Hello, heathens. I know you can't thank me enough for actually spending
time thinking about you guys. But hell, it is the holidays, so consider
this a Christmas present. Even if you practice something else.
Why?
Because I said so, heathens. I'm pig-headed that way! ^_^
Anyway, here you go. A few plots that should get your creative juices
flowing (hopefully, though, not onto the keyboard. Sticky keys are a bitch
to clean out. Or, so I've heard.)
Something to remember. Not every crime is Shadowlaw, and not every
Shadowlaw crime is overt! If your players don't wet themselves whenever
Shadowlaw is mentioned, it's your failing. Shadowlaw is scary as hell.
Now, on with the show.
Okay, guys. Here are a few ideas that bad guys can try to put into effect.
Now, the idea here is that Shadowlaw is not a joke. It is a very powerful
crime syndicate, with connections to other crime and drug syndicates.
However, since it's effectively got immunity from Interpol due to it's
status with the UN as a soverign nation, it's difficult to touch. An
important thing to remember: Shadowlaw can kill you. No matter who you
are, or what you do. Cammy White was sent after a high-ranking political
dignitary, and look how that turned out...
Plot one: Diamonds are a Thug's Bestest Friend
Synopsis: Shadowlaw agents are after the second largets diamond on Earth!
Why? The answer might suprise you. Shadowlaw-backed scientists have
uncovered a way to make almost limitless energy available for almost
nothing, but it requires the use of a diamond-refracted laser. They plan to
use this laser to develop a Magma Tap, a type of reactor where heat is
stored as energy. This is what the scientists have done; they have
perfected a way to trap heat and process it into electricity. Wiht a few
successful Magmataps, they could power most of Europe. It would be a
legitimate enterprise (for the most part, avioding legal entanglements), and
would likely gain most of the richest energy markets for Shadowlaw!
Needles to say, this can't be allowed to happen!
How PCs get involved: Well, maybe they stumble onto the heist? Maybe they
are trying to stake out the local Bad Guy's Union (local #214) when word
comes down from on high that the Orginization wants this diamond (even
though there is a larger diamond on display right next to it?). This would
be a good hook for police/crime fighters/detective SF types. More mercinary
types could get involved by being hired. After all this display -is-
private, and the two largest diamonds on Earth are inside. Should be
interesting to see what the PCs come up with when someone asks why they took
the second largest diamond, but not the first? (answer: they're not after
the biggest diamond. They're after the best one to suit their purposes.
The second diamond has no color, no flaws, and a large fat surface that
could be used as a prism.)
What could happen: Well, they either stop this from going down, or
Shadowlaw wins. Wins. With a capital "W". This would be real big, bad
news. Think of what Bison could do if he had the industrial nations of the
world in his pocket? A chase back to Northern Europe might be in order, as
well as the destruction of the prototype magmatap. I don't have to tell you
that the plans need to go up in smoke, too. Can't have that kind of
technology running around. Maybe you can have one PC trying to pull another
PC up a cliff, with magma running underneath him, while the second PC is
desperately trying to get his hands on the DVD-R that has all the specs for
the Magmatap... Which is just inches out of his reach!
Plot two: Money, money, money.
Synopsis: The local underground fighting scene is going sour, and no one's
talking. Local organisers are being bought out at a frightening pace, and
no one's able to trace the money. Maybe Shadowlaw's involved, maybe not.
But the number of 'fixed' fights is steadily growing, so someone's making a
great deal of cash outta this. Further, local fight scenes around the area
are also going under and being bought out. Could it be the same backer?
You bet your ass it is!
The backer is a local head man for the Pipeline, an organization independant
of Shadowlaw that focuses on the running of contraband from South America to
North America. Anything from military supplies to medical equipment, to
alcohol, Cuban cigars, perscription drugs and Cocaine is game. A small
fleet of propeller planes are landing daily on unlicenced strips across the
state, and the Pipeline makes money each and every time. They've turned to
hiring Street Fighters as thugs, and have started to fix fights in order to
gain the money to control the local gambling circuit.
How PCs get involved: Maybe the PCs are Shadowlaw enforcers! Think about
it! Shadowlaw is crime's answer to Microsoft. If you're good, we buy you.
If you refuse, we bury you. They'd want in on this action, guaranteed.
Maybe the PCs are involved in the local circuit, and want to see things
straightened out. Maybe theiy're connected with local crime fighters, and
want to shut down the Pipeline, at least locally. Even losing a few strips
would really hurt the orginization...
What could happen: Well, it's organized crime. It could be very
frusterating. Judges can be bought, cops can be bribed, and people start
getting off on technicalities. Or, Shadowlaw comes in right as the PCs are
breaking the crime ring, and suddenly, the Pipeline doesn't seem so bad!
This one could go anywhere.
Plot Three: Get Honor, and stay Honor!
Synopsis: A new tournament is in town. Well, "in town" might not be the
best way to describe it. An established tournament liscence has been bought
out buy a "men's" cable TV network, TnTV!, and they plan to exploit it to
the best of their damned ability. Suddenly, there's some real pressure to
"go with the flow"... This means, of course, making the fights more camera
friendly. Flashier. Gimmicks abound, and camera angles can be counted on
to make fighters look great when they win, and bad when they lose. However,
there's always room for a new gimmick, and there's not many folks out there
with a strong sense of honor who will have much to do with this "show of
shows".
What no one knows is that "TnTV!" is owned by someone who is being payed
real money to make sure that the fare on this channel is constantly flashy,
violent, and what's more, completely unrepentant about it. Bullets, bombs,
and breasts rule the day, between commercials that are markably shifted
towards a man's worst behaviors. So, then, who's paying the money? Is it
Shadowlaw? The Mafia? The Pipeline?
How PCs get involved: There's always money. Hell, if fighting is what you
do best, it'd be nice to see a weekly paycheck, right? It's not like
tournaments pay the phone bill. Well, okay, they might, if you're really
good. But if you're just starting out, there'd be no way to fight full
time, and have that be it. Ken can do it, because he's rich. Ryu can,
because, as far as Western Civilization sees him, he's a bum. But Chun-Li's
a cop. Guile joined the military. In fact, that's the big carrot that
Shadowlaw waves in front of a young fighter's face: a constant paycheck.
Which brings me to...
What could happen: Well, selling out is really easy. The corporation could
eat your fighting spirit. Given time, and apathy, it will. But what if you
started a dojo, teaching the fighters about honor? The company might even
support it, and use it as a gimmick, for a while. What if you traced the
money back to it's source? Remember, bad press is worse than the plague,
for these guys.
There will be more, when I have the time and inclination. Note that none of
these have tournaments as the big thing, but each have room for plenty of
fighting! You're welcome! I also left most of the hooks open, because
players are too damned creative. I'd spend all damned day typing hooks for
every type of character if I addressed 'em all.
Oh.
And thank God for our military. Men that die in the field are heroes, and
deserve our respect. And I'll be raising my kids to believe that, too.
I'm Still,
Erik the Odd
Scion of the Holy Roman Empire
Crusher of Virtue
Inventer of Strangely Satisfying Dances
and
Prime Minister of Malkavia. (No, the last two aren't somehow linked.)
_
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