisions. It helps him build his concept. Right around rank 3, however, development slows down quite a bit. Players shouldn’t get disheartened during this period; it is a time of character development, story building, and fun. As a GM it is up to you to determine how fast or how slow to allow players to develop their characters. At the recommended rate of development operatives receive around 4-6 DP per session. It is technically possible to earn 10 DP in one session, though if you follow the checklist properly this is highly unlikely. Two of the DPs are for for the players to dole out; these you have no real control control over. The rest are yours to decide as GM. You can choose to use the checklist checklist or decide for yourself how much to give. Some published adventures adventures may give guidelines guidelines at the mission’s conclusion, and some might leave it totally up to you.

RANK ESTIMATION Sometimes a player will disregard rank . He won’t care about gaining Bones, earning a codename, having having a base of operations funded, etc. These operatives typically dump their development points into a single skill, trying to be the best there is at a very specific thing. That’s fine, though it leads leads to a one-dimensional operative – a one-trick pony. It is difficult to balance your missions, enemies, security systems, systems, and encounters against such a player’s operative because you have no rank value which properly assesses his his level of power. For such a character you can estimate his rank as being equal to his highest skill level, +1 more if he has an ability score of 100 or more. more. This works as a quick & dirty method.

RANK BENEFITS Everyone knows that an operative earns certain perks at each rank he attains. These are normally increases in equipment allowance, extra bones to reflect his acquired taste for dangerous situations, or campaign-related bonuses like codenames, team formation, or bases of operation. However, GMs wishing to give more incentive to achieve ranks can consider using this optional system. In this system, each time an operative achieves a new rank (except the first rank, which is automatic and built into operative creation), allow the player to roll on the following table. These are in addition to the benefits benefits all operatives operatives receive with rank according to the core rulebook.

PG 36

OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT

OPERATIVES

CH 02

BLACK MARKET

Operatives gain access to a black market (an illegal source for weapons, defenses, and equipment). Only weapons, defenses, vehicles, and equipment packs may be purchased on the black market. Everything in the black market costs twice the normal amount but is not considered “signed out” and the operative can keep what he purchases. For instance, an operative has an equipment allowance of 12. He spends 6 points buying an Infiltration Kit on the black market (twice the cost of a normal equipment package) and has only 6 points left for outfitting for his mission by Command outfitting. At the end of the mission, as long as he didn’t lose it, he still has the infiltration kit but it’s free. In this way, an operative can acquire a lot of equipment “off the books” – but remember, this is all unsanctioned gear and the operative loses it if it’s discovered by Command.

ROLL

BENEFIT

00-04 05-09 10-14 15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85-89 90-94 95-99

Black Market Bodyguard Command Computer Guy Concealed Weapons Permit False Identity Fence Get Out of Jail Free Informant Line of Credit Mr. Smith Munitions Contract Offshore Account Personal Trainer or Guru Personal Transport Provisioning Contract Safe House The Lab Universal Transit Pass Choose One

BODYGUARD

The operative is considered a valuable asset and is assigned a rank 1 operative as a bodyguard. You can use one of the archetypes or build the bodyguard using using normal operative creation rules. This becomes an NPC in the operative’s operative’s team, though may need to prove loyalty to the operative’s team first. The bodyguard is assigned the specific mission of protecting that specific operative, but will take any risk he/she believes is prudent to protect other other members of the team as well. The bodyguard gains half the number of DP as the owning operative (round down) if he is involved in any given given mission. During the mission, mission, the GM may control or may allow the owning operative to control the bodyguard. If the bodyguard bodyguard dies in the line of duty he will be replaced by a new rank 1 bodyguard. COMMAND

An operative with this benefit gains authority over a group of raw recruits. These are considered three “Backup Personnel” – armed gunmen 55 (semiautomatic pistol or rifle) with with +5 to their scores scores per operative rank. They can be left back at Command Headquarters if desired, or can be considered on-hand, able to be called on comlink at a moment’s notice to come in and provide backup. They are loyal to Command and to the operative who commands them, in that order, and therefore


PG 37

CH 02

OPERATIVES

will not perform duties which the personnel believes is against the agenda of Command. COMPUTER GUY

The operative knows a guy. A computer guy. He probably lives in his parent’s basement and collects comic books, but that doesn’t doesn’t matter. He can hack anything, some things even Command technomancers can’t hack. He’s an expert in the field of hacking and encryption/ decryption and can be used as a vital technical resource. The computer guy isn’t loyal to the operative, though he does like the cool things the operative brings him. The GM should should use the computer guy to help forward stories. Sometimes he knows things or can shed shed light on things that the players wouldn’t possibly be able to figure out without his special brand of techie know how.

PG 38


OPERATIVES

CH 02

CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMIT

Normally operatives have to deal with local and state laws when it comes to carrying weapons on missions. But an operative with this special permit is given permission to wear his weapons anywhere he goes, even in the company of the President of the United States. He’s considered an asset to the nation and is afforded a special level of authority. He need not waste time coming up with solutions on how to get his weapons to a foreign site; he can even carry them on commercial flights. FALSE IDENTITY

The operative gains an additional cover identity. The GM should help work this this into the story, but the new identity should be at least as good as a “Simple” cover identity. If rolled a second second time, it can be improved to a “Complex” cover identity. identity. This do esn’t take up any of the operative’s equipment allowance to have or maintain. FENCE

The operative gains access to someone who can sell stolen or pre-owned merchandise. Operatives normally tend to acquire equipment pretty easily. They’re supposed to turn it in to Command after a mission , but sometimes they hold onto it in case they need it later. This is unsanctioned, unsanctioned, but they try to do it often. But what if they want to get rid of it? Turn it into spendable spendable equipment equipment allowance so they can get something they really need (especially if they have access to the Black Market). Once an operative has a Fence, they can turn acquired unsanctioned equipment equipment into spendable spendable equipment allowance. The exchange rate is 4:1. That is, for every four points of gear they give their their Fence, the get 1 point of spendable equipment equipment allowance. This new pool of points can only be spent on lifestyles, vehicles, or other things commercially available without military or illicit means. If using money instead of equipment allowance, adjudicate as you wish. GET OUT OF JAIL FREE

Operatives often run afoul of the law. Most of the time, they end up staying the night in jail before posting bail and going free. free. Sometimes they avoid the law altogether because of these potential mission setbacks. An operative with this benefit can get get arrested and not break a sweat. As soon as they reach the station to be booked and processed, someone will barge in and flash credentials that make OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT

PG 39

CH 02

OPERATIVES

the arresting officer angry as he watches you walk free. You’re not above-the-law, but if you are arrested for performing duties related to your normal job function you won’t have to t o worry. INFORMANT

The operative gains an informant. The GM should work this into his ongoing story, but the informant is very knowledgeable about a great many things. He takes risks to give the operative information often necessary to complete a complex mission. Informants are plot tools for a good GM to use to forward a story, but they normally won’ t risk their lives to help an operative. They have their their own secret agendas, and maybe they’re manipulating the operative like a pawn on a game board? LINE OF CREDIT

The operative has access to funds in the form of loans. Maybe he has a relative with a big bank roll. Maybe he has a business on the the side and can use funds from it for a time. Whatever the reason, the operative can increase his equipment allowance for a mission by up to +50% by borrowing from his next mission. If he does so, so, his next mission will be a bit more difficult, but sometimes this is vital to the success of a mission! MR. SMITH

Normally all missions come from Command. If players have a martial arts mentor and you are running a game which has this focus, some missions come from from their their teacher. An operative with a Mr. Smith, however, has a special path to gaining missions. missions. Sometimes these missions align with Command, sometimes they do not. The missions gained through Mr. Smith require the operatives to use what they have on hand. They cannot report to outfitting to get equipment. They cannot get backup. If your campaign doesn’t support such freelance operation among the operatives, consider having the Mr. Smith be another operative or assistant director whose allegiance surpasses the politics of Command PG 40


OPERATIVES

CH 02

Headquarters, and he pulls strings to get missions for operatives which he knows will forward the goals of Command. MUNITIONS CONTRACT

The operative gets special permission in this contract to always have spare ammunition for his weapons. Any weapon he signs out during outfitting can be assumed to come with the “spare ammunition” upgrade free of charge. OFFSHORE ACCOUNT

The operative has a secret bank account. It begins with an equipment allowance of 1. Each mission, mission, he can devote unspent equipment allowance to the offshore account. When this totals 50, he can empty the account by turning it into a “briefcase full of money” which he can use in-game without having to return it. If questioned where he got all that money, the operative will have to come up with a pretty convincing story to keep Command from declaring it unsanctioned gear and demand it be turned in! PERSONAL TRAINER OR GURU

The operative gains access to a personal trainer or mental guru who helps him achieve the best best out of his mind, body, and/or soul. This benefit benefit allows the player to increase his lowest lowest ability score by +5 as a one-time bonus. And with all other NPCs gained as rank benefits, a trainer or guru creates new roleplaying and mission opportunities. PERSONAL TRANSPORT

The operative is assigned a rank 1 pilot NPC who is assigned to tote the operative around wherever he needs to go. You can use an archetype or may build the driver/pilot yourself. The NPC comes with either a car or a helicopter, and typically becomes the main chauffeur of the group, toting them about the globe as needs arise. The pilot gains half the DP as the owning player. As he gains rank, he uses his gained equipment allowance to gain better or upgraded vehicles . He doesn’t normally come along with the operatives on an adventure; he normally is the pilot and nothing more. During a mission the GM may control the pilot or may allow the owning player to do so.


PG 41

CH 02

OPERATIVES

PROVISIONING CONTRACT

An operative with this benefit can eat out anywhere he wants. He can go to fast food places or the fanciest of eateries and not worry. This is similar to an extravagant lifestyle (at least for eating), but the player doesn’t have to pay for it with is equipment allowance . At the GM’s discretion, a provisioning provisioning contract can be used for entertainment of other sorts as well, but not for transportation. SAFE HOUSE

The operative gains gains a safe house. It might be ownership of a small small warehouse, a condo at the sea shore, shore, or a small house in suburban America. It might even be in a foreign country. The GM should help define the safe house and why it is in the possession of the operative (perhaps he inherited it? it? Won it in a game of poker?). Operatives needing a place to lay low can use it for a while. Secrets only last so long, however, and any time the operatives rely on the safe house there is a 5% chance it is discovered by someone. THE LAB

Operatives who need something analyzed usually bring it back to Command. But what if they worry that Command is compromised? This operative has access to a lab. If he isn’t an Academic Academic himself then assume this benefit gives him access to a lab and a contact there there who is capable of performing analysis. This might be a university or a medical facility, or maybe even a forensic lab belonging to a police precinct. The GM GM should help work this into the story. The operative can send samples to this lab as well as to a Command lab – sometimes two different labs will give different information, especially where politics and security clearances are involved!

UNIVERSAL TRANSIT PASS

The operative has a special pass which allows him transit on any/all modes of transport. He can flash this pass to taxi drivers, limousine drivers, bus drivers, airline stewardesses, even fishing boat captains. Anyone who actually knows what the pass means will know the operative has been afforded special transit privileges. Functionally, this is similar to having a Traveler’s lifestyle except that players can have a lot more fun with it.

PG 42


OPERATIVES

CH 02

PULLING STRINGS This is an optional rule. A string represents influence, leverage, or clout the operative has over organizations and people of authority. They are like the contacts and information sources provided by the detective skill, but on steroids. While a detective will tell you he "knows a guy" someone with strings can make a phone call and quarantine a town or enact a no-fly-zone over a major city.

ACQUIRING ACQUIRING STRINGS Strings are purchased like skills but do not appear in the skill list. They do not need to be purchased, and an entire team of operatives can excel in their fields without ever having to acquire such power. With power comes responsibility, and some operatives just don't need the headache (they have enough to worry about dodging bullets and planning heists). You may not have more strings than your current rank minus 1. Thus, a rank 1 operative may not purchase a string. Once he reaches rank 2 he might consider consider spending some development points on acquiring a string. A rank 6 operative cannot have more than 5 strings to pull. Strings have levels, just like skills, but do not have associated ability scores. Instead, their scores are calculated with a base value of 25 +10 per string level. You use this score when pulling strings. The GM and player must work together to explain how the operative has gained such power. It may be as simple simple as your handler taking you aside and telling telling your operative someone high up the chain of command is impressed with your performance and has granted you certain privileges unavailable to most operatives. Or depending on your style of play, it might be leverage you’ve come across such as compelling blackmail material over someone in high authority.

PULLING STRINGS A string may be used only once per mission (not per session; GMs must keep track if a string was used in a multi-session mission). A player simply holds his hand up to his ear like making a phone call (or use a cell phone as a prop) and role-play that he’s calling someone. He describes the effect he’s looking for to his pretend phone partner so the GM can hear ("This is Williams. I need all satellite data you have for a 10-mile radius of my current location over the past 10 days."). Then it's time for a string check, against which the GM may apply any situational modifiers he deems necessary (suggestions exist in the descriptions below). If successful, the player hangs up his phone ("Very good. Standing by to receive.") and the GM describes what happens. If unsuccessful there is neither a benefit nor ill effect ("Sorry guys, dead end; no satellites have been in range for the last 10 days."). Successful or not, the string is used for the remainder of that mission.

PULLING STRINGS

PG 43

CH 02

OPERATIVES

As normal, a critical success and a critical failure are possibilities. The GM determines the effects of this, but a critical failure might include a warrant for your arrest, a huge fine from a government agency, or getting someone fired in the organization(s) involved. Remember that there can be story-based consequences to pulling strings. For instance, quarantining an area to serve as cover to some illegal activities may draw suspicion from a local detective who wants to know more about the quarantine, who might then stumble upon the illicit activities you tried so hard to obscure. The GM won't make bad things happen every time you pull strings, but power comes with a price and over-use of strings can have unplanned setting-related side effects.

PLANNING STRING PULLS Operatives who have strings might not want to be a slave slave to the dice. dice. Sometimes your plan for mission mission success absolutely relies on pulling a string. Although bones can of course be spent on re-rolls, sometimes your operative needs those bones for when the bullets start flying. That’s when you might want want to consider spending equipment allowance on your string. You don't HAVE to devote equipment allowance. But if you do, your planning pays off and you will automatically succeed in pulling the string without having to roll dice. The cost to assure success is simply 3 equipment allowance, +1 for every -10 of penalty to the desired effect. For example, your group is outfitting for a mission, and your team decides that your plan for mission success will include grounding all flights in the state of Ohio, and one of you have the "No-Fly Zone" string. Knowing that the desired effect would normally carry a -20 adjustment ("All air in a specific state"), your group decides to set aside 5 equipment allowance (base 3 plus 2 because of the -20 modifier). As a benefit for your careful planning and devotion of resources, you won't be a slave to dice later and can be assured there is someone standing by to enact your plan. If your team didn't allocate the equipment allowance, you could still enact the desired no-fly zone with a successful string check with a -20 modifier (and could even spend bones on rerolls to help assure success) but this way it’s guaranteed.

PG 44

PULLING STRINGS

OPERATIVES

AVAILABLE STRINGS The table at right shows the list of strings available in this book. Other string ideas are possible, but must be worked out between the player and the GM. GM. Although it is not necessary, a die roll column has been added to this table. A GM GM might use this when randomly determining the strings possessed by powerful enemy henchmen or master villains. Player operatives can’t have all the fun.

ROLL

00-08 09-17 18-26 27-35 36-44 45-54 55-63 64-72 73-81 82-90 91-99

CH 02

STRING

Armed Extraction Criminal Pardon Data Grid Manipulation Fly-by Forensics Expertise Jurisdiction Warning Media Outage Money Magic No-Fly Zone Quarantine Satellite Access

ARMED EXTRACTION

The operative able to pull this string has ADJ EXTRACTION (CHOOSE (CHOOS E ALL THAT APPLY) pull within some military group, such as +0 Arranged rendezvous point for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or military extraction National Guard (or even some -20 No uniforms or insignia (or some international mercenary group). type of modified uniform or insignia) -40 No pre-arranged pickup point. Operatives must arrange in advance a Operatives will signal for location and pickup location, and will have to make extraction will occur impromptu their way to the arranged rendezvous point within a reasonable time-frame. The military will be waiting, able to protect the operative's escape and perform the extraction. Other options may exist, as the situation and GM arbitration permits. CRIMINAL PARDON

The operative who can pull this string likely has pull over a mayor or perhaps even the President of the United States himself. A criminal is pardoned and set free. Of course, anyone who does this for you is going to hold you responsible for anything that happens as a result. Operatives sometimes have to make deals with undesirable people, and sometimes that means getting someone despicable out of prison. The operative can even use this ability to get himself out of a sticky situation when he finds himself behind bars. DATA GRID MANIPULATION

Various departments within various governments maintain a large amount of data about its citizens. Additionally, there exists private databases which maintain financial, academic, and other types of information. Even search engines hold data specific to log-ins, which clever queries can tie to specific individuals. The bottom line: big brother is watching. But what does "big brother" tell people who look into such data? Being able to pull this string represents power over an agency such as the National Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security, or the Department of Justice.

PULLING STRINGS

PG 45

CH 02

OPERATIVES

An operative capable of pulling this string is able to affect what people find when performing detailed searches through these various organizations, including data mining that requires court orders to view. An operative can have someone's identity disappear completely off the grid for a limited duration (eventually software will red-flag such inconsistencies and recover). Alternatively, strings could be pulled to hide economic data, affect credit scores, affect search engine data, etc. The operative could even have someone identified by the grid as a person of interest, wanted for investigation for some crime, or even invoke a nation-wide man-hunt for the person specified. The power wielded by pulling this string can screw up someone's life.

ADJ

MANIPULATION MANIPULATION (CHOOSE ONE)

+0

Cause searches to return no results Flag person’s info as “classified” Modify someone’s financial history Mark someone as a person-ofinterest, wanted in connection to some type of crime, etc. Invoke a nation-wide man-hunt for someone

+0 -10 -20

-30

ADJ DURATION (CHOOSE ONE)

+0 -10 -20 -30 -40

A single 24-hour period A few days A few weeks A few months Permanent manipulation of data

FLY-BY

ADJ FLY-BY OPTIONS (CHOOSE (CHOOSE ALL ALL THAT THAT APP APPLY) LY)

The operative who is able to pull this string is able to get a military jet to fly overhead. Just having a jet appear on command can be an intimidating sight, but by asking for certain other favors and accepting a modifier as shown at right, other things may be asked of this military jet fly-by.

+0 Simple fly-by -10 Fly by at very low altitude -10 Create a sonic boom when passing specific location -20 Riddle the area with machine gun fire (designed to intimidate, but some collateral damage could occur) -40 Drop a bomb in a specific location on a designated target/building

FORENSICS EXPERTISE

Many investigative branches of local, state, and federal law have forensics departments. An operative able to pull this string has some sort of pull or power within a very powerful forensics group such as that possessed by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The operative can send samples to them or arrange for samples to be picked up by field operatives. Analysis might take some time but can be performed for the operative without anyone else being told of the analysis. Normally an organization such as this would require a federal warrant to investigate certain things, but by pulling this string civil rights and freedoms can be overlooked. JURISDICTION WARNING

Operatives find themselves running afoul of local law at times. With talent, training, and equipment designed to break laws and ignore civil liberties, operatives are embodiments of the phrase "probable cause." An operative able to pull this string

PG 46

PULLING STRINGS

OPERATIVES

CH 02

can get someone high up the legal chain of command to call off a police investigation of an area or group, forcing them to reluctantly back off. They won't like it, but they'll leave. Operatives pulling this string likely have pull over an organization such as the Drug Enforcement Agency or the Federal Bureau of Investigation or some other organization able to trump local jurisdiction. If trying to pull this string to ward off a federal investigation the penalty is -20. If the crime being investigated is severe, other penalties to the string check may apply. MEDIA OUTAGE

This string can be pulled to disable all communication in an area. This includes any radio broadcasts, internet connectivity, land line and cellular phone coverage, and even short wave radio interference. The area will be literally comms-dark. The operative's own ability to communicate similarly will be affected as well, so the operatives should plan for such a contingency.

ADJ OUTAGE AREA (CHOOSE ONE)

+0 -10 -20 -30

Single home or business Large building complex Neighborhood, Neighborhood, town, or city block An entire large metropolitan city


+0 -10 -20 -30

A day or so A few days A week to ten days A month or more

There aren't too many real-world organizations that have this kind of power, but it is reasonable to assume such power might someday exist in the hands of the department of Homeland Security. MONEY MAGIC

The operative able to pull this string has pull over someone or some institute capable of shifting tremendous amounts of money around electronically. They can get money transferred digitally to an account for a duration, though the money is not real and bank computers will eventually red-flag it and an investigator will settle the account properly. The higher the amount of money and the longer it needs to appear real the harder it is to manage, as per the following tables.

ADJ MONEY (CHOOSE ONE)

+0 -10 -20 -30 -40

Tens of thousands A few hundred thousand A cool million Up to a hundred million One billion dollars


+0 -10 -20 -30

A few hours A few days A few weeks A few months

Clever players will use money magic to blackmail people or to set them up to be arrested for receiving bribes or payment for state secrets or worse. Money magic could also be used used to help establish a cover identity by arranging a brief appearance of a Swiss bank account overflowing with discretionary cash.

NO-FLY ZONE PULLING STRINGS

PG 47

CH 02

OPERATIVES

This string enacts a government-enforced grounding of all air traffic in a specific region. No plane may receive clearance to take off from any runway. Any planes found in the air are ordered to land at the first available location able to handle its size. Enacting a nofly zone interferes with the lives of many people and industries, and often attracts media attention or unwanted police investigations. Therefore, the broader the desired effect, the more difficult it is to pull off.

ADJ NO-FLY AREA (CHOOSE ONE)

+0 -10 -20 -30 -40

Single airport in a city with more than one All air above specific city All air in a specific state All air in large region (eastern seaboard, etc.) The entire country


+0 A few hours -20 A few days

QUARANTINE

This quarantines a location by orders from the Center for Disease Control, World Health Organization, etc. It will carry the full weight of enforcement by local/state authorities or even the National Guard if in a large enough population center. Nobody can come in or out of the quarantined area, and everyone within is subject to inspection for whatever outbreak you specify. The duration and area of effect of the quarantine can vary, suggested adjustments to the string check are shown in the tables at right.

ADJ QUARANTINE AREA (CHOOSE ONE)

+0 Single family, person, or home -10 Apartment building, large building complex Neighborhood, town, or city block -20 Neighborhood, -30 An entire large metropolitan city ADJ DURATION (CHOOSE ONE)

+0 -10 -20 -30

A day or so A few days A week to ten days A month or more

SATELLITE ACCESS

Spy agencies have a lot of information, some of it legal and some not so much. Some of it is obtained through careful control of a myriad array of satellites. Yet more comes from unmanned drones capable of photographing and video recording with various types of optics.

ADJ IMAGERY OR VIDEO VIDEO DATA (CHOOSE ONE) ONE)

+0 -10 -20 -30 -40

Specific area (complex, building, etc.) From within last few weeks From within last few days From within last few hours Live and streaming to operative’s computer or encrypted cell phone

The operative able to pull this kind of string must have some type of leverage or ally in the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Homeland Security, or some other similar agency (perhaps even outside of the United States). Imagery might be delivered to an operative via an arranged exchange by a field operative, or might be streamed to a computer or smart phone.

PG 48

PULLING STRINGS

GAME GUIDELINES

CH 03

03

GAME GUIDELINES ACTIONS WHEN NOT TO ROLL Action checks shouldn’t bog down game game play. play. If the player wants his operative to get on a scooter and run to the local hardware store – that doesn’t require a check of any sort. Outside of combat, you can assume players can effectively run without making DEX checks. Players don’t have to make make WIL checks every time their operatives talk to an NPC. Only use dice to help with the tension and the storytelling, not to decide everything.

SKILL VS. ABILITY CHECKS One question that seems to come up a lot: when should you use skill checks and when should you use ability check s? The answer to this one is easy… if there is a skill which governs the action the operative is attempting, attempting, use a skill skill check. If there is no skill designed to cover that action, u se an ability. That means means you’ll use ability checks for a lot of things not covered by the skills, especially when it comes to social interaction, general knowledge, and general athletics.

HIDDEN CHECKS It’s a good idea idea for you to jot jot down the basic basic stats of the operatives. Sometimes you’ll have to make skill or ability checks for them, without their knowledge. After all, if you tell a player to make a detective skill check and he fails, the player is now on alert and thinks he’s missing some important clue. Don’t do this too often, though, as players do enjoy rolling dice themselves.

COOPERATIVE ACTIONS Sometimes players need need to work together to accomplish something. Like a team of operatives working working together to defuse a complex explosive. These are called cooperative actions, and the following is a suggestion on how you might arbitrate such a scenario. One operative (presumably the one with the highest score) is the primary acting operative. Each helper whose chance to succeed at the same action is within 20 of the acting operative’s will give a bonus of +10 to the chance of success. All cooperating operatives operatives must be able to communicate with the acting operative. ACTIONS

PG 49

CH 03

GAME GUIDELINES

For instance, a player’s operative has a 60% chance to succeed at disarming a complex security system and is being assisted by two operatives who have 45% and 35%. The 45% is within 20 of the acting operative’s score, so his assistance gives him a +10 to succeed. The second assisting operative doesn’t help much, providing no statistical bonus. The acting operative has a 70% chance to disarm the security system.

EXTENDED ACTIONS To help build tension and suspense, some GMs may want to use extended actions to accomplish longer tasks. Examples of activities which might qualify as an extended action include hacking into a computer system, cracking a safe, bypassing a complicated security system, breaking a code, or analyzing a sample of blood in a lab to determine its nefarious properties. This is an optional rule that some GMs may enjoy using, while others will find f ind it restrictive. Extended actions are rated by a point value. The higher the the point value, the longer it takes to accomplish the extended action. A player must make make a check each turn (only one per turn). If he succeeds, he earns a success point. If he fails, he loses one. On a critical success, the operative operative earns earns 2 points towards success. On a critical failure, he loses all points and fails outright; he cannot succeed at this task. When the agent accumulates success points equal to the action’s point value, he succeeds. Otherwise the extended action continues for another turn. For instance, a safe might require a 3-point extended thief-20 check. An operative with a thief skill of 60% makes a check once per turn (before initiative is rolled) while his team mates hold off off a security guard force. If he succeeds in his 40% roll, he has earned a point towards success. If he fails in his roll (which is more likely), he’ll lose a point of success. Unless that thief spends bones or does something to raise his chances of success, he’s doomed d oomed to fail.

EXTREMELY EXTENDED ACTIONS Some actions take hours, days, or even weeks to complete. These aren’t technically “extended” actions by the traditional sense (they’re not used for cinematic tension during a combat). The amount of time such such actions require (such as engineering new technologies, book writing, extended research, etc.) should be determined by the GM based on the situation, and between missions. The number of and modifiers for any such roll is purely based on the GM’s assessment. PG 50

ACTIONS

GAME GUIDELINES

CH 03

BONES “Bones” are meant to allow for even more action and adventure than the game system system already permits. They allow players to throw caution to the wind now and then and try something truly epic, heroic, and dangerous. Also, in a world where where bullets are deadly and flying at the operatives, bones can be the key to survival. Below are a few clarifications.

Bones have no impact during operative development. They cannot cannot be used between sessions nor be saved up; each new game session players start with a number of bones bones equal to their Bones score. Their only use is in- game… use ‘em or they’re wasted.

THROWING PLAYERS BONES When players seem to be holding back, not taking too many chances, reserving ammunition, or overly concerned about poor rolls… find a reason to throw one a bone . Just pick up a token (or whatever you’re using for bones ) and toss it to them, along with a reason (“okay that was funny… you deserve a bone for for that”). Getting more more bones into circulation will encourage their use, and will reward behavior you find entertaining to the group. Bones can be used in this manner to help get players who seem a bit bored to do something fun. When you throw a player a bone, he can hold onto it or spend it, but it only lasts until spent or for the duration of the session. Remember that all bones are reset at the end of a session so that players begin each new session with a number of tokens equal equal to their Bones score. score. For this reason, make sure players know which encounter is the final one (it’s usually obvious) lest they never spend their bones.

BONES AREN’T END-OF-SESSI END-OF-SESSION ON REWARDS During playtest, some GMs thought to use bones as rewards at the end of a session, given out like development points. This doesn’t work; players reset their bones total each new session, so it’s wasted.

BONES

PG 51

CH 03

GAME GUIDELINES

GETTING HURT Operatives are going to get hurt. Sure, their players will spend bones to avoid getting damaged, and will roll resistance checks, but the character will eventually get hurt. When this happens , their body points (BP) deplete. But that’s boring…

DESCRIPTIVE DESCRIPTIVE DAMAGE Don’t just tell players they get hit for for 11 points of damage. Be descriptive and use that description in your game. “The bullet rips rips into your right right shou lder. You know it went clean through by the sound of the bullet slamming into the door behind you, followed by an unsavory unsavory splash caused by its exit wound. You take 11 BP damage.”

USING WOUNDS IN STORY When you describe the damage the operatives sustain, you should use those wounds in story. For instance, after receiving a nasty wound which you describe as being in the lower abdomen and hurting horribly, an operative sprints (trying to catch a fleeing fleeing foe). You tell him “you’ve opened your abdomen abdomen wound wider, thoroughly staining your shirt with blood .” You could even tell tell him to sustain sustain another 1 or 2 BP damage if you’re trying to make the situation seem dire. Then later, when trying to sneak disguised past some sentries, have a guard notice the blood staining the front of the wounded operative and spoil his disguise.

SPECIFIC DAMAGE If you’re looking for specific injuries (a shot in the arm, leg, abdomen, etc.) take a look at the optional hit location system later in this chapter, page 54.

GETTING HEALED Encourage the binding binding of wounds directly after an encounter. Players can restore 5BP of damage recently sustained after a fight, just by saying they’re doing so. Since it’s unlikely operatives have time to spend in a hospital or in surgery, this is likely the only type of healing most operatives will receive.

HOSPITALS Assume operatives who end up in hospitals recover 4BP per day under expert care. Command picks up the cost for this, players don’t have to worry about it (if using cash instead of equipment allowance, hospital stays cost $100 per day; Command has fairly decent health health insurance but nothing is free.). free.). Hospitals can also take care of many types of infections, diseases, diseases, toxins, etc. Assume one of three levels of required care: light, moderate, or intensive. A symptom you consider to require light care can be healed by a hospital in a few days. A malady you consider to require moderate care will require a week or so. Intensive care can take several weeks or more. Individual GMs may rule how they wish.

PG 52

GETTING HURT

GAME GUIDELINES

CH 03

INITIATIVE Initiative should be rolled every turn. It is not recommended to roll just once for an entire encounter; although it reduces the number of rolls, it leads to a predictable sequence and removes the chaos that should pervade a good actions scene.

INITIATIVE AND MULTI-ACTIONS It is up to you, as GM, whether all of a person’s stated actions must occur on his initiative or if he may take additional actions at a later time in the turn. Both are acceptable ways to manage a combat turn as a s long as you arbitrate consistently.

INITIATIVE INITIATIVE CARDS During a session there are a lot of dice thrown around: initiative, resistance, ability, skill, damage, etc. One option is to use a special deck of Covert Ops Initiative Initiative Cards instead. These cards have numbers on them and work just like initiative initiative dice; deal a number of cards to each player equal equal to their INIT score. The player chooses one and places it in front front of him, returning the rest to the GM. The GM collects initiative cards at the end of a turn, and re-deals at the beginning of next turn. Reshuffle when when depleted. There are two special cards (both (both are optional, remove either from the deck if you prefer straight initiative numbers): 

Wild – A player with a Wild initiative is very fortunate: he may take his actions whenever he wishes during the turn, even interrupting initiative of another person. If he prefers, however, he may exchange the Wild card for a randomly-drawn replacement and instead impose a setback of his choice (approved by the GM) on his enemy: a gun jams, a vehicle breaks down or runs out of fuel, a trap triggers prematurely, etc.



Skip – A player with a skipped initiative doesn’t act that turn. Yeah, it sucks… unless it happens to the bad guys. Of course, if you have an INIT score higher than 1 then you probably won’t select the skip card. A player can spend a bone to replace a Skip card with a randomly-drawn replacement. INITIATIVE

PG 53

CH 03

GAME GUIDELINES

COMBAT HIT LOCATION Bullets are deadly. A group of minor NPC minions toting submachine guns can easily easily cause player casualties. To help keep operatives alive, consider this optional rule. When using this system, players record body point totals in each of nine hit locations. Each location receives a number of BP equal to STR/2. A STR 55 operative has 28 BP for the head, 28 BP BP for the chest, etc. When someone is shot, use the ones die of the hit roll to determine where he was hit. If a player rolls 36 when shooting an enemy, damage will be applied to area 6, the right hand. 







 

 

 

PG 54

ONES DIGIT

HIT LOCATION

0 1-2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Head Chest Abdomen Right Arm Left Arm Right Hand Left Hand Right Leg Left Leg

Wounded – When a location is reduced to half, it is wounded . Apply any restriction you wish. Examples include penalties to rolls or WIL checks to use the body part while gritting through pain. Wounds should help tell a story and therefore are free-form, lacking specific rules. chest, or Disabled – A hit location reduced to 0 BP is disabled . If the head, chest, abdomen is disabled disabled so is the character, character, like normal. If any other body part is disabled, the operative has to make a WIL check at the beginning of each turn to see if he can ignore pain long enough to take actions. Skill Levels – If the attacker has skill levels, he can bump the hit location a number of points up to his skill level. For instance, if a player kicks a foe in area 5 and has 2 levels of martial arts, he can choose that hit to be in any area between 3 and 7. Called Shots – Operatives who wish to can make a called shot. That is, choose the body part rather than rely on randomness and skill bumping. The penalty is -20 for the chest or abdomen, -40 for any other location. Bursts – When hit by a burst, assume all damage applies to a single body part, for simplicity. Healing - Normal healing rules apply. All body parts heal 2 BP per day, each. However, each body part is individually treated by medics. medics. First aid after an encounter can patch 5 BP to only one location recently wounded. Minor NPCs and Animals – Minor NPCs and animals have no hit locations, just a single pool of BP. BP. Describe hits against them any way you wish. Armor – Although not realistic, it is simplest to assume all body parts are protected by the DR of worn armor. armor. It’s an abstraction of the armor’s armor’s protective nature to make game play simple. Cover – Any hit to a location obviously behind protective cover should be applied to the cover structure, not to the operative’s hit location . Unusual Damage – for unusual types of damage unassociated with someone’s hit roll, simply use common sense to apply where damage is endured (electrical shock damages the chest, ingested poison hurts the abdomen, a fall damages the legs, etc.), or roll 1D one or more times. COMBAT

GAME GUIDELINES

CH 03

FLOWCHART CHASE SCENES In the core book, chase scenes were simplified into distances and hazards. While that works great for the majority of circumstances, there are times when a GM wants a little more direction in his chase. Use this optional system to provide such direction.

7 1 3

1

1 0

6

1 2

2

5 9 1 4

CREATE FLOWCHART When a chase scene is inevitable, sketch 20 or so circles circle s on a sheet of paper. Draw lines lines connecting them, creating a diagram that looks something like what is shown at right. Place a number in each. The lines lines represent roads, and the circles represent intersections or hazard points. If you want to get tricky, you can place arrows on some of the lines, representing one-way streets, and can show overpasses or underpasses with comments next to the roads. 1 1

4

8

3

8

STOCK FLOWCHART On a separate sheet of paper (or the same sheet if you write small) jot down all the numbers you just wrote then roll 1D for each one (or choose the results you wish) using the following table to create a map reference key. ROLL RESULT

1

Dead End

2-4 Potential Hazard

5-7 Hazard

8-9 Endangered Innocents

10 Lost ‘em

NOTES Have to stop and turn turn around. Traffic halts, bridge bridge is out, or some other obstacle restricts travel completely. If you had other lines drawn to/from, all of them end in a dead -end. There is something an operative can use to try to place a hazard in the way of another vehicle. Nearby awning pole, pole, very tight alleyway turn, newspaper newspaper stand, etc. If operative succeeds in piloting check, pursuers now have a hazard to face. Something has occurred or is in the path that, if the operative o perative wishes to continue, must be overcome through impressive driving techniques. techniques. Dirt ramp to jump vehicle over over moving train, tight opening, wrong way on one-way street, traffic jam with narrow opening, closing automated door, drawbridge rising, etc. Someone gets in the way and will be harmed unless operatives do something. May require piloting piloting checks, or just yelling yelling to “get down” or even stopping the vehicle to assist (letting foes get away), etc. Operatives who go here enter an area whose traffic is such that they will lose their pursuers or prey. This may be desirable desirable or might be the worst fate possible, depending on situation.

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MOVEMENT ON FLOWCHART Each turn, piloting operatives must make a pilot check to advance to another circle. If they fail, they must choose a different path (and make another pilot check with a multi-action penalty) or not move at all (meaning the pilot failed to gain enough distance to reach the next landmark area). A pilot may always opt not to move forward.

RANGE ON FLOWCHART Operatives have a 2-circle visibility range, and no more. If you get more than 2 circles away from pursuers or prey, you have lost them. If in the same circle as an enemy, consider consider range to be Short. If one circle away, range is Medium. If two circles away, range is Long. Beyond that you lose sight of your enemies. enemies.

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CONDITIONS There are several conditions in the core rulebook rulebook which can affect affect operatives. In order to keep things flowing quickly and to help you remember all of these, consider using a deck of Covert Ops Condition Cards (available where this book was purchased). These cards have the names of the conditions, as well as a text summary of their effects. When a player’s operative operative is weakened weakened by some effect, slap a “Weakened” card in front front of him. It’ll help everyone remember remember he’s affected by that condition, and serve as a reminder to help the player role-play his afflictions. You can remove conditions or add them as desired, simulating the growing stress of combat on an operative.

SOCIAL INTERACTION There is no skill which represents an operative’s ability to persuade peopl e, nor is there a skill which represents how intimidating or imposing an operative can be. This is intentional. For the most most part, social social interaction is managed through roleplaying. Listed below are a few ways players might try interacting with others others and suggestions on how you might handle this interaction through game mechanics. must decide whether a player’s These are just guidelines. You are the one who must good role-playing succeeds or not. If you decide to let the dice make these decisions for you, you may end up with some frustrated players.

BRIBERY Bribery is a special classification of persuasion, where someone is given something he wants in exchange for something. something. Since actual cash isn’t handled in this game in any conventional way (exception: see page 26), 26), the overall effectiveness of a monetary bribe bribe will depend on an an operative’s lifestyle. Treat bribes bribes as a normal persuasion situation (see below), but apply a modifier to the operative’s LOG score. Money is used to sweeten a deal, and the more money an operative has, the more money he has to offer. An operative with no purchased lifestyle: +0; an operative lifestyle: +20. If a with a traveler’s lifestyle: +10; an operative with an extravagant lifestyle: player thinks it’s important, he can also spend bones in the normal way to affect this roll, representing yet more money thrown into the mix.

CHARM Through good looks, smiles, warming glances, and general fellowship, the operative tries to make someone someone trust him enough to tell him secrets secrets or to help him. him. Charm is a hard thing to teach. People are either charming or they are not. Players can turn on the charm through role-playing. A well-placed smile and a wink can go a long way, but charm can be delicate; a wink and smile can come off creepy. For this reason, leaving things up to dice can help. A simple WIL check can help decide if someone’s attempt at charming behavior is well -received. This normally doesn’t require an opposing roll, but if an operative rolls a critical failure when trying to

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charm someone, that person is forever immune immune to the operative’s operative’s charm. He or she “sees through” any further attempts as phony.

DECEPTION Unlike other methods of social interaction, deception is actually something which can get better with training and practice. The operative tries to misdirect someone someone (or outright lie to them) in some convincing way to give up secrets, answers, or to perform some action. Deception is part of the thief skill. A simple thief skill check is usually enough to pull off a single deception convincingly, but if the recipient of the misdirection has any reason to believe there is a deception afoot, then a LOG check can be used to turn the deception into a contest. But don’t just roll dice. If both succeed in their their checks, role-play it out. Have the deceived person poke holes in the deception and give the operative a chance to to amend his deception. Let the back & forth go on until someone is a clear winner and the victim becomes deceived or the operative’s deception becomes obvious.

INTERROGATION This is when someone is questioned, yelled at, tortured, or made to feel uncomfortable, sometimes over and over again until he “cracks” and finally gives away his secrets or performs some action. Interrogation can be very non-heroic. It often falls into a moral gray area, and is not for all operatives. Depending on how important the information or activity is, morals can be pushed to their limits as the “ends justify the means.” Interrogating and trying to get someone to crack might take a long time, time, several hours or days in fact. fact. Have players describe describe what they want to do to try to make their captive crack. Whoever is leading the interrogation then makes a detective skill check contest against the WIL of the captive. You can apply modifiers based on several factors, such as application of “good cop” and “bad cop” ploys, physical abuse or torture, etc. The interrogation continues until there is a clear victor in the contest. Most people can eventually be broken, but if the captive succeeds critically he cannot be cracked during this captivity, no matter how long it takes. If the interrogators succeed critically, they didn’t crack their captive – they broke him and he lapses into a sad insanity and is of no further help. PG 58

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INTIMIDATION Intimidation is meant to cause someone to make a quick decision based on fear. Some people are not very intimidating. Some people are such imposing figures that a stare which lasts more than a second or two reduces people to cowering fools. Players can intimidate by making a WIL contest against the person they’re trying to intimidate. Unlike many contests, don’t keep rolling from turn to turn until there is a victor. Just roll once. once. On a success, the victim performs whatever action was intended (such as “drop that weapon!”). On a failure, the victim is not impressed and is unaffected. On a tie (that is, if both the operative and the victim pass or fail fail their rolls), the victim will hesitate but they won’t do the thing requested.

PERSUASION This is the act of convincing someone of some fact through facts and argument (or to convince him to take some action because of those facts). Although it relies on LOG to pull off, it is performed against someone’s WIL score. Normally, persuasion can be done through role-playing (and should should be). If you want to let the dice do the thinking, make it a single-roll action contest using the persuader’s LOG score against the victim’s WIL score. If successful, the victim is persuaded persuaded to believe what the persuader wants. If unsuccessful, the victim victim cannot let go of his stubborn beliefs beliefs or refuses to accept accept the validity of the facts presented and the persuasion fails. fails. On a tie, the victim sees the point of view as fact, but really isn’t fully convinced that he’s wrong enough to change his mind.

SEDUCTION Seduction is the act of using your gender and the basic carnal needs of the human body to win someone over. When charm isn’t enough and you really need to get someone to open up to you, there’s no better venue for getting someone to reveal things than in bed. In the case of seduction, your operative has to really have some time on his hands and first has to win over the target through charm. Once charm has worked, the operative can move on to full seduction with a WIL check. Against an unwilling target, this could turn into a WIL contest, while the operative and his target engage in innuendo, banter, and word play. If the seduction is successful (unless you’re gaming with your wife), it’s best to just say time passes and tell the player what he learned during pillow-talk, then fast forward to the morning after. SOCIAL INTERACTION

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EXAMPLES Some game mechanics might be a little hard to follow when reading these rules. What follows is a series of examples to help you be a better GM.

EXAMPLE: GAME PLAY There have been a lot of game rules thrown at you in this section. In this example, many of the concepts will be shown to work together to help create exciting situations of action and adventure. We join the action as two rank 1 operatives, Brice Blackwater (played by Bob) and Charles Corbin (played by Michael), are entering into a Boston airport coffee shop with a briefcase in hand. They’re supposed to find their contact (Operative Krycek) and swap briefcases with him, verify the contents of the case, then exit the coffee shop and bring it to Command headquarters in the city. Simple. The players thoughtfully set up a rental car (thanks to their traveler’s lifestyles ) before coming to the coffee shop so they can make a quick getaway if necessary. GM: As you enter the coffee shop, the comforting smell of fresh ground imported beans greets you. Michael: Can you describe the customers? GM: There is a man in a turtleneck sitting at a table alone in one corner with some sort of e-book tablet in hand, two young women in business attire gossiping over images in a popular magazine, and one man in a striped suit sitting near the restroom reading a newspaper with a familiar briefcase near his leg. Bob: That must be our mark… Krycek. briefcase. I’ll walk over to the counter and and order a coffee. Michael: I’m holding our briefcase. When it comes, I’ll go sit next to our mark.

Bob: I’m going to have a seat somewhere near a corner where I can see everyone. I’m going to keep an extra c areful eye on the guy in the turtleneck. GM: Okay, you order your coffee and wait a few minutes, trying not to look unnatural. Soon your coffee comes and you pay for it. it. You walk over and sit next to him and he doesn’t d oesn’t move. briefcase next to his Michael: Okay, he’s playing it cool, I can do that. I’ll place my briefcase and finish my drink.

Bob: Anything happening with turtleneck guy or the girls? GM: Nope. Michael – give me a detective skill check.

scor e] Success. Michael: [rolls dice and rolls less than his detective skill score]

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newspaper Krycek is reading. He’s not GM: You notice a few blood drops on the newspaper breathing.

Michael: Great. Bob: [putting a finger against his ear and whispering] “Corbin, let’s spe ed this up, I’m looking suspicious since I didn’t order anything.” my coffee and reach down and grab his Michael: [whispering] “copy.” I’ll finish off my case, stand up and head into the bathroom with it.

GM: Okay. As soon as you enter the bathroom, the two women stand and one whirls around, long gun appearing in her hand with a suppressor attached, eyeing turtleneck guy and Operative Blackwater. The other girl heads towards the bathroom. Bob: Crap. [finger against ear] “Corbin – unfriendly comin’ at ya.” I’m going for my gun and ducking down behind my table for cover. GM: Operative Corbin heads into the bathroom and hears the warning from Blackwater. What do you want to do? Michael: Real quick I want to open the case and verify the contents – this might be a setup. GM: You notice the case has been tampered with but whoever did the tampering failed to open it. You know the combination, do you open? Michael: Yes if I can do it quickly. GM: You thumb the combination and open the case, noticing an integrated computer system displaying some kind of schematics… this looks like the case were sent for. You hear hear the door open behind you. Everyone roll initiative. Michael: [rolls two dice for his operative’s INIT score, rolls 5 and 7] I rolled 7. Bob: [rolls one die for his INIT score] 8. GM: [knows the women are minor NPCs and they automatically have an initiative of 5] Okay Operative Blackwater is first. Bob: Okay, I don’t know their intentions so I’m going to try to intimidat e her into putting down the gun. I’ll aim my gun at her while resting resting it on the table for better control and say “Drop the gun, sweetie, you’re not equipped to handle me.” GM: Nice. Give me a WIL check to see how effective you are. Guns are pretty persuasive, and your role- playing was good, so I’ll give you a +10. Bob: [rolls dice, fails WIL +10] Nope… not very convincing. impressed. Operative Corbin hears the GM: [rolls dice for the minor NPC] She’s not impressed. door open behind him, your turn, Michael.

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Michael: Okay – I want to close the case while spinning around and slamming the intruder with it. What do I use for that? GM: Well… I would call that a melee weapon. Let’s treat it as a club. Give me a martial arts roll. Michael: Really? It takes martial arts training to swing a briefcase at someone? GM: To do it well, yep. Anyone can do it though, even without training. ag ainst his unskilled martial arts score] I miss. Michael: Okay… [rolls dice against

GM: You swing the briefcase and the small woman ducks very low and steps back outside the doorway. Now it’s the women’s turns. She brings her gun forward to fire it [rolls dice, scores a hit] and hits you. Want to try to dodge? Michael: Dodge a bu llet? Wouldn’t I be at a disadvantage and have to cut my DEX in half? GM: Yes, and you’d have another -20 since this is your second action this turn. Or, you could spend a bone and automatically succeed in your resistance check without having to roll. Michael: [throws the GM one of his bones] I slam the door shut and dive to the side, letting the bullet blast a hole in the door. opponent’s turn, she takes a shot at you [rolls GM: Okay, I’ll allow that. Bob, your opponent’s dice] and misses. misses. The bullet zings past you and slams slams into the woodwork inches from your head.

Bob: Can I return fire? GM: You may, but it’ll be at a multi -action penalty of -20 since your first action was to intimidate, though I’ ll give you +10 for resting your pistol on the solid table surface. Bob: [rolls dice, using his Soldier score -10] I miss. Can I double-tap? GM: Third action would be at - 40, though I’ll still give you the +10 for bracing your gun on the table surface. Bob: That doesn’t leave me much of a chance to hit, but I’ll give it a try [rolls dice and fails, but rolls doubles] crap, critical failure.

back , splintering wood and creating a GM: Your bullet misses but hits the wall in the back, spark as it hits electrical conduit. The lights go out in this shop and in this section of the airport. airport. Baristas scream. scream. The emergency emergency lights come on but they’re very dim. dim. All aiming actions are at -10 for the rest of the encounter, including you in the bathroom, Michael. Michael: [finger to ear] “Thanks, Blackwater. Maybe leave the shooting to me from now on.”

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The combat continues. Operatives Corbin and Blackwater get schooled by the two women for a while until they finally finally defeat them. them. They make a hasty escape before the police arrive to investigate investigate the gun shots. During all this, this, the guy with the turtleneck somehow slipped out the exit, leaving the operatives wondering if he was a scared bystander or an enemy operative.

EXAMPLE: ENEMY ORGANIZATION GENERATION Mark sits down to prepare for play. He doesn’t want to use the default setting provided in this book (or decides to run a series of missions based on his own imagination) and so decides to start with a villainous organization. organiza tion. He grabs dice, pencil and paper.

1. Organization Size . Mark rolls 27, a medium centralized organization. It has three master villains (sounds like three missions in the making, unless he can make his master villains survive the player’ operati ves for a few missions) and one headquarters location. He’s not going to let let the players know where the headquarters is in the beginning… he’ll save that for much later.

should be pretty easy, since there there is only one 2. Organization Locations. This should location. Mark rolls 99: Roll Twice. Twice. He rolls twice more more and gets 58 and 40. The location of this organization’s headquarters is a Digital Nerve Center and a Training Center. The villainous organization is starting starting to take shape… it’s very technical and is churning out minions. He rolls for its location and finds that it is located in (rolls 75) Belgium. For a descriptor, he finds that this enemy headquarters (rolls 18) has a local counter-intelligence agency unknowingly under its control. 3. Organization Agenda. Mark rolls 81. This organization’s primary existence centers around the agenda of revolution. Its leaders are unhappy with some government or another and actively seeks to bring it to its knees. 4. Wrapping Things Up. He does a little searching on the internet and finds that Belgium has a German/French influence, and is located near the Netherlands (a major hub of travel). This sounds interesting. Belgium has an espionage agency called SV (Staatsveiligheid, or simply “State Service”). He notices that the previous Director of State Security (Koen Dassen) resigned after a controversy over losing sight of a suspected Kurdish terrorist, and has been replaced by new Director Alain Winants. He decides to use this real-life leadership shift shift as the manner by which his organization has covertly taken control of the State Service! Although there is a bit more work for him, Mark is happy with how this is shaping up. He decides the organization seeks the end of the European Union, and Director Winants is a pawn. He tinkers with a German to English translation website and calls his organization KUVER, an acronym for Koenige Umstuerzen VERband, which loosely means “Covenant for for the Overthrow Overthrow of Kings.” He even plans to use the oversight of suspected female terrorist Fehriye Erdal by former Director Dassen as a plot hook for the first mission! All he has to do now is generate generate his master villain for his first series of missions. EXAMPLES

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EXAMPLE: MASTER VILLAIN GENERATI GENER ATION ON Mark was happy with his villain organization KUVER , and decides it’s time to make the master villain villain he’ll use for his first series of missions. He gets out another piece of paper and starts rolling some dice. 1. Master Villain Type. Mark rolls 40 and learns that his first master villain is or was an operative or spy. He things about this – since KUVER ’s headquarters is a digital nerve center, he could make his villain a hacker type, but decides t hat’s not sufficiently dangerous sounding and decides he’s a former member of SV (Belgium State Security agency), a very skilled operative with a French background. 2. Motivation. Mark rolls 87: Renewal. His villain believes a governing body is flawed and must be recreated anew, no matter what the cost. Why does he feel this way? Perhaps he was left for dead dead after a mission, or abandoned while in need behind some enemy lines? Which organization does does he want to wipe out, the Belgium government? The EU? 3. Power Base. Mark rolls 33 – political power. The villain has some kind of political power. power. Maybe he’s a member member of the Ministry Ministry of Justice in Belgium? Or maybe he’s just wealthy and influential in commerce and holds sway over polic y because of that? Mark decides this villain isn’t the one in politics himself, himself, but that he controls politics in some way. Maybe his power base is due to influence he holds over the newly newly installed Director of State Security Security in Belgium? Yes… that’s it. it. He has power over him because of secret intel he has pointing at the new Director’s involvement in a scandal. He uses this influence influence to force the Director to help push through laws and falsify intelligence reports. 4. Statistics. Mark builds the enemy villain. He builds him using normal operative creation rules and makes him rank 2 (since this is to be scaled for use with rank 1 operatives). For descriptors, he rolls 41 and 02. 02. He has a special weapon made just for him... and is an albino. He creates a cool pistol using the specific firearm guidelines and applying several firearm upgrades. He names the the villain Dax Pascal, Pascal, and builds a legend around his disappearance from the SV and how they blamed him for the death of his partner and a mission gone wrong, which resulted in retaliation from some very dangerous enemies against his only living family. This should sufficiently inspire his villainy. rank 2! He 5. Henchmen. Mark rolls 51. The villain has 2 henchmen. They’ll be rank builds one as a really strong power-house of a man, with a really high STR and martial arts training. The second he builds as a female hacker type. It takes some time to generate these enemy henchmen but he’s happy with the results. He decides Barden (the brute) works for Pascal because he’s an old and dear friend of his ex-partner, and has pledged his life to helping Pascal succeed, sharing in his

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goals. Alaina Jolie (the hacker) is a young goth girl who is an absolute wizard at technology. She and Dax Pascal are lovers, but that is not the source of her loyalty; she works for him because he’s making her rich. 6. Minions. Mark rolls 79. The minions of Dax Pascal are very capable agents of KUVER, trained by him personally. A “standard minion encounter” is with 1D/2 1D/2 of them, small strike teams. He notes their score is 75% and that they have an equipment allowance allowance of 12. 12. He gives them bullet-proof vests (3), (3), semi-automatic pistols (3), one flash-bang and one fragmentation grenade (3), and equips their pistols with silencers, a spare ammo magazine, and heavier caliber upgrades (add +3 to pistol cost) to make them seem more more spy-like. He records the standard minion encounter as follows:

1D/2 Secret Agents 75% (silenced semi-automatic pistols M 2D+4 ammo 10, spare ammo, bullet-proof vest DR5, flash-bang, frag grenade). gre nade). Now Mark has an enemy organization, a master villain, a couple of henchmen, and minions. He knows his organization has two more master villains, villains, but decides to wait to create them at a later date. He hopes to get get a couple of missions out of Dax Pascal before the operatives defeat or capture him. Next he wants to sketch out a plan for the first mission.

EXAMPLE: MISSION GENERATION Mark already has his organization and master villain, and already knows he has two henchmen and some st ats for minions. He doesn’t yet have a mission mission to send the player’s operatives on. He grabs another sheet of paper and and starts rolling up ideas. Mark rolls 20 and finds that his his first mission will have 3 areas. This is a fairly typicalsized mission. He rolls and determines his first mission area will be (61) Residence, some kind of apartment or condo or house or something. It has a descriptor descriptor of (84) “splintered/smashed.” Their objective here is (62) “information.” They’ve come here to learn something. This would be easy if not for their obstacle, which is (19) “endangered innocents.” This seems like an innocent beginning to an adventure (pun intended). It might need some enemy activity, activity, but he’s not sure yet. He decides to roll the other two areas before committing to a story. The second area is (58) “Remote,” an island, outpost, etc. etc. It is (61) “old/ancient,” maybe some ruins on a remote island? island? They have to go there there with the objective of (24) “Confiscation,” they have to steal something that someone else has or wants. That would be easy except for the obstacle of (88) “Persuade Other. ” Mark’s not sure about this one… nothing’s coming to mind and he might reroll or deviate from the rolled story. He decides to roll the last area first. first.

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The third and final area is a (11) “Decadence,” some kind of fancy fancy place. It has a descriptor of (18) “columned with arches. ” The operatives must (04) “Activate” something, but have to deal with (45) being hopelessly “Outgunned.” So now Mark has to try to build a cohesive mission from these building blocks. blocks. The first area might be what brings them into the larger mission, a simple first step that uncovers the larger plot. plot. It seems by the third area that the main plot is something that must be deactivated. Maybe a bomb or some kind of doomsday device? Mark also wants to integrate his master villain Dax Pascal and his henchmen and KUVER, his enemy organization. He decides there there is some kind of weapon Pascal has organized which is going to be used, and the operatives uncover the plot. He doesn’t want this final encounter area to be KUVER’s head quarters, just a location it is using for this activity. The mission begins simply. simply. The operatives are to go to the South American summer home of Dr. Koehler, a scientist who developed an innovative communications satellite but disappeared before he could see its successful activation, which occurred a few days ago. Unknown to many, Dr. Koehler was a science Operative working for Command, and they are interested in his disappearance. disappearance. Koehler’s daughter and heir, Isabel Koehler, is currently vacationing in the summer villa and they are to question her and look around for any clues. When they arrive, they find that the villa is full of people people partying. The villa, which overlooks an awe-inspiring cliff over the gulf, is suddenly targeted by a huge meteor which falls from from the sky with incredible fury, a strange green tail in its wake. It strikes the house, and screams can be heard from within. Above, in the sky, another two meteors are are barely visible, coming towards the house. The operatives

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see Isabel Isabel dangling from a splintered balcony, balcony, among other party guests. guests. operatives will likely try to rescue people before the other meteors strike.

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The

Once they rescue Isabel, she tells the operatives she doesn’t know what the hell is happening, and she doesn’t know anything about her father’s work or whereabouts. She mentions her her father was always down under the villa in an underground lab. The operatives explore the destroyed villa (likely take samples of the meteors), meteors), and enter the old lab. Inside, they find evidence of Dr. Koehler’s work, which wasn’t a communicatio ns satellite at all. It was a weapon designed to bring asteroids down on targets… and the operatives just witnessed its first test! Hopefully they think to gather evidence.

When the operatives return to Command (probably with Isabel for protection) they learn that this wasn’t the only location where where meteors struck the earth. A hotel in Munich and a subway station in London were also hit. hit. An organization calling itself itself KUVER has claimed responsibility and is demanding the immediate disassembly of the European Union, or promises the next attack will remove leaders from each of its constituent governments. The EU has one week to comply. Command analyzes Koehler’s work and identifies that the satellite makes use of a unique and very valuable ferrous crystal found on an island located in the Caribbean. Command scientists believe that if they had a sample of the crystals that they could build something to disrupt the satellite and disable this weapon.

The operatives are immediately sent on the next phase of their mission, to acquire one of these crystals. They travel to the island island where they must explore old ruins in search of the crystal, but they soon realize that Barden (one of Pascal’s henchmen) and minions are also there looking for crystals. crystals. They likely have a firefight, and if possible Barden will escape without a crystal. As the operatives recover from the battle, they find a crystal and take it back to Command for analysis. Back at Command, the operatives are given a device that uses their crystal. They must attach it to the device which controls the satellite. Command has pinpointed the signal as originating from a site site outside of Liege, Liege, Belgium. Operatives are sent there with the device. When they arrive, it is an old castle with great arches and columns, covered with soldiers. Minions are everywhere and the operatives are totally outnumbered outnumbered and outgunned. outgunned. They cannot storm in or they’d be killed. They have to somehow sneak into the castle, locate the control room, and deactivate it using the provided device (which they carry around in a backpack). Once they apply the device, they’ll realize that it’s not only deactivating the control system, it’s calling the meteors down on the castle, and th e devastation will be amazing. The operatives must try try to get out before the devastation, but will end up in a final encounter with Pascal, Barden, and Alaina Jolie (Pascal’s techie henchman). The battle with the henchmen henchmen and minions minions will take place while the castle is being pelted with meteors; destruction everywhere. In the chaos, Pascal should escape. If they’re lucky, so will the operatives. operatives.

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04

GAME MASTERY STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES The bulk of this book has been about the operatives the players portray and the game mechanics surrounding surrounding their use. This chapter switches switches gears and discusses good story-telling techniques (which apply to any role-playing game, really) and thematic elements which apply only to this genre of game play. Becoming familiar with this chapter isn’t totally necessary to becoming a GM, but it just might help you become a better GM.

THE STORY Writers of screenplays and books have several literary devices, techniques, and elements they use to effectively tell their stories. Some are better than others for telling certain types of stories. The same is true of GMs. FORESHADOWING

Foreshadowing is a literary device writers use to present prophetic fore-knowledge hinting at what is to come. In novels, the hint is often more for the reader than for the characters (who often don't get the hint until too late). As you stand on the summit and look out over the ruins of the city, you watch a large hawk circle around, looking for food. You smile as you watch a ferret standing in plain sight but in the shadows of the large bombed-out building, knowing that the hawk can’t see it in the darker shadows. The ferret goes about its normal chore of searching for edibles; occasionally glancing up at the sky to make sure its hunter can't see it. To your surprise, the ground opens up under the unsuspecting furry critter. An underground tunnelspider claims another prize. So intently was the ferret focused on the obvious predator, it never considered the hidden one. You shake your head and pick up your gear, ready to head down into the ruins.

Like most literary devices, foreshadowing can be borrowed to enrich your roleplaying experience. Scenes of foreshadowing (like the italicized text above) add a new layer to your storytelling, and provide players with a perspective they normally wouldn't have while rolling dice and moving around on a map. Unlike characters in a novel, the target audience of the foreshadowing IS the operative - or rather, the player who controls the operative.

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In the above example, if later the operatives were skulking through the described ruined city and heard the sound of an approaching enemy helicopter coming after them, they might be wise enough to remember the ferret-like creature and dart for the darker shadows of the buildings. While they do, have an unexpected encounter occur from a direction they weren't expecting! If they caught the foreshadowing, they’ll be prepared enough to be scouting in unobvious lo cations while hiding from their hunters. Indirect Foreshadowing – Sometimes the hints of what is to come is obvious, but sometimes it's more subtle. For example, in the classic story of Romeo and Juliet, both of the ill-fated main characters announce openly to one another that they would rather die than live apart. Such a statement, alone, means one thing. But when you look at what happens later in the story, you recall what was said earlier and it gives far more meaning to the words you recall. Proper use of subtle foreshadowing can cause the story to grow in depth – not by the events occurring now, but by enhancing and strengthening the events that occurred prior.

There are dangers to foreshadowing, of course. Overuse of this device can cause the players to have too much knowledge of what is to come. Similarly, if the foreshadowing is too subtle then many players might miss the hints. If done properly, foreshadowing can dramatically add power to your storyline. In the movie The Sixth Sense, most viewers had no idea of the status of Bruce Willis' character, despite all of the many clues: no communication with anyone around him, people ignoring him, always wearing the same clothes, never being actually shown to travel or drive, etc. Once we learn of his dark problem, these other things all made sense and added profound impact to the story.


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RED HERRING

Sometimes a foreshadowing foreshadowing leads to nothing. Sometimes, an operative sees something that seems somehow important and meaningful, but carries no meaning into the story. Red herrings are helpful because they keep players from always knowing that every description of detail is an important clue. They can also be helpful to muddy the water when things are far too clear to the casual observer (like adding a handful of extra suspects to an investigation). Red herrings are another literary device, details which alone add interesting pieces to the whole of a story but have no real impact on the main plot. Random encounters, scenes of dramatic diversions... all of these things are typically red herrings. Clever GMs will add details to help make the world seem real and relatable to the players, to give them a sense that more is going on than a group of trained operatives saving the diplomat’s daughter. Red herrings can sometimes add enough interest that they spark later creativity. For example, when visiting an outpost in a third-world country, the players find that there is a revolution going on. They aren’t a part of it, but it causes them some difficulty traveling on the highways through checkpoints and finding their contact (who has become embroiled in the revolution). Later, they encounter a squad of revolutionaries who mistake the operatives for members of the local government. Through good role-playing or fast guns, the players safely navigate their operatives through the situation and get out of that country. The war had nothing to do with anything... but added depth to the encounter with their contact. Later, if a GM is inspired to do so, he might develop an entire series of missions that involves the revolution and its impact on the rest of the world, all because the players seemed to enjoy the red herring he threw at them during dur ing this mission. ALLEGORY

Perhaps a bit over-the-top for a role-playing experience, allegory is when all the elements of a story as a whole are representative of something else entirely. This technique turns an entire story into one large metaphor. Because the GM isn't in complete control of the story (the players control the operative's actions), it is difficult to have a complete story behave allegorically. That doesn't mean certain parts of a story can't be allegorical. Allegory shouldn't be obvious. For example, if you know a great deal about World War II and would like to add elements of it into your campaign, don't do it obviously. Create situational and political allegories to the Weimar Republic, drawing from your wellspring of knowledge on the subject. Don't do the obvious; a Master villain named Adolph Hitler who commands legions of his gray-coated soldiers is probably too much. When using allegory, use it as a framework. If clever players draw parallels to things from our own history or present, which will help the player become immersed in the story without the need to have obviously derivative work. PG 70


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CLIMAX

There is a point in every story that you remember the most. It's where all the efforts, trials, and tribulations of the main characters finally culminate into some sort of amazing scene or series of scenes that make the story's wrapup inevitable. It's often where the operatives face their main antagonist, and victory and defeat sit poised as equal eventualities. In the movies, the climax is accompanied by a rising dramatic musical score. It's the climax of the story that drives us to rise from the edge of our seats and either gasp in worry or cheer in triumph. In a role-playing game, the climax is one of the most important parts of the adventure. Many excellent gaming sessions have been plagued by poor climaxes. An adventure can have all of the elements that make a story memorable and epic, and then fall horribly flat when the operatives breeze through the main conflict in an unmemorable manner. This is called Anti-Climax, and can break an adventure. Confessions of a Bad GM – I I have learned this lesson the hard way. I ran a mission (after a lot of X-Files watching) where the operatives had to rescue a powerful empath because she was the key to breaking down the mental defenses of a captured alien who crashed on Earth in the arctic. The only problem was that the empath was being held in a classified US government prison. Since the government wouldn't cooperate (the empath was simply "too dangerous" and was being kept sedated and her powers suppressed), the operatives were hired (along with appropriate warnings of plausible deniability) to sneak into the government prison, secure the release of the prisoner empath, and escape, delivering her to Command at an obscure location where the alien was held. The mission was great, the story solid, and all was enjoyable. But I didn't plan well for the climax of the story. The players succeeded in the prison break-out, dragging along a drugged empath girl (who turned out to be only twelve!) as she slowly came to her senses. Once she was in front of the dangerous alien (my story's sad climax) she released an empathic blast that knocked everyone unconscious. The operatives woke up along with everyone else, with the alien and the girl dead. Story over. over. Players yawned. STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES

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The mission lost its impact and depth because the players lost interest (they were just along for the ride) during the climax. GMs should be careful not to craft a masterful adventure plotline where the climax doesn't directly involve the player operatives! They’re the main characters of the story and and need to be involved in some fashion. In hindsight, I should have had aliens show up to reclaim their lost pilot … and let the players deal with a very powerful foe while the empathy tried to get information from its mind. This example example wasn’t the last time I mixed mixed science fiction with my Covert Ops, but it was the last time I excluded the players from the main story’s climax. QUICK DECISIONS

When telling a story (of any type) you’ll lose the attention of your audience when you allow long lulls in the progression of the main plot. Players will lose interest if they have to wait for you to look up answers or procedures. Know your rules, and when you don’t know somet hing, judge quickly and move on. There is nothing wrong with making an incorrect judgment. judgment. Some players are byby the-book “rules lawyers” and might seek to correct your quick judgment. Stick by your guns: you’re the GM and this is a game system that reli es on a strong GM role. Just be polite and say “ I’ll make sure to read up on those rules by next session, but this is how I’m doing it for now to keep the story flowing .” MEMORABLE MOMENTS Every game has them… moments where the players get to shine, do something so

cinematic that the image of it is talked about for many years to come. Roleplaying games are great for those moments. It takes a while to learn to recognize those moments. Skilled GMs feel them coming. They’re not always at the climax of the story, though they often are. Sometimes they come by complete surprise when someone rolls a critical success (or failure!) when his chances of success are abysmal. Sometimes the great moment doesn’t happen on its own and you have to make it happen, often to fix a broken situation (especially when dice betray everyone and jeopardize a mission). It’s important to really make the moment memorable by adding a moment of descriptive drama to it to spruce it up. The player is going to remember it, so make make it a great memory. Noah was playing an ex-marine with an anger management issue, and he and the rest of the operatives had been shot down by members of the Redhawks, a notorious band of thugs and killers they were sent to disburse. He started getting really into the situation, I could see it in his eyes. He was worried for his operative and was wondering if he or any of the others were going to survive survive this mission. Out of bones and wounded, wounded, he even looked like he was on the verge of having no fun whatsoever… PG 72


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I told him to roll a WIL check. He didn’t know why, why, but he rolled rolled it anyway. Since one of his descriptors was “anger management issue s” I thought it might be a good moment moment for him to fly into a heated (and helpful) helpful) rage. He rolled, and even with his operative’s 68 WIL score, he failed with a critical failure. In frustration, Noah says “Of course, a critical failure… what was I rolling for?” “Well, Mr. Anger Management Issue… your adrenaline builds up in you over the damage to the chopper and the jeopardized status of the mission. Your anger has become too much for you and you’ve become gripped by an amazing rage that would make a mountain shake with fear .”

Even though the rage might not be enough to save him, I knew I had to let him have this moment. I could see it in his defeated face. Even though I helped it along, the dice helped even more by coming up with double nines: the memorable moment of the adventure was here. I threw him a bone and said something like the following: “Time slows for you… everyone else feels a single heartbeat but you feel like that heartbeat stretches out for many seconds. The storm strengthens, the rain coming down in the alley with great power – as if providing a soundtrack to the impending burst of rage you’re about to unleash. The remaining Redhawk’s eyes widen when they see you stand up in the wreckage and stare them down. down. They somehow sense your building surge of raw power – Roll Roll initiative …” CUT SCENES This isn’t something done often in role -playing games, but give it a try, it’s quite a

bit of fun fun for the players. A cut scene scene is where the focus of the storytelling cuts away from player activities, and you narrate a scene scene to them. This sometimes gives the players knowledge their operatives won’t have, and should only be done if you do indeed want them to know the information you’re presenting (and trus t the players not to use this “above -board” knowledge to influence how they play their operatives). One good use of cut scenes might be at the close of a game session where the mission has not yet been concluded. The players, ready to break for the evening, might enjoy you describing a scene where the main master villain is reporting to his superiors the failures caused by the operatives’ activities. Fade in. Metalwork walls walls enclose a control control room where a tall man rubs rubs his temples, anger fading to a false calm mask. He turns away from the computer screen, leaving the fearful operators looking at one another in concern. The tall man walks into another another room and closes closes the door. door. Metal STORYTELLING TECHNIQUES

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walls give way to heavy oak furnishings in a rustic private study with no windows. A few taps on a computer terminal and one wall displays a counsel of four suited people, their faces shrouded in intentional shadow. One of the shadows shadows speaks: “You had one job, Mr. Jacobson. Jacobson. By now the White House should have have been rubble, and your your agents in place. Where is the mayhem you promised?” promised?” The threat is implied, implied, and received. Jacobson tries to put on his best smile and replies: “Everything is going according to plan, Sirs. I had those buffoons of SECTOR taking taking care of a diversion. Rest assured your mayhem is coming.” Another shadow: “It had better come. We’re sending sending a specialist to assist you, he will lead a team to keep those operatives out of your way for the an. If you fail us again, our specialist will be instructed instructed to rest of your… pl an. dispose of you. Understood?”

screen and hurls a heavy object “Understood.” Jacobson flicks off the view screen from his desk desk at the screen, shattering shattering it. Fade out.

In the above example, unless the operatives already learned of these things, their players are now aware that the main enemy of the mission is named “Mr. Jacobson.” And that he works works for a group of four anonymous anonymous men. They know Mr. Jacobson’s base of operations has metal walls and that he maintains a private study where he likely keeps important information. They learned that their actions of the session might have been in dealing with a diversion – or was that just a lie told by Jacobson to his emplo yers? They also also know that next mission a “specialist” “specialist” is coming to help take care of them. But the most fun thing of all is that they learned they are getting under Jacobson’s skin, and that’s priceless. STORY LAYERS

This is a storytelling technique that can be of great use to a GM wanting a longerterm campaign. In this technique, there is something important that must be uncovered. It is so important that knowledge of it will change the world, or at least a nation. It has to be big. Maybe aliens are real and the government of the United States is made up of them, in disguise. Maybe there exists a clandestine organization behind behind the major events events of the world… guiding guiding events towards some amazing agenda. Maybe some historic historic event was concealed from us all by the church and scholars who controlled the documenting of history itself. Whatever it is, it has to be big for this to work. The information information isn’t obvious. Players won’t learn of the truth in one session. session. They mission. They will learn layers of truth, each won’t even learn of the truth in one mission. one leading them up to another layer which eventually reveals the ultimate truth. PG 74


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A GM should number six lines on a piece of paper. paper. At number 6, he writes his ultimate outrageous truth, such as “ Nazi Germany is alive and well and living in a lunar base on the dark side of the moon, building up an arsenal big enough to retake the world world in 2025.” Next, at line number 5 and leading to line number number 1, provide five additional facts which lead lead to this discovery. Make each one progress towards the next. next. Perhaps number five states “There is a secret organization called called IZAN living on Earth whose German agents silence conspiracy theorists or anyone who gets close to the tru th.” Now we have a master villain organization. Eventually lead the layers down to number 1 which might be something like “German rocket scientists were in high demand after the war, helping to get mankind to the moon… but never to the dark side.” Now you simply try to reveal reveal one of these layers at a time to the players. players. Don’ t feed it to them; allow them to uncover it as a meta-plot streaming through all their other missions and adventures. Sprinkle information here and there and let them build conclusions. Let them learn that there is a bigger bigger truth out there, that people are dying to protect it, and and that it will change the world. Don’t even feel like you have to mention it in every session, session, or every mission. Some missions are exactly what they seem. But you’ll be surprised how many missions you run that, with a little creativity, can be turned around to be a part of this grander storyline. Once they reach number 5, 5, the next session session should be the big one. It is here that the meta-plot comes to a mega-conclusion. But what does it mean? Does the campaign end? Story over? Do the operatives thwart it? Or does the world change? Then what? Once the final layer of the story comes to fruition, it is up to you what to do.

THE MISSION The mission (or the “adventure”) shouldn’t be a stand -alone entity. Even missions designed for a single night’s session should have broader implications. This section discusses the who, what, why, where, and when of a story, i ncluding the player’s involvement. CHARACTERS (“WHO”)

All NPCs are characters, even the minor ones. All characters should have depth to them, even the most unimportant ones. This is one of Stephen King's greatest strengths. You should feel free to use voices (change the pitch or add an accent, or even just speak at a different volume) or speaking patterns (speak slowly or use certain phrases or regional dialects and slangs). Don't be afraid to give life to merchants, guards, politicians, and corporate suits. Characters need to have consistency . Of course, part of the key to making a stable, believable setting is consistency. If you are capable of using a British accent, then


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make sure to use it for all British characters and non-player characters. Players will expect it. If an operative gambles at a casino on Los Vegas during a mission and befriends the dealer, if he later visits that same casino he might enjoy visiting that dealer again, and will notice if he talks or acts differently than before! But consistency isn’t just just about what voice you use. use. Mannerisms can be just as fun when defining a consistent and memorable NPC. You can use facial facial expressions or body language to represent the specific mannerisms of a character: put your hand on your belly, close your right eye, whatever. Players will associate those actions with that character whenever they see them, and this can be worked into stories. The tell-tale stance of Mr. Smith – My My play grou p’s character’s employer, a slow-speaking Mr. Smith, always stands with his feet pointed outward and his hands clasped behind his back. Every time the players have meetings with him, I rise from my seat and stand in that manner, speaking in my Mr. Smith voice, a soft and dangerous tone. Once, when the operatives were sent on a mission to escort some valuable nuclear cargo other operatives secured from a foreign dictator, they got curious and opened them up on the way only to find them empty. They turned their truck around and came back to discuss this with Mr. Smith. Worried about possibly being blamed for theft, they stealthily approached the parking garage where their truck was originally parked, scouting out the area. They could see - in the shadows - someone was conducting an inspection of crates that looked identical to the empty ones in their truck! There were too many armed thugs for them to get involved, but they did notice that the one selling the crates stood with his feet pointed outward, his hands clasped together behind his back. The buyers were from another country, but the players never learned which. They knew not to fully trust Mr. Smith after that point, and still verify everything he tells them. If Mr. Smith wasn't wasn't good at getting them jobs, they'd have ditched him long ago!

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Player Characters . But it’s not only the importance of the non-player characters a GM has to cater to – the Player Character (PCs), although controlled by the players rather than the GM, take a great deal of consideration.

When overseeing operative generation, it is important to help ensure the players are happy with their their operatives. operatives. Players bore quickly of a character they can’t enjoy. Each player player has different reasons why they might not connect. For younger, less experienced role-players, it’s often just about statistics. Allowing a re-roll of a terminally low score might be all that it takes, and what’s the big deal about that? Other players prefer their operative to be potentially epic epic in nature. It’s not that that they need their operatives to be statistically superior to anyone. Quite the contrary; they prefer an operative with a terminal flaw or two to round out their general awesomeness. For ma ny, it’s all about the operative’s background and what lies in store for him. For some, spending a little extra time and and effort tying a character into the storyline and helping to prepare the character for grander g rander things is vital. For some players, having an opportunity to add a great amount of detail is important. These players want to know an operative’s family structure, number and names of siblings, and know a great deal about the operative’s past. When GMing for players such as this, make sure to help develop these things about such an operative, and to work these things into the storyline. GOAL (“WHAT”)

There has to be a reason the operatives immerse themselves in a setting and face conflicts. What is it that the players must have their operatives accomplish? Having a great setting and interesting characters are a good start, but if the characters have no carrot to dangle in front of them, how can they be led to struggle against the main conflict? Exposition. Part of the difficulty with providing the players with goals is figuring out how to give them those goals. If they have an employer (such as working for Command), it gets pretty simple: they are called into a mission briefing room and provided with their goal. This is a really easy way to do it in the beginning, and


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sometimes leads experienced operatives to strike off on their own and become freelance. But sometimes the goals of a mission come from other sources. Some of the most memorable missions have goals that the players themselves come up with (like returning to a place of a previous session in order to retrieve something they lost or wish to claim). If the players are freelance, or you wish to give them a mission in an unusual way, there are a number of ideas you can draw from. Sometimes, the operatives are just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and events transpire that launch them into a series of connected adventures. Or a simple routine activity in their daily lives turns out to be far from routine. Don’t forget the lett er from a loved one or contact begging for their help. Obviousness. Some GMs prefer to make sure the players have an obvious specific goal. As a player, most people want to know what their operatives should be focused on or they get bored and start spinning or stacking dice. As a GM, I hate it when I have to lead the players along because they’re doodling on their operative dossiers unable to focus. It’s important to keep the players awa re of the goal, remembering the goal, and focused on it.

If the goal of your mission is to survive an attack, keep your story focused on the survival. If the goal of your mission is exploration, don’t let an encounter with mafia thugs derail the storyline and focus the mission on conflict against the foe. Personal Goals. Some players design operatives with personal goals, and this is great. As a GM you should be thankful for it because it helps serve as a springboard for further adventure. For these players, they measure the success of their operative against the yardstick of his defined personal goals. One operative’s family was killed during the political struggle between two corporations when disputes over mineral rights turned violent. The player stated on his operative dossier that his goal was to see all dirty corporations topple. During game play, each time there is an opportunity to stand in opposition to the forces of an obviously corrupt corporate official, this character gets involved. The success of such an operative isn’t measured in development points and attributes… it’s measured by his own passion.

If one or more players have personal goals, be careful not to make all adventures center around just a fe w operatives at the exclusion of other players’ fun. CONFLICT (“WHY”)

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always keep his mind on the overall conflict. It's the conflict that defines defines why the characters are heroes. And face it – even though they’re spies or mercenaries or whatever, they are are the heroes of the story. It's the adversity the the player characters face that defines them and makes them stand apart. It’s a vital vital part of a role playing game. Conflict in a role-playing game is even more important than it is in conventional storytelling media. Players thrive on the action their characters face. Even the greatest role-players enjoy imagining their characters struggling against adversity only to emerge victorious in the end. The greater the conflict, the sweeter the reward. Villains and lackeys are an important part of any conflict. They are tangible beings against which all blame may be thrown. It's easy to target a fictitious villain with your indignation. It's therapeutic to finally defeat the foe that’s been the source of all the problems the player's characters have faced. It’s not always necessary to make the main villain a single person. There are many cults and cadres, groups and corporations that all make excellent villains. However, conflict should not be merely a list of enemies to face. Some of the greatest stories from movies and books have struggles against powers and principalities that aren't personified by a tangible force. Players may struggle against their own inner demons, against the mistakes of their past. They may stand against a force of nature or a catastrophic catastrophic ill-fated prophecy. Even though this is a game of paramilitary and espionage adventure, there’s no reason the stories can’t involve destiny. When defining your adventure's conflicts, you need to consider the farther -reaching conflict that can help define the character's struggles for many adventures to come. The players may not even be aware of the true nature of their conflict during the first few adventures. For example: Characters facing lackeys of a corrupt official might face off only against the lackeys in the first mission, discovering that it is the corrupt official behind it all. The next mission might result in learning that there is a conspiracy among many government officials. After several missions, they eventually learn that Varaghest Corporation is behind it all, a clandestine villainous organization with farreaching influence. They have hypnotized the officials into their current state of indecency. As their missions lead them along this chain of discoveries, they eventually learn of several resistance groups fighting against the corruption of Varaghest Corp. Over time, the operatives find find that their main struggle isn't isn't against the lackeys, isn't against the corrupt government. The main conflict of their story is the struggle to lead the many resistance groups into one force capable of dealing with Varaghest Corp!


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SETTING (“WHERE, WHEN”)

Consistency. Your players want a consistent setting. That is not to say it must be stable – just consistent. You should keep notes of what you place where in the game world. If you describe that there is a giant statue of Tomas Kincaid (some early explorer who gave up his life to save a settlement) located in the center of the largest port city in some country, make sure you describe it every time the players land there. Elsewhere, have an NPC use a comparative statement like “as large as the toes of Tomas Kincaid” – the players will feel immersed in your setting and your stories. A Living World. The entire game world is alive with activity. The earth turns, people live and love and war, new things are discovered. The world isn’t a totally static place where the players are the only dynamic element. It’s import ant to have things happening in the world tha t aren’t a part of the player’s involvements. Sometimes these backdrop story elements work their way into the player’s adventures in the form of subplots. Sometimes they are catalysts for entire new storylines. Even if the players have no involvement at all, make things happen, even if they become red herrings to the central storyline. Using Newspapers . If you’re running regular sessions of Covert Ops, you should keep up with international news. Using the internet, newspapers, or magazines should suffice. Using elements of events going on in the real world will help anchor the operatives in reality, despite their larger-than-life larger-than-life nature. This suggestion cannot be understated. Exciting Locales. This is more of a cinematic element than a literary one. The players will become more excited about their setting when they find themselves in unusual locations that fill their mind with images and ideas. A really cool location will be memorable.

In the Indiana Jones movies, Professor Jones finds himself in ancient temples, hidden crypts, and old underground cities. In Star Wars, the act of turning off the deflector shields around the Death Star becomes a daring raid on a storm trooperinfested jungle moon. Filling the location with interesting things can be a s cliché as you’d like. Go ahead and borrow from existing imagery from movies and books. It’s your setting, but it’s everyone’s experience. If a character finds himself in a situation that his player can relate to because of a movie he’s seen, it only adds to his ability to become immersed in the experience of the setting. Another interesting way to spruce up an adventure location is through creative application of environmental forces at work: gravity, rain, storms, atmospheric density or gaseous makeup, lava/magma, or just about anything else you can imagine. Having a climactic encounter with your main enemy on the shores of a lava lake in a base built into an active volcano makes for an interesting final encounter! PG 80


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THEMATIC ELEMENTS There are common elements to an espionage story that should be considered while building missions missions and game sessions for your players. These help make a mission mission memorable by creating situations the players have all seen on favorite spy movies and television shows or have read in books. They give players a sense sense of the familiar while providing role playing tropes that work in the espionage genre. GMs should familiarize themselves with these and try to work one in when possible.

9MM MASTER KEY In modern espionage stories, a bullet seems to solve a lot of problems. Shoot at a lock to prevent someone from gaining access to a room. Or to unlock a door. Or shoot at an electronic gadget to destroy it or knock loose some glitch. Shoot at a critical weak point on a helicopter and the whole thing blows up. These elements work great for cinematic styles of high espionage but fall short of reality.

ALONE WITH THE PRISONER There is a prisoner and one or more of the operatives must convince the guards they have a grudge against him. They must act as if they are going to interrogate, intimidate, or hurt him. Secretly, the prisoner prisoner is the operative's operative's ally and they are left alone with him by the guards to conduct their nefarious nefarious activities. But the operatives must convince the prisoner they're on his side, work out a plan with him or let him know they're going to get him free somehow... all without letting the guards know the operatives are secretly allied with the prisoner.

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BURNABLE ASSETS The operatives are on a mission mission in a foreign land. The mission objective becomes unachievable, their cover is blown, and all extraction opportunities are used up. This is when the operatives learn that they are field operatives, and therefore are burnable assets. Don’t let the players forget that they aren’t irreplaceable. If Command needs to, they’ll abandon the operatives, deny association with them, and generally leave them for dead. Of course, being being the crafty lot they are, the operatives will rise up from these ashes and save the day. And then they can have a long talk with whoever gave the order to leave them stranded in unfriendly territories!

CAUGHT ON VIDEO In this element the team is caught doing something illegal and it’s recorded! They start their day watching the news (or maybe Command approaches them) and see video footage of them stealing something. It’s not them, it’s a well doctored video. They must work to clear their names and catch the people responsible. As an interesting twist, maybe the video is real and really shows the operatives, but it only appears they are doing something illegal because of circumstances. Either this is pure coincidence that it appears illegal or the actions they are taking were intentionally orchestrated to catch them in seemingly illicit action.

CHECKPOINT TURNING POINT This is another another very common theme element for GMs to use in their missions. missions. The operatives must get through a checkpoint (a militant one with barbed wire, machine guns, and many soldiers) or must pass some kind of intense scrutiny (metal ( metal detector at the airport, group of very tough bouncers at a club, etc.) to gain entrance to or safe passage to a destination. destination. It will require them to use deceit, trickery, or very good role playing to convince the checkpoint guards or technology that they are supposed to be allowed passage. This becomes a potential turning point for the mission, because if they fail then it can change the course of the story significantly (resulting in captivity or perhaps turning a stealth operation into a full frontal assault from one slip of the tongue).

COOL GUYS GUYS DON’T LOOK AT EXPLOSIONS This one doesn’t need a lot of explanation: cool guys walk away (often in slow motion) while the the fiery explosion fills the background behind them. Add cinematic moments like this into your story to give that familiar feel of style, confidence, and mayhem.

DRESS UP MISHAP In this thematic element operatives take out a few guards or stumble on the laundry room and have instant disguises. But one of them is now mistaken for the person whose uniform he wears and this leads the story down an unintended path. Eventually a tense moment occurs where someone who actually knows the real PG 82

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uniform owner is coming and the ruse is going to be ruined, and maybe jeopardize the mission.

DRUGGED AND FORGOTTEN This element can be difficult to pull off since you have a lot of player-knowledge at the table. The team wakes up with implanted memories or no memory of recent events in their lives. Suddenly events happen and they're in trouble with Command, a law enforcement agency or some rival. They have to work to find out the events they can’t remember or undo the implanted memories in order to clear their names.

ENEMIES AT THE TABLE This is a very common thematic element, where one or more operative is captured or comes upon the location of the main enemy and there there is no combat. Instead, they sit together and dine (or gamble at the same table, or dance together at a party, etc.) talking amiably while sprinkling the conversation conversation with threats. This shouldn't result in a fight; it is a roleplaying opportunity that players who enjoy high espionage will latch onto and act out.

FLYING FALSE COLORS This thematic element is named for the nautical trick of flying a flag of one color and then hoisting the Jolly Roger at the last moment to reveal a ship’s true nature. It is a common ploy for a group of operatives to dress like another organization (maybe even showing falsified credentials) in order to place the blame for their activities on a rival rival organization. The player’s operatives operatives can pull this trick to put negative press on a rival organization, or enemies (or even allies!) might pose as operatives of Command to force their involvement in some critical operation.

GETTING IN IS THE EASY PART In this thematic element, the players need to question or defeat someone who has been taken as a prisoner, and they must get into prison. Of course, the easy way is to commit a crime and get thrown there… but clever players can come up with other ways. After all, a prison was designed to keep people in, not out. Getting in should be the easy part.

HELLO, I’M A SPY Despite the name of this game, some operatives may like to be a bit more overt. When asked their name, instead of announcing something easily forgettable and fake such as “John Smith” or “Mr. Johnson” they proudl y announce their real name. “My name is Blake… James James Blake.” In real life, operatives conceal their identity, even maintaining multiple identities to double-conceal the truth. But in this this trope, you tell just about everyone you meet who you really are, making it easy for them to look you up in their super villain database. Or maybe the operative operative doesn’t tell

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his real identity, but walks around in a trench coat and fedora and keeps to the shadows, cigarette in hand… making anyone who sees him h im think he’s a spy.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT Although the espionage world is full of deep shadows and a nd dark secrets, this secret is hidden in plain sight. A hardware store might turn out to be a concealed military base of an enemy. A phone booth used every day by normal people can, when a certain number is dialed, dialed, provide a secure signal to Command. The broadcast dish beaming a control signal to the satellite in space which you must stop turns out to be a Ferris wheel closed down “for maintenance.” GMs shouldn’t hide everything in plain sight, of course, but doing so occasionally helps remind players that their shadow war wages in the midst of civilian society and collateral damage could be deadly.

HIGH ESPIONAGE VERSUS LOW ESPIONAGE There are two distinct types of overall themes used in spy missions. Usually, good stories include elements of both. High espionage refers refers to fancy cars, posh parties, small pistols, seduction and impossible villains with larger-than-life plans, style and charm. Low espionage takes place on gritty streets, in nightclubs or corner bars, bars, includes mafia bosses or drug lords whose plans are all but believable and real perhaps taken from our everyday newspapers. GMs should make efforts to use these extremes within his sessions. While familiar to players, they help show the dichotomy of secret agent life.

LEAVE NO WITNESSES One of the most surprising mission objectives that Command might give to operatives when they screw up and blow cover is “leave no witnesses.” No matter how benevolent your version of Command, always consider that some secrets are worth killing to protect. This is a great way to question the morals of the operatives. Do they have what it takes to do this? Or do they allow witnesses to live along with assurances of silences? Have they just created a liability they have to look after for the rest of their careers?

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OTTENDORF CIPHER An operative or NPC needs to get a message to to someone. He hands them them numbers on a piece of paper paper or disk. What do they mean? The operatives operatives will need to match the numbers to a book. Only with the correct book can the code be deciphered. The book might be common or rare, but getting the book is part of the solution. Once the book is found, the numbers correspond to page numbers, numbers, sentence numbers, and word numbers. When the cipher is worked out, the operatives will finally understand what they must do next. This plot device can work well in a game like this. GMs could actually work out the code themselves from a real book and keep it handy near the game game table. Have the operatives engaged in combat or something intense while one of the players actually works out the cipher (tell him how it works, then make him work it out while the battle rages around him). When he works out every letter, the battle becomes less important and the operatives must get away to follow the instructions deciphered.

PROVOCATEUR An operative (one of the player's or an NPC) is given a mission where it is his objective to incite rebellion among some group, layering lie on top of deception. This provocateur is now so deeply mired in his deceptions that his allegiances are impossible to discern. The operatives must either be the provocateur(s) and deal with the distrust of their peers and Command, or they must work with the provocateur and hope they can best him at his game ga me of lies and web of deceit to get what they need or want; they must manipulate the manipulator.

RAPPELLING FROM NOWHERE This thematic element can be seen in many spy spy and military movies. It refers to the act of fast-roping down a free-hanging rappel line into a battlefield and usually occurs out of low-flying helicopters (probably black) and might include swinging through windows to storm a building. In this trope, the operatives seemingly come out of nowhere. The helicopter might might be heard heard but only a moment before the operatives hit the ground ready for action. Players whose operatives use equipment allowance for backup and then call them in at a crucial moment can expect this kind of entrance. Players who are sent in to secure a location might be the ones doing the fast-roping. However it happens, make it cinematic and cool.

RED MUD ON THE BOOT In this common thematic element, the operatives must visit a location early in the mission where they notice some extremely odd colored mud (or leaves, or scent, or something). Later in the mission, mission, when trying to figure out someone's identity or allegiance, one of them notices this unusual colored mud (or leaves, scent, etc.) and the operatives realize where that person's been and it drops all the clues in place. This works best if it is the players themselves who think to ask about it ("I know, which one of them has red mud on his boots? boots? That's the man who's been to the warehouse!") THEMATIC ELEMENTS

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SHOOTING FRIENDS IN THE BACK This is a fairly common thematic element where an operative is posing as a bad guy and to convince other bad guys of his authenticity, he has to shoot one of his fellow operatives. Players doing this might decide that instead of adding their DEX and soldier bonuses to damage, they wish to subtract it from rolled damage instead. But in a case like this, remember: a critical failure on the attack roll could be deadly! This ploy is more more fun for the players if it’s impromptu instead of planned. The undercover operative simply pulls out his pistol and shoots his old friend in cold blood; very convincing convincing to the bad guys. When the player ’s operative recovers from being shot, he should distrust the undercover operative... after all, he shot him!

SWISS ARMY WATCH It’s the swiss army army knife of operative gadgets: the super spy wrist watch. watch. For some reason, an enemy will frisk you and take everything away from you – except your watch. All manner of gadgets could be built into a wristwatch, regardless of whether or not they would actually fit. GMs should be permissive of gadgets placed in wrist watches, but limit limit them to one-use items. After all, only so much much tech can fit in that small a package.

THAT’S REAL?! Operatives become knowledgeable about many things that most people will never know. Information is the primary weapon in the world of espionage. Some information turns out to be pure fiction – exposed by the truths uncovered during the operatives ’ missions. But sometimes, just sometimes, fiction mirrors real life and players should open their mouths in astonishment and ask: “That’s real?!” Examples include the “Men “Men in Black,” or “S.H.I.E.L.D.” from the Marvel Universe. Universe. Fit one of these into the backdrop of your campaign setting and watch the players embrace it!

THAT'S CLASS CL ASSIFIED IFIED "I could tell you, but trust me, you don't want to know." In a world of cloak and dagger, loyalty and trust are important because organizations control information access. Sometimes to protect you, sometimes to control you. The espionage espionage world is full of secrets. It can be both frustrating and fun for the operatives operatives not to have all the information, or to be restricted from having it when they look for it, simply because they're not authorized to know the answers they seek. During the mission, the operatives come to know the information and realize why it was kept from them... and are warned by Command to forget what they learned or they will have to mitigate the information information leak permanently. This plot element element can be used used by the players too, when their operatives are dealing with NPCs N PCs hungry for the full story.

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THE BACKFIRE PLOY There is a weapon weapon which seems to fire one way but really fires the other. Or maybe it's a machine that the switch for "on" really shuts it off and vice-versa. Whether the device is designed to fire backwards or is a result of operative or enemy tampering, the operatives know about it and at a time when nothing else will work they must trick a seemingly unstoppable foe into using the device on them... which will actually backfire. Note that the backfiring device need need not be a handheld weapon - it it may be a plot device rather than a physical one. For instance, a powerful agent assassin who has had hypnotic manipulation to kill the person he sees when a word is spoken might have to be tricked into saying the word himself... while looking in a mirror. The suicidal rage which ensues would also qualify as the backfire ploy.

THE CLIPBOARD OF DOOM Although this is a minor thing, it is fun to add to the story. GMs should keep keep a clipboard nearby with some papers clipped in. When playing an authoritative figure from Command, pick it up and hold it. Refer to things on it. Scratch a note. Appear to cross off something. What's on the clipboard?! Players will see someone holding a clipboard as an authority figure whose pen strokes are affecting their career or (if you play it up well enough) enough) the policy of nations. This prop is fun in other ways as well. When the player's operatives must dress up in disguise or must deceive someone and they're playing the role of an authoritative figure, hand them the clipboard and let them try it. Fear the pen over the sword... and fear the clipboard over the pen!

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THE DEATH TRAP The master villain has the operatives cornered, trapped, and all but defeated. defeated. He should pull a trigger and end all his opposition outright. But he doesn't. Instead he takes a moment moment to monologue and then leaves, leaves, activating activating the death trap. The actual death trap need not be a mechanical or actual thing - it might be a firing squad or huge group of armed thugs. It might even be something truly freakish like blasting a hole in the ceiling of a subterranean desert base and locking the operatives in as sand pours down atop them to bury them alive. Whatever the source of the "death trap," operatives must show innovation in overcoming it but while they do so the master villain gets away. GMs might use this thematic thematic element in the midst of a mission, to allow a later final confrontation at the mission's climax. Or he might use this at the end of a mission, resulting in a recurring villain for a later mission.

THE DOUBLE AGENT This one can’t be used too ofte n or the players will stop trusting everyone. Someone the operatives must must interact with isn’t what he or she claims. His loyalties are either divided between two organizations (Command and the FBI, for instance) or belong fully fully to some other organization. The operatives probably discover this when it is too late and a figurative dagger is already dug into their collective backs, or they’re staring staring down the the barrel of a pistol when they least expected it. The double agent thematic element work s best if it’s a roleplaying scenario, not a pure combat one. Why did the double agent sell out? What has he told the other other side about Command? Is there any path to redemption, or can this only end in the player’s operatives and the double agent going f or or their guns?

THE DREADED DELIV DELI VERYMAN The operatives are hiding in a hotel, laying low. There is a knock at the door. It’s room service - and now the situation becomes tense. Is it an enemy agent concealing a gun under the towel he’s carrying? Or maybe there is a bad guy dressed up as a mail man. He knocks, has someone sign for a package (forcing (forcing them to open the door wide enough to get it), looks at the signature to make sure it’s really the person he’s after, then wa lks away as the package timer counts down to 0 before exploding. exploding. Or maybe the players players themselves could adopt this common thematic ploy and pose as delivery men to gain entrance to a location or to deliver an explosive package to the enemy base.

THE ELABORATE HEIST A common espionage story element is when there is something being held in some facility. It is usually in a computer or safe, safe, or maybe some other type of security location. The operatives must retrieve it. Doing so will not be easy. When you focus a piece of your story around a heist like this, force there to be a situation that type, then caters to every operative’s specialty. If the group contains a techie thief type, there exists some some kind of surveillance system that must be modified modified or bypassed. bypassed. If PG 88

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your operatives have someone who’s very athletic, then giving them rappelling gear or specialized climbing gadgets will do the trick. Or maybe one of the operatives is a smooth talking seductive type who has to try to convince an enemy general to “have a drink” with her, where she drugs him and lifts his fingerprints to gain access to a location. The heist should be elaborate and well-planned. well-planned. Of course, things might go smoothly and they might never alert a single guard. But then again, maybe they’ll end end up all split up doing their tasks when all hell breaks loose. The elaborate heist is a fun and re-usable plot hook.

THE EVIL CIA Another common trope in espionage movies and books is that the CIA isn't really the good guy. They know things things they don't let let on. They kill without without discretion. discretion. They operate above the law and without oversight. oversight. They build empires empires and bring down despots without the authority or knowledge of the United States government. In contrast to this, the FBI is often viewed as good. They place themselves in extreme personal danger to seek the truth, even if it means crossing paths with the evil CIA. Since Command is a mysterious employer, they might be associated with or arrayed against one or both of these groups. Be consistent with who wears the white and black hats in your campaign setting so the operatives think they know who they can trust... then spring a surprise on them once in a while to make them wonder just who the good guys really are.

THE HUNT FOR MR. X This element can be a straightforward search and rescue, the return of someone recently kidnapped, locating a target that has gone off-grid, or finding a specific foe. The team is sent to find someone and bring them back. Sometimes the disappearance is simply to lure operatives into a trap. The trap could be nefarious or simply to speak with them, maybe gather information and capabilities. Bad guys sometimes just want to flaunt their pans and give operatives a chance to join their side. Other elements center around a specific foe who is a danger to someone important and must be found. In other twists the target went off-grid because of information he came across and is in hiding, maybe the team will sympathize with him?

THE NOC LIST In this story element, there exists a list of the names and identities of all operatives who work for Command (or perhaps a rival organization). This list shouldn't shouldn't exist, but of course it does. does. The list becomes the main topic of a mission. mission. Either it is stolen and the operatives must recover it and do damage control (by capturing or killing whoever has seen it) or the operatives must obtain it and use it as leverage against someone. In the wrong hands, the NOC list list can be be used to systematically bring down Command (or the organization to which it applies) and therefore they will stop at nothing to make sure it is recovered.

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THE RANSACKED ROOM Operatives enter a place where the thing they seek is supposed to be located, maybe the location of an elaborate heist, or maybe their own hotel rooms. When they reach the door, enter, guns in it’s slightly ajar. Operatives then enter, hands, to find a completely ransacked locale. Furniture overturned, mattresses cut open, etc. Maybe some minions were sent to search the operative’s hotels for for information or clues. clues. Or maybe some enemy henchman team got to the room before the operatives. Did they find what they were looking for?

THE SUPER-SCIENCE GIZMO Whether you’re emulating high espionage or low espionage (or just pure military operations against terrorist groups), a common thematic element is the super-science super-science gizmo. It operates off the assumption that technology is at the cusp of becoming truly amazing (and dangerous) and there are enemies who are a bit further along the path than the rest of the world. In this trope, a villain develops (or forces someone to develop) a super weapon (or super device) that can make him unstoppable. He might try to blackmail world governments, or he might ask them to surrender to him. The operatives are either sent to stop him, or stumble upon his plans. This type of thematic thematic element usually ends in the destruction of the gizmo and all people who know its secrets (intentionally or otherwise), or at least destruction/ depletion of rare raw materials needed to make make it work. It’s most most fun fun when when this is coupled with the backfire ploy and the device is used against its creator. Super-science gizmos should be plot devices created by the GM and they can do whatever the GM wishes. The GM need not be consistent either. If he needs the gizmo to work, it works immediately. If he wants it to take 10 turns to power its capacitors, then it takes 10 turns. turns. No specific specific rules govern gizmo creation or use.

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WAIT – I NEVER TOLD YOU MY NAME This is a typical espionage idiom. idiom. Operatives are conversing with someone they have no reason to distrust. It might be a store clerk or the waitress at at the diner. When suddenly the person person says an operative’s operative’s name. Clever players will will pick up o n it and announce “I never told you my name…” and then the deceiver’s real purpose is thrust upon them. Other common uses of this idiom are when confidential confidential clues are mentioned by someone who shouldn’t know , “I never said the victim was a woman…”

WAITING ON THE LAB In this situation, players have important evidence (an encrypted hard drive, a damaged memory stick, a hair sample from the killer, etc.) which they cannot analyze themselves. The evidence is sent to the lab while the operatives continue their mission. But whatever path they take to try to complete the mission, at the last moment they'll be contacted by an urgent call from Command with results from the lab... turning everything upside down and showing that the operatives made incorrect assumptions. This new evidence is not refutable and now the operatives must respond.

WAS ONCE ONE OF US In this thematic element, the operatives must deal with a foe (henchman or the main villain of the story) story) who used to work for Command as an operative. He knows all the tricks and tactics, and seems to have thought of everything (jamming their methods of communications, knowing the limits of what they can and can't do, etc.). etc.). The villain, if he's charismatic enough, might try to convince the operatives that they are wasting their time applying loyalty to Command and will gloat over how Command places money and public opinion over the safety of the operatives. The players must must show extreme creativity in defeating defeating this type of foe by thinking outside the box.

WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SURVEILLANCE MISSION This is great great to give to low rank operatives. Give them a mission mission and inform them that they are only only supposed to take pictures, videos, or whatever. whatever. A real operative team is sent for the more important piece of the mission. Invariably, something goes wrong and and the raw recruits must then accomplish the mission themselves. themselves. If all goes well, they might might even end up rescuing the other failed failed team. During debriefing after the mission, they will be commended on their field decisions and the failed operatives chided. The operatives may have just made a rival, or they may have just made great friends.

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the bug informs all of the problem. This thematic element is where the operatives and NPCs must carry on a false and believable conversation with one another for the sake of those listening, often to give them false information or to hide the real conversation (which is going on via hand signals and note writing).

LEARN THE LINGO To help players immerse themselves in the fun of a paramilitary or espionage mission, learn the language of spies. Below is a list of espionage-related terms. Learn them and sprinkle into the game freely. The more the players start talking like this, the more they’ll be into the genre! This information is reprinted (with permission) from the list of spy terms on www.intelligencesearch.com. ACCESS AGENT – a talent spotter, performs reconnaissance for recruiters. ACORN – slang for someone who is performing an intelligence function. ACTION DIRECT – an underground group in France. AGENT – a person under the control of an intelligence agency or security service. AGENT-OF-INFLUENCE – a deep-cover agent with influence among the members of a target group. AGENT PROVOCATEUR – a deep-cover agent who feigns enthusiastic support while tempting the target to incriminate himself/herself through action or words . AIS – Argentina's intelligence agency. AL AMN AL-KHAS – Iraq's security service. AMAN – one of Israel's intelligence agencies. AMERIKA – underground metaphor for a fascist USA reminiscent of Nazi Germany. ANALYSIS – drawing conclusions about raw information by assessing its significance and by collating it with other information. ASALA – underground group in Armenia. ASIO – Australian Security Intelligence Organization. ASIS – Australian Secret Intelligence Service, a department of ASIO. ASSAULTER – a member of a SWAT team responsible for making a forced entry. ASSET – an agent (or operative). AUM SHRINKYO – underground group in Japan with expertise in germ and chemical warfare. AVB – Hungary's security service, the Allami Vedelmi Batosag. BACKSTOP – an arrangement between two persons for the express purpose of substantiating a cover story or alibi. BAG JOB – surreptitious entry, break and enter. BAKIN – Indonesia's security service. Firearms. BATF – a US security service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. BETTY BUREAU – FBI slang for a female support person who has worked for the th e FBI her entire career. BfV – Germany's security service, the Bundesamt fir Verfassungsschutz. BIOGRAPHICAL LEVERAGE – blackmail info. In telligence for a spy. BIRDWATCHER – slang used by British Intelligence BLACK-FLAGGED – an agent or intelligence officer who is to be interrogated and summarily shot if apprehended. PG 92

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BLIND DATE – the first meeting with an unknown person. BLACK PROPOGANDA – a smear campaign, usually consisting of character assassination. BLOWBACK – unexpected negative consequences of spying activity. BLOWFISH – a mathematical algorithm for computer encryption of text that purportedly can only be cracked by brute force if the pass-phrase is unknown. BLOWN – detected. h ostile engagement between allies. BLUE-ON-BLUE – friendly fire, inadvertent hostile BND – Germany's intelligence agency, the Bundesnachrichtendienst. Literally translated as the Federal News Agency. BONA FIDES - proof of a person's claimed identity. BOX – slang for Britain's security service, MI5. BREVITY CODES – a system of code-words used by members of a surveillance team. BRICK AGENT – an FBI agent who w ho works inside a field office. Also see STREET AGENT. BRIDE AGENT – an agent who acts as a courier from a case officer to an agent in a denied area. BRUSH CONTACT – a clandestine, momentary contact between two agents who are passing information, documents, or equipment. BRUSH PASS – same as brush contact. BSS – Belgium's security service. BUCAR – an FBI car. BUG-ON-A-CHIP – slang for USA's Clipper chip. BUPO – Switzerland's security service. BURNT – burned, completed exposed. See BLOWN. BVD – Netherlands' security service. C4I – Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) CALL-UP – a police term meaning a situation where a SWAT team has deployed. b ase. CAMP X – Canada's secret domestic training base. CANNON – a thief who steals back b ack the inducement offered by the spies to an informant, defector, etc. CARIBINIERI – Italy's federal antiterrorist police. CARNIVORE – computer program designed by the FBI to allow the FBI to collect electronic communications communications from a specific user targeted in an investigation. CASE OFFICER – operations officer, controller. CBI – India's security service. CENTER – KGB HQ in Moscow CHASE CAR – a security detail or bodyguard vehicle that follows the subject. CHEATING – command of the target from in front of the target during floating box surveillance. See also COMMAND OF THE TARGET. CHENG PAO K'O – China's intelligence agency. CHICKEN FEED – low grade information fed through a double agent to one's adversary with the intention of building the credibility of the double d ouble agent. CHOBETSU – One of Japan's security services. CIA – a US intelligence agency. CNT – an acronym for crisis negotiation team. CNTs are used by police in situations involving hostage-takers or barricaded suspects. The name CNT is a misnomer – their true role is not to negotiate, but rather to obtain intelligence to facilitate an assault by

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the SWAT team, and to distract the suspect to divert his attention from the coming assault. COBBLER – a spy who creates false passports, visas, diplomas and other documents. communications intelligence. COMINT – acronym for communications COMM – a small note or other written communication from an underground organization or one of its members. They are typically written on cigarette wrappers, chewing gum wrappers, etc. COMMAND OF THE TARGET – active visual observation of the subject of the surveillance operation. Used during pedestrian and vehicle surveillance. See also CHEATING and FLOATING BOX. COMMANDO – a civilian, military, or paramilitary combat group using irregular tactics. Commando can refer to an individual, a cell, a squad, or the organization as a whole. COMMIT – a surveillance operative performing the commit function is watching a location to determine the direction that the target takes (or "commits" to). COMPROMISED – breached security status. COMPUTER FORENSICS – Investigation of a computer system believed to be involved in cybercrime. Also used in espionage to retrieve intelligence from stolen laptops or pcs. CONG AN BO – Vietnam's security service. CONSUMER – a person or an organization on an intelligence in telligence agency's agency's distribution list. Also see PRODUCT. COOKED – a mixture of genuine and fake material provided via a double agent to one's adversary. COORDINATION DE LA SECURITE DU TERRITOIRE – Algeria's security service. COUNTERESPIONAGE – activities to impede the efforts of hostile intelligence agencies engaged in espionage against one's own nation, allies, and citizens. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE – activities to impede or thwart the efforts of hostile intelligence agencies attempting to penetrate p enetrate or compromise one's own intelligence agency. COUSINS – slang for CIA. COVER – persona, profession, purpose, activity, fictitious image maintained by an undercover operative. COVERT ACTION AGENT – a spy who works to reorient an entire nation's politics in favor of his country. f ull name ortho-chlorobenzalmalanonitrile, ortho-chlorobenzalmalanonitrile, used by cops, CS GAS – a form of tear gas, full SWAT teams, and the military. CSE – Canada's signal intelligence agency, Communications Security Establishment. CSIS – Canada's security service. CUT-OUT – a mechanism or person used to allow agents to pass material or messages securely; also an agent who functions fu nctions as an intermediary between a spymaster and other subagents. COURIER – delivers documents, money, etc. DAM – France's military intelligence agency. DANGLE – a spy who poses p oses as a walk-in to penetrate the other side. DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (USA). DATA RECOVERY – bureaucrat-talk for the backdoor built into all US-exported crypto software since 1998. DCSS – Denmark's security service. PG 94

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DDIS – Denmark's intelligence agency. p hysical location where communications, documents, or equipment is DEAD DROP – a physical covertly placed for another person to collect without direct contact between the parties. DEAD-LETTER BOX – same as dead drop. DEAD-LETTER DROP – same as dead drop. DECOY – distracts adversary's attention. DEEP-COVER AGENT – permanent cover. h is/her country of citizenship. DEFECTOR – a person who has renounced his/her DGI – Cuba's intelligence agency. DGSE – France's intelligence agency. DHS – Department of Homeland Security - USA agency DIA – a US intelligence agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency. DIRTY TRICKS – covert sabotage carried out by a security service or intelligence agency, ranging from pranks to assassination. DIVERSION – distracts adversary's attention. DLB – acronym for dead-letter box. Also see DEAD DROP. sn iper rifle for the purposes of recording the DOPE BOOK – a notebook kept with a sniper atmospheric conditions, range, lighting, and resulting hit or miss of every shot fired. DOPPELGANGER – a look-a-like. See also LOOK-A-LIKE. DOUBLE-AGENT – simultaneously serves two adversaries (often with their knowledge). su rveillance and anti-surveillance against pavement DRY CLEANING – active counter surveillance artists and wheel artists. DS – Bulgaria's security service, the Drzaven D rzaven Sigurmost. DSD – Australia's signal intelligence agency, Defence Signals Directorate. DST – France's security service. DUBOK – Russian term for a dead-letter box. Also see DEAD DROP. E&E – Evade & Escape EARS ONLY – material too secret to commit to writing. ELEMENT – a five-man SWAT team consisting of a team leader, scout, rear guard, and two assaulters. The rear guard provides cover for the scout. ELLIPTICAL CONVERSATION – says one thing but means another. ENIGMA – the machine used by the Germans to encode messages during WWII. EQUESTRIAN POSTURE – an effect produced by rigor mortis whereby the cadaver sits upright as if riding in a saddle, with arms outstretched. ESCORT – the operations officer assigned to lead a defector along an escape route. non -domestic stic intelligence ESPIONAGE – clandestine collection of intelligence by a non-dome agency. ESS – acronym for environmentally stable strategy, a concept used in strategic gametheory. ETA – an underground group in Spain. f or Emergency Vehicle Operation Operation Course, taught at the FBI academy EVOC – an acronym for in Quantico EXECUTIVE ACTION – assassination. d esigned to bring a defector, refugee, EXFILTRATION – a clandestine rescue operation designed or an operative and his or her family out of harm's way.

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EXPATS – short for expatriates, citizens of a country who have taken up residence in another country and are helping to define its culture. EYES ONLY – documents that may be read but not discussed. Pu erto Rico. FALN – an underground group in Puerto FALSE FLAG RECRUITMENT – impersonation by a spy while recruiting an informant, defector, agent, etc. FBI – a US security service. FDS – One of Mexico's security services. FIBONACCI SYSTEM – a system of non-carrying addition used for one-time pad codes. For example, (Fib) 999 + 222 = 111. FILLING – the act of inserting material in a dead drop. FLAPS & SEALS – the tradecraft involved when making surreptitious openings and closings of envelopes, seals, and secure pouches. FLIP – a U Turn made by the target during a vehicle surveillance operation. FLOATER – a person used one-time, occasionally, or even unknowingly for an intelligence operation. FLOATING BOX – a method of surveillance where a team of operators establishes a containment box around the target wherever he/she goes. FMLN – Frente Farabundo Marti para Liberacion Nacional, an underground group in El Salvador. FOLLOW – a surveillance team is executing a follow when they are shadowing a moving target. See also FLOATING BOX. A follow begins when the target exits the stakeout box and a surveillance operative attains command of the target. FOOTFALL DETECTOR – vibration sensor designed to detect walking humans. FORENSICS – The use of science and technology to investigate and establish facts in criminal or civil courts of law. FOUR-BAGGER – disclipline of an agent by FBI headquarters, consisting of censure, transfer, suspension, and probation. FRA – Sweden's military signals intelligence agency. FREQUENCY FLOODING – a technique that allows an ordinary telephone to become become a covert listening device. FRIEND – slang for an agent, informant, or mole providing information information to a handler. FRIENDS – slang for Britain's secret intelligence service, MI6. FRONT – a legitimate-appearing business created by an intelligence agency or security service to provide cover for spies and their operations. FSB – Russia's federal security service, responsible for counterespionage. FUNKSPIEL – impersonation during electronic communications. Derived from the German phrase for "radio game". FUNNY PAPER – slang for the counterfeiting and forged documents section of an intelligence agency or security service. – Britain's sigint agency, Government Communications GCHQ – Communications Head Quarters. GIA – an underground group in Algeria. GID – Iraq's main intelligence organization, Da' Irat al Mukhabarat al-Amah GRAYMAIL – Threat by a defendant in a trial to expose intelligence activities or other classified information if prosecuted GHOUL – agent who searches obituaries and graveyards for names of the deceased for use by agents. PG 96

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CH 04

Raz vedyvatelnoye Upravleniye. GRU – Russian military intelligence, the Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye GSS – Israel's security service (also called Shin Beth) GUAN-XI – an access agent for China's intelligence agency GUOANBU – one of China's security services. stym ie the Allies GUSTAV WEBER – Hitler's double, used by the Fuhrer's bodyguards to stymie as to his whereabouts. Shot in the forehead immediately after Hitler's death. HAMAS – an underground group in Palestine (now in power). HANDLER – a case officer who is responsible for handling agents in operations. HARD MAN – an experienced operative who can survive in a hostile environment and who has killed. HARD TARGET – a surveillance target who is actively maintaining secrecy and may not reveal that he/she has detected the surveillance team. HEZBOLLAH – an underground group in Lebanon, alleged to have operating units in Latin America with links to major drug dealers. HONEY POT – Mata Hari, Raven, lady, femme fatale; a female agent using romance to compromise a target. HONEY TRAP – Slang for use of men or women in sexual situations to intimidate or snare others. HOOLIGAN TOOL – a specialized tool much like a crowbar, developed by fire departments for prying open doors and windows. Also used by SWAT teams. HOSTILE – term used to describe the organizations and activities of the opposition services. un cooperative informant, informant, HOSTILE RECRUITMENT – recruitment by threat or force of an uncooperative mole, or agent-in-place. eavesdropping HUMINT – intelligence activities involving people rather than electronic eavesdropping or communications interception. HUNTING PACK – slang for surveillance team. IAKHBAL – Israeli police unit that fights organized crime. ICBM – an acronym for instant calm breath method, a way to overcome the flight-orfight reflex (panic). Also reduces hyperventilation. h yperventilation. ICBM – Intercontinental Bardentic Missiles. Capable of international nuclear assaults from almost any range ILD – one of China's security services. ILLEGAL – an intelligence officer operating in a foreign nation without the protection of diplomatic immunity. IMINT – acronym for image intelligence. INFILTRATION – the secret movement of an operative into a target area with the intent that his or her presence will go undetected. INFORMANT – a legitimate member of a target group providing intelligence to the surveillance team. INFO WAR – Information Warfare, modern propaganda through (mis)information in nocuous message sent to an address in a INNOCENT POSTCARD – a postcard with an innocuous neutral country to verify the continued security of an undercover operative. operative. INTELLIGENCE OFFICER – a trained member of an intelligence agency, an employee on salary. INTERPOL – international police body that coordinates the intelligence gathering and investigative activities of member police forces. LEARN THE LINGO

PG 97

CH 04

GAME MASTERY

INVESTIGATIVE SPECIALIST – the FBI's name for a surveillance operative (vehicle or foot). Pay grade GS-7 to GS-10. See also SSG. IRA – an underground group in Northern Ireland. ISTIKHBARAT AL ASKARIYA – Libyan military intelligence. Assessment Center, located in Washington ITAC – an acronym for International Terrorist Assessment DC. JARKING – bugging or sabotaging a weapons cache, often rendering weapons unusable. JETRO – one of Japan's intelligence agencies. JIHAZ AMN AL DAOULA – Egypt's security service. JOE – a deep-cover agent. JRA – Japanese Red Army, an underground group in Japan. KEMPEI TAI – Japan's secret police. KEYLOGGER – A software or hardware device or program used to capture the keystrokes any actions of a computer user, often without their knowledge. Bezopasnosti. The premier spy agency of cold cold war KGB – Kometet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopasnosti. Russia. K-LINE – SVR internal security and investigations section. KOANCHO – Japan's counterintelligence and security service. L-PILL – a poison pill used by operatives to commit suicide. L5 – 4096 bit encryption algorithm LADY – honey pot. LAKAM – one of Israel's intelligence agencies (Ministry of Defense). LEGEND – the faked biography of a deep-cover agent. LETTERBOX – a person who is acting as a go-between. Also see CUT-OUT. investigation or LINK DIAGRAM – connections being analyzed in a complex police investigation counterespionage case. See problem-solving matrix. LLB – an acronym for live-letter box, an address used to receive communication to be forwarded to an intelligence agency. See also DLB. an d surveillance teams. LOOK-A-LIKES – decoys used to confuse hit squads and LSD – an acronym for d-lysergic acid diethylanide, a hallucinatory drug discovered in 1943 by Dr. Albert Hofmann, a researcher at Switzerland's Switzerland's Sandoz corporation, a pharmaceutical manufacturer. M-19 – underground group in Columbia. MASINT – measurement and signature intelligence; uses elements that do not fit into the traditional scope of IMINT and SIGINT. MASKIROVDA – Russian name for deception techniques designed to fool US spy satellites. Recently used by India's counterintelligence agency to conceal nuclear testing from the CIA. MATA HARI – honeypot, femme fatale, MBRF – one of Russia's intelligence agencies. MERCURY FULMINATE – an initiating agent for detonating PETN. See PETN. counterespionage, F Branch MI5 – Britain's security service. K Branch is responsible for counterespionage, for countersubversion, C Branch for security of sensitive government installations. MI6 – Britain's intelligence agency. MICE – an acronym for money ideology compromise ego (methods used by intelligence agencies and security services to ruin a target). MILF – Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Yes, we know this has another colloquial meaning. PG 98

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MINI MANUAL OF THE URBAN GUERRILLA – an underground operations manual by Brazilian freedom-fighter freedom-fighter Carlos Marighella. Contains 41 chapters. Banned in many countries. MIN/MAX – a concept in strategic game-theory. MITI – one of Japan's intelligence agencies. MOLE – a penetration agent. MONTENEROS – an underground group in Argentina. MOSSAD – one of Israel's intelligence agencies, noted for its expertise in wet affairs. Literally translated as "institute". Never referred to as the MOSSAD, but rather simply called MOSSAD. MST – Landless Rural Workers Movement, an underground group in Brazil. MUKHABARAT – Libya's intelligence agency. MUSIC BOX – Slang for Clandestine Radio MUSLIM UIGHUR – an underground group in China. NAKED – a spy operating without cover or backup. NAICHO – one of Japan's intelligence agencies. NARCOTHERAPY HYPNOSIS – CIA interrogators use hypnosis to force regression in the prisoner to make him believe he is talking to his spouse. NEUROLINGUISTICS – a branch of psychology used by intelligence agencies and security services to covertly manipulate unsuspecting human targets. NEUTRON BOMBARDMENT – used by security services like Britain's MI.5, America's America's FBI, Germany's BfV, and France's DST to detect d etect microdots and invisible writing in postal mail. Originally developed by the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment in Britain for use by MI.5. NIGHTCRAWLER – a talent spotter who prowls bars and nightclubs looking for government employees, employees, military personnel, etc. who can be compromised using booze, drugs, or sex. Also see TALENT SPOTTER. NINJAS – slang for members of a SWAT team. r ender sleeping targets targets unconscious NITROUS OXIDE – an anesthetic inhalant used to render during surreptitious entry by goon squads. NMI – Norway's security service. NOC – A spy with Non-Official Non -Official Cover. A fake or real private sector job used by a case officer as a cover. NOTIONAL AGENT – Made up or nonexistent secret agent, usually used for a source of fabricated information or the means by which such information was obtained NSA – US intelligence agency and security service, the National Security Agency. NSS – Bulgaria's security service. NSTL – the FBI's national security threat list NUGGET – British term for the bait (money, political asylum, sex, or career opportunity) used to offer a potential defector NURSEMAID – Russian term for the security service officer who accompanies delegations to other countries to prevent anyone from fr om defecting. OBS – Croatia's intelligence agency, the Obavestajna Bezbednostna Sluzba. OP – observation post. OFFENSIVE PENETRATION OPERATION – infiltration of an agent into a target group or organization. OFFSITE – a covert FBI site or facility situated away from a field office. LEARN THE LINGO

PG 99

CH 04

GAME MASTERY

OG – an acronym for original gangmembers, now in their thirties and forties, who supply cocaine and heroin to street gangs. n umeric value ONE-TIME PAD – an unbreakable code system that works by adding the numeric of the plaintext with a randomly-generated code string (the one-time pad). Also see FIBONACCI SYSTEM. OPEN-SOURCE – Intelligence gained from public materials. u sually a law to enable governments to conceal their mistakes OSA – official secrets act, usually from their own population. in telligence; an all-source process which includes HUMINT, IMINT, OSINT – open source intelligence; SIGINT, and MASINT which analysts must understand and integrate to produce the best possible intelligence. OSS – Office of Strategic Services; U.S.'s WWII intelligence, sabotage, and subversion organization OUTRIDER – a wheel artist responsible for ensuring that the target does not get outside the floating box of surveillance vehicles. See also FLOATING BOX. OVERT TARGET – deliberately attempts to draw attention and drain the resources of an intelligence agency or security service. Occasionally a decoy. PARALLEL-LINE/INCIDENTAL-CAPACITANCE – a method of telephone, telex, and communications eavesdropping that is virtually undetectable. PAROLES – passwords to identify agents to each other. PATTERN – the behavior and daily routine of an operative that makes his or her identity unique. PAVEMENT ARTIST – outdoor surveillance specialist operating on foot. PEEP – photographer. PERIMETER SURVEILLANCE – is used to alert the surveillance team when the target enters or leaves a specific area. PETN – Pentaery-thritol tetranitrate, a plastic explosive favored by intelligence agencies and security services. See mercury fulminate. fu lminate. PFLP – an underground group in Palestine. PHOTINT – acronym for photo intelligence. PIG – Russian intelligence term for traitor. PICKET SURVEILLANCE – focuses on times and places when target is likely engaged in activities of interest to the surveillance team. Also called chokepoint surveillance. Named after the openings in a picket fence. PICKUP – when the target of a surveillance operation is first spotted inside the stakeout box. PINHOLE CAMERA – video camera with fiber-optic lens attachment. PLAINTEXT – the original message before encryption. PLAYBACK – to provide false information to the enemy while gaining accurate information from him or her. POCKET LITTER – Items in a spy's pocket (receipts, coins, theater tickets, etc.) that add authenticity to his or her identity. POSSE COMITATAS – a Latin phrase that loosely means power of the people. p olice investigators PROBLEM-SOLVING MATRIX – a grid-based notation system used by police and counterespionage officers when dealing with complex cases. agency and PRODUCT – finished intelligence that has been evaluated by an intelligence agency is ready for distribution to consumers. Also see CONSUMER. PG 100

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CH 04

PROFESSIONAL NAME – nom de guerre of a spy. search by police, based on a suspect's suspect's race, PROFILE STOP – a random stop and search minority status, economic status, religion, physical appearance, travel status, location, etc. PROFILING – Stereotyping a group or "type" of person to assess potential dangers, suspects PROVOCATEUR – an operative sent to incite a target group to action for purposes of entrapping or embarrassing them. PSB – one of China's secret police agencies. PSIA – one of Japan's security services. controlling a target to force him to PSY-OPS – Psychological operations. The practice of controlling choose to take a specific action without being overtly coerced. PSYCHIC COMBAT – a condition of active psychological warfare operations between two covert adversaries. PSYCHODYNAMICS – the CIA's psychological profiling system, used in combination with psychobiographic analysis. QUANG BO – Vietnam's military intelligence agency. QODS – One of Iran's security services. QRF – quick reaction force. RADINT – acronym for radar intelligence. RAID – an acronym for Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection, consisting of teams of National Guardsmen who assist civilian authorities after a suspected susp ected biological/toxin/chemical biological/toxin/chemical attack on a population center. RAVEN – a honey pot. RAW – India's External Intelligence Agency RCMP – police agency in Canada similar to the FBI in the USA. Acronym for Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Also known as RCM Police. RCMP SECURITY SERVICE – counterespionage, counterintelligence, and counterterrorist branch of RCMP. Also known as RCMP SPECIAL SERVICES. RED BRIGADE – an underground group in Italy. RENT-A-GOONS – operatives proficient in hand-to-hand combat, used as muscle support when direct physical confrontation is likely. RESISTANCE – a civilian underground organization, consisting of cells (1 to 10 persons), circles (a group of cells), and sections (a group of circles). RG – France's police intelligence security service, Renseignements Generaux. RING – a network of spies or agents. ROLLED UP – when an operation goes bad and an agent is arrested. ROSCOE – handgun. RUSE DE GUERRE – subterfuge RZ – an underground group in Germany. Literally translated as revolutionary cell. SA – FBI special agent. SAFEHOUSE – a dwelling place or hideout unknown to the adversary. SANITIZE – to delete specific material or revise a report or other document d ocument to prevent the identification of intelligence sources and collection methods. SAPO – Sweden's security service. SASHA KVAP – Russian mole inside Hitler's bunker during the final months of World War II. Subsequently poisoned by the KGB in 1955. LEARN THE LINGO

PG 101

CH 04

GAME MASTERY

SAVAK – one of Iraq's security services. SCIF – acronym for Secured Compartmentalized Information Facility (in Fort Gillem, GA, USA) where Clipper is housed h oused (rumored to have already been penetrated by agents of China's intelligence agencies). SEMTEX – a military explosive suitable for sabotage and terrorist operations. SECRET CLASSIFICATIONS – Confidential, Secret, Top Secret, and (SCI) Special Compartmentalized Information. SERE – an acronym for survival, evasion, resistance, and escape. material from a dead drop. SERVICING – the act of removing material SET UP – to begin to conduct surveillance on a target. SEVENTY-ONE YARDS – according to FBI statistics, this is the distance at which a typical police sniper will hit his mark 90% of the time. t ime. SHOE – False passport or VISA SHIN BETH – Israel's security service (also called GSS). SHINING PATH – an underground group in Peru. SMERSH – KGB assassination group. Officially disbanded. The name derives from the Russian phrase "death to spies". SIDE – Argentina's security service. SIGINT – signals intelligence (interception of electronic communications) communications) SINN FEIN – the political arm (party) of the IRA. SIS – one of Britain's intelligence agencies, the secret intelligence service. SIT REP – situation report. SIX – slang for a police officer, police cruiser, or a police patrol. Used as a warning in the criminal community. SLEEPER AGENT – an inactive deep-cover agent. SLUZBA BEZPIECZENSTWA – Poland's security service, also called the SB. SOFT TARGET – an easy surveillance target, untrained and unaware of surveillance. SOG – an acronym for Special Operations Group, FBI agents who conduct surveillance. Incontrast, SSG is composed of non-agents. n on-agents. See also SSG. SOS – dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot. Originally stood for “Save Our Ship” but is now used as a distress d istress signal in any situation, naval or otherwise. SPECIAL BRANCH – the security branch of the British police. b odyguard whose client has been assassinated. Also see WET SPLASHED – describes a bodyguard AFFAIR. SPOOK – a spy. SPY – any member of an intelligence agency, security service, police agency, resistance movement, guerrilla group, or other organization engaged in covert intelligencegathering activities. SRI – Romania's security service (rumored to be made up of former members members of Ceausescu's secret police). SSG – an acronym for Surveillance Specialist Group, which is what the FBI calls a surveillance team. See also INVESTIGATIVE SPECIALIST. See also SOG. SSS – Georgia's security service. STATION – post where espionage is conducted StB – Czechoslovakia's security service, the Statni Tajna Bezpecnost. STINGBALL –flashbang grenade used by SWAT teams to disperse crowds and disorient barricaded suspects. Throws off rubber fragments when detonated. PG 102

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CH 04

v arious locations. Also see BRICK STREET AGENT – an FBI agent whose work takes him to various AGENT. SVR – one of Russia's intelligence agencies, the Slnzhba Vneshnei Razvedaki. SWALLOW – a female agent employed to seduce people for intelligence purposes. SWARMING – overfilling a location with surveillance operatives. Often used in psy ops as a means for controlling the target's environment. c omponent used in carbon monoxoide detector alarms. SYNTHETIC HEMOGLOBIN – a component Radiation weapons developed by DARPA will set off these alarms. TALIBAN – underground group in Afghanistan. TALENT SPOTTER – same as ACCESS AGENT. surveillance, the subject. TARGET – the victim of surveillance, TECHINT – technical intelligence; analysis of fielded equipment for training, research, and the development of new weapons and equipment. TERMINATED – murdered. THE TAKE – information gathered by espionage. THERMAL IMAGER – a heat-sensitive surveillance video camera and display. THREE Bs – Booze, broads, and bucars. The three temptations of FBI agents. THROW PHONE – a cellular telephone thrown to a barricaded suspect by the SWAT team. THROWAWAY – an agent considered expendable. TIMED DROP – a dead drop that will be retrieved by a recipient after a set time t ime period. TRADECRAFT – The methods used in clandestine operations such as espionage. The skill acquired through experience in a trade; often used to discuss skill in espionage TRAFFIC ANALYSIS – methods for gaining intelligence from the patterns and volumes of messages of radio intercepts. TRIADS – Asian organized crime gangs. TRIGGER – a surveillance operative who is watching the target's vacant vehicle, home, garage, office, restaurant restaurant etc. and who alerts the rest of the surveillance team when the target is spotted. TUPAMAROS – an underground group in Uruguay. U-2 – the world's most famous spy plane, developed by the U.S. specifically for intelligence collection collection in the thin atmosphere 55,000 feet above the Soviet Union; it is still in use today. UACB – FBI acronym for Unless Advised to the Contrary by the Bureau. UNCLE – the HQ of any espionage agency or service UNITED RED ARMY – an underground group in Japan. UNS – Croatia's security service, the Ured za Nacionalnu Sigurnost. UNSUB – an unknown subject in a surveillance operation. UOP – Poland's security service. USSA – slang for a USA reminiscent of the oppressive totalitarianism of the former USSR. VCP – vehicle control point. VEVAK – Iran's intelligence agency. VICKIE WEAVER – American citizen probably murdered by the FBI. A landmark case for many concerned Americans. WAHABI – a Saudi Islamic underground group. WALK-IN – an unsolicited volunteer. LEARN THE LINGO

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GAME MASTERY

su rveillance. WATCH-LIST – people targeted for routine surveillance. WET JOB / AFFAIR – results in death of target or major bloodshed. Also see SPLASHED. WHEEL ARTIST – an outdoor surveillance specialist operating in a vehicle. WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS – a spy operation so complicated that it is no longer possible to separate truth and untruth. d eception WINDOW DRESSING – ancillary materials that are included in a cover story or deception operation to help convince the opposition or other casual observers that what they are observing is genuine. X RAYS – used by intelligence agencies and security services to pick key-locks and to deduce the settings for combination locks. Equipment fits in a standard briefcase. YAKUZA – A criminal organization from Japan. One of the world's largest. ZAPATISTA NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY – an underground group in Mexico. ZERO-OUT – the range at which a weapon's sights will produce a bull's eye hit. ZHONGYANG LIANLUOBU – one of China's intelligence agencies. intelligence ZOU-HOU-MAN – back door access to a protected target (as used by China's intelligence agencies).

PG 104

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INDEX

CH 05

05

INDEX 9 9MM MASTER KEY ................................ ................................ 32, 81

C CALLED SHOTS ............................................ ........................................... 54

A ABILITY CHECK. ................................17,

18, 49 ABILITY SCORE ....... 1, 4, 5, 7, 14, 17, 18, 36, 41 ACADEMIC ....... 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 42, 45 ACTION CHECKS .......................................... ......................................... 49 ADOLPH HITLER .......................................... 70 AIR FORCE ................................................. ................................................ 45 ALLEGORY ................................................. ................................................ 70 ALONE WITH THE PRISONER ........................... .......................... 81 ANIMALS .................................................. .................................................. 54 ANTI-CLIMAX ............................................. ............................................ 71 ARMED EXTRACTION .................................... ................................... 45 ARMOR ......................................... ......................................... 23, 27, 54 ARMOR PIERCING........................................ ........................................ 23 ARMS DEALER ...................................... ...................................... 19, 32 ARMY ............................................... ................................................. 45, 98 ASPECTS .................................. 15, 18, 19, 32 ATHLETIC ABILITY .................................... .................................... 5, 18 AUDIO JAMMER.......................................... .......................................... 24 AUTO DRONE ............................................. ............................................ 24 AWKWARD STANCE ..................................... 33

B BACKUP PERSONNEL .................................... 37 BALANCE ................................... ................................... 5,

18, 28, 36 BEIJING .................................................... .................................................... 11 BLACK MARKET..................................... ..................................... 37, 39 BLACKMAIL .............................. .............................. 43, 47, 90, 92 BODYGUARD.............................................. .............................................. 37 BONES ........... 3, 4, 11, 14, 16, 17, 36, 44, 50, 51, 52, 53, 57, 62, 72, 73 BREACHING ............................................... 33 BRIBE ...................................... ................................................ ........... 47, 57 BRIEFCASE FULL OF MONEY ........................... 41 41 BRUSSELS.................................................. .................................................. 11 BURNABLE ASSETS ....................................... ...................................... 82 BURSTS .................................................... .................................................... 54

CASTING ................................................... 33 CATCH & FIRE ............................................ ............................................ 33 CAUGHT ON VIDEO ...................................... 82 CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL ....................... ...................... 48 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ............... SEE CIA

............................................. ............................................. 75 CHARM .................................................... .................................................... 57 CHASE SCENES ...................................... ....................................... .. 1, 55 CHECKPOINT TURNING POINT ......................... 82 CIA ...................... 48, 89, 93, 94, 98, 99, 101 CLEANING ...................................... ........................................... ..... 33, 95 CLIMAX .................................................... .................................................... 71 CLIMB ...................................................... ..................................................... 18 COIN GADGETS ........................................... 24 COMBAT. .......................................1, 54, 101 COMMAND .................................... .................................... 37, 37, 93, 94 COMPUTER GUY ......................................... ......................................... 38 CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMIT ....................... ...................... 39 CONDITION .................................... .................................... 1, 1, 57, 101 CONDITION CARDS ...................................... ...................................... 57 CONFISCATION ....................................... ....................................... 9, 65 CONFLICT .................................................. ................................................. 78 CONSISTENCY ............................................. ............................................ 80 COOL GUYS DON’T LOOK AT EXPLOSIONS .......... 82 COOPERATIVE ACTIONS ................................ ................................ 49 COUNTER SURVEILLANCE .............................. .............................. 25 COVER ............................................... ............................................... 54, 99 COVER IDENTITY ................................... 39, 47 CRIMINAL ...................... 11, 45, 96, 102, 104 CRIMINAL PARDON ...................................... ..................................... 45 CUT SCENES ............................................... .............................................. 73 CHARACTERS

D DATA GRID MANIPULATION ........................... ........................... 45 DEAD-TO-RIGHTS ........................................ ....................................... 33 DECEPTION............................. 58,

85, 98, 104 DEMOLITIONS ............................................ ............................................ 32

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INDEX

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY . 45, 48, 95 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE .............................. ............................. 45 DESCRIPTIVE DAMAGE .................................. ................................. 52 DESCRIPTORS ........................................15, ........................................15,

18 DETECTIVE ........ 10, 15, 32, 43, 44, 49, 58, 60 DEVELOPMENT POINTS .. 8, 9, 15, 16, 31, 36, 37, 41 DEX ........................................... ........................................... SEE DEXTERITY DEXTERITY ................. 5, 9, 10, 14, 16, 18, 31, 34, 35, 49, 62, 86 DISABLED.................................................. .................................................. 54 DISEASES .............................................. .................................................. .... 52 DP ........................... SEE DEVELOPMENT POINTS DR .............................................. .............................................. 16, 23, 54 DRESS UP MISHAP ....................................... ...................................... 82 DRUGGED AND FORGOTTEN .......................... 83

E ELIMINATION ..........................................9, ..........................................9,

10 ELITE ....................................................... ......................................................... .. 8 ENEMIES AT THE TABLE ................................ ................................ 83 ENEMY ORGANIZATION .............................1, .............................1, 63 ENVELOPE X-RAY SPRAY................................ ................................ 24 EQUIPMENT ALLOWANCE...... 10, 15, 26, 28, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 44, 52, 65, 85 EXPERT .................................................8, .................................................8, 27 EXPOSITION ............................................... .............................................. 77 EXTENDED ACTIONS ..................................... .................................... 50 EXTENDED RANGE ....................................... ...................................... 33 EXTRAVAGANT LIFESTYLE .........................42, 57

33, 46 FORENSICS EXPERTISE .................................. .................................. 46 FORESHADOWING ....................................... ...................................... 68 FULL METAL JACKET ..................................... .................................... 23

G GADGETS ............................................ ............................................ 24,

27 GET OUT OF JAIL FREE .................................. .................................. 39 GETTING HEALED .................................... 1, 52 GETTING HURT ....................................... ....................................... 1, 52 GETTING IN IS THE EASY PART ......................... ........................ 83 GLASER SAFETY SLUG ................................... 23 GOAL ....................................................... ...................................................... 77 GPS WRISTWATCH ....................................... ...................................... 25 GUN-FU ................................................... ................................................... 32 GUNS AKIMBO ........................................... ........................................... 34

H ................................................ ................................................ 19 HEADQUARTERS ................................... 37, 41 HEALING ................................................... .................................................. 54 HELLO, I’M A SPY ........................................ 83 HIDDEN CHECKS.......................................... .......................................... 49 HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT ................................ 84 HIGH ESPIONAGE VERSUS LOW ESPIONAGE ........ 84 HIT LOCATION ................................. ................................. 35, 52, 54 HOSPITALS ................................................ ................................................ 52 HYPODERMIC RING ...................................... ..................................... 25 HAGGLING

I IDENTIFICATION PEN .................................... ................................... 25

F FADE IN .................................................... ................................................... 73 FADE OUT ................................................. ................................................ 74 FALSE IDENTITY .......................................... .......................................... 39

...................... 46, 88, 89, 92, 93, 95, 96, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103 FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS......... SEE FBI FENCE ...................................................... ..................................................... 39 FIGHTING STYLES ........................................ 31 FIRE FROM MELEE ....................................... ...................................... 33 FIRE INTO MELEE ........................................ ........................................ 34 FIREARM ................ 21, 23, 32, 33, 34, 35, 64 FIREARM MANEUVERS ..............................1, ..............................1, 32 FIRE-ON-THE-RUN ...................................... 34 FLASH DRIVE .............................................. ............................................. 25 FLY-BY ..................................................... 46 FLYING FALSE COLORS .................................. 83 FOCUS .. 9, 14, 15, 16, 19, 30, 40, 73, 88, 100 FBI

PG 106

FORENSICS ..................................... ..................................... 28,

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INDIRECT FORESHADOWING .......................... 69 69 INFORMANT ........................................ ........................................

40, 97 INITIATIVE ....................... 1, 35, 50, 53, 61, 73 INITIATIVE CARDS ........................................ ....................................... 53 INSANELY COOL MOVES ................................ 34 INTERROGATION ......................................... ........................................ 58 INTIMIDATION ........................................... ........................................... 59 INVESTIGATION ............................... ............................... 10, 47, 94 ISTANBUL ................................................. ................................................. 11

J JACKETED HOLLOW POINT ............................. 23 JACKETED SOFT POINT .................................. ................................. 23 JAIL ......................................................... ........................................................ 39 JOURNEYMAN .............................................. ............................................. 8 JUMP. .............................................5,

18, 55 JURISDICTION WARNING ............................... 46

INDEX

CH 05

NEW YORK ................................................ ................................................ 11 NO-FLY ZONE ............................................. 47

K KUVER .............................. 63,

64, 65, 66, 67

L LEADER ..................................... ..................................... 7,

15, 18, 95 LEAVE NO WITNESSES .................................. .................................. 84 LIFESTYLES ..................................... ..................................... 26, 39, 60 LINE OF CREDIT........................................... ........................................... 40 LIVING WORLD ........................................... 80 LOG ................................................ ................................................ SEE LOGIC LOGIC ........................... 6, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 57, 58, 59 LOYALTY ....................... 29, 30, 37, 65, 86, 91

M MANEUVERS .............................................. ............................................. 30 MARINES .................................................. .................................................. 45 MARTIAL ARTIST ........................ 1,

7, 9, 30, 31 MARTIAL MELEE ......................................... ......................................... 31 MASTER ...................................... ...................................... 2, 8, 64, 70 MASTER VILLAIN ..................................... ..................................... 1, 64 MEDIA OUTAGE .......................................... ......................................... 47 MELEE .................................... .................................... 31, 33, 34, 62 MEMORABLE MOMENTS ............................... .............................. 72 MERCENARY ........................................ ........................................ 11, 45 MERCHANT ........................................ .......................................... 19, 20 MINIONS ........................................... ............................................. 65, 67 MINOR NPCS ............................................. ............................................. 54 MISSION ... 3, 8, 10, 16, 19, 20, 28, 29, 31, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 91, 92 MISSION GENERATION ............................. 1, 65 MONEY ........................................ .............................................. ...... 26, 47 MONEY MAGIC ........................................... .......................................... 47 MORAL CODE ....................................1, 15, 29 MOSCOW ........................................... 11, 93 MR. NICE GUY .............................................. ............................................. 3 MR. SMITH .................................... ......................................... ...... 40, 76 MULTI-ACTION PENALTY ... 23, 33, 34, 35, 56, 62 MUNITIONS CONTRACT ................................ ................................ 41

N NATIONAL GUARD ................................. ................................. 45,

48 NATIONAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION ............. 45 NAVY ....................................................... ...................................................... 45 NEW DELHI ................................................ ............................................... 11

NON-ADVENTURING SKILLS ............................ ........................... 18 NOVICE ...................................................... ...................................................... 8

O OFFSHORE ACCOUNT ................................... ................................... 41 OPERATIVE CREATION .................... 1,

3, 14, 20,

26, 36, 37, 64 OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT ........................ 1,

36 ORIGIN............................................ ............................................1, 14, 17 OTTENDORF CIPHER ..................................... .................................... 85 OUTFITTING ......................... 1, 15, 19, 20, 21, 34, 37, 40, 41, 44

P PERSONAL GOALS ........................................ ....................................... 78 PERSONAL TRAINER OR GURU......................... 41 PERSONAL TRANSPORT ................................. 41 PERSUASION ........................................ ........................................ 57,

59 PILOT ............................ ............................4, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 41, 55, 56, 72 POINT BLANK SHOT...................................... ...................................... 34 PRESIDENT .......................................... 39, 45 PRIORITIZED ABILITIES .................................... .................................... 4 PRISON ......................................... .........................................45, 71, 83 PROFESSIONAL ............................................. 8 PROVISIONING CONTRACT ............................. 42 PROVOCATEUR .............................. 85, 92, 101 PULLING STRINGS ........................................ ....................................... 43

Q QUARANTINE ............................................. 48 QUICK DECISIONS ........................................ ....................................... 72 QUICK DRAW ............................................. ............................................. 34

R RANDOM ENCOUNTERS ................................ 70 RANGE ............................... 6,

16, 21, 33, 43,

56, 95, 97, 104 RANK ................................. ................................. 7, 16, 26, 36, 37, 41, 43, 60, 64, 91 RANK BENEFITS .......................................... .......................................... 36 RANK ESTIMATION ...................................... ...................................... 36 RAPID-FIRE ................................................ ............................................... 34 RAPPELLING FROM NOWHERE ........................ 85 RED HERRING ............................................. ............................................ 70 RED MUD ON THE BOOT ............................... ............................... 85

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RICOCHET ............................................23, ............................................23,

35 RUN ................................. ................................. 3, 5, 9, 18, 34, 39, 40, 46, 49, 63, 75, 80

THE BACKFIRE PLOY ..................................... 87 THE CLIPBOARD OF DOOM............................. 87 THE DEATH TRAP ........................................ ........................................ 88 THE DOUBLE AGENT..................................... ..................................... 88 THE DREADED DELIVERYMAN ......................... 88

S SAFE HOUSE .............................................. 42 SAN DIEGO ................................................ ............................................... 11 SAO PAULO ............................................... 11 SATELLITES ..................................... 43,

48, 98 SCOUT ............................................ ............................................ 7, 15, 95 SECTOR ...............................................11, ...............................................11, 74 SEDUCTION ............................................... 59 SETTING ................................................... 80 SHOOTING FRIENDS IN THE BACK .................... 86 SHOT IN THE DARK ...................................... 35 SHOTGUNS ................................................ ............................................... 33 SIGNATURE WEAPON ................................... 35 SKILL ... 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 43, 49, 50, 53, 54, 57, 58, 60, 103 SKILL CHECK ............................. 19, 19, 32, 49, 58 SKILL LEVELS ....................................... 1, 7, 54 SKILLED BACKUP ......................................... 10 SKILLS ........................... 1, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 26, 32, 43, 49 SNAP SHOT ............................................... ............................................... 35 SOCIAL INTERACTION ................................1, ................................1, 57 SOLDIER .......... 7, 9, 15, 32, 33, 34, 35, 62, 86 SPECIALIZATION .............................. 18, 19, 20 SPECIFIC DAMAGE .................... SEE HIT LOCATION STANDARD EQUIPMENT PACK ........................ 28 STORY LAYERS ............................................ ........................................... 74 STORYTELLING ........................................1, ........................................1, 68 STR ........................................... ........................................... SEE STRENGTH STRENGTH ............ 5, 9, 14, 16, 18, 31, 54, 64 STRENGTH .................................................. .................................................. 5 STRICT ARBITER ........................................... ............................................. 3 STRINGS ............................ ............................ 41, 43, 44, 45, 46 SURVEILLANCE ................... 24, 28, 88, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 102, 103, 104 SWIFT LOAD .............................................. 35 SWISS ARMY WATCH ................................... ................................... 86 SYDNEY .................................................... ................................................... 11

T TAKE IT IN THE SHOULDER ............................. 35 THAT’S REAL?! ........................................... ........................................... 86 THAT'S CLASSIFIED ...................................... 86

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THE ELABORATE HEIST .................................. ................................. 88 THE EVIL CIA .............................................. 89 THE HUNT FOR MR. X ................................... .................................. 89 THE LAB.............................................. .............................................. 42,

91 THE NOC LIST ............................................. 89 THE RANSACKED ROOM ................................ 90 THE SUPER-SCIENCE GIZMO ........................... 90 THEMATIC ELEMENTS............................... ............................... 1, 81 THIEF ....................... 9, 15, 21, 50, 58, 88, 93 TOKYO ..................................................... ..................................................... 11 TOXINS ................................... .............................................. ............ 25, 52 TRACER ROUNDS ........................................ ........................................ 23 TRAINING .............5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 18, 20, 30, 31, 41, 46, 58, 62, 64, 93, 103 TRAINING CENTER ................................... ................................... 1, 11 TRANSPORTATION ....................................... ...................................... 10 TRAVELER’S LIFESTYLE ............................ ............................ 15, 17 TRICK SHOT ............................................... 35

U UNIVERSAL TRANSIT PASS .............................. ............................. 42

........................ 11, 37, 39, 41 UNUSUAL DAMAGE ..................................... ..................................... 54 USING WOUNDS IN STORY ............................. ............................ 52 UNSANCTIONED

V VARIANT AMMUNITION .......................... ..........................

23, 33 VEHICLES .............. 10, 14, 15, 37, 39, 41, 100

W WAIT – I NEVER TOLD YOU MY NAME ............... 91 WAITING ON THE LAB ................................... .................................. 91 WAS ONCE ONE OF US .................................. ................................. 91

91 WEAPON KATA ........................................... .......................................... 31 WELL-MAINTAINED MAINTAINED FIREARM ......................... 35 WE'RE BEING BUGGED ................................. ................................. 91 WIL ........................................ ........................................ SEE WILLPOWER WILLPOWER .. 6, 11, 14, 19, 29, 49, 54, 57, 58, 59, 61, 73 WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ..................... 48 WOUNDED ................................................ ............................................... 54 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SURVEILLANCE MISSION

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Game masters operations manual Not everyone’s flavor of espionage is the same. Deciding what should stay in the core rulebook and what should not was honestly quite difficult for us at DwD Studios. In the end, we opted to err on the side of compatibility and simplicity, to get rules out of the way and put action, adventure, story, and characters in the forefront. If you like what we’ve built, the core rulebook is what you you need. need. But we knew some people would want more options, and that’s where this book comes in. Filled with a number of modular optional rules, full examples, elaborations, and a host of GM tools, this book is designed to give Game Masters all they need to help build an espionage or paramilitary game suited to their individual tastes. Want hit locations? It’s in here. Variant ammo? Check. Specific model firearms? Got it. Want to use cash instead of equipment allowance? Yep, it’s in here. Gun-fu maneuvers? All this and more, waiting to be sprinkled with imagination.

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Covert Ops - GM Operation Manual

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