PDA

View Full Version : "Fixer Crew" Campaign



Eekmonster
2017-03-06, 08:33 AM
Im playing around with an idea I had which I am going to put together into a campaign, and I would love some input.

The group is a composed group of fixers (a la Winston Wolfe from Pulp Fiction, Mike Ehrmantrout from Breaking Bad). Put together by the mysterious Englishman Mr.Candle, to provide a service to the highest bidder.
Each member has perhaps worked independently as fixers, or have experience or special skills what would benefit such a crew.
In the beginning I will list roles that would be essential, but not binding. And I was thinking to list more roles than players. Roles left out could mean the crew would have to outsource the particular skill they need.
And also, the players would decide their roles early on before the campaign actually begins, so they could research their role, so they could actually gain some real insight.
Then on to the roles themselves. Which I am really hoping for some suggestions

Forensic Expert
This one could be an educated forensic expert, or some other form of scientist. This one has to own or have access to a lab or mobile lab equipment.

Private Detective
This one could be a former police officer, or even served in policing branches within militaries. Or simply a criminal with an acute eye for example.

Computer Expert
This one could be a hacker, a programmer that knows his way around the interwebs and hardware, being able to make information disappear or change in their favour.

Information Broker
This is the guy who knows a guy that knows a guy. Getting information and having contacts in high and low places can be essential to finish the job

Burglar
It is bound to happen that burglarizing will be needed to successfully fix a situation. Steal files from computers, nab evidence from someones safe for example. The burglar might be a former small time criminal evolved into a big time burglar, a former (or even current) agent in some intelligence agency for example.

The Enforcer
The Enforcer most likely has a military background or ties to organized crime (or even both). He´s there to do what others might not be willing to do. Fixers sometimes need to do some bloody work, be it through "advanced interrogation techniques", or straight up making someone disappear. The Enforcer is the brutish strong arm of the Fixer crew.

I would love for you guys and gals to give more imput into the roles presented, or add new ones.
My thinking with every role, each character has to bring their own tools to the table. and with each completed mission they gain more money or contacts that would allow for purchases for better equipment. This is especially handy for the Forensic Expert and Computer Expert, as they can get bottlenecked by their own equipment.

And I expect each crew member to have kind of a cover life. The Forensic Expert might be working as a chemist for a pharmaceutical company or a part time forensic expert for a police department for example. Being a member of the Fixing Crew is a well paying part time job.


Location:
I was thinking of London. It opens up the possibility of jobs all over Europe. Opens up many interesting locations.

System: I was thinking nWoD. Open to suggestions though.

Here´s a sample of my thought for their first mission.
Jana Westland, the infamous singer of the London based heavy metal band The Flying Chainsaws (awesome band name by the way) breaks into her agents house (Carlton Reo-Coker) high as a kite, all in blood and injured. Reo-Coker manages to calm her down and attempts to find out what happened. In her inebriated state along with a head injury she has no memory of what happened. He checks the news, the tabloid sites, facebook and general googling, and finds nothing that would explain what happened. Judging from the amount of blood on her and few lacerations, he takes an educated guess that at least some of the blood is not hers. So he decides to protect his volatile asset and calls the mysterious Mr.Candle, who provides a service of making problems like these go away.

The objective for the crew is:
Find out her whereabouts for the day, whom she was with. Get rid of any incriminating evidence. Silence witnesses (in whatever manner they choose to). And make sure nothing gets leaked out to the press.

And future missions would be of some similar manner. Situations too complicated for a "simple" change the rug and get rid of the body. A situation where a full crew is needed to get rid of layers of evidence and where information if often spotty and an investigation is required. And time is of the essence.

Would also love tips for more missions !





As I already stated, I would love some input or suggestions.

Joe the Rat
2017-03-06, 09:08 AM
Other roles and notable skill/resource needs:

Surveillance (overlaps with PI, Burglar): Specialist in all manners of eavesdropping, wire tapping, directional mikes, drones, signal hijacks, the CCTV network, security systems, even good old fashioned tailing... if you need to see what's going on, or find what can be seen, this is the one who can do it, or know where it's done.

The Confidence Man / The Negotiator (overlaps with Info Broker): Your professional liar and social greaser. The person who can convince someone that they are trustworthy, offering them a good deal, or even simply whomever they say they are. Probably your best undercover man/woman. Master of Disguise may be part of this.

Logistics - A combination of wheel man, space planner, stakeout locator, and body stasher. If you need a person or thing moved from one place to another, they can do it. This is likely a subjob for the Info Broker to farm out.

Cleaner - Forensic evidence remover. Removes residues, patches holes, scrubs the air, probably also quite good at getting bulk evidence moved. May be an alternate job of Forensics.

Connoisseur - The man that knows his brands. Up to date on the favored choices of multiple tiers of society. This could be food, drink, clothes, and locations, or just as easily cars, weapons, and technology. Most likely this is an expertise you attach to other roles (The enforcer should know his guns and knives, f'rex), but could be a call-out for specialty knowledge.

Bumper - straight up pickpocket and fast-hands filcher. Very good with distraction.

Anxe
2017-03-06, 04:15 PM
I think you've got a ton of roles already.

Man on the Inside might be another useful one?

I'd also suggest Blades in the Dark as you system of choice for this. It's tailored to do pretty much exactly what you're doing, even down to the roles and advancement in money, equipment and contacts

Bogwoppit
2017-03-06, 05:25 PM
Missions:
A drugs purchase by some corrupt hot shot merchant banker has gone terribly wrong - her PA used company cards to book the hotel, the gangsters weren't even slightly discrete when they turned up, when she bawled them out for their incompetent behaviour they stabbed up the PA, who was very noisy while he writhed in pain, and when the hotel night manager came ask them to shush, the gangsters dragged him in and cut him up too. It's only a matter of time before someone calls the police.
Our hapless executive has managed to secretly message Mr Candle - she needs to be extracted from the situation, and have the evidence erased.

Its about midnight, and a heist team doing a bank job by drilling their way into the vault have become trapped inside when their tunnel collapsed behind them. The bank opens at 9, staff arriving around 8.

neonchameleon
2017-03-07, 08:05 AM
System: I was thinking nWoD. Open to suggestions though.

Get yourself both a copy of Blades in the Dark (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/170689/Blades-in-the-Dark) and Leverage (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/85727/Leverage-Roleplaying-Game). Both are amazing reworks of the heist genre (of the two you probably want the gritter Blades - that's a gritty mission you've got there while Leverage is more cinematic) and both are inspirational reads and play excellently.

Beleriphon
2017-03-07, 02:01 PM
As goofy as it sounds check the video game Watch Dogs, and its sequel. I enjoyed them as games YMMV. But where they shine is the inspiration part of being a fixer or hiring fixers, or here's an important bit stopping fixers. Which you might take as a cue, your team has been tasked with stopping another team.

gbg42
2017-03-08, 12:17 PM
I'm absolutely gonna second the Leverage game, which already comes built in with the sort of roles you're looking at. Its really fun and cinematic.

If you want something grittier, it could be the new Shadowrun Anarchy system, cause this sort of dirty business game is peak Shadowrun, and Anarchy has way less crunch.