[Other] Cities Without Number: Volksfreistaat Berlin

[Effete]

Thanks!

[Gateway502]

I don't know any of those games (presumably that's what they are, anyway) that you mentioned, because this is pretty much my first TT(ish)RPG since the late 80s (the 1980s, to be clear - I'm old, not undead!) , but serious/dark with a sprinkling of humour sounds good to me. You've got to laugh or you'd cry, am I right?

[Effete]

Originally Posted by Gateway502

I don't know any of those games (presumably that's what they are, anyway) that you mentioned, because this is pretty much my first TT(ish)RPG since the late 80s (the 1980s, to be clear - I'm old, not undead!) , but serious/dark with a sprinkling of humour sounds good to me. You've got to laugh or you'd cry, am I right?

Yeah, I think that's a general tone of any type of cyberpunk. The world is such crap most of the time, that people just make their own fun... escapism into drugs and/or violence ; living vicariously in an artificial "net-space" simulation ; seeking validation through horrific body modification (whether through cyberware or bodysculpting) ; etc.

If you want a primer into the cyberpunk genre, Indigo Gaming has a great series on it.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=...8NEHDWwoz0IArA

[Sefer Yetzirah]

I’ve just recently finished a re-read of the Gibson trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive) so everything you guys are saying really speaks to me!

[Ermine]

Neuromancer is one of my favorite books. ^~^

[Gateway502]

Originally Posted by Sefer Yetzirah

I’ve just recently finished a re-read of the Gibson trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)

I'm not sure I've ever read Neuromancer, but Gibson's "Virtual Light" is one of my all-time favourite books. Top of my list is "Altered Carbon" by Richard K Morgan (much better than the Netflix series!)

[Effete]

Originally Posted by Sefer Yetzirah

I’ve just recently finished a re-read of the Gibson trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive) so everything you guys are saying really speaks to me!

Yeah, Gibson's "Sprawl" trilogy is something I always return to every couple of years. Currently re-reading Stephenson's Snow Crash.

[Thaco]

Application Name: Georg Ehmann Background: Performer Edges: Face, Voice of the People Goal: To bring down The Megacorp BMR AG, for disfiguring him, and ruining (or ending) the lives of so many others with their inhumane business practices Appearance: Georg is tall and lanky, with sort but unkempt blond hair. He prefers baggy clothing, usually featuring colorful sneakers and Hawaiian print shirts. Backstory: Georg was born with a condition that affected the nerves in his hands and arms, severely limiting their use. He was schooled at home, mainly by his mother, who was an artist. As a result, Georg developed an early love for art, and with his mother's support he learned to paint despite his limitations. As he grew into adulthood, he took his hobby out of his home, and became somewhat well-known locally as a street artist. His life was changed when his art was brought to the attention of a public relations office at BMR, who were at the time working on a drug to treat Georg's condition. As part of their charitable outreach program, they offered him treatment at no cost, which was ultimately successful; Georg regained almost complete use of his arms and hands (aside from some stiffness, and limited use in his pinkies). He then agreed to be featured in an ad campaign for the new drug, and spent a brief time doing a public speaking/art tour. His 'fame' was short-lived, though, and soon he was back home, although he did make use of his newly developed public speaking skills to add a performance art element to his repertoire. He remains 'locally famous' as a performance artist, and enjoys some recognition wherever he goes as a result of his brief time in the spotlight. Georg's life changed again when he received a communication from a person identified only as 'OR', who was a board member at BMR. 'OR' provided Georg with reams of documentation showing the his condition was in fact caused by medication prescribed to his mother during her pregnancy. They showed that no only was BMR aware of the risks of this drug, but that they had already at the time been working on a cure for the disorder...but they needed more subjects to test their medication on. They falsified records so that they could continue to distribute the drug, track the recipients, and use them unknowingly in their studies. This continued for over twenty years before research finally hit upon a cure, with Georg being one of the first to receive successful treatment. BMR then went on to receive great accolades for their research, and also for their altruism in giving away the treatment. Since receiving this information, Georg has made it his life's goal to expose BMR for what they really are, and make them pay for their actions. Georg met the KensterHoff gang when he was 15, just after he began making his foray into street art. Some of the gang were impressed by his talents, and he became an honorary member, and somewhat of a mascot, working with them in a number of their more charitable endeavors in the neighborhood. It was at this time that he met Corwyn, who occasionally performed medical services for KensterHoff. A Major Gang: The name is an amalgamation of "kennst du Hoffe?" ("do you know hope?") and "kennst du der Hoff?" ("do you know the Hoff?", a cheeky reference to American actor/singer David Hasselhoff) - and is intended as a callback to the German unification of the 1990s, and the hope for a better life for the everyday citizen.KennsterHoff - It was formed initially as a charitable organization, providing services for the downtrodden members of society. It's message resounded with the common people, and was supported by Corporations looking to boost their public image. As a result the organization quickly grew from a small grassroots effort to a fairly large, wealthy, and powerful group. of course...as often happens, once Corporate Money is involved, the initial goal of "help the needy" became subsumed by "make more money". Today, the gang is still known for being (relatively) beneficent, and takes very good care of its own, and the people in the areas they control, but their primary focus is laundering large amounts of money for a variety of Corporate (and sometimes private) interests. A Megacorp: BMR AG - A global pharmaceutical/biotech company formed a few decades earlier from the mergers of three of the world's largest firms. They manufacture everything from pain relievers and acne medication to cybernetic implants, from chemical fertilizers to anti-psychotics, and their products are found in virtually every home around the globe. In recent years they have become well known for their philanthropic activities, providing free medication to cure a number of diseases plaguing the less fortunate sections of society. What is less well known (actually, almost completely hidden from everyone except for a few high-level executives) is the fact that many of these diseases are a direct result of BMR research and development, with unsuspecting members of society being used for R&D on their 'miracle cures'.

[DrowNinjaPrincess]

Great application, Thaco! If we both get in, what would you say to the idea of Charity's father working at BMR? I wouldn't expect Peter Bradley to be a bad person at all, nor very high ranking in the company. Perhaps just your average Christian scientist trying to gain knowledge and do good in the world the best way he knows how. Could be a potential plot hook or a connection to help achieve your character's goals.

Tentative idea: It might not make much sense for an actual board member to send reams of documentation to Georg. If for any other reason, maybe I am biased in believing that anyone that high up in the food chain couldn't have that many scruples. Maybe they sympathize, maybe they even are a proponent for giving away more charity, and cures for the diseases they caused. But to threaten to destroy the company they reap so much wealth and prestige from, that might be incredulous. Suppose Peter Bradley had briefly worked on the drug that caused Georg's mother to have an ill baby? Or came across a bunch of buried research? A man lower in the ranks of the company might be more willing to sacrifice their career and move on to another to do the right thing? But I guess you might argue one of lower rank might not have access to such sensitive information in the first place.

Either way.. can you really be sure that this 'OR' is actually a board member of BMR?

[Thaco]

Originally Posted by DrowNinjaPrincess

Great application, Thaco! If we both get in, what would you say to the idea of Charity's father working at BMR? I wouldn't expect Peter Bradley to be a bad person at all, nor very high ranking in the company. Perhaps just your average Christian scientist trying to gain knowledge and do good in the world the best way he knows how. Could be a potential plot hook or a connection to help achieve your character's goals.

Tentative idea: It might not make much sense for an actual board member to send reams of documentation to Georg. If for any other reason, maybe I am biased in believing that anyone that high up in the food chain couldn't have that many scruples. Maybe they sympathize, maybe they even are a proponent for giving away more charity, and cures for the diseases they caused. But to threaten to destroy the company they reap so much wealth and prestige from, that might be incredulous. Suppose Peter Bradley had briefly worked on the drug that caused Georg's mother to have an ill baby? Or came across a bunch of buried research? A man lower in the ranks of the company might be more willing to sacrifice their career and move on to another to do the right thing? But I guess you might argue one of lower rank might not have access to such sensitive information in the first place.

Either way.. can you really be sure that this 'OR' is actually a board member of BMR?

Thanks for the kind words!

On the question of Charity's father working at BMR: I have no problem with it. Depending on how things are played, there could be the possibility for the two characters to bond over the tie - or there could be some serious inter-party conflict, depending on how deeply involved in things Peter Bradley was...

Personally I'd be fine with either; I'm actually a big fan of characters who don't get along with each other all that much...when played well. The problem, of course, is keeping the conflict strictly between characters, and not players, and also making sure that the conflict doesn't affect the party in a detrimental way. It's a difficult balance to pull off, but when it works I think it makes for excellent gameplay. But I can certainly see a GM saying "nope, I don't want it, because there are too many potential pitfalls"...but we can all figure that out when and if it becomes a relevant question.


As to your tentative idea: You may be right. Perhaps a board member is too high up the food chain - or then again, perhaps they have enough sequestered away that they feel they can withstand having things crumbling around them. Or, as you posit, maybe 'OR' isn't actually a board member...maybe they're just a lowly 'administrative assistant' whose job is making copies of all those reports. Maybe they're a janitor, who has a key to every office in the building (how else are they going to be able to empty the wastebaskets?) and lots of time in an otherwise empty office tower.

I actually did consider the question of the identity of 'OR' as I was writing up the application. I figured I'd ask this if I was selected for the game, but since you mentioned it, I might as well ask it now. Can a character have a Contact who is 'anonymous'? In Georg's case, 'OR' could potentially be a very valuable asset even if their actual identity is unknown, and it's easy enough to envision that they could have two-way communication without OR having to reveal themself. But of course that also introduces the possibility that OR might be an unreliable source of information (or a 'reliable' source of disinformaiton). Georg certainly did his homework before deciding to take the original information packet at face value, but did he do enough? Can this anonymous source actually be trusted?

Of course, as I type out the question, it occurs to me that the same can be asked of anyone else in the game world (or, let's face it, in the real world as well), whether anonymous or not...it's really all just a matter of degree, isn't it?

[DrowNinjaPrincess]

Well, my idea with Charity's father working at BMR... it was not meant to foster conflict. Or make things "spicy" if you will.



It was just more of an idea to help form a bond between characters. I did not imagine Peter Bradley to be a bad guy, so hypothetically, if he was involved in some way with Georg's medical condition, or caught wind of it in some manner or another, I imagined it as an opportunity to aid Georg in his quest to tear down BMR.

Maybe Peter Bradley was a whistleblower, who became a catalyst for the big guys to come up with this idea for giving away cures. Maybe he is this 'OR'. Or if that's all way too convoluted and uncomfortable, maybe when he found out about that he resigned and simply found a job with another company. Ooooor he could be completely uninvolved, but just be a guy we know that might know a thing or two about the ins and outs of a pharmaceutical corp.

[Thaco]

Originally Posted by DrowNinjaPrincess

Well, my idea with Charity's father working at BMR... it was not meant to foster conflict. Or make things "spicy" if you will.



It was just more of an idea to help form a bond between characters. I did not imagine Peter Bradley to be a bad guy, so hypothetically, if he was involved in some way with Georg's medical condition, or caught wind of it in some manner or another, I imagined it as an opportunity to aid Georg in his quest to tear down BMR.

Maybe Peter Bradley was a whistleblower, who became a catalyst for the big guys to come up with this idea for giving away cures. Maybe he is this 'OR'. Or if that's all way too convoluted and uncomfortable, maybe when he found out about that he resigned and simply found a job with another company. Ooooor he could be completely uninvolved, but just be a guy we know that might know a thing or two about the ins and outs of a pharmaceutical corp.

I didn't mean to lean too hard into the conflict angle...sorry if that came on too strong.

[Ermine]

Originally Posted by Thaco

Can a character have a Contact who is 'anonymous'?

I'll allow it. At acquaintance level for now. Maybe friend level later if they leak anything else.

[Effete]

Originally Posted by Thaco

Georg certainly did his homework before deciding to take the original information packet at face value, but did he do enough? Can this anonymous source actually be trusted?

Confirmation Bias is a helluva drug.

[Effete]

Originally Posted by DrowNinjaPrincess

It was just more of an idea to help form a bond between characters. I did not imagine Peter Bradley to be a bad guy, so hypothetically, if he was involved in some way with Georg's medical condition, or caught wind of it in some manner or another, I imagined it as an opportunity to aid Georg in his quest to tear down BMR.

Or... maybe Peter Bradley had absolutely no connection to any of this whatsoever. He just happened to work at the same company. BMR is a huge corporation (a merger of three already large pharmacutical companies). The chance that two player-characters who meet by happenstance would have backstories so closely linked is a bit too on-the-nose to be believeable.

Taking down BMR is Georg's stated goal. This should, ideally, be an end-game mission for him. Linking characters this closely right from the beginning has the potential to "jumpstart" Georg's goal. I mean, why wouldn't he try to extract as much information from Charity as soon as possible?

It might be better, perhaps, for Charity to use her father's former association to slowly gain contacts within a different division of BMR. After all, taking down a megacorp will probably require a lot more than exposing a little scandal. The corp would just fire the head of that department, claim that person was a rogue actor, and sweep the whole thing under the rug with a massive PR stunt (like a charity event... no pun intended). Truly taking the corp down will require having people in various places on the inside.

Just my two cents.