SHELTER:Main Page

Cast

/nil, as Damian Wechsler, FBI social engineer

Deacon Blues, as Bill Kaczmarek, CIA handler

Illegible Smudge, as Charlotte Devereux, CIA field op

Phantom Stranger, as Simon Jordan, NSA/MI6 analyst

Jason Panella, as Carter Postma, NSA cryptographer

Premise

These PCs will be the agents of a secret espionage cell within the National Security Agency, codenamed SHELTER. They will become entangled in the intrigue and conspiracies of the World on Fire, combating threats such as the Franchise and working for and against other factions of the setting. Victories in this shadow war come at a high price, and trust is hard to come by. With hard work and a little luck, however, the agents of SHELTER may not only survive but also help bring the world back from the brink of self-destruction.

Themes

The main theme of this game will be Suspense. The PCs will be parties to misdirection, manipulation, and other machinations behind the scenes of the world stage. Enemy and rival operatives will have their own shadowy methods and motives, often putting the PCs in life-threatening situations. They will have to negotiate this dangerous and often deadly landscape while maintaining secrecy and plausible deniability.

A corollary of the main theme is Paranoia. While they will have reasons to trust their teammates, the PCs will encounter many individuals with shifting loyalties and purposes. Someone who was an asset in one mission may turn out to be an antagonist in the next, and vice versa. It will be up to the players to decide who they put their faith in, and they should make contingency plans just in case.

Mood

This game will focus on the grittier end of the espionage spectrum, emphasizing brains over brawn and skill over gadgets. The tone will not be unremittingly bleak, but it will also not be especially light-hearted. What humor there is will come from the characters rather than the absurdity of the world they find themselves in. The more bizarre and outlandish elements of the World on Fire setting will not be used; no Alliance of Evil Geniuses or supernatural beings pulling the strings. While there will be moments of violence, it's my intention to downplay gun battles and other mayhem in this particular game.

Sources of Inspiration

The Bourne Identity (film)

The Bourne Supremacy (film)

The Bourne Ultimatum (film)

The Ipcress File (film)

Queen and Country (comic book)

The Sandbaggers (TV series)

Spy Game (film)

Campaign Qualities

I've decided to apply the following Campaign Qualities to the first Season of this game:

Clandestine (+0 XP)

Faction (+0 XP)

Gritty (+100 XP)

Paranoid (+0 XP)

Clandestine allows PCs to select a Covert feat when they receive a non-Covert feat choice. Faction means that the PCs will be working for an agency, in this case SHELTER. Gritty increases the danger of critical injury as a result of combat or other threats. Paranoid gives all special and player characters a +4 morale bonus with Blend/Stealth and Sneak/Hide checks to determine who benefits from a surprise round and also applies a -4 morale penalty to skill checks made to shift a target's disposition or convince a target to do something.

The Agency

The group known as SHELTER was formed in the Winter of 2006 by elements of the American intelligence community, primarily as a response to the operational and bureaucratic morass caused by Project Pitfall and the ever-expanding War On Terror. Seeking to reclaim territory and assets lost in the shadow of the massive international counter-terrorism force, several administrators of the CIA, FBI, and NSA agreed to pool their remaining resources and form a distinct, unique unit of their own creation. This unit would operate in advance of and separate from the joint task forces of the National Security Council and their Pitfall affiliates. Its primary task would be to conduct counter-terrorist and intelligence operations both within the United States and abroad, protecting American interests and offering its creators an alternative perspective on the current global crisis. A trio of trusted executives from the three originating agencies were tasked with overseeing the formation of SHELTER, operating under the cover of an NSA task force. Seeking prospective agents from government intelligence agencies, law enforcement departments, and the military, the "Big Three" selected personnel based on their proficiency, discretion, and ideals.

In the period since its inception, SHELTER has seen only modest growth, seeking to operate below the radar of parent and sister agencies. This is in keeping with the original vision of the organization; a fallback unit which its creators could rely upon for discreet information and operation cycles. Thus far, very few people in the NSA or the American intelligence community are aware of the group's existence. There have been several close calls, primarily due to SHELTER teams crossing paths with Pitfall personnel while pursuing data or sabotaging terrorist cells. These encounters have always resulted in the SHELTER ops covering their tracks and backing down from direct confrontation. It is feared that some form of collision with Pitfall is inevitable, but the agency has managed to stave it off for the time being.

The primary focus of SHELTER is dealing with the terrorist organization known as the Franchise. A vast, sprawling collection of criminal and extremist cells with limited but resilient networking support, the Franchise is a daunting and deadly antagonist. Every SHELTER operative lost in the field thus far met their end at the hands of this conspiracy in one form or another, and this has only intensified the focus of the surviving ops. The struggle is difficult for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the Franchise's ability to replace lost cells within weeks or even days. SHELTER holds out hope that it will somehow find a way to break this cycle and finally land a crippling blow. Only time will tell.

Goals: 3 (Meddling, Protection, Secrecy)

History: 3 (Allies, Enemies, Rivals)

Image: 5 (Secretive goals, Mysterious methods, Secretive leaders, Secretive members, On record sites)

Sites: 5 (Classroom, COMSEC Center, Hospital, Records Office, Satellite Network)

Tools: 6 (E-IV, G-II, R-IV, S-IV, T-V, V-III, W-IV)

Mission

Gimme Shelter

"Oh, a storm is threatening

My very life today

If I don't get some shelter

Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away

War, children, it's just a shot away

It's just a shot away"

- "Gimme Shelter", The Rolling Stones

Campaign Qualities: Subtle (-50 XP)

Caliber: III (Blue)

Known Objectives: Collect intel on parties behind WAVER encryption software theft, secure WAVER before it spreads to the black market

Reputation Award: 10

Known Exposure Penalties: The following occurrences generate exposure:

• Revealing the existence of SHELTER during investigation: -6 Reputation

Recommended Gear Picks: Audio Bug III, Video Bug III, Laser Microphone II, Physical Tap II, Feat Training II (Mingling Basics), Feat Training III (Traceless), Skill Training III (Blend), Phone Line Trace III, Key-cam (keychain - Miniature Gear Pick II (Consumer-Grade Still Camera)), Commercial-Grade Still Camera III, Commercial-Grade Video Camera III, Commercial-Grade Tape Recorder III, Improved Truth Serum III, automated lockpick (pen - Skill Check II (Security/Disable +8, 3 uses)), telescopic lenses (glasses - Miniature Gear Pick I (field glasses)),

Mission Bundle: Earpiece Tactical Radio I (-10 XP)

Gear Restrictions: None

Action Dice

Bill: 3

Carter: 2

Charlotte: 3

Damian: 4

Simon: 1

GC: 3

Mission Gear

Charlotte: Laptop Computer II, Lockpicking Kit I, Consumer Grade Still Camera, binoculars, mini maglite, cell phone, sunglasses, slim jim car door openers, swiss army knife, duct tape, paperback copy of latest best-seller, art supplies, nitrile gloves, pencil and notepad, today's local broadsheet, Fibre-optic Lock Probe (Cell Phone - Skill Boost III (Security +4/+10 cap, 10 mins)), Delivery Van, Field Cellular Interceptor (Portable Stereo - Miniaturized Gear Pick IV (Cellular Interceptor, 5 hours)), Portable Stereo, Toolbox, Street Directory, Chewing Gum

Damian: Low Profile Armor (average) (nomex underwear) III, FN Five-seveN (standard laser sight, concealed holster) II, Disguise Kit I, Forgery Kit I, Electronics Kit I, duct tape, laptop batteries, cell phone, leatherman tool, pack of zip ties, physical key logger, hands-free headset attachment, mini maglite, PDA, binoculars, applied science magazine, (FN Five-seveN: 1 additional non-lethal ammo stockpile), Laptop computer III (PR 6, Security software PR 6 ), Miniature Gear Pick III (encrypted tactical radio, housing: cell phone), Proteus Modification III ( Audio bug (x4), housing: chewed chewing gum), USB flash drive, chewed chewing gum, batteries for audio bug gadget

Bill: Cover Identity (PR 2), Tape recorder (consumer grade), Camera (consumer grade), dossier (PR 3) on van Lewton, code (PR 4), improved truth serum (3 doses)

Carter: FN Browning High-Power (9mmP, holster + additional load of non-lethal ammo), All-purpose replacement cipher (Code -- PR 1), Police scanner, cell phone, small pen flashlight, pack of AA batteries, tablet, several pens, signal mirror, folder with several sheets of music, viola, thumbed-through western novel, caffeine pills, several packs of over-the-counter painkillers, pitch pipe, stopwatch, video bug III (hidden in AAA battery), Commercial-grade still camera III, Phone line trace III, MP3 player, extra AAA batteries for player, small tape recorder, baseball, baseball glove

Simon: Skill Training III (Blend), Feat Training II (Mingling Basics)