Dear [REDACTED],
The Organization thanks you for accepting this invitation into the highest ranks of our command structure. Your recent actions have given the founding members cause to grant you oversight of an entire branch of The Organization. You will be responsible for determining how to expand the Facility, which Equipment to develop to aid in your projects, Actions made to secure Anomalies, and Research done to further our understanding of the many unknowns that could threaten our everyday lives.
An unmarked black van with tinted windows and a yellow sticker in the top right corner of the windshield will arrive in exactly thirty minutes. If a vehicle matching that description arrives any sooner, lock your doors and windows, stay at least two feet away from any walls, and remain silent.
This is a team-oriented game where you will all work together to come up with ideas and proposals for the four phases of
FEAR - Facility, Equipment, Action, and Research. The function of each phase will be summarized below, but we will be going over each of them repeatedly as we go forward regardless. Your primary goal is to identify, isolate, study, and ultimately utilize or destroy anomalous objects, beings, locations, ideas, etc. and keep your facility and The Organization as a whole functioning (probably).
Each phase will see you and your team work together to develop and propose appropriate actions and then voting for the proposal you prefer to push through.
The four phases of the first turn will be paired with a question to help define the operation you have been granted control of. The four questions, the answers, and their related benefits are below. Note that the bonuses/maluses provided will not be applied until after the Preliminary Turn is complete:
The facility you are under command of is made largely to house a specific anomaly. Which facility is it? This will determine the flavor of your starting location as well as the first anomaly you will receive automatic possession of. The other options will become the NPC factions you will be working with/against.
A. The Amazonian Bunker - A concrete structure built deep in the Amazon, complete with a helipad and small airfield. While it may be dense jungle, the vast amount of surrounding resource-rich free real estate gives the facility two rolls for their Facility actions, taking the highest result. The facility resembles a military bunker complex (because it was), and has an underground section to contain and study the anomaly. Three curiously large eggs about the size of a large child are housed in special 3m by 3m incubators mirroring the strangely hot pockets of air they were originally found hovering in. The eggs are perfectly spherical and opaque, but a fist-sized shadow can be seen wriggling within each one. We speculate the eggs should hatch relatively soon.
B. The Chernobyl Subterranean Complex - A long-running facility built deep beneath the infamous nuclear reactor. Being in a nation amid an active war makes it pretty easy to get hands on the latest in high-end gear, giving the facility two rolls for their Equipment actions and taking the highest roll for the result. An old Soviet-era style medical facility uses a large iron lung-like pressurized chamber to house and observe the real Elephant's Foot, a mass of steel, concrete, corium, flesh, and bone. The blob is constantly shifting and screams in pure pain when a mouth is exposed on the outer layer.
C. The Boston Storage Facility -A series of unassuming warehouses currently unusable due to extreme structural damage according to the Boston Port Authority, but there always seems to be more important paperwork pushed ahead of the repairs to delay work indefinitely. The warehouses were designated by The Organization as storage for extremely mundane anomalies prior to your assignment, but the future of the facility is yours to direct. As a result of their designation the only objects in the warehouse are thirty-two plastic black and white recorders confiscated from a local elementary school. Testing in a soundproof booth wired with recording equipment reveals each recorder plays a single note regardless of which note is being held. None of the recorders play the same exact note. The crew here is extremely bored and extremely enthusiastic for the prospect of field work, giving them two rolls for their Action actions, with the highest roll taken as the result.
D. The Arctic Habitat - A-Hab is a pressurized structure built on the seafloor of the Arctic. This extremely high-tech facility gets two rolls for their Research actions and takes the highest result. The extremely remote location means it is very secure, but very alone. This facility is developed to contain and study a wriggling mass of fleshy tendrils growing out of a cave. The structure has an airlock built between it and the cave, and the tentacles presently seem unable or unwilling to bypass the steel doors. The facility provides Environmental Protection Suits to any employees who need to work outside.
Everything needs logistics, and The Organization is no different. While money is no issue, you still need to know who to pay to get what you need. What sort of ties do you foster to supply your facility? The other facilities will receive the options you do not select at random.
A. Grupo ACS - Your facility is, first and foremost, a facility, and it will most definitely require work. With a few influential figures within the company properly coerced or otherwise replaced, you are able to siphon both talent and resources from one of the world's largest construction contractors. All Facility Actions receive a +1.
B. Black Market - If it can be shipped, you can find it through the black market. Greasing palms makes your name quite a few quick friends in this crowd (nobody knows your face), and you quickly find yourself at the center of a very extensive network of contacts. All Equipment Actions receive a +1.
C. US Army Quartermaster Corps - Whether it's because they need money or they're bored, veterans of the USAQC work "quickly" and "efficiently" to help streamline the process of getting things where they need to go. This is very good for agents abroad. All Action Actions receive a +1.
D. Umbrella Pharmaceuticals - Umbrella is a global pharmaceutical company with hands in every market, and it's already under the control of The Organization! These guys give facilities quick and easy access to the most high-quality modern lab equipment available. All Research Actions receive a +1.
A facility needs people willing to get their boots dirty if it's ever going to function. What is the preferred style of field agents under your command? The other facilities will receive the same three options and will select at random.
A. Lone Wolves - Picked from the best of the best from various secret government training programs across the globe, your field agents are known for their high skill and efficiency. While they can work together, they would prefer not to. Recruiting Lone Wolves and Actions using them receive +2, but recruiting Squads and using them in Actions suffers -1.
B. Small Unit Tactics - Special forces operatives are brought together to act under your direction. They are lethal and extremely capable, and can function alone or as larger units. There are no bonuses or maluses for recruiting or acting with different unit sizes.
C. Area Control Doctrine - Taken from various Private Military Companies and security forces operating around the globe, your field agents are practically a proper military force of their own. They are trained to isolate and remove threats as rapidly as possible while policing their surroundings, working well together to complete their objectives but aren't necessarily the perfect soldier in any individual case. Recruiting Squads and Actions using them receive +2, but recruiting Lone Wolves and using them in Actions suffers -1.
With everything ready to go, what is your true goal? The one you're hiding from The Organization, and maybe even yourself? The other facilities will choose at random from the options you do not pick.
A. Secure - Anomalies are dangerous and unpredictable, but also potentially wondrous. It is this facility's duty to gather and study as many of them as possible, and the first step toward that is finding them. Thanks to eyes and ears across the globe, additional information about anomalies is provided upon their initial discovery in order to speed up the process. The facility with this trait will see its field agents willing to cooperate with the faction with the Contain trait if they come across one another. This faction could be considered "Lawful Good".
B. Contain - We can't stop them all, but we can definitely do our best to keep the most harmful anomalies locked away. Additional information is gleaned from anomalies through standard research due to the push to ensure the worst of these things stay entombed, inert, or otherwise unable to harm humanity. The faster something can be written off as harmless and priorities directed to the next anomaly, the better. The facility with this trait will see its field agents willing to cooperate with the faction with the Secure trait if they come across one another. This faction could be considered "True Neutral".
C. Protect - Every anomaly could potentially end the world in the right (wrong?) circumstances. The best way to ensure humanity doesn't succumb to a global (or worse) extinction event is to destroy each and every one of them. Depending on the complexity of the anomaly, a number of theoretical means of disposal based on observations of witnesses and the retrieval team are added to the notes of the Anomaly upon successfully beginning the research process. This facility will view the other facilities as a threat to the future of the human species, but while they only view the Secure and Contain facilities as ignorant optimists that might need to be given a slap on the wrist, they will go out of their way to engage identified Dominate operatives and operations deployed in response to the same anomaly. This faction could be considered "Chaotic Neutral".
D. Dominate - What use is knowledge if it isn't applied? Muscle if it isn't flexed? Fear if it isn't utilized? Every anomaly could serve to improve your own standing among the titans that really run the world. Each anomaly will have a special trait that can be discovered through research outlining the effects it will have to benefit your operations (and potentially harm your foes). You are the bad guys. Nobody likes you. This faction is definitely considered "Pure Absolute Evil".
But how will you actually direct your facility? By coming up with and voting on proposals in each phase! Each turn walks you through the four phases of FEAR, and specific ranges of actions take place in each of them.
In the
Facility Phase you come up with ways to build upon, expand, modify, or otherwise improve your facility to better...facilitate the direction your work brings you. Things like customized containment cells, a new remote facility, new security measures, or patching the holes in the wall after the latest rampage can be proposed here. Generally if it's something meant to specifically upgrade the facility itself or the way it functions then it fits as a proposal for this phase.
During the
Equipment Phase you will propose new equipment to be used by your field agents and researchers alike. Tranquilizer rounds, radiation pills, rifles, body armor, a demon core, and the wheel are all things that could qualify as Equipment. If it is a tool or something that functions in a way to aid a human in a task, it'll probably work in this phase.
The
Action Phase is where you can recruit or modify units and assign units to specific tasks. Note that units undergoing modification are unavailable for assignment during the same phase. Investigation and retrieval of anomalies are assignments you will most regularly assign to your units, but you may also deploy them against other targets of opportunity should they appear. While investigation and retrieval proposals do not need to be deep plans, utilizing the knowledge you've gained to make a more specific investigation or retrieval operation will likely make things easier. Or at least less likely to go horribly wrong. Note that
it is possible for a unit to be eliminated.
When making a new unit there are a couple of details required in order to make a somewhat accurate representation of what you want. You will need to:
-State whether it is a solo or squad-based unit
-Outline any desired traits, skills, and training
-While not absolutely necessary, a brief breakdown of their disposition or attitude will help flavor them as desired.
Action Phases can also be used to modify or improve an existing unit should they prove to be falling behind in their present tasks. These simply need to state what changes are being made and the unit they're being made to.
Once you're ready to poke at the unknown you move on to the
Research Phase. Here you can simply designate a contained anomaly for research and your scientists will make some slower but relatively safe steps forward in our understanding of the anomaly. Although slow and safe is probably less likely to result in a devastating failure, it cannot match the pace of study made using a detailed plan with specific goals based on intelligence gathered from field agents and prior research. If you are the Dominate facility then the Research Phase is where you will also choose to deploy anomalies. At the end of the Research Phase you will also get up-to-date reports on potential anomalous activity across the globe.
Every anomaly is unique, with its own set of triggers and responses. If you are looking to do more than "Research [Anomaly]" then make sure you brush up on your intel spoiler and make sure you clearly point out what you want to do. This is less for mechanical reasons (although it is definitely for them too) and more for making sure I understand what you're going for.
If you are deploying anomalies as Dominate you do not need to specify a location or duties outside of which potential outcome you are going for. However as with all other proposals, you can greatly affect the impact of the anomaly with an actual plan. Unless otherwise noted, anomalies will not return to your facility of their own free will.
All phases also have the option to
burn the action. If it is deemed unnecessary to perform an action during a phase you may vote to burn the action, which will push that action into the next phase. For example, burning a Facility Action will give you a second Equipment Action. You cannot burn an action two phases in a row.
You may find yourself with a proposal that could potentially fall under multiple categories. Don't worry! Something like a forklift (which could be considered Equipment used to aid in expanding the Facility) can be proposed in either one. It's up to you all to decide the best course of action. If something doesn't fit a phase or there is a question about validity I can always be asked about it here or on discord (linked at the top of the post), and will step in to clarify whenever it seems necessary.
All proposals are subject to a roll of 1d10 to determine their results, with a 10 being much better than anticipated and a 1 being something we'll probably just [REDACTED].
When voting you are required to use a "vote box". This is made by using the
[quote][/quote] and listing the options within the quotes. You can vote for one proposal per action available, which means one per phase unless it received a second action from burning the previous phase. A proper votebox includes proposal titles, the names of voters, and an easy tally. For example:
Option A: (1) Bean
Item 1: (3) Mean, Machine, L.L.
Choice Prime: (1) Green
The truth is out there.
----------------
Preliminary Facility Phase
The facility you are under command of is made largely to house a specific anomaly. Which facility is it? This will determine the flavor of your starting location as well as the first anomaly you will receive automatic possession of. The other options will become the NPC factions you will be working with/against. More details on the anomaly will be provided once chosen.
A. The Amazonian Bunker - A concrete structure built deep in the Amazon, complete with a helipad and small airfield. While it may be dense jungle, the vast amount of surrounding resource-rich free real estate gives the facility two rolls for their Facility actions, taking the highest result. The facility resembles a military bunker complex (because it was), and has an underground section to contain and study the anomaly. Three curiously large eggs about the size of a large child are housed in special 3m by 3m incubators mirroring the strangely hot pockets of air they were originally found hovering in. The eggs are perfectly spherical and opaque, but a fist-sized shadow can be seen wriggling within each one. We speculate the eggs should hatch relatively soon.
B. The Chernobyl Subterranean Complex - A long-running facility built deep beneath the infamous nuclear reactor. Being in a nation amid an active war makes it pretty easy to get hands on the latest in high-end gear, giving the facility two rolls for their Equipment actions and taking the highest roll for the result. An old Soviet-era style medical facility uses a large iron lung-like pressurized chamber to house and observe the real Elephant's Foot, a mass of steel, concrete, corium, flesh, and bone. The blob is constantly shifting and screams in agony when a mouth is exposed on the outer layer.
C. The Boston Storage Facility -A series of unassuming warehouses currently unusable due to extreme structural damage according to the Boston Port Authority, but there always seems to be more important paperwork pushed ahead of the repairs to delay work indefinitely. The warehouses were designated by The Organization as storage for extremely mundane anomalies prior to your assignment, but the future of the facility is yours to direct. As a result of their designation the only objects in the warehouse are thirty-two plastic black and white recorders confiscated from a local elementary school. Testing in a soundproof booth wired with recording equipment reveals each recorder plays a single note regardless of which note is being held. None of the recorders play the same exact note. The crew here is extremely bored and extremely enthusiastic for the prospect of field work, giving them two rolls for their Action actions, with the highest roll taken as the result.
D. The Arctic Habitat - A-Hab is a pressurized dome structure built on the seafloor of the Arctic. This extremely high-tech facility gets two rolls for their Research actions and takes the highest result. The very isolated remote location means it is very secure, but very alone. This facility is developed to contain and study a wriggling mass of fleshy tendrils growing out of a cave. The structure has an airlock built between it and the cave, and the tentacles presently seem unable or unwilling to bypass the steel doors. The facility provides Environmental Protection Suits to any employees who need to work outside.
While you are choosing where to start you also get to
Propose a development to be applied to it immediately. Most general ideas should be able to function across each location so don't try to sweat synergization too much. These first proposals are to get a general idea of what to expect, so I won't be giving many more examples of what
is possible, and will instead let you all come up with your ideas and I will confirm whether or not they are valid, and if not then what phase it
would be doable in.
You cannot burn this action.I can hear them scratching in the walls.
Author
Topic: The Organization - An SCP-influenced Management Game (Action Phase I) (Read 8097 times)