Welcome to the Black Ops source book! Before you undertake the task of figuring out how to assimilate what is found within this tome into your game, a few words of caution and warning arc appropriate.
This source book is "theme" oriented. That is, everything within this book centers around a single theme (in this case—modern day espionage). If the concept presented in this theme is not appropriate to your game. do not use it! Do not presume that what is written upon these pages is law in the strictest sense. Instead, think of it as a text book from which you will learn how to incorporate certain new concepts into your game. It is possible that what you learn here will contradict the things that you want to pursue in your game. Remember that when anything is in doubt, you (the GM) and your game take precedence—not the rules.
This book is optional—everything within it is optional (the training packages, the new professions, etc.). As a GM, you must study what we present here and decide if the concepts are appropriate to your gaming world. Adopting the contents of this book into your game might change the very balance in your game. You (as the GM) must decide if this is good or bad for your game. Because this book is "theme" oriented. you will probably either adoptthe theme (i.e., the whole book). oronly adopt a very few select pieces of It. If you only adopt select pieces of it (as opposed to the whole thing). be very careful when meshing it wilh the rest of the RMSS; all play-balance put into this book presumes that the whole book is being used (excluding one part might be excluding a balancing factor). In the end, the GM (not the players) must decide to use (or not use) the material presented herein.
Players should keep the above discussion in mind when reading Black Ops; the GM may decide that this theme is not appropriate for his game. Pressuring the GM to adopt pieces of this tome might not only result in a fracturing of a delicate game balance, but could weaken or undermine his concepts forthe world he has created. On the other hand, the GM has an obligation to his players to make clear what the physical laws of his world entails (i.e., the game mechanics). Of course, there are always physical laws that are being discovered. A GM must strive to be consistent in his decisions and in his interpretations of the rules (this includes decisions about which rules to include and which to exclude). Without consistency, the players will eventually lose trust and confidence in the GM's decisions and his game. When this happens, a game loses much of its pleasure and appeal.
Note: For readability purposes, these rules use the standard masculine pronouns when referring to persons of uncertain gender. In such cases, these pronouns are intended to convey the meanings: he/she, her/him, etc.
Black Ops use the standard notation from the other products in the RMSS products (e.g., Arms Law, Spell Law, Rolemaster Standard Rules, and Gamemaster Law). Those producls should be consulted for speicifc references (e.g., the attack tables all use the AL abbreviations and notation for weapon statistics).
"Okay, four couples, a man with a shephard, a woman with two kids and three individuals. One is sunbathing at the north end and two are reading on the east side of the park. No contact yet," whispered agent Michelle Parsons into her scrambled throat mike.
"Right, we have visual on everyone but the sunbather at the north end," replied agent Felix Juarez from the car parked across the street.
"What is taking so long? We've been here 30 minutes over so far. I'm getting nervous out here." said Parsons.
"Wait, we have your contact spotted. Myra's parking four cars forward of your position. She is getting out, loxking it up, and she's going towards the meeting site. No shadow, everything seems fine."
"Great. I've still got a bad feeling about this so let's just get this over with and get out of here," said Parsons.
Parsons watched as Myra approached smiling, walking over the small grass hill, walking closer. Something was wrong. She's walking straight towards me, she thought, she isn't looking around at all. Parsons felt a shiver run up her spine as she began another pass around the area for other guests at the party. There, she thought, in the building across the street four floors up, three windows from the left, a hit-team. Who is the target, me or her?
"We have a problem. Brown building, fourth floor, three windows from the left. Oh man, they have a Barrett. I repeat, they have a Barrett," warned Parsons as her heart sank. A Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle would go through her armor and the car with no problem.
Parsons immediately stood up from the bench and began walking on the path towards the waiting car.
"Rene, wait!" shouted Myra across the park as she began walking towards Parsons quicker. At least she is still using my alias, that's something, thought Parsons.
As Myra shouted the name across the park again Parsons looked around with a puzzled expression on her face. "Pardon me, are you shouting at me?" Parsons played her best English accent and poker face.
"Of course I'm talking to you. This is the scheduled meet isn't it?" she said with an odd combination of terror and humor in her expression.
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid I don't quite follow, how could I be meeting you when I've never met you before now. You must be mistaking me for someone else. Good day to you." said Parsons as indifferent as she could and kept walking to the car.
"Rene, I didn't have a chouce," she screamed. "They were going..." Her scream mixed with the piercing crack of a gunshot, filling the air of the park. Parsons turned quickly to see Myra's body crumble in a heap upon itself most of her insides coloring the pathway a violent shade of red.
Angre began to swell in Parsons. It was unnecessary to kill her, she thought. The operation was over. They had caught her; it was already finished. This was useless, she screamed at herself mentally. Quickly gathering herself, Parsons turned and walked to the car even as a crowd was gathering over Myra's body, like vultures to the corpse. Police sirens could be heard in the distance, probably waiting for the shot, she thought.
Parsons took only a quick look at the window on the way to the car only to see the sniper pointing the Barrett at her. If they wanted me dead, I'd be dead right now instead of Myra. No, she decided, this was supposed to be a lesson for her and for any future traitors to the government. As much as she hated them, she admitted to herself it was indeed a good lesson. Which only meant, she thought, I have to be more careful or I might be the one decorating the park pathway next time.
In the shadowy world of intelligence gathering, illegal operations, and political terrorism the best agents are the ones you never hear about. The rules of the game change quickly, and the only constant is surprise. The realm of espionage hasn't changed much throughout history; people have always tried to gain an edge over a competitor or enemy by surreptitious means. Usually the operatives are the loyal patriotic types that are willing to lay down their lives for their belief, country, or cause. Most of the changes have simply been advances in various areas of technology, allowing information gathering in a dizzying array of possibilities.
Welcome to the world of Black Ops. This book provides you with the information you need to run or play a current-day espionage game using the Rolemaster Standard System. Everything from agents, terrorists, automatic weapons, high-tech thievery, covert operations, complicated plots, and high-speed chases are covered in this book.
Black Ops gives you background information on major intelligence agencies, terrorist groups and selected covert operations and operatives, a short 20th century espionage timeline, and a list of sources to develop even more missions than are listed in this book; in short, everything you need to play. Black Ops has charts detailing equipment, vehicles, countries, and ready to play campaigns, both long and short, so you can start immediately.
Black Ops is a genre book designed specifically for use with the Rolemaster Standard System. This book is designed to be used in conjunction with the Rolemaster Standard Rules, Arms Law, and Weapon Law. This setting is designed for current day campaigns, as opposed to fantastic, campaigning (which leaves out magic).
This book covers assassinations, deep-cover agents, special gadgets, and subversive and patriots (who are usually cut from the same cloth). Black Ops supplies you with several short adventures and four detailed campaigns with source material for many more. You also get a short history of the major governmental espionage agencies and terrorist group profiles and operations. This book also describes international law enforcement and how certain countries and agencies cooperate and hinder each other's operations on a regular basis.
Most people have either seen or read James Bond series, the Le'Carre series, or many other books or movies too numerous to mention here, so unfamiliarity will most likely not be a problem for GM or player alike.
While Black Ops has agencies and group world-wide it have a large percentage of its pages devoted to the United States and Western Europe. The reason for this is mostly due to the fact there is more information on those intelligence agencies.
You can begin to use Black Ops right away with the ready-to-use material, including characters, adventures, and guidelines for combat and weapons (though full rules for firearm combat are given in Weapon Law). With this book and the Rolemaster Standard System, you are ready to protect the world, take it over, or explore the dark side of diplomacy: espionage.
Black Ops is the first genre book for the Rolemaster Standard System. While it does provide everything needed to role play espionage adventures, it does not give the entire Rolemaster rules system. Because Black Ops is not a stand alone product, you will also need the following books to play a full campaign using Black Ops: Rolemaster Standard Rules, Arms Law, and Weapon Law.
If you have never used Rolemaster before, this isn't the place to start. You will need the Rolemaster books mentioned above to read and learn the system before applying it to this genre. But once you have a good grasp of the Rolemaster system, come back to this book and jump in.
While the players will spend most of their time on character generation and learning about different agencies, the GM has many options to choose how he will run his campaign. Black Ops is designed to be used with real agencies and groups provided to give the GM more choices.
This product could also spawn other adventures besides intelligence agencies and terrorists, such as crime and military warfare in today's society. It could also be used as an addition to a time-travel campaign. The possibility for an altered reality/horror campaign could also be a choice for a really imaginative GM.
Note: For conenience, all non-gender specific references in Black Ops use male pronouns. This in no way implies exclusion or indifference to women. While many people see the espionage/terrorist game as an "old boy's network" the reality is that women play a large role on both sides of the coin. Ironically it is the women who are considered the most lethal and dangerous members of terrorist organizations, and are just as effective as their male counterparts in tracking them down.
This section explains the differences between character creation in the RMSS (which presumes a fantasy setting) and character creation in Black Ops (a modern setting).
The following aspects of character creation and development remain exactly as presented in the RMSS: generating stats, potential stats, and stat bonuses.
The other aspects of character creation are affected in at least a minor way. Each section below deals with how the other aspects of character development are different.
In the RMSS, there are twelve different races to choose from (Common Man, High Elf, Dwarf, etc.). In Black Ops, there is only one: Man. In RMSS, if you chose either Common Man or Mixed Man as your race, you had to select a culture as well. In Black Ops, the selection of culture becomes the primary choice. Based upon your selection of culture, you will have your starting skills determined, as well as some indications of your background. The most important thing to remember at this step is to have a good idea of where your character will actually be from (geographically). With this knowledge, the GM can determine exactly which culture package you have selected.
Culture selection in Black Ops is not solely based upon nationalistic boundaries. First, you must choose whether your character will be from one of the world's Industrial countries of from a Third World country. The GM should have a final say here.
After this you must choose whether your character will be from an Urban or Rural area of the country. The biggest determining factor here is where the residents of the area supply close to 100% of their goods for day to day living or whether they purchase them nearby city. As an example, there would be very few truly rural areas in the United States. However, many of the smaller settlements of Europe would be considered rural.
And finally, you must choose whether your character comes from a Lower Income Family fro that area, a Middle Income family from that area, or a Upper Income family from that area (also remember that Upper Income in a Third World country is castly different than Upper Income in an Industrial country). While it may seem obvious to want to take upper income backgrounds, the selection of starting skills will be vastly different in many cases and care should be taken here.
See the Adolescence Rank Table T-1.6 (Modern) for the differences between the various selections. See Section 2.5 for details on adolescent development. See the Race Abilities Table T-1.1 (Modern) for game statistics for your race.
In the modern setting, it should be obvious that not all of the professions presented in the RMSR would be found. However, a few of them would likely to be found. In the modern setting, you can chose any of the following professions from the RMSR: Fighter, Layman, Rogue, Thief, or Warrior Monk. However, slight modifications shoud be made to these professions to "adapt" them to the modern setting. For convenience, these professions are fully re-presented in this book. In addition, there are three new professions have been added for the modern genre: Academic, Scientist, and Technician. Details on these professions can also be found below.
The most important thing to remember is that certain skills have been added to the set (and a few new skill categories) and certain skills are no longer necessary. The skills that have become unnecessary are included in the profession pages for completeness, but should not be used in the modern setting.
The Academic specializes in the non-scientific areas of academic endeavor. Academics usually end up doing one of three jobs (or a combination thereof): writer, researcher, or teacher. Academics, like scientists, can travel throughout the world in search of knowledge without raiging too many suspicions. A foreigner abroad that is doing "research" for a thesis or book might even able to get access to information or places normally off-limits to others.
Prime Stats: Reasoning and Memory
Everyman Skills: choice of one Situational Awareness skill, Administration, Research
Occupational Skills: choice of one Lore • Academic skill
Restricted Skills: None
Fighters will find it relatively easy to develop a variety of different weapons and to wear heavier types of armor. They are less skilled in maneuvering and manipulating mechanical devices such as locks and traps. They have the greatest difficulty learning anything connected with science and/or academics.
Prime Stats: Constitution and Strength
Everyman Skills: Situational Awareness: Combat, Leadership, Frenzy, any one non-Restricted Combat Maneuver, Boxing, Wrestling
Occupational Skills: None
Restricted Skills: None
Normally each character has an "adventuring" profession, reflecting how his early training and life have moulded his thought patterns. However, the Layman profession represents characters who do not have a standard "adventuring" profession. Most non-adventuring NPCs will have the Layman profession.
Prime Stats: None
Special: Every Layman should select an occupation. The GM should move skills to the Everyman and Occupational categories as is appropriate to the occupation.
Everyman Skills: None
Occupational Skills: any one Craft (and any associated skills from other categories, GM's discretion)
Restricted Skills: None
Rogues have some expertise in thiefly abilities and a more specialized knowledge of arms than that possessed by Fighters. Normally, a Rogue will be almost as good as a Fighter with one weapon of his choice. The cost, in development points, of developing his thiefly skills will generally not allow him to be as good in these areas as a Thief, but his flexibility is unmatched by either profession.
Prime Stats: Agility and Strength
Everyman Skills: Duping, choise of one Lore • Technical skill, choice of one Situational Awareness skill, one of either Boxing, Wrestling, or Brawling.
Occupational Skills: None
Restricted Skills: None
This profession is devoted to the physical sciences; physics, chemistry, oceanography, atmospherics, etc. Scientists are always trying to duplicate and create experiments in an effort to confirm results of projects. Although usually a lab-grounded profession, Scientists some field counterparts in archeologists, geologists, anthropologists, etc. Always looking for some new information in their area of expertise, they can travel to different countries in the pursuit of this knowledge. A highly qualified Scientist travelling around the world is an excellent cover for a PC, especially cinsidering scientific knowledge is increasingly valuable to governments as time goes on.
Prime Stats: Intuition and Memory
Everyman Skills: Administration, Operating Equipment, choice of one Awareness • Senses skill
Occupational Skills: One Science/Analytic • Specialized skill
Restricted Skills: None
This profession specializes in the repair and design of equipment in a specialty area (computers, mechanical, eletrical, undersea, etc.). Technicians are more able to analyze and understand new items, as well as construct items of a technological nature. They also spend a lot of time developing other people's ideas with thier in-depth design skills. This profession can produce a good character that wants to invent exotic weapons or gear, or get past security systems for high-tech thievery.
Prime Stats: Intuition and Reasoning
Everyman Skills: Research, choice of one Awareness • Senses skill.
Occupational Skills: One Science/Analytic • Specialized skill, one Science/Analytic • Technical skill
Restricted Skills: None
Thieves are non spell users who are specialists at maneuvering and manipulating. They have the easiest time learning mechanical skills (such as picking loks and disarming traps) and are fairly good at picking up weapon skills. Thieves are also unusually adept at subterfuge skills (Stalking, Hiding, etc.). They rarely wear heavy armor, although armor does not especially hinder the exercising of their professional abilities (other htan limiting their superb maneuvering abilities).
Prime Stats: Agility and Quickness
Everyman Skills: choice of one Situational Awareness, Duping, Subdual, Operating Equipment
Occupational Skills: Lock Lore
Restricted Skills: None
Warrior Monks are non spell users who are experts at maneuvering and martial arts. Warrior Monks may learn to use normal weapons, although not as easily as others in the realm of Arms. They prefer to utilize unarmed combat.
Prime Stats: Quickness and Self Discipline
Everyman Skills: Sense Ambush, any one Combat Maneuver
Occupational Skills: None
Restricted Skills: Boxing, Wrestling
In the modern setting, there is no need for a realm of power, so this step of character creation is ignored entirely. Alternatively, if a GM deems it appropriate, all characters can choose a realm of power (though it has no bearing on skills or events in the modern day).
In the modern setting, there are no spell users, so this step of character creation is ignored entirely.
The process for generating stats in the modern setting works exactly as presented in the RMSR.
The process for determining skills gained during Adolescence is almost identical to waht is presented in RMSR. The only difference is that you use T-1.6 (Modern) instead of the table in RMSR.
Note that there are several new types of skills gained in Adolescence. Many times, you wil have a choice of several possible skills. When this occurs, you may split the ranks shown among any number of skills within the group. For example, Industrial/Rural/Middle income characters get 4 ranks in Lore skill categories (notice the plural). This may be split among the four Lore skill categories in any way (e.g., 4 ranks in Lore • General, or 2 ranks in Lore • Academic and 2 ranks in Lore • Technical, etc.).
Background options in the modern setting are handled slightly differently than in the typical fantasy setting. Most importantly, all characters get 6 background options. These background options may only be spent as detailed below.
Note: If using Talent Law, al cultures will get 55 Talent Points. Most of Talent Law can be used without modification. However, the GM should examine each of the Talents and Flaws in Talent Law for appropriateness to the modern genre.
This option may be selected exactly as detailed in the RMSR (i.e., twenty extra ranks to be assigned as indicated by the race you have selected).
You may spend one or more background options to make one or more rolls on the Extra Money portion of the background options table. Use the column on the table that matches your selected Income level for your character.
Note that when you use more than one background option, you do not select the result you want; you simply make another roll on the appropriate column of the table.
This background option works exactly as detailed in the RMSR (i.e., one background option may be spent to gain an extra stat gain roll for each of the character's stats).
You may spend one or more background options to make one or more rolls on the Special Items portion of the background option table. Use the column on the table that matches youor selected Income level for your character.
Note that when you use more than one background option, you do not select the result you want: You simply make another roll on the appropriate column of the table.
This background option works exactly as detailed in RMSR (i.e., one background option may be spent to gain a special bonus of +5 to a skill category or a special bonus of +10 to a specific skil).
This background option works exactly as detailed in the RMSR. However, GMs should disregard any Magical result (re-rolling it).
As a new option, a character can spend a background option to half (round up) the cost of any training package (even though the training package is not developed until Apprenticeship). Note that this option may be selected more than once, but each subsequent selection halves the already halved cost (so the second choice effectively reduces the cost to 25% of normal, etc.). Also note that this only affects training packages developed at Apprenticeship (and cannot affect training packages developed after Apprenticeship).
Apprenticeship skill development works basically in the same fashion as detailed in the RMSR. There are a few modifications to the normal procedures, but these are detailed below.
Development Points are calculated in exactly the same fashion as shown in the RMSR.
The Standard Skill Category Development Cost Table T-2.8 is replaced (by the table below). This table includes all of the professions appropriate to the modern genre (and all of the skill categories appropriate the modern genre).
Variable DP costs are handled as presented in the RMSR (except that no rules for spell development are given here as spells are inappropriate to the modern genre). Occupational, Everyman, and Restricted skills are handled exactly as presented in the RMSR.
There are new Training Packages that have been made available to modern characters and not all old Training Packages are appropriate for modern characters. The Training Package DP Cost Table T-2.7 is replaced by the table below.
Note: Characters can now spend background options to decrease the cost of training packages. See 2.7 for more information.
All of the guidlines from the RMSR still apply here.
The only aspects of this step that are different are the starting monetary resources and outfitting. All characters receive starting monetary resources based upon the Income level they chose for their character. Use the chart below to determine starting money for the character.
Training packages are broken down into two types, Lifestyle and Vocational. A detailed explaination of training packages can be found in the RMSR (Appendic A-6). Training packages essentially give a set of skills associated with lifestyle or vocational (for a development point cost that is determined by a character's profession). A given character may only have one "lifestyle" training package at a time (as these type of training packages are usually associated with either a long-term career or a character personaluity/outlook). However, "vocational" packages can be purchased as the development points are available (i.e., during any level advancement).
This list of training packages are bo no means a complete list of every profession and lifestyle in the modern world. However, GMs should find most lifestyles and vocations that are appropriate to most games in this list.
There are two new rules for training packages (that differ from the RMSR). The first new rule is that you may spend background option to decrease the cost of a training package (see Section 2.7; remember that this rule has no effect after Apprenticeship).
The second rule also affects the cost of a given training package. Now a character may qualify for a professional status in a training package (termed "professional qualifier"). Basically, this is a set of requirements that, if the character possesses all of the requirements prior to purchasing the training package, the character pays a lesser cost for the package.
For example, if a character wants to purchase the Athlete training package and he already has one skill in the Athletic group at two ranks, he will pay the lesser cost (indicated with the training package).
Some (but not all) of the training packages from the RMSR are appropriate for the modern setting. The list below are those training packages that translate easily into the modern genre. However, GMs should carefully examine any of the "specials" given out by the package (and make sure that they are appropriate to the modern genre). Also, some training packages costs have changed from the RMSR costs, be sure and use the updated costs (as shown in the New Training Package Table, in Section 2.8 as well as with each profession). As a final note, any money gained from an RMSR training package should be multiplied by 10 and treated as dollar.
On the following pags are the new training packages for the modern era. All of the rules for RMSR training packages apply for these packages.
This is a vocation that encompasses parts of the FBI, Secret Service, and similar agencies that use mostly investigative agents instead of undercover or combat operations. Agent training denotes a direct working style, meaning they operate and interact with citizens on an “honest” level.
Time to Acquire: 44 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
An artist uses some form of alternate communication to express emotions or ideas to others. This person can use almost any form of art, painting, sculpture, light shows, huge umbrellas, or music as their medium. People may or may not like what the artist is doing giving the artist a license to be erratic or eccentric, socially and mentally.
Time to Acquire: 89 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: Empathy and Intuition
Professional Qualifier: one skill in the Artistic group at two ranks
Athletes are devoted to the pursuit of excellence in physical prowess. This can be in any physical game or challenge. An athlete will be able to overcome the potentially arduous physical rigors of operations without much difficulty.
Time to Acquire: 61 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: Constitution, Self-Discipline and choice of either Quickness or Strength
Professional Qualifier: one skill in the Artistic group at two ranks
Of a rarer group of people than in times past, the Bounty Hunter’s job entails hunting other humans for profit. Usually the hunted are wanted criminals in courts at some level of government. While a Bounty Hunter does try to work within the law, they will sometimes operate outside the law in an effort to pursue and capture their prey.
Time to Acquire: 41 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
This is an individual who “cleans up” botched operations by eliminating all traces of the operation, including, sometimes, the agents themselves. Cleaners are also used on insanely risky operations, not because they are suicidal, but because they will do “anything” to complete an operation.
Note: This package should be looked at closely by the GM before allowing a PC to enter into this dark lifestyle package. This person will not be liked by anyone and will be feared by most, because sooner or later an agent may meet this person in an official capacity, and who knows who will walk away from such an encounter?
Time to Acquire: 92 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: Self-Discipline and Strength
Professional Qualifier: at least a +5 total Self-Discipline bonus and a total Empathy bonus no greater than +0
A Combat Medic provides rudimentary medical service to small combat units on the front line or in areas too far away for relatively quick medical attention. These people are trained in field medicine, survival, and tactical skills. While they are medics and under the Hippocratic oath, they must sometimes choose whether to enter combat offensively as opposed to defensively.
Time to Acquire: 35 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
A cross between a lab scientists and an academic, members of this vocation pursue hands-on research outside of the lab. Trained to operate in adverse or unusual surroundings and circumstances, this vocation can include Archaeologists, Anthropologists, Ecologists and Researchers.
Time to Acquire: 30 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
Experts at infiltrating secure network systems of private or government groups, members of this vocation burn the phone lines to get their hands on information stored in files around the world. The darker side of this vocation is the ability to shut down areas of a sensitive or even crucial nature, such as power grids, banks, credit accounts, etc. This person can make life really nasty for computer-dependant targets.
Time to Acquire: 34 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
This is a job in which a person researches a particular area, social structure, or aspect of a given country (e.g., economics, crime, terrorism, etc.). These are usually not field operatives, but their knowledge is very valuable and in-depth in their areas of expertise to operatives in those areas. Analysts have been known to leave their cubicles once in a while on an operation, but it is usually in a consolatory capacity. If this person does make it in the field their knowledge could prove essential to a mission.
Time to Acquire: 47 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
Whether it’s a world-wide broadcast or local coverage of a community meeting, a Journalist strives to report the events objectively (although that doesn’t always happen). A Journalist will travel to where the action is, covertly if need be, to get the story before anyone else. Journalists can usually make good contacts in underworld areas and foreign governments during their search for the truth.
Time to Acquire: 27 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
Not the first choice for a PC, but nonetheless an important character to have around when committing illegal acts. There will be times when an operation goes wrong and ends up being public; that’s when a Lawyer comes in handy. In such times a Lawyer is all that stands between you and judgement. In most U.S. law enforcement agencies, this is one of the predominant degrees/vocations for agents.
Time to Acquire: 117 months
Starting Money: Normal +d10 (open-ended)
Stat Gains: Memory and Presence
Professional Qualifier: Acting at 2 ranks and any single skill in the Influence skill category at 2 ranks.
Marine pilots can maneuver into hard-to-reach areas for insertions or retrievals, always a good person to have around on an aquatic adventure. This is mainly for smaller boats, not tanker-sized boats.
Time to Acquire: 39 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
Musicians seek expression through the sound of music. A musician will usually know more than one instrument, although they will favor one above others.
Time to Acquire: 27 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
In the local or national arena, politicians operate in bureaucracies of governments. Socially adept and personable, they try to influence the government to their, and hopefully their constituents, viewpoint.
Time to Acquire: 48 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
Useful in hard-to-reach locales throughout the world, a Pilot can excel in a type of plane or helicopter or can be generally good in all types of flying craft. On more covert ops, this is the character who may be getting others into and out of danger zones.
Time to Acquire: 36 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
This package represents persons who plan, organize, operate and carry-out high-risk black ops for the military. This class is dedicated, loyal, and will follow their orders, sometimes to their own demise.
Time to Acquire: 116 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: choice of Constitution or Strength
Professional Qualifier: A total of 15 ranks in skills from the following groups: Athletic, Awareness, Subterfuge, and/or Weapon.
This package attempts to simulate higher education; B.A., M.S., etc. These degree levels are for academic or science skills, but not for more intense science/vocational skills, i.e. medical or engineering degrees. This is for a person who wants the educational experience of college.
Time to Acquire: 41 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
Terrorists use coercion to promote a belief system or a set of goals. This usually translates into the use of violence, or the threat of violence, to advance their cause, but not always. The destruction of property combined with vandalism, usually found with animal rights activists, is another form of terrorism on the rise.
Time to Acquire: 27 months
Starting Money: Normal +d10 (open-ended)
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
A Theologian has a particular belief, but usually knows something about some other religion’s beliefs. This could be anyone from the Catholic priest taking confession to the Jewish Rabbi counseling his followers. Theologians sometimes are instructors in universities throughout the world, such as the Catholic Society of Jesuits.
Time to Acquire: 100 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: Presence and Memory
Professional Qualifier: none
Undercover Agents have a very dangerous job; they must cover their identity with either someone else’s or a fictitious one without ever forgetting that they are a law enforcement officer. There is only one rule when going under: never, ever blow your cover. This takes a lot of self-control and even more insane courage.
Time to Acquire: 59 months
Starting Money: normal
Stat Gains: none
Professional Qualifier: none
Four new categories have been added to the standard categories. These categories (along with the pertinent statistical information for the categories) are shown in the table below). These categories are treated just like all other categories in the RMSS (note that it is presumed that the necessary weapon categories have been added according to the rules in Weapon Law).
Note: Some skill categories might need a slightly different definition than before (based upo the inclusion of new categories). For example, with the addition of the threee new science categories, the Science • Specialized category should now be considered to be all sciences that do not fall within the one of the other categories.
In addition to new categories, many new skills should be added to the normal list (to account for the odern setting). Some skills should be excluded as well (all skills in the prohibited categories as well as any skills the GM deems inappropriate for the setting). The skills below are listed by category and should be added to other skills in the category (note that it is presumed that all skills presented in Weapon Law are already added to the normal list).
Note: No skill list is intended to be comprehensive (that is the job of the skill categories). The GM should add whatever skills he deems appropriate for his game. Remember that a skill should be worth the develop points spent on it.
Combat Maneuvers — Combat Pilot, Crewmember AFV, Demolitions, Mounted Weapons Ambush
Crafts — many new skills can be added here (as many as the GM deems necessary for his game)
Lore • General — Efficiency Expertise, Fashion, Health Care, Interior Design
Lore • Academic — Art History, Canon, Comparative Religion, Education, Journalism, Philosophy/Religious Doctrine, Political Science, Religious History, Sociology, Visual Arts
Science/Analytic • Specialized — many new skills can be added here (as many as the GM deems necessary for his game)
Science/Analytic • Engineering — Chemical Engineer (Medical), Chemical Engineer (Industrial), Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Criminal Engineering, Cybernetic Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Engineering, Power System Theory, Sanitation Engineering, Sound Engineering, Undersea Engineering, Urban Design, Weapon Design
Science/Analytic • Medical • Autopsy, Drug Therapy, Internal Medicine, Medical Practice, Medical Sciences, Pharmaceuticals
Science/Analytic • Technical — Computer Technology, Criminal Technology, Cryogenic Operation, Cybernetic Technology, Electronic Technology, Genetic Technology, Mechanical Technology, Medical Technology, Music Technology, Power System Technology, Weapon Technology
Subterfuge • Mechanics — Computer Crime, Computer Tapping, Electronic Countermeasures, Electronic Surveillance, Electronic Warfare, Safe Cracking, Security Operations, Tax Evasion
Technical/Trade • General — Billiards, Communications, Data Processing, Driving, Sensor Analysis
Technical/Trade &bull Professional — many new skill can be added here (as many as the GM deems necessary for the game); the primary qualification for inclusion into this category is if you typically need a specialized multi-course training to perform the skill or not (if not, the skill should probably be classified as Vocational)
Technical/Trade • Vocational — many new skills can be added here (as many as the GM deems necessary for his game); the primary qualification for inclusion into this category is if you typically need specialized, single-course training to perform the skill or not (if not, the skill should probably be classified as General)
The following section gives skill descriptions for all the new skills presented in this book. The skills are grouped in categories (in the same order that they are presented in Section 3.2").
Bicycling — This bonus is applied to all maneuvers for piloting vehicles operated by manual power (e.g., bicycle, pedal copters, etc.). Each vehicle type must be developed as separate skill. Maneuvers may include hiigh speed turns, gaining and decreasing speed rapidly, jumping ramps, and doing stunts. GM's should use the result of the maneuver as a gauge of how fast the pilot of the vehicle is able to travel (as a maximum). {Ag}
Skydiving — Bonus for all skydiving maneuvers, performing maneuvers while in freefall, and for the use of various different forms of parachutes. {Ag}
Combat Pilot — This skill may only be used in a combat situation (when the character is under fire). The pilot may make a maneuver roll to increase his ship's OB and or DB. The character should roll d100 (open-ended) and add his skill bonus in this skill. Look up the result on the Moving Maneuver Table (with a difficulty of Sheer Folly). Any result off of the table may be split between the craft's DB and any OB that the craft may have that round. Skill must be developed separately for each type of craft. {In}
Note: The Combat Pilot skill rank cannot exceed the pilot's Atmospheric, Orbital, N-Space Piloting, or AFV Driver (whichever is appropriate) skill rank.
Crewmember AFV — This skill bonus is applied to maneuvers when driving/piloting Armored Fighting Vehicles. This skill must be developed separately for each different type of AFV. {In}
Demolitions — This skill is used whenever the character wants to set demolitions charges or otherwise use explosives. The character should make a maneuver roll using this skill (using difficulty that should be modified by the complexity of the explosive device). The result of the maneuver roll should determine an effectiveness modifier for the explosive (see Section 4.0 on how to determine the effectiveness of the an explosive). {In}
Mounted Weapons Ambush — This skill allows a projectile gunner to strike an opponent more precisely than normal, as reflected in manipulation of the critical roll (as per normal Ambush rules). Before adjusting the critical result, the gunner must successfully make a maneuver roll using this skill (as per normal rules of ambush). This skill may only be used when at least one of the following conditions applies:
The target is completely unaware that it is about to be attacked and so is not employing evasive tactics.
The target's screens are inoperative, and it is imobile or drifting predictably.
If neither condition applies, the gunner may not adjust the critical result at all {In}
Speed Reading — This skill is used for the quick assimilation of data from a written (readable) format. A successfu maneuver allows reading the material at two to three times the normal speed with full memory of the text. A failure indicates a distraction of some sort, the attempt fails, and normal reading speed takes over. The GM may choose to allow another attempt with a negative modifier. {Me}
Brainwashing — This skill involves the ability to subvert the will of another being to obey and believe whatever the controller wishes him to believe. It is the conquering of one's individuality, by gradually wearing down the person's mental endurance. However, this is a long process requiring days, sometimes weeks, of constant exposure to "reprogram" a person for the desired results.
The person attempting a Brainwashing maneuver makes a maneuver roll. If he is successful, the target musst make an RR. The attack level of the RR is equal to the number of ranks the brainwashing character has in this skill. The target's resistance level is equal to the sum of his Reasoning and Self Discipline stat bonuses (with a minimum of one). How convinced the target is of the brainwasing attempt may be gauged by the original maneuver roll. GM's can treat each point over 100 as a percentage of "belief" in the target. For example, if the original maneuver resulted in a 131, the target would believe about 31% of what the controller wanted him to believe. {SD}
Mediation — Bonus for interacting with members of two different groups. The bonus of this skill is also used for resolving conflicts between the two groups and developing a solution acceptable to both groups. Each type of group/group relationship must be developed as a separate skill. {Pr}
Proselytism — Bonus for the ability to influence another person's belief or ideals through preaching to them. It is the skill of converting reiligous beliefs and moral standards. Success indicates that the target(s) of the preaching will at least spend a lot of time contemplating some well-made points of discussion. If the total roll is greater than 100 plus the target's Reasoning stat, the target is convinced that the preacher is correct in his faith, and the target will strive to learn more and become a faithful believer in the faith to which he has been introduced. {Em}
Efficiency Expertise — This skill is used to reduce the amount of time required to perform tasks. To use this skill, the character makes a maneuver roll adding his skill bonus in this skill. For every 5 points over 100 that the maneuver roll succeeds, the character has attained a 1% time savings (note that the GM may determine that a certain amount of time is required for any specific task, no matter how good the maneuver).
If the character's total maneuver result is less than zero, he has made the matter worse. The amount les than zero is divided by two to give the percent of additional time to complete the task. {In}
Fashion — Bonus for designing fashionable clothes, as well as keeping up with the current trends in fashion. This skill could be used to start a new fashion style if the character really tried. {In}
Health Care — Bonus for recognizing conditions that are good and bad for one's health and what the effects may be over time. This skill also covers the recognition of nutritional food, and what amount of nutritional intake is required for proper health. This skill may also be used for the development of diet techniques for weight control, and so on. {Me}
Interior Design — Bonus for the design and rearrangement of living conditions for greater comfort. This skill includes choosing colors best suited for lighting conditions, mood setting, etc.; furniture selection and arrangement are emphasizing different periods and styles; and combining such choices with a building's design for best effects. This skill also includes remodeling knowledge (e.g., painting, wallpaper, moving walls, rearranging space). {In}
Note: Many skills could fall into this category. The following list should not be deemed complete. GM's should add skills as necessary for their game. As a guideline, if there is a college course for it, it could be classified in this category.
Art History — Bonus for recognizing famous works of art, their artists, and when they were created. The skill can also be used to determine the style the artist used (e.g., Baroque, Gothic, Cubism, Psychedelic, Holographic, etc.). {Me}
Canon — Bonus for the performance of religious ceremonies and practices in the fashion deemed proper by one's faith (e.g., saying mass, performing sacrament, chanting, etc.). {SD}
Comparative Religion — Bonus for the recognition and identification of similarities and differences among various religions within a category (e.g., Christianity, Buddhism, tribal belief systems, etc.). {Me}
Education — Bonus used for teaching someone a skill that the teacher possesses. There is one basic requirement, the teacher must have more ranks in the skill than the student to attempting to learn. For example, if the teacher has 6 ranks in a given skill, he can teach someone their fifth rank in that skill. Note, that only one maneuver roll is made per rank taught.
The difficulty of the Education maneuver should be determined by the skill cost for the student. Use the table below to determine the difficulty. A failed maneuver roll means that the student cannot learn this rank from the teacher. If the education maneuver is successful, the student pays only half DP cost for the current rank. {SD}
Journalism — Bonus for writing and presenting information in a direct, accurate, and understandable format, consisting of facts and occurences. This form of writing spends little time on analysis and interpretation. Hournalism consists of collecting, writing, and editing news articles for newspapers, magazines, and broadcast news media. Such writing may be on any topic, provided the source materials are available for finding the necessary facts. {Pr}
Philosophic/Religious Doctrine — Bonus for recognizing and identifying major aspects of philosophy or religious doctrines. Each philosophy/religious doctrine may be concentrated in and learned separately for in-depth knowledge and understanding. This skill would allow the character to accurately predict the reaction of a philosophical or religious group to specific conditions or situations. This skill deals more with the understanding of a joint of view presented by the sect, and presenting points of argument based on that view while being able to support it. {Me}
Political Science — Bonus for the ability to influence, guide, or even take over the control of a government. The skill also includes all of the knowledge of the structure of a government, where the layers of power within the government rest, methods of getting into office, etc. This skill must be developed separately for each type of government and each culture. {Pr}
Religious History — Bonus for knowing the history of a specific religion. This includes the origins of the faith, major characters (saints, popes, heroes, kings, etc.), major events, how the faith spread (if it did), etc. This skill must be developed separately for each religion. However several different histories may be developed simultaneously, provided appropriate research materials are available. {Re}
Sociology — Bonus for the study of group interaction under various conditions (e.g., stress, peer pressure, fear, etc.). This skill may be used to predict the reaction of a given group under designated conditions, to specific actions or topics of discussion, etc. This skill may also be used to determine how to induce a desired reaction from a specific group. {Em}
Visual Arts — Bonus for the appreciation and in-depth understanding of work of art. This skill includes the ability to effectively criticize a work of art. This skill encompasses all art forms of the visual nature (e.g., painting, sculpture, light shows, etc.). {In}
Aquatics — Bonus for the use and maintenance of underwater survival gear (e.g., scuba tank, propulsion unit, decompression units, etc.). {Ag}
Chemical Engineer (Industrial) — This skill enables a character to modify and produce synthetic materials (e.g., plastics, nylons) as long as equipment and materials are available. The GM must assign a difficulty based upon the character's intention. This skill does not include the design of machine parts, only the design (on the molecular level) and production of the sythetic materials. {In}
Chemical Engineer (Medical) — This skill involves the design and development of pharmaceuticals and toxins. This skill may be used to develop them from raw materials or to refine and enhance a currently existing product. Alternatively, this skill may also be used to reduce the effects of medicinal materials; for example, to produce a derivative of a healing drug that is twice as effective, or to produce a toxin derivative that produces a similar, but weaker effect than its base. The GM should determine the difficulty level based upon the character's intention. {In}
Civil Engineering — This bonus is applied to all maneuvers involving the design and modification of public utilities. This may include water works, power distribution, roadways, or parks. Such a skill is used for handling the needs of communities of any size. {In}
Computer Engineering — This is a deeply involved skill that includes the design of computer systems. This skill also includes the design and modification of new logic and memory systems (e.g., new forms of computer chips, memory discs, modes of memory access). {In}
Criminal Engineering — This skill involves the design and modification of those devices directly involved with various fields of crime and criminal apprehension. This skill must be developed for each specific area. For example, Counterfeiting, Forgery, Security Systems, Surveillance, and Tracking are all examples of specific areas of Criminal Engineering. {In}
Cybernetic Engineering — Bonus for the design and modification of robotic systems, robots, andriods, bionic limbs, etc., and their components. The difficulty of any maneuvers with this skill may be modified due to lack of necessary equipment. {In}
Electronic Engineering — Bonus for the design and modification of electronic systems. This skill must be developed for each area encompassed in the field (which might include different realms of communication devices and general fields of study). For example, Electronic Warfare, Fiber Optics, Laser Communication, Liquid Crystal Technology, Microelectronics, and Microfrequency Modulation might be specific fields within Electronic Engineering. {In}
Environmental Engineering — Bonus for the study of the stability of an environment and how to recreate its conditions in a controlled setting. This skill includes the use of environmental devices/machinery to sustain an artificial environment. With the use of this skill a researcher may also design a complete environment from scratch, and determine how to make it self-sustaining. However, effecting such a feat would be very complex. {In}
Mechanical Engineering — This skill involves the design and modification of mechanical systems involving moving parts, excluding those fields falling into other engineering skills. This skill must be developed for each separate field of mechanical origin. For example, Aircraft Engineering, Combustion Engine Engineering, General Mechanical Engineering, Space Engineering, Submersible Engineering, and Surface Vehicle Engineering might be specific fields of Mechanical Engineering. {Ag}
Medical Engineering — Bonus for the design and modification of medical tools and equipment. This skill covers various fields, from surgical instruments to artificial limbs. Although this includes other technical skills such as electronics, computer skills, and mechanical skills, this skill focuses on the application of such knowledge for medical devices and systems. However, this skill has a number of fields, each of which should be developed separately. For example, Bionic Engineering, Cryogenic Engineering, Diagnostic Scanner Engineering, and Surgical Equipment Engineering might be specific fields of Medical Engineering. {In}
Power System Theory — This is the design and development of power systems for producing large and small quantities of energy, as well as propulsion systems for various types of craft. This skill must be developed separately for each class of power systems. For example, Batteries/Power Cells, Fusion, Hydroelectric, and Solar Energy, are all separate classes of skills under Power System Technology. {In}
Sanitation Engineering — Bonus for the design and maintenance of waste disposal and recycling systems for a given set of circumstances (e.g., city, environmental suit, etc.). {In}
Sound Engineering — Bonus for setting acoustic stability in a given area. This skill also allows an intimate understanding of sound and the ability to manipulate it differently for various purposes (e.g., with the proper equipment, one could use sound waves as a weapon or destructive force, or create effects similar to a soothing massage). {In}
Undersea Engineering — Bonus for the design of structures to withstand the forces of the deep ocean. This skill includes all plans for altering the sea floor for whatever reasons deemed necessary (e.g., leveling off a portion of the sea floor for construction or kelp farming, and designing it to prevent destruction due to currents, or substrata motion, etc.). {In}
Urban Design — Bonus for designing of cities and for determining a city's needs and solving the problems of its operational systems (e.g., city systems might include transportation, sanitation, water). This skill also includes the ability to study maps or aerial views of city and distinguish the various parts of the city, main travel routes, power supply depots, and the separation of the different systems involved in the city's operation. Attempting to identify a specific part of the city, such as the governing section (city hall, courthouse, etc.), use the skill would be cinsidered a static maneuver. {In}
Weapon Design — The design and modification of weapons. Each different class of weapon must be developed as a different skill. For example, Explosives Engineering, Missile Artillery, Mounted Projectile Weapons, Nuclear Weapons, and Firearms would be different classes within this skill. {In}
Autopsy — Bonus for determining information about dead bodies. Such information may include determining the exact causes of death when numerous injuries are present, such as by poison, stroke, hearth attack, chemical abuse, the unusual removal of all vital minerals from the body, etc. All possibilities are covered under this skill, although the GM may feel that certain situations call for increased difficulty. For example, a difficult to detect poison that induced a heart attack which will appear natural, might impose -30 to the character's Autopsy maneuver. This skill may also be used to determine information such as the time of death, in what order injuries may have been caused, and the age of each separate injury, if received at significant time intervals. {In}
Note: Recognizing a cause of death does not provide all of the details. For example, recognizing the symptoms of a neurological poison and finding a foreign chemical in the central nervous system do not provide any information on the substance itself. For complete details, specialists should be consulted whenever the situation calls for it.
Drug Therapy — Bonus for the use of pharmaceuticals in the treatment of illnesses and/or injuries. This skill includes the determination of the amount of a pharmaceutical needed, and over how long a time period it must be taken to clear up the afflication. Improper use of this skill could result in tragedy, including addiction, worse health conditions, side effects, and possibly death. {Re}
Internal Medicine — Bonus for the study and treatment of gastronomical constitutional diseases. This would include the identification and practice of therapeitic methods for the diseases of internal organs without the use of surgery (e.g., some gastrointestinal problems, muscular therapy). {In}
Medical Practice — Bonus to perform operative procedures, including the use of surgical and standard medical equipment. When a character aquires his sixth rank in this skill, he has the minimum training necessary to receive the proper certification for the purchase and use of field medical equipment and healing drugs. {Ag}
Note: These skill ranks for certification are recommendations; the GM may wish to raise or lower them, or perhaps abolish them all together as he sees fit for his particular campaign.
Medical Sciences — This is a skill used to develop specialty areas of expertise and research ability within the medical fields. Each area must be developed separately. For example, Medical Sciences (Anesthesiology) or Medecal Sciences (Dermatology) might be developed. {In}
Pharmaceuticals — Bonus for the recognition, identification, and knowledge of the effects produced by pharmaceuticals. This does not include knowledge of the proper use and safety measures required for drugs (e.g., medicinal, narcotic/recreational). {In}
Computer Technology — Skill bonus related directly to computer programming and repairs. This is the ability to repair damaged or malfuncioning processors, memory systems, or other computer components. {Re}
Criminal Technology — This is a bonus for the maintenance and repair of crime-oriented devices. This skill may also be used for modifications not involving significant redesign, for which Criminal Engineering would be more appropriate. This skill must be developed for each specific area. For example, Counterfeiting, Forgery, Security Systems, Surveillance, and Tracking are all examples of specific areas of Criminal Technology. {Ag}
Cryogenic Operation — Bonus for the set-up and operation of cryogenic devices and the preparation of the person going into cryosleep. {Ag}
Cybernetic Technology — Bonus for the maintenance, repair, and construction (from blueprints and diagrams) of robots and androids, as well as bionic body parts. This skill encompasses all aspects of robotics, androids, and body parts, including mechanical, power, electronics, and computer components. However, this does not include such works as the installation of bionic parts on or into a patient. The difficulty level of the maneuver should be deremined by the GM. {Ag}
Electronic Technology — Bonus for the repair and maintenance of electronic equipment. This skill covers a wide arrange of electronic fields, but each must be developed separately by the character. For example, Electronic Warfare, Fiber Optics, Laser Communication, Liquid Crystal Technology, Microelectronics, and Microfrequency Modulation might be specific fields within Electronic Technology. {Re}
Genetic Technology — This skill involves the actual alteration of existing gene patterns and abilities (as opposed to the science of breeding; Genetics). The skill covers all methods of inducing genetic manipulation (e.g., bombardment by a specific radiation to perform a specific desired mutation). {In}
Mechanical Technology — The repair of machines involving moving parts, excluding those devices covered by other technical skills. This skill must be developed for each separate field of knowledge. For example, Aircraft Engineering, Combusion Engine Engineering, General Mechanical Engineering, Space Engineering, Submersible Engineering, and Surface Vehicle Engineering might be specific fields of Mechanical Engineering. {Ag}
Medical Technology — Essentially field medicine and the use of equipment designed for emergency medical treatment and relatively minor field operations. {Em}
Musical Technology — Bonus for performing non-electronic repairs on musical instruments. This may be anything from replacing a string (Routine) to reassembling the body of an instrument (Very Complex), to reparing valves (Complex). Each different type of instrument must be developed separately, although similar skill bonuses may be used for similar instruments if the GM feels that it is reasonable. {Ag}
Power System Technology — Bonus for the maintenance and repair of damage and malfunctions in power drive systems. The damage to be repaired should adjust the difficulty level of the maneuver. This skill must be developed separately for each category of power system for which he will use this skill. For example, Batteries/Power Cells, Fusion, Hydroelectronic, and Solar Energy, are all separate classes of skills under this skill. {Ag}
Weapon Technology — Bonus for the repairs and maintenance of weapons and weapon systems as well as defensive systems. Each field of weapons should be developed as a separate skill. For example, Explosive Engineering, Missile Artillery, Mounted Projectile Weapons, Nuclear Weapons, and Firearms would be different classes within this skill. {Ag}
Sniping — Sniping allows an attacker using a single shot projectile to adjust a critical roll against an unaware target. This skill is used exactly like the Ambush skill (in the Subterfuge • Attack skill category), except that this skill affects only missile weapons. {Ag}
Targetting — If this skill is used successfully, the targetter can reduce his range penalties for a given missile attack. The first requisite for using this skill is that the declared attack must be made during the Deliberate Action Phase of the combat round (which means that the attack must be resolved as one of the last actions in the combat round).
In addition, to use this skill, the character must have an optical sighting device on his weapon (e.g., a scope of some kind). All sighting devices are assigned a Targetting Class (basically ranged from I to VII; though it is rumored that some ultra-tech military scopes might be classed higher). The Targetting Class of the sight determines the maximum that the range penalty can be reduced; multiply the class by 5 to determine the maximum reduction to range penalties that the particular sight provides.
The character makes a maneuver roll and if the result is successful, the range penalty for the current attack is reduced by the minimum of his skill bonus or the sighting device's Targetting Class times five. {SD}
Computer Crime — Bonus for the illegal alteration of computer-stored records. The skill involves the ability to perform sych alterations by breaking codes, gaining illegal acces, and altering records without detection or traces that may eventually lead to the capture of the culprit. {SD}
Computer Tapping — Bonus for accessing an currently active computer and monitoring all of the procedures that occur through the unit. This dies not include any alterations of data within the computer being monitored. The activities being observed may be recorded through the computer the character is using for monitoring purposes. {In}
Electroning Countrermeasures — This skill deals with the interference and jamming of local communication or remote transmissions. This skill includes knowledge of different forms of short range communication and what might cause interference with each different form (e.g., magnetic fields may disrupt one form of communication, but not another), and how strong the disrupting medium must be to give the desired results. This skill only involves local transmissions, and cannot take control of a signal, or substitute another signal. Such activity would require the Electronic Warfare skill. {In}
Electronic Surveillance — Bonus for the use and placement of electronic devices for monitoring and recording activity in an area beyond visual range. This skill also allows the detection and deactivation of such equipment as well as methods for fooling them. This skill also includes such maneuvers as tapping into communication lines for monitoring communication activity (e.g., tapping a telephone). {SD}
Electronic Warfare — Bonus for the use of electronic warfare and vehicle stealth equipment. {In}
Safe Cracking — More involved than picking locks, this skill enables the character to gain access to specialized locks used for high security systems such as vaults, in which the locking mechanisms are so complex that the locks must be destroyed, removed, or accessed by unusual but direct means. An example would be "peeling," in which the face of the safe's door is pried or peeled back so as to reach the mechanism. This skill takes a lot of time in some cases. This skill would also cover attempts to listen to the tumblers as a combination lock spins. {SD}
Security Operations — Bonus for detemining the details of an observed security system. This could be identifying individual aspects (such as motion sensors, sound monilars, thermal monitors, etc.) and how they are linked up, or determining how many guards patrol an area and how often they make rounds. This skill would also cover making simple now charts of how the system operates, and ability to recognize backup systems. {SD}
Tax Evasion — Bonus for manipulating one's tax forms in order to keep from paying taxes, or to make a profit at the government's expense. {In}
Evidence Dispersal — Bonus for retrieving and properly disposing of evidence at the scene of a crime. This is usually done after one has committed a crime, or if a person is attempting to cover for someone else, to conceal the evidence before authorities can find it. {SD}
Guerrilla Tactics — Bonus for the use of tactics involving quiet subversion by small units. Usually these groups fight intermittently, spending the rest of their time hiding from authorities. An example of this skill might be an assault on a prison camp to rescue comrades. Such an attempt would involve the development of stages of assault. direction of attack, prime targets, timing action, and synchronizing it with other's activity. {SD}
Billiards — Bonus for setting up and making billiard shots whether they are straight or trick shots. However, different forms of billiards must be developed separately. {SD}
Communications — This skill grants a bonus when using any artificial communication devices, such as walkie-talkies and microwave burst radios. The GM should decide how the areas break down, such as portables, fixed units, and specialized arrays. If separate areas are used then each area must be developed separately. {In}
Data Processing — Bonus for the organization and storage of information, and a knowledge of organizational methods commonly used. This skill is also used for the retrieval of specific information from records, libraries, and all mcthods of data storage. {SD}
Driving (Mechanical) — This skill must be devcloped separately for each different type of vehicle. One skill rank allows basic understanding of the controls; subsequent ranks reflect increased ability and quickness in maneuvers. This skill is useful only in regard to land vehicles that are mechancially propelled (as opposed to animal-drawn vehicles). {Ag}
Sensor Analysis — This skill provides a bonus when attempting to read and interpret information from shipboard sensor displays (or any other gauges or displays that provide information). Appropriate computer programs may further enhance one's ability. {In}
Booking — Bonus for betting on a large scale and making a profit. This skill also includes the ability to set odds and handle the incoming bets so as to have the money to cover all bets made. {In}
Drug Trafficking — Bonus for procuring and safely transporting illegal pharmaceuticals in large quantities. This skill includes the knowledge of transport laws and standard methods of search used by authorities, and possible ways of remaining undetected. {Pr}
Organized Crime — Bonus applicable for organization of a criminal operation under the cover of a legitimate organization. This skill typically covers the workings of the crime underworld, how and why it works. This would include knowledge of its structure, and how to access the organization without appearing suspicious. {Pr}
This section deals with issues of weapons and combat in the modern genre.
Most all of modern combat that characters will want to be resolved with (or have thrust upon them) will involve firearms of some kind. The complete rules for handling firearm combat are given in Weapon Law: Firearms however, there are a few new rules for specific accessories, (e.g., sight for guns) that are covered in Section 5.3.
Weapon Law: Firearms only covers firearms (including shotguns). Obviously, there are other types of attacks that might occur in the modern setting. A few of these types of attacks are detailed below. Note that Weapon Law: Support Weapons (excpected in 1997) should give more details on all other forms of attacks available in the modern era.
Grenade attacks will be resolved on the Grenade Attack Table (7.3). If the grenade was thrown, the throwing character can add his Weapon • Thrown (Grenade) to an open-ended roll and consult the chart below to determine how close the grenade ended up to the desired location. This roll is modified by the range to the intended target (the range modification given on the attack table apply to this accuracy roll, not the OB of the attack).
Note: All rules presented here presume that the grenade is armed when thrown. Other rules may be necessary if the grenade as a different method of harming.
The GM may choose to allow an Awareness maneuver for the target to see the grenade coming and "dive" for cover (use the RMSR cover modifiers for Area Spells, but not the rules for "diving" for cover as presented in Weapon Law: Firearms). The amount of the thrown weapons maneuver less than 100 is treated as a positive modifier to the target's "dive for cover" maneuver (results of over 100 may apply negative modifiers to the maneuver roll at the GM's discretion).
The chart below will indicate how many degrees off of the desired location the grenade landed and how many feet away from the target the grenade landed. For the Degrees Off, the player should roll d100 (open-ended). The roll is modififed by the range modification to the intended target. At the same time, the GM should roll d100 (no open-ended). If the resut is doubles (i.1., 11, 22, etc.), the grenade lands right on target regardless of the player's roll. If the result is an even number, the grenade lands to the right of the target, otherwise, it lands to the left of the target. In all cases, the result is where the grenade ends up and all bounsing and rolling stops (not where the grenade exploding).
Example: Marc the Spy lobs a grenade at his foes. The range is 50 yards to the desired area, so the range modification is +0. The player rolls d100 and gets an 81. The GM rolls (at the same time) and rolls a 24. This results in a d10° to the right of the target. The player then rolls a d10 and gets a 2. The grenade was thrown 2° to the right of the target.
For the Feet Off, perform a similar process. However, if the GM's roll is doubles the grenade travelled exactly the right distance. If the roll is even, it travels too far; and odd means it was short of the target. Remember that the character is attempting to thrown a specific distance! If the thrown was not straight on the target (i.e., the Degrees Off was not 0°), the original distance from the thrower is what is modified by the Feet Off number. For example, if the throw was off by 10° to the left of the target, the throw will already land short of the target.
Example: Continuing the example, the player rolls again and gets a 32 (+0 for range modification). The GM rolls and gets a 29 indicating that it lands short of the target (which was 50 yards away). The player rolls 7d10 and the result is 26. The grenade travel about 40 yards and then land to the right of the target.
If the grenade was "launched," the character should use his Projectile Gunnery skill and make a roll on the same chart. However, the range modifiers will be based upon the launched weapon ranges (see Section 4.2.5 for more on launched ranges).
To resolve the damage from a grenade attack, roll d 100 (open-ended) consult the attack table (note that the character's skill adds to the accuracy, not to the damage). It should be treated as a demolition charge, but with only the first radius of blast effect (see Section 5.2.4 for determining the blast radius). This also means that the grenade will roll on the Demolitions Effect Chart for damage modification.
This weapon uses a liquid fuel of gasoline and oil, or a similar combustible 10 send a lance of flame at an enemy. Resolve attacks with flame-throwers on the Flame-thrower Allack Table (7.2). However, in addition 10 the normal critical result, there is a base 10% chance of the target of the attack catching on fire. This chance is modified up by +1% per point of concussion damage dealt to the target, and by +5% for each level of critical dealt to the target (e.g., a 'B' critical result would adjust the chance up by 10%, an 'E' critical result would adjust the chance up to 25%).
After the attack is resolved normally (and all damage is applied), roll d100 (open-ended} and add the chance of catching fire (determined as detailed above}. lf the result is over 100, the target has caught on fire. While a target is on fire, he will take another Heat critical each round (equal to the level of the critical given in the original anack, or an 'A' if no critical was received on the initial attack). This will continue unlil the target has burned up or until the fire is put out.
To put out the fire, the target may make a maneuver roll (adding only his minimum maneuver penally (MMP) or triple his Agility bonus if not wearing annor). This action requires 100% activity for the round. The level of difficully is at least Very Hard (could be harder if the GM deems it appropriate; i.e., there is not suitable terrain for dropping and rolling, etc.). The level of difficulty will shift down by one for each character devoying 100% activity in the round to helping the target.
These are used mainly as support weapons and as anti-tank systems. Rocket launchers are shoulder mounted, light·weight, launch tubes. They have a deadly back blast that will almost always take out anyone standing directly behind the tube when fired. Theirbiggestadvantage is their enonnous range capabilities. There are a few models that are one-shot disposal. but most are reusable weapons. Keeping in mind they are designed to by used against armored vehicles, any usc ofthese against people would be overkill.
Note that there are two type of rockets that apply here: guided and non-guided. The only major difference is that the guided rockets have double the normal range (at all ranges except point blank). In addilion, as long as the rocket does not fall out of range of the guidance system, a guided rocket may make an attack on the target every round until it either hits the target, or misses the target because of a cover modification (e.g., the rocket misses because the target's DB was increased just enough by the cover modifiation). Note that the target might still suffer damage from the warhead (just no damage from the rocket itself).
An attack with a rocket launcher is a two-step process. The first step determines the damage done from the rocket itself. The second step determines the damage from the warhead the rocket was carrying. The first step is resolved on the Rocket Launcher Attack Table (7.4). The second step should be resolved as a demolitions attack (see Section 4.2.4), including blast radius effects and demolitions effects. The damage from both steps is applied simultaneously.
Because rockets are typically designed for taking out structures or annored vehicles, the damage on the attack table does not represent concussion hits of damage, but structural hits of damage. When fire against personnel, use the following procedure.
The attack suffers an automatic modifier of -30 (because the target is mobile, not relatively static). This modifier applies only to the rocket attack (not the warhead attack).
The target may make a manuever roll to avoid some of the effects of the attack. The difficulty of this maneuver is normally Sheer Folly (though the GM may adjust it up or down by one level based upon the speed at which the rocket is travelling or the distance the rocket has to travel). The result off of the Moving Maneuver Table is added to the target's DB against the attack.
Should the attack hit, multiply the normal hits of damage by 100 and apply it to the target and resolve all criticals on the Ballistic Shrapnel Critical Strike Table, with an extra Ballistic Shrapnel critical of one less severity on the targel.
Regardless of the effect of the rocket attack, the warhead will probably blast the target anyway (resolve the rocket attack first; then apply the warhead damage; remember blast radius effects).
This type of attack includes all attacks that use explosives or warheads for inflicting damage. There are two common elements to a demolition attack: 1) they are typically designed to inflict damage to structures or armored vehicles (and thus deliver structural hits instead of concussion hits), and 2) they have a blast radius with the most intense damage at the center, with the damage decreasing the further away from the center point of the attack.
Any personnel target at the center point of the blast radius (see below), will have the structural damage apply on him. Multiply the normal hits of damage by 100 and apply it in the personnel target. In addition, resolve all criticals on the Ballistic Shrapnel Critical Strike Table, asign an extra Ballistic Shrapnel critical of one less severit on the target. The structural hits are applied to any structure or vehicle normally.
Note that personnel outside the center point of the blast radius apply the structural hits to themselves on a 1 to 1 ratio (i.e., there is no multiplication of damage) and there are no additional criticals.
One key concept of a demilotion attack is the blast radius. Each charge will have five different blast radii: Center Point (with a radius), Radius #2 (a certain distance from the center point radius), Radius #3, and so one out to Radius #5 (beying which, no significant effects are suffered).
There are two factors that determine the blast radius for a given explosion: volume of explosives (note that this is sometimes fized: e.g., a claymore mine) and the type of explosives used. The typ eof explosive determines the base radius of the centerpoint and the pounds of the explosives simply adds to this base. For ease of use, all explosives can be classified into three categories: Class I (caseless blackpowder), Class II (slow burning), and Class III (modern). Most weapons in the modern genre will use Class III explosives. Use the chart below to determine the base radius.
Modify the base radius by half of the base radius (added half to the base radius) for each extra pound of explosive in the charge.
To determine the distance to each of the blast radii, multiply the blast radius number (i.e., Blast Radius #3 would multiply this number by 3). The result is the number of feet from the center that the blast radius affects. Each step outward from the center point of the blast halves the previous step's concussion damage and reduces the critical hit by one step (treat a reduction of an 'A' critical as no critical).
Easily, before the damage is applied to any target, the effectiveness of the charge must be determined. For charges that are not manipulated by the character (i..e., a predetermined sized warhead on a launched rocket, as opposed to a planted claymore mine), the character rolls a d100 (open-ended) and consults the chart below. If the charge is a manipulated charge, the character may add his Demolitions skill to the roll.
There are a few other types of attacks that will be discussed here in a cursory fashion (Weapon Law: Support Weapons will cover these in more detail).
This is a rifle that fires a cloth bag filled with buckshot. When fired, using a 40mm charge, the bag expands to full size and spins before it flies into its target. It will knock a person down at up to 650 feet away. Treat this weapon as a firearm attack that uses table ME4 (with Subdual criticals instead of Ballistic Puncture criticals), but adjust all criticals down by two levels (treating an 'A' as an 'A'-50 and a 'B' as an 'A'-25). Point Blank range (+10) is up to 5', Short range (+0) is up to 50', Medium range (-25) is up to 100', Long range (-50) is up to 250', and Extreme range (-100) is up to 650'.
A smaller version of the Projectile Stun Rifle. Treat this weapon as a firearm attack that uses table ME2 (with Subdual criticals instead of Ballistic Puncture criticals), but adjust all criticals down by two levels (treating an 'A' as an 'A'-50 and a 'B' as an 'A'-25). Point Blank range (+10) is up to 5', Short range (+0) is up to 40', Medium range (-25) is up to 75', Long range (-50) is up to 150', and Extreme range (-100) is up to 300'.
These range from 65,000 to 150,000 volts of electricity from a single 9 volt battery, all to deter an attacker. The drawback of these weapons is that they are contact-only weapons, although the sound of these would make most attackers think twice. These are small devices and legal in most of the United States as non-lethal self-defense weapons.
When attacking with this weapon, treat as a firearm attack using table ME1 delivering Electricity critical (instead of Ballistic Puncture criticals). If the voltage on the gun is below 100,000 volts, shift all critical down by one (treating an 'A' critical as an 'A'-25).
Launcers musst be used to fire rockets and mortars, but they can also be used to fire grenades. If a grenade is fired with a launcher, roll for accuracy as indicated in Section 5.2, but use the following ranges to determine the range modifications.
When using an optical device (typically a sight, so we will use the term sight to mean all optical sighting devices), the GM must assign the device a Targeting Class (see the Targeting skill in Section 3.0 for specific information on the use of Targeting Class). A typical hunting rifle scope will have a Class IV or V rating. The best, high-powered sight available is normally a Class VII (though it is rumored that certain military equipment might actually carry the class up as high as Class X).
Any adjust to range penalties can never take give a bonus to the attack (i.e., it can only take away penalties, never provide a bonus; thus, there is no effect at Point Blank and Short Range). Note that a sight on a gun will do no good without at least a minimal bonus in the Targeting skill.
Weapon Law: Firearms handles the typical kinds of ammunition for firearms, but a few specialty types of ammo (and their effects) are given below. Any rounds that decreases the attack table below ME1 uses the ME1 table instead (with a special modifier of -10 for each level decreased below 1).
These are rounds that have had their weight, measured in grains, decreased, while increasing the charge behind them. The result is a fast moving, light weight projectile that has tremendous energy and will stop in the target it hits, thereby transferringg more of its energy into the target.
These rounds provide a table shift of +1 (e.g., if the gun normally attacks on table ME6, it would use table ME7 instead), but have all ranges decreased by 10%. This type of ammo substracts 2 from any critical result if fired from a weapon that attacked on attack table ME10 or higher.
These are rounds used to fire into civilian crowds that have become unruly or uncontrollable. They aren't supposed to do any permanent damage, but there have been some fatalities (notably by the Israeli's in the occupied zones).
Rubber rounds are decreasing the attack table used by 2 (e.e., if the gun normally uses attack table ME6, it would use table ME4 instead). In addition, all criticals are resolved as Ballistic Impact (instead of Ballistic Puncture). Also, reduce the severity of all criticals by two levels (treating an 'A' as an 'A'-50 and a 'B' as an 'A'-25).
Usually a pistol round, this has a flat nose to make clean holes in paper targets. The design also makes a good defensive round by making a larger wound than a normal round, but it doesn't penetrate very deep compared to other rounds.
This rounds provides a table shift of +1 against unarmored targets (e.g., if the weapon normally uses attack table ME6, it will use table ME7 instead), but a table shift of -2 against any target wearing armor (e.g., if the weapon normally uses attack table ME6, it will use table ME4 instead). When fired from weapons that normally use attack table ME10 or higher, instead of shifting the attack table, apply the same modifier to any critical result generated (i.e., +1 or -2 to any critical result).
In the same vein as the Wadcutter round, the Semi has a tapped tip leading to a blunt nose. A problem that can occur with thse rounds is a high probability of jamming, which is a bad thing in combat.
This round provides a table shift of +1 against unarmored targets (e.g., if the weapon normally uses attack table ME6, it will use table ME7 instead), but a table shift of -1 against any target wearing armor (e.g., if the weapon normally uses attack table ME6, it will use table ME5 instead). In addition, all Reliability numbers are increased by 2 while using this type of ammo. When fired from weapons that normally use attack table ME10 or higher, instead of shifting the attack table, apply the same modifier to any critical result generated (i.e., +1 or -1 to any critical result).
Another version of the hallow point theory, this round has a metal post in the center of the hollow reservoir to increase uniform expansion of the round. This was developed by the FBI to overcome some of the problems of the original hollow points and has worked quite successfully. The center steel post also acts as another projectile in the target causing more damage.
This round is treated as a Hollow point type of ammunition, but also gives any attack a special bonus of +5 and modifies all critical results by +1.
Either a definite misnomer, or the best name in the world, it just depends on which end of the barrel you are on. Glasers conists of a thin hollow jacket, encased inside is another 12 shot pellets and this is topped of with a plastic seal. When this round hits a target, the seal fractures, sending the pellets out of the bullet with eight times the energy than the bullet had when it was intact. This, of course, causes intense shock and a massive wound. More than 90% of those shot with Glasers have died, even when it has been a shot in a unusually non-vital area, such as the hand. A drawback with Glasers is that they do not have any penetrating power, as soon as they hit something hard enough to break the seal, their energy is immediately spent. So if a target get any cover, a Glaser is worthless. But if they don't get cover...
Against non-armored foes, this ammo deliver Ballistic Sharpnel criticals and increase the attack table by 2 (e.g., if the weapon normally uses attack table ME6, it will use table ME8 instead). Against armored targets this round dicreases the attack table by two levels (e.g., if the weapon usually uses table ME6, it will use ME4 instead). If fired from a weapon that normally uses attack table ME10 or higher, treat all attack table modifications as modifications to the critical roll instead.
This is a new version of the hollow point theory. Except in this case, the buller is designed to shred and expand inside the target, doing incredible amount of damage.
Against unarmed targets, this type of ammo increases the critical severity by one level and delivering Ballistic Shrapnel criticals (with an 'E' becoming an 'E' Ballistic Shrapnel and an 'A' Ballistic Puncture). Against armored targets, treat as a normal hollow point round.
An idea similar to the Glaser idea, this round has a small hole drilled into its tip and a drop of mercury is inserted and sealed with a lead plug. This round has a similar effect as the Glaser, but the wound is not as massive. In addition, mercury injected into the body is poisonous.
Treat attacks with this round as Glaser rounds, except all criticals are Ballistic Puncture (i.e., no Ballistic Shrapnel). In addition, the target must now deal with the poison in his system.
This round has a hollowed out bottom filled with a luminous material that is ignited when the round is fired. It is used as a lead for burst weapons to effectively home in on the target. They work in daylight, as well as night. They will burn out fairly fast, so being hit with one will be significantly less than with an actual round from the same weapon.
Any attack made with a spread burst action or an aimed burst action will receive a special bonus of +5 if the weapon is firing with Tracers. However, any critical result generated will be modified by -1.
A new type of round that has the front section in a concave rather than a convex shape. This causes the round to have a good armor penetration capability, while having a low ricochet potential and low recoil.
Attacks against unarmored targets have their table decreased by -2 (e.g., if the weapon normally attacks on table ME6, it will use table ME4 instead). However, against armored foes, the attack table is increased by 2 (e.g., if the weapon normally attacks on table ME6, it will use table ME8 instead). When fired from a wepaon that normally uses attack table ME10 or higher, all modifications to the table should be treated as modifications to the critical result instead.
These shotgun rounds are loaded with a ceramic-metal projectile for shooting locks and hinges off doors. When fired the round disintegrates into a fine powder upon impact, reducing its ability to cause injury to those inside.
Against unmoving, inanimate target, this round get a +20 to all attacks. However, any mobile target, the ranges for the gun are halved. Also, the attack table for the gun is decreased by 2 (e.g., if the weapon normally uses attack table SG6, it will use table SG4 instead). Finally, the ruond does Ballistic Impact criticals (rather than the typical Ballistic Shrapnel criticals).
These shotgun rounds are similar to stun/flash grenades. They have a maximum range of about 160' (at which time they ignite into a flash, loud bang and series of white sparks). It will affect all targets in a 10' radius of the blast.
Resolve attacks as a launched grenade. Use the following ranges: Point Blank range is up to 5', Short range is up to 15', Medium range is up to 40', Long range is up to 90', and Extreme range is up to 160'. All within 10' of the center-point of the attack take a 'C' Ballistic Impact critical. Everyone within 10' to 15' must make an RR versus a 10th level attack. Targets who fail the RR have a -10 to all actions for one round per 10% failure.
A CS/tear gas shotgun round fired that can vober a 10ft. area. Anyone within 10' of the target point must make an RR versus a 10th level attack. Targets who fail the RR have a -50 to all actions for one round per 10% failure. There is only minor discomfort to those past the 10' radius.
This includes basically anything that is using hand/body strength to function. This ranges from slingshots to swords to bow weapons. The majority of melee weapons in the espionage genre will be edged weapons from throwing knives to machetes. All weapons of this nature will use the RMSS Arms Law for attack resolution.
This is a miscellany of other types of stuff that affects weapons or armor.
A fixed alteration of the weapon that reduces the muzzle recoil when firing. This results in reducing the penalty on the second shot of a Double Shot action (from -30 to -25). With weapons capable of firing bursts, it provides a special bonus of +5 to the OB.
This device can be added to a weapon to negate the flash a weapon produces when firing. This makes it harder to locate the firing character in the dark, especially if they have a combined silencer. Again, a revolver can't use a silencer, but it can use a Flash Suppresser.
An attachable unit that goes on the top of the weapon or underneath the barrel to shot a red laser dot to the target to improve the aim, especially in low-light conditions. Most units are activated when the user holds the weapon stock or grip. This unit will reduce concealability of the weapon. The unit is locked to the weapon by rings attached to the unti and gun. These are usable on all projectile weapons, although on burst weapons they are basically useless, except as a psychological tool.
This type of targeting unit adds one to the normal sight's Targetting Class (but only in dark-light conditions, and to a maximum of Targeting Class V, beyond this the targetting unit doesn't help much).
This is a long tube attached to the end of a weapon barrel to capture the escaping gases, which make the majority of the sound when a round is fired. It is made for a specific barrel size and cannot be switched between different weapons. A Silencer can be added, or taken off, with 50% activity. These can be purchased for semi-automatics, rifles, assault rifles, machine-guns, and submachine guns. These can't be purchased for revolvers because the gases escape around the cylinder. This will not negate the sound, but it will reduce it by 80%, (except on supersonic rounds which will make a crack when leaving the barrel).
Any attack made with a Silencer on the gun suffers a special penalty of -10 to the OB (as the Silencer slows the bullet slightly).
This is for handguns only. Tritium is a luminescent material that is plased on the sights of a handgun in the form of dots, one on the front post and one on ich side of the rear sight.
This type of sight unit has a Targeting Class of III, but works in low light conditions.
A typical helmet will give protection against the shock of clubs and thrown rocks, but isn't bulletproof. Treat as abonus of +5 to DB against thrown weapon attacks.
These are made of layers of Kevlar. They have a 3mm visor made of a high-impact plastic that gives Treat as Class II body armor for the head only. If the critical result indicates a head shot, resolve the strike normally, but determine the concussion damage and critical secerity from the Class II body armor column (in addition to deliver fewer concussion hits, this means you will be adjusting the critical result down in almost all cases).
These are used by most law enforcement agencies for crowd control situations. They are usually made of transparent high-impact plastics that are treated as Class II body armor from one direction only. Resolve all attacks from that direction as if the target were wearing Class II body armor.
Black Ops is modern day adventuring, so all modern equipment is potentially available. This listing is not meant to be comprehensive, as there is too much equipment to detail, and prices and availability vary widely from region to region, let alone in different countries. These are just a few ideas for available equipment. Players and Gs can come up with other equipment as needed.
This equipment is typically used by a single character.
4VV5 HANDS-FREE COMMUNICATOR — A five-channel FM two-way radio with an earphone that fits in the ear and transmits voice via vibrations in the auditory channel. This unit offers hands-free voice-activated or push-to-talk comms. The radio uses 2 AA batteries and has a range of 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile. These radios are usually available in pairs.
BINOCULARS — A compact set of binoculars that have an magnification power. This pair is only four inches long and four inches wide when folded out.
CELLULAR PHONE — A portable phone that can make and receive calls almost anywhere. Some of the more expensive models are smaller than a TV remote. Some of the more expensive services allow phone access virtually everywhere on the planet, as long as there is a service satellite servicing the appropriate regions. Power can be from a battery or through a car lighter adapter.
FLASHLIGHT — Projects a beam of light like any other light, but it can also be switched to an intense flashing light for signaling or a beacon. Made of steel, this could also be made an effective club at 10 inches long.
GRAPHIC CALCULATOR — This has a LCD screen to display text and raphs. It has a 32K memory and can be used with a larger computer to share/download information. It is 8 inches long and 4 inches wide with its own plastic covering case.
MONEY BELT — A normal belt constructed of high qualisty leather with a U-shaped, large belt buckle. The belt buckle comes out with a small sharp blade. The blade is used to make a rip in the belt to get at money within the belt. Several three-inch pockets each have about 300 US in different currencies. The belt can be purchased for specific regions before a trip.
SCANNER — This will receive AM, narrow FM, and wide band FM, has 1000 programmable channels, and comes with 4 AA rechargable batteries. This allow the user to listen in on police, fire, and emergency crews, given their frequencies. This can also allow a person to listen in on cordless phones, although it is against the law to do so. A scanner also has a headphone and a belt clip.
SECURITY WALLET — This leather wallet beeps every 20 seconds when a credit card slot is empty; when the card is replaced, the beeping stops. It uses a watch battery and comes in assorted colors.
VHF-30 TWO-WAY RADIO — A compact two-way radio that has four channels and a range of 5-7 miles, with sophisticated circuitry to insure clear communication even in severe interference environments. It is designed to operate in harsh encironemnts, and includes a rubber antenna, AC/DC wall charger, a hip-holster/case and a NiCd rechargable battery. The radio has the option of a built-in scrambler chip for privacy.
902 MICRO VIDEO CAMERA — A closed circuit camera that is one of the smallest in the world to work with normal video equipment. The 902 fits in a shirt pocket. Most other mini cameras also have a small head, but they usually need a larger control box less than a few meters away. The 902 is self-contained. It reduces blooming in bright light conditions, is highly resistant to 40G's impact, and has no significant heat generated, so the camera can be completely consealed for covert observation.
COMPACT 8MM VIDEO RECORDER — Full VCR recording and play-back capabilities in the smallest and lightest 8mm recorder. This measures about 6x4x1 inches. It has an auido I/O for monitoring and a connector for the 902 Micro Camera. It also has a voice-activated option.
MICRO-CAMERA — The smallest commercial camera in the world that uses a standard film size. It is 2 1/2 inches long and is lightweight. It uses Minox 9.5mm film (usually 15 exposures).
MICRO RECORDER — A hand-sized voice-activated recorder that can record sounds for up to three hours. This recorder uses two AAA batteries.
DEMOLITIONS TOOL KIT — Used in the construction, repair, or dismantling of bombs. This kit includes small hand-held tools (screwdrivers, wire strippers/snippers) and a variety of small electronic parts especially for the construction or dismantling the bombs. This has some of the same equipment found in both the Electronic and Mechanical Tool kits, but it won't suffice as either kit by itself.
ELECTRONIC TOOL KIT — Used in construction and repair projects in conjunction with electronic problems. This kit includes several hand-held repair and diagnostic devices (ohmmeter, soldering iron, circuit tester) as well as a variety of small implements and electronic parts (wire strippers/snippers, transistors, capacitators, resistors). A set of two each of AAA, AA, C, and D Ni-Cd batteries, and a recharger are also is included.
MECHANIC TOOL KIT — Used in construction and repair projects in conjunction with mechanical problems. This kit includes hand-held repair and construction devices (power tool with interchangeable drill and screwdriver bits, hammers, cutting instruments, measuring tape, etc.) as well as a variety of small parts (nails, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, etc.). The power supply for the power tool is included. It is a rechargeable source that fits into any outlet with an adapter for European outlets.
SMALL LOCK PICK SET — A series of picks and levers used to open locked doors. This also includes a set of padlock master keys; they open 90% of the world's padlocks. The tools are made of tempered steel and comes in a leather case.
BOMB SUPPRESSION BLANKET — This is used to cover a bomb awaiting EOD. The blanket is made of ballistic nylon cloth and will contain much of a blast and fragments, should the bomb explode. It is a 4 x 4 foot blanket weighing about 28 pounds.
ELECTRIFIED BRIEFCASE — This leather case is designed to protect docuemts or other contents from theft. When the case is set down the user can arm it from a pockeetsized remote. If the case is picked up or disturbed, it emits a screeching alarm and delivers an "E" Stun critical to the perpetrator. If the case is stolen from the owner, it only takes a push of the remote button to arm the case and halt the thief. The case has a 16 hour standby and 1 hour continuous power duration.
ELECTRONIC VOICE CHANGER — A voice changer that is inexpensive. It can be placed on your desk or table and is jacked into the phone, ready to be used. It has 16 different voice levels, changing it from man to woman to child in seconds. It cannot be used on payphones, because of the need for a hard line into the phone.
HANDCUFFS — Carbon seel cuffs designed for restraining prisoners or suspects. These cuffs come with two keys and are extremely difficult to break.
HAND-HELD METAL DETECTOR — A small scanner for searching people for all concealed metal objects; guns, knives, etc. It has an audio signal or it can use a visual light to indicate a positive signal. The scan width is 9 inches, and the detector uses a 9-volt battery for 80 hours of operation.
INVISIBLE DETECTION POWDER SPRAY — IDP Spray is intended for planting on any surface background regardless of color. The powder is sprayed on the object, and when the target is touched the powder is transferred to the person, leaving a highly fluorescent streaks on their body and clothing. The powder can only be seen when exposed to long-wave ultraviolent light. The canister has 6 ounces of powder.
INVISIBLE INK — A special prepared invisible writing ink and pen for marking currency, paper, cloth, documents, and most porous materials. Shows up brilliant blue when exposed to long-wave ultraviolet light. Completely invisible to the naked eye without UV light. This is permanent, it won't fade or wash out quickly.
LETTER BOMB DETECTOR SPRAY — This is a spray that turns an envelope transparent so the content can be viewed. Within a minute the spray evaporates, leaving no markings or residue. The spray doesn't damage the content of the envelope. This comes in a 16-ounce spray can.
LETTER BOM POUCH — Made of Kevlar and ballistic nylon, this pouch is designed to hold small packages or letters suspected of being bombs. It is 17 x 18 x 5 inches, and weighs about 12 pounds.
M-97 EXPLOSIVES DETECTOR — A lightweight, easy-to-use device the size of a large suitcase. It detects the vapors released by most explosive compounds. It detects all commercial and most military explosives. A long cord attached to a probe comprises the detector of the unit. It must be within 5 feet of an explosive to detect it. When detecting, it takes 2 seconds for the machine to analyze and respond to the chemical being analyzed. It has a battery life of 6 hours.
MOTION DETECTOR — A small infrared device the size of a two-liter bottle that can be placed in a corner of a room. It will detect motion within a 30-degree cone. A sensitivity setting prevents rodents, bugs, or anything else that may be insignificant from setting off the device. When the sensor detects motion, it will emit a 100 decivel beep to alert the owner, and often sending an electronic signal to authorities as well. Usually multiple units are used to criss-cross an area. A 9-volt bettery provides each detector about 40 hours of use.
PHONE SCRAMBLER — A fully contained compact voice privacy system. It works well with cellular, cordless, flight, or direct wire phones. This protects against monitoring and phone bugs. Since it is self-contained, it can be used anywhere in the world.
PORTABLE VOICE CHANGER — This unit fits on any pnone in seconds and will change the users voice to masculine or feminine through digital technology. The unit alters the pitch, tone, and timbre of the voice, making it unrecognizable. It uses a 9-volt battery.
PORTABLE UV LAMP — This miniature long-wave ultraviolet lamp is about 6 inches long and about 2 inches wide. It uses four AA batteries.
TEMPEST SHIELDING — Tempest shielding is a structural change to a computer's wiring. With the right equipment, a tech can read the electrical impulses emitted by thekeystrokes of a person typing 150 feet away. Tempest shielding reduces this range to 10 feet.
VOICE ANALYZER — These are used to monitor phone conversations to ensure the identity of the speaker. This measures the squeaks, accent, tone, and other conscious elements of speech a person has developed over the years. It can also distinguish between an actual voice and recording or computer enhancement. It can accurately identify a specific voice 99% of the time. This unit is a small suitcase with a monitor and readout to identify voice characteristics.
ACTION EAR — A headphone set that amplifies sounds in stereo by using two highly sensitive michrophones located near the user's temples. The device features a volume control for each ear and is powered by one 9-volt bettery for 30 hours of use. The unit can also record sounds by using a phone cord from the output jack to a recorder. It will shut off if the noise reaches a dangerous level, and returns the sound to normal when it's safe. It will amplify a whisper far away to audible volume. The problem with this unit is that it picks up all noises in range, but cannot select a specific sound or filter out others.
AN/PVS-3 STARLIGHT SCOPE — This can be mounted on a rifle or used as a hand-held night sight. Its range in starlight is about 1000 feet; in moonlight about 1300 feet. Its battery life is 72 hours. This is a large, unwieldy unit that is not at all concealable.
AN/PVS-7 STARLIGHT GOGGLES — The newest generation of night vision gear. This unit has a detachable head piece that hold the eyepiece/power supply. This has the unique adventage over other night sight devices in that it has depth perception capabilities. Its range is 2000 feet in starlight and 2500 in moonlight. Disassembled this device is compact enough to fit in a hip pouch, but not in a back pocket.
AUDIO JAMMER — A small machine that generates random noise that desensitizes any nearby microphone. This allows conversation in a room without fear of being overheard. This is effective against any microphone, tape recorder, transmitter, microwave or laser pickup, and shotgun microphones. Because the sound caries randomly in frequency and amplitude, it cannot be filtered, so the only sound heard is noise. One unit will protect a 150-foot radius area. It is powered by one 9-volt battery.
BODY WIRE — About the size of a pack of cigarettes, this unit comes with a tie-tack microphone (extremely small) and enough wire to hide the transmitter pack somewhere on the body. This will transmit 200 feet in adverse conditions and 1500 feet in good, clear, line-of-sight conditions. Its 9-volt battery will last up to 30 hours.
BOSE-JENSEN FIBER OPTIC CAMERA — A small fiber optic camera on the end of a 3-foot flexible plastic tube and monitor/power supply. This unit can be fit under a door and has a 30-degree view lens. The attachetd monitor has a 3-inch screen and a 12-hour power supply.
CELLULAR INTERCEPTOR — This unit allows interception of cellular communications by entering the desired cellular phone number to be monitored. When a call is made from or to the number, both sides of the conversation are recorded with the included tape recorder. This is for law enforcement agencies or export only.
CONTACT MIKE — This will pick up sounds through reinforced concrete walls, door, or windows without interference. Comes with a jack to use with a standard tape recorder. It has a battery life of 120 hours of use.
DOUBLE BUG — A tiny bug that can be hidden in something as small as an olive or ice cube. It is waterproof and can last for 24 hours. It will transmit all sounds within 20 feet to receiver up to 600 feet away.
EXTENDED TAIL BUG — This tracer is about 7 inches in diameter, weighs about 5 pounds, and has a range of about 1000 miles. It also is magnetized. It emits an intermittent signal every 20 seconds like a tail bug, but it only lasts for 3 months because of the long range capability.
FREQUENCY COUNTER — Small, lightweight, and very sensitive. This device is used to find the frequency of bugs, cordless phones, cellular phones, and VHF walkie-talkies. If the frequency can be found, then a scanner may be used to tune into it to listen. It has an internal Ni-Cd battery for 2-5 hours of continuous operation, or an AC line charger/power supply.
HHI-8 HANDHELD THERMAL IMAGER — This British-designed device gives high quality pictures in total darkness, through smoke, fog and mist. It displays images to a green screen and can be selected to show white-hot or black-hot images as desired. The unit can also be linked to a monitor for remote viewing. The power supply will last for 40 hours of use.
HOLD MONITOR — This interesting piece of equipment was designed to get around warranty by US investigative agencies in the late 80's. While in a phone conversation with a suspect, who you believe is not alone at their location, ask a provocative question or make a statement, then ask to put the party on hold before they can react. The suspect will hear the universal dead sound of the phone, indicating they have been put on hold. What actually happens is that their phone becomes a sensitive microphone that transmits everything within a 30-foot range. The dead sound will continue for as long as you want and you can converse, because the suspect can't hear anything; the unit automatically switches off your phone mike while it is working. It uses a 1-volt alkaline battery.
IR LASER MIKE — A device that projects an infrared beam of light to a window. Once the beam has been established, it can be used as a listening device. Fog and other bad athmospheric conditions can make the unit operate at -20. Once contact has been made, all sound within the room, up to 50 feet from the contact point, can be heard. The point on the window is visible; it is as big as a quarter. This unit is a large suitcase, connected by a plastic-coated stretch wire to an 18-inch-long cylinder and hand piece for aiming the beam.
KE-50 PULSE RECEIVER — This device is the size of a large suitcase, with an antenna array that must be aimed at a target computer. The instrument reads the electrical impulses from the keystrokes and siplays them on a monitor, so a person can read what someone else is typing up to 150 feet away.
PASSIVE TRACER — This is another version of the tail bug. This tracer won't start emitting until it receives a signal on a certain frequency. It can also be turned off by another signal. This means that it can't be detected unless it is operating. The passive tracer has a range of 20 miles and will last for almost a year on its power supply.
POCKET TRANSMITTER DETECTOR — This is a pocket-sized detector that vibrates silently when it detects hidden transmitters that are active. It also has a visual alarm indicator and a sensitivity adjuster. It uses a 9-volt battery.
PORTABLE TRACKER LOCATOR — The size of a laptop computer, with a small accompanying rubber antenna and power supply, this device will track an active tail bug if it is within 3 miles. It weighs about 10 pounds and is designed to be carried on foot.
REVERSE MIRROR SUNGLASSES — An inexpensive way to see behind yourself without turning your head. These were designed to allow a person to determine if they were being followed or to keep an eye on someone else discretely. They appear as normal sunglasses, but have small mirrors on the edge of the frames, so all that is needed to see behind you is to turn your eyes to either side for a view.
RF TRANSMITTER DETECTOR — This is an extremely compact radio frequency detector, a transmission monitor, and a RF sweep device that is the size of a pack of cigarettes with an extendable antenna. When concealed in a pocket, antenna folded, the range is 30 feet. All of the modes use a silent LED display or vibration to notify the holder of a successful detection. When used as a RF sweep, extended the antenna for full effectiveness to give it a 50-foot range. This is the smalles RF detector on the commercial market.
SHOTGUN MIKE — This will collect sounds within a 90-degree angle up to 500 feet away. It is 9-1/2 inches long and comes with a set of earphones and a jack for tape recorder.
TAIL BUG — This tracer is about the size of a silver dollar, is magnitized, and has a range of 8 miles in urban areas and 25 miles in rural areas. It emits an intermittent signal every 20 seconds and can last for up to 5 months.
TD-53 TRANSMITTER DETECTOR — This portable unit has a pen probe that is designed to sweep cars, homes, and offices for bugs. This device has three modes: detect, verify, and differentiate. This allows the unit to tell whether the transmission is a TV, regular radio, or a bugging device. If a device is present, it emits a squealing noise. It comes with an earphone for quiet use. It has a 25-foot range.
TD-53 P-02 PROBE — This is an accessory for the TD-53 Transmitter Detector. This probe detects light beams, laster transmissions (infrared), and amplitude modulated sources. This has a range of 25 feet and can determine if an infrared beam is carrying voice or other intelligence, but it can't be used to decipher the voice or sound being transmitted.
TD-53 P-04 PROBE — This is an accessory for the TD-53 Transmitter Detector. This probe detects carrier current transmitters and concealed video cameras. Examples of carrier current transmitters are wireless intercoms, body mikes, and room monitors.
TELEMONITOR 2000 — This device enables a person to listen to conversations in a room through a telephone while it is hung up. The user may connect up to four of these devices in a residence or office with the same number. To use the device, simply call the number from any touch-tone phone in the world, hang up and call back 30 seconds later. One the second call, enter a two-digit security code to activate a specific phone monitor, and you can listen to sounds within 30 feet of each phone. If someone calls while the telemonitor is active they will receive a busy signal. If the target phone is picked up, hanging up disconnects the telemonitor.
TRACER LOCATOR — This is the size of a large receiver and comes with a hard antenna, to be mounted on top of a vehicle. It will locate a tail bug within its transmitting range (i.e., extended = 1000 miles, etc.).
TRD-800 TAPE RECORDER/BUG DETECTOR — A silent vibrating detector than informs the user when a micro-tape recorder, video recorder, telephone room bug, tracking device, or any other radio frequency transmitting bug is operating in its range (?). This is the most compact and versatile unit on the commercial market.
WIRETAP DETECTOR — A small unit that will detect phone taps on the lines within the premises and the phone call. The unit comes with the necessary bettery, case, and plug in power supply.
FIELD SURGICAL KIT — A large kit, the size of a backpack, that contains the necessary tools for light wounds, bullet injuries, burns, breaks, fractures, and emergency surgery. Pain killers (morphine, etc.) and surgical instruments are included. It also has everything in the Standard Kit. A person must be registered in Medical Practice or Second Aid in order to purchase this, because of the drugs.
STANDARD FIRST AID KIT — This is for home use, and it has something for almost everything that could happen in the way of accidents. This will provide the necessary equipment to treat most non-life-threatening injuries. This also contains aspirin, cold medicine, and more generic forms of commonly sold drugs. It measures 9 x 10 x 4 inches.
TRAVEL FIRST AID KIT — A reduced version of the standard kit with the necessary bandages and ointments for light wounds of most types, cuts, scrapes, abrasions, and burns. This is designed for the car or to carry on a one-day outing. It is about the size of a cigar box.
ARMY SURPLUS RATIONS (MRE) — Army surplus rations are complete meals in small, compact packages. These are high in fat and protein, and are designed to keep a person functioning. They are palatable and have a nearly indifinite shelf life.
BACKPACK — A rugged outdoor backpack with a lightweight aluminium frame to make carrying easier. Holding a tent, bag, food and other necessary sundries for a trip, it also has a breakaway day pack for quick excursions from the campsite.
DEHYDRATED FOODS — These are light foods that only need water added to increase their bulk and taste. These are cheap, but not very tasty.
GPS NAVIGATION UNIT — This is the ultimate in navigation equipment. This unit, little bigger than a VHS tape, connects to U.S. military satellites, to provide the user the most accurate longitude, latitude and degrees available to civilians. One important note; in times of war, the military reserves the right to shut the system down to civilian users.
GRAPPLING HOOK — Made of metal alloy, with eigth sharp prongs for attaching to rock faces or rooftops, this hook will hold up to 1200 pounds before breaking and can be shot from the Speedline Line Thrower.
MAGNETIC COMPASS — A simple device that works with the magnetic poles of the planet to show an approximate north direction. About 2 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick.
ROPE — A thin, nylon rope, extremely strong and useful for climbing. This 100 feet of rope will hold up to 7000 pounds of weight before breaking.
SLEEPING BAG — A bedding material designed to keep the user warm in extremely cold environments. A more expensive model will even keep a person alive in arctic temperatures.
SPEEDLINE 250 LINE THROWER — This was designed for use by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard for throwing lines between ships and sometimes for docking. It is waterproof and can be fitted with a boyant head or a grappling hook. It will throw a line about 700 feet, sometimes further in calm conditions.
TENT — This comfortably sleeps four people in cold but not arctic, environment. It collapses to fit in a 2-foot-long culinder when not in use.
TYPE 428 SIGNAL KIT — This is a launcher and six flares, when fired vertically it can reach 1200 feet and can be seen for about 38 miles in clear weather. There is no spark or recoil from the launcher. The flares stay lit for about 11 seconds and are usually white.
WATER PURIFIER STRAW — One of the many ways to decontaminate water of diseases and parasites, this purifier isn't foolproof, but it is fairly inexpensive.
ALUMINUM TANK — More common and cheaper than steel tanks. These tanks will float when empty or low on air, increasing the need for weight underwater. This is an Aluminum-80; it hold 80 cubic feet of air at 3000 PSI.
BOOTS — See Gloves, but cover the feet.
BUOYANCY COMPENSATOR — A device, usually a vest, that has one or more air-filled bladder. Air can be released from the bladders to maintain neutral buoyancy underwater.
DIVING COMPUTER — A wrist-mounted instrument console that logs time underwater, evaluates decompresion status, depth underwater, number of dives, etc.
DRYSUIT — A diving suit that keeps water from getting inside. This suite allows divers to operate in much colder temperature than is possible with a wetsuit: 50 degrees Fahrenheit minimum.
FINS — Blastic shoes in the shape of webbed triangles worn on the feet to aid in swimming underwater.
FULL FACE HELMET — This encompasses the entire head and face so breathing through mouth isn't necessary. With those helmets come communications systems linked to other helmet wearers. They have a range of half a mile.
FULL WETSUIT — A wetsuit , as the name implies, allows a thin layer of water inside, between the suit and the body. The user's body temperature heats the water to protect them from the cold water. 70 degrees Fahrenheit minimum.
GLOVES — Made of Neoprene or rubber, these hand coverings are most often used in conjunction with an underwater suit.
HOOD — See Gloves, but covers the head.
MASK — A lightweight, transparent plastic mask for use underwater.
REBREATHER — This has a breathing unit with a scrubber that recycles the air expelled and combines it with sufficient oxygen to make it breathable again. A few models also mix expelled air with an inert gas to reduce the oxygen concentration at greater depths. A rebreather allows longer stays underwater, and more importantly for covert underwater missions, it doesn't release any bubbles. A person can last up to 12 hours underwater with one of the commercially available units. Military models allow significantly longer periods underwater.
REGULATOR — Attaches to an oxygen tank and draws air from the tank to the user. This includes the clamp on the tank, the mouthpiece for breathing, a secondary breather for a partner, low-pressure hoses for buoyancy compensators, and a gauge console that reads tank pressure and depth.
SHORTIE — A wetsuit that only covers the wearer's torso, thighs, and upper arms. 70-80 degree Fahrenheit minimum.
SNORKEL — A rubber mouthpiece attached to a rigid plastic, foot-long breathing tube, this allows the user to breath air while swimming just under the surface of the water.
STEEL TANK — These tanks can hold the same amount of air in less space than in aluminum tanks, but these are significantly more in price. Steel tanks will not float when empty, these are less buoyant, reducing the need for more weight underwater. Genesis-80, it also holds 80 cubic feet of air at 3000 PSI.
WEIGHT BELT — This is an actual belt is fitted with an appropriate amount of weight for achieving a state of equivalent weightllessness underwater.
1 GIG HARD DRIVE — A hard drive that can hold 1 gigabyte of information; approximately the listing of every phone book in the U.S.
4X CD-ROM — A CD-ROM that spins 4 times the normal speed. This model can be either internal or external; buyer's choice.
6X CD-ROM — A CD-ROM that spins 6 times the normal speed. This is one of the fastest affordable commercial CD drives on the market. This model can be either internal or external; buyers choice.
16MB RAM MEMORY CHIP — Installing this chip upgrades the amount of RAM in a computer. Increased RAM allows more complex software to function on the machine, and somewhat increases processing speed.
20" COLOR MONITOR — A large, color monitor for use with a personal computer.
28.8KBS MODEM — A phone modem for connection to other computers, on-line services, networks, and the Internet.
500 TAPE BACKUP — A device that uses a magnetic cassette to store information from the hard drive. The number of the tape is the number of megabytes of information that can be held (i.e., 500 equals 500MB).
DOT MATRIX PRINTER — An inexpensive printer that uses large dots to print text and images. It usually has a DPI (dots per inch) rating of 250-300. This printer is best used for test runs or for printing a large amount of material, where print quality is not an issue.
KEYBOARD — A more expensive model can be purchased that will be ergonomically beneficial to the user.
MOUSE — A computer accessory that allows movement of a cursor or mouse pointer in an easy, quick manner.
LASER PRINTER — A higher-quality printer than its dot matrix cousin, this model have 600 to 1800 DPI. This model is 1000 DPI, and can make presentation-quality printing.
SOUND CARD — This device is installed in a machine to enable the use of sounds in applications.
SPEAKERS — A Set of speakers that are plugged into a machine when a sound card has been installed. Batteries are often needed to control the loudness of the sound, but most can be used without batteries.
This section details common drugs, poisons, and chemical agents.
These are drugs that are used by doctors in legitimate operations, but can also be used for their other qualities as well. The AF number listed are not actually for addiction, but for two other rolls. The first is for the drug to affect the victim, and the second is for side-effects, such as sickness, occuring from the drug.
ATROPINE (AF 15/5) — This is an anticholinergic agent that works on the nervous system by inhibiting responses for stimulation of certain nerves. This is the universal antidote to most nerve gases. Side-effects can be hallucinations, confusion, and hypertension.
CANTHAX (Canthaxanthin) (AF 1/1 or 1/0?) — A carobromid that is taken regularly will give the person a dark tan in two to three weeks. It takes about 120 milligrams a day for the skin to become tan. Once the desired color is achieved, 60 milligrams per day is necessary to maintain the color. This also goes under the commercial name Urobronze.
CHLOROFORM (AF 10/10) — A clear, heavy anesthetic liquid. The usual method of application is through inhalation from a soaked cloth. It is also used as a solvent for those drugs that don't mix well with water. The proper amount will cause unconsciusness in a person within seconds, lasting for almost 30-40 minutes. A bad reaction will cause nausea and headaches: -10 to all actions for 1-10 rounds.
DMSO (Dimethylsulfoxide) (AF 25/1) — An interesting chemical that is used to break down clotted blood, ease the pain of internal or bone diseases, and help the healing process. It is one of the most powerful solvents known and penetrates skin and muscle tissue easily. DMSO has the ability to carry anything that can be included in its solution. If a person were to mix a fruite juice in DMSO and apply it to the skin, the juice will appear on the tongue within moments. This will also work with any soluble drug or poison. It can be applied to door handles, shoes, or just about any surface, but will evaporate within 1 hour, leaving nothing dangerous at all.
HALOTHANE (AF 15/5) — Colorless, heavy anesthetic that is also non-flammable. It has a sweet, burning taste, similar to chloroform. Halothane will also work in seconds, but it keeps the person out for an hour and is a little safer to use. Same side effects as chloroform, but in a lessened form: -5 to all actions for 1-10 rounds.
SCOPOLAMINE (AF 15/10) — Truth serum, but this one is as dangerous as it is effective. A person injected with this has a 10% chance of dying, cumulative per use in a session. This gives a +35 bonus to an interrogator's Interrogation skill.
SODIUM AMYTAL (AF 12/3) — A barbituate that is useful for knocking a person out. Its dosage can be placed in an alcoholic drink virtually unnoticed. In a non-alcoholic drink, a larger dose is needed and an increased chance for detection occurs; -20 to detection in alcoholic drinks, +10 to detection in non-alcoholic drinks. Side effects can be a coma or death if RR is failed by more than 50.
THIOPENTAL SODIUM (AF 10/5) — The archetypical truth serum given through injections. While this gives a +20 while interrogating a subject under its power, it also imposes a significant chance of death (5%), which is cumulative for each dosage during a session.
Whether natural poisons like animal venoms, or artificial toxins such as Ricin, poisons all do the same thing: injure or kill people. The victim receives a RR versus the Attack Level indicated. If this roll is successful, the Minimum Effect occures; otherwise, the Maximum Effect takes place. Most of the chemicals have an incubation time (shown in paranthesis). If the victim receives the proper medical treatment, if there is any, during the incubation time period, the effects of the poison will be avoided.
CYANIDE (AF 15) — A deadly poison that can be mixed into food for fatal results. It can also be mixed with sulfuric acid to produce a deadly gas. It can be mixed with DMSO at about 4-1 ratio for effective absorption. It takes only five seconds for a target victim to become unconscious and about five minutes for them to die. Amyl nitrite is commonly given as an antidote for cyanide poisoning; it works 70% of the time.
RICIN (AF 20) — A distilled product of the castor bean that, when introduced in 1/1 millinth part into the human bloodstream, is fatal. It can be ingested by eating, but it is more potent when inhaled or imbedded under the skin by a projectile or injection. In these cases, 1/2000 of a grain can be fatal. The nasty part of this drug is that nothing happens for three days, then it activates. The symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain stupor, hemorrhaging, asthma, and finally death. There is no known cure. It is available to certain people on the commercial market.
SEA WASP TOXIN (AF 20) — This jellyfish is one of the most poisonous creatures around. It produces a cardiotoxin that causes the heart to beat wildly out of control for about 30 minutes, then the person dies. It only takes a small amount to be deadly. There is no known antidote.
The chemical listed on this chart are used by governments and terrorist teams bent on mass murder. All can be delivered in gas or liquid form, as inhaled, injected, or ingested agents (unless otherwise stated). A victim receives a RR versus the Attack Level indicated. If this roll is successful, the Minimum Effect occurs, othervise the Maximum Effect takes place. Most of the chemicals have an incubation time (shown in parentheses). If the victim receives the proper medical treatment during the incubation time period, the effects of the chemical will be avoided. The format of the agent is as follows: name, attack factor, form, smell, minimum effect, and maximum effect.
BLISTER AGENTS — These are wounding agents that attack the eyes, skin, lungs, and other internal tissues, causing bronchopneumonia. They can possibly be fatal, but that isn't their primary function.
CHOKING AGENTS — These nasty chemical agents attack the respiratory system of a victim. If successful, the agent will cause the victim to drown in their own mucus very quickly.
INCAPACITATING AGENTS — These irritating agents are more of a harassing nature than a lethal one. These are designed to be used on civilian populations in instances of crowd control or riot situations. These aagents attack eyes, skin, respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems, as well as causing manic behavior and, sometimes, hallucinations.
NERVE AGENTS — This is a series of chemical agents that increases the amount of acetylcholine in the body, leading to paralysis and death. Atropine, if taken in time can be an antidote for nerve gas. Theseattack the respiratory system, eyes, salivary and sweat glands, heart, digestive, excretory and central nervous system, and cause paralysis.
TOXIN AGENTS — This agent acts on the central nervous, digestive, and excretory systems to cause desication, paralysis, and eventually death
Most of the following are readily avalable on the street, but require a connection of some sort or a successful Streetwise maneuver. All are illegal and may, at the GM's option, require a roll to be made on the following Illicit Drug Quality Chart.
Here are a few of the more common drugs available on the street. This is by no means a complete list.
AMPHETAMINES — These usually come in pills, increasing alertness and wakefulness in the user. Concentration and physical performance is temporarily improved through the use of this drug. This is also known as speed.
AMYLNITRITE — Commonly known as poppers, these inhalants produces an intense and immediate high. It gives the user an intensified orgasm during sex. The effects of the drug are only for a few minutes.
COCAINE — This usually comes in a powdered form for inhalation. It sharply increases alerness and creates a sense of euphoria. It reaches its peak about 15-20 minutes after inhaling and dissipates after an hour.
CRACK — Another form of cocaine that is smoked, rather than inhaled. This produces a much more intense series of feelings in a matter of seconds. It only last for a few minutes.
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) — A hallucinogenic drug, also known as acid, that produces vivid changes in sensation, depth perception, passage of time, and body image. This mixing of senses can produce an experience of hearing colors and seeing sounds.
MARIJUANA — A drug that is smoked to produce a relaxed, laid-back euphoric effect, similar to mild drunkenness.
PCP (Phencyclidine) — A hallucinogen that had its beginning as an animal sedative, but was discontinued because it disturbed the animals so much. It produces a loss of inhibition and a sense of euphoria and numbness. An increase in dosage can stimulate violent destructuve behavior, increased strength, and an almost supernatural ability to ignore pain.
The vehicle descriptions that follow list the cateogries and other specifics about vehicles. Cars are listed in several categories: sub-compact, economy, mid-range, luxory, sport, and exotic. Trucks, motorcycles, and boats have a sample of examples of each.
A stationary vehicle gets no DB versus an attack on the vehicle. However, because a vehicle is often moving, it will get a DB versus attacks on the vehicle (but only if the vehicle is actually moving).
All of the listings below provide a DB for each given type of vehicle (GM's should adjust the ranges for specific vehicles, based upon the specific vehicle's maneuvering performance). To determine a vehicle's actual DB versus a given attack, the driver of the vehicle should make a maneuver roll (adding his Driving skill). Consult the Moving Maneuver Table. The GM should assign a difficulty based upon the type of attack on the vehicle (generally, attacks covering a wide arc are harder to avoid, etc.). The resulting number is the % of the normal DB that the vehicle will receive.
Note that almost all vehicles should have an AT of 19 (good steel). The GM should assign an AT of Class I Body Armor to most high impact plastic-type vehicles or light-bodied metal frame vehicles (e.g., many modern motorcycles would fall in this category).
All of the listings below provide a range of structural hits for each given type of vehicle. GM's should assign all vehicles a number of structural hits that falls within the range for the type of vehicle most appropriate. Apply damage as normal against the hits of the vehicle. If a vehicle suffers a critical hit, more damage is sustained (see the chart below); in addition, there is a chance that the vehicle will start to malfunction.
These structural hits represent what it would take to completely destroy the vehicle (something that is not very likely to happen). Normally, a vehicle can take all kinds of structural damage and still be operational. However, each round, there is a chance that the vehicle starts to malfunction from the damage it has taken that round. The chance is equal to the number of hits of damage it has taken, plus 5% per level of the critical it takes. On the following round, half the original chance to determine the base chance of the vehicle becoming inoperable, 5% is added to this chance every round (note that multiple attacks can result in multiple checks each round of a vehicle becoming inoperable).
Passengers inside a fully encosed vehicle can choose to become invalid targets for attacks (i.e., they can get the equivalent of 100% hard cover). The maximum amount of cover that a driver can get (and still drive) is 75%. In vehicles where the occupants are not fully covered, the driver and passengers can be targets of attacks normally (and might only receive 25% hard cover). If an attack is made on such a vehicle, and the occupants of the vehicle is not specifically targetted, there is a 50% chance of an occupant being hit (resolve that attack on the occupant's AT and DB, not the vehicle's).
However, as a vehicle begins to take damage, the occupants of that vehicle might also be taking damage. The chance of an occupant of a vehicle taking collateral damage from the attack on the vehicle is equal to 5% per level of the critical given to the vehicle (and attack that fails to give a critical result cannot damage the occupants at all). Thus, a 'B' critical will result in a 10% chance of damaging the occupants.
If the occupants are damaged (as indicated above), they will take half of the hits given to the vehicle as concussion hits and suffer a critical of two levels less in severity (the type of critical should be determined by the GM, but a Shrapnel critical strike would usually be appropriate).
The cars listed below are separated by classes, according to size, price, and usually milage.
Subcompact cars are low-end vehicles on the market. They are designed to be inexpensive cars that get excellent gas mileage. They are the cheapest to rent, and can be rented in their various forms just about anywhere in the US and Western Europe. They are supposed to be able to carry four people, but really only three people can ride semi-comfortably in these vehicles.
Examples: Chevy Spirit, Ford Fesstiva
Hits: 1,000,000 to 1,300,000
Defensive Bonus: 50
These are different from the subcompact cars in that they are more expensive and slightly larger, but they still get good gas mileage. They are common enough to be rented just about anywhere. They are incomspicuous cars in the U.S., and are therefore good for low-key travel.
Examples: Toyate Tercel, Honda Civic
Hits: 1,100,000 to 1,500,000
Defensive Bonus: 45
A small step up from economy cars, these vehicles provides more room for passengers. The upperend vehicles of this category will sometimes have air bags and other electronic goodies. These vehicles get a little worse gas mileage than the economy class, but they also have more horsepower.
Examples: Ford Taurus, Honda Accord
Hits: 1,200,000 to 1,800,000
Defensive Bonus: 40
Luxury cars have as standard equipment all the optional features of the other classes. Options available on these vehicles include on-board navigation computers, televisions, and heated seats. These cars stand out in 99% of the neighborhoods in the world. These are not the cars of choice for tailing suspects or doing chases.
Examples: Jaguar XJ6, Mercedes Benz E320
Hits: 1,300,000 to 2,100,000
Defensive Bonus: 35
Cars in this category are not built for comfortable rides; they are meant to be handled and accelerate. These cars usually carry the driver and one passenger. They have shoe boxes for trunks and can be loud inside the cabin. What they lack in options, however, they more than make up for in speed. These cars can accelerate faster than cars in other classes and can handle tighter turns as well.
Examples: Porsche 928, Lotus Esprit
Hits: 1,200,000 to 1,500,000
Defensive Bonus: 55
Exotic cars are vehicles that stand out, either in their rarity, cost, or look. These cars are not likely to be seen driving around to the supermarket. These cars are extremely expensive, both to buy and to maintain, GMs can use these cars to display a person's wealth. It may be possible to rent these vehicles, but it will probably cost an arm, leg, and the promise of your firstborn to get it off the lot.
Examples: Ferrari, Aston Martin DB-5
Hits: 1,200,000 to 1,800,000
Defensive Bonus: 45
Trucks in this category are pick-ups and sport utility vehicles. This category also includes vans.
Trucks have the capacity for 2-3 passengers, unless an extended cab is purchased in a full size pick-up; than it can carry 1-2 more people. The advantages of trucks are cargo space and the ability to get to hard-to-reach places. Suburbans or other sport utility vehicles usually have four doors and can carry 4-5 people comfortably.
Examples: Ford F250 XLT, Toyota 4x4, Chevy Suburban
Hits: 1,500,000 to 2,500,000
Defensive Bonus: 35
Mini vans are designed for families. They can carry 6-8 passengers, depending on their interior configuration. They usually have a good amount of cargo space as well. They are comfortable to drive and get decent mileage.
Examples: Mazda MPV, Plymouth Voyager
Hits: 1,750,000 to 2,500,000
Defensive Bonus: 25
Motorcycles are fast and get good mileage, but they can also be dangerous. There isn't a lot of protection on a motorcycle; if you fall at 80 mph, you are in trouble.
These are both common street bikes. Motorcycles can be a good choice for the city, as they can move fast, and are easy to maneuver and park. However, a good amount of experience is required to make driving them even relatively safe.
Examples: Honda CBR600F2, BMW K100RS
Hits: 200,000 to 500,000
Defensive Bonus: 60
This class covers anything that travels on water. Power boats don't take much experience to handle, but sailboats do. For example, the Bayliner is a powerboat. It is not fast, but it is useful for getting around. The Erickson is a sailboat. Sail power takes experience to master, but most sailcraft have a small motor on board to help maneuver when there is no wind. The Jetski is another option for water travel.
Examples: Bayliner 18', Erickson 32', Kawasaki 550 Jetski
Hits: 200,000 to 3,000,000
Defensive Bonus: 25-40 (depending on the size)
This has a few examples of some common aircraft the characters are most likely to run across.
Unlike a car, boat, or motorcycle, where operation can at least be attempted by the uninitiated, aircraft require trained pilots to fly. Even if an amateur could somehow, some way, get an aircraft off the ground, they would be in serious trouble trying to land. In the U.S. it is a serious offense to fly without a license.
Examples: Cessna Lear Jet, Bell 206L, Boeing 737
Hits: 900,000 to 100,000,000
Defensive Bonus: 10-40 (depending on the size)
The vehicles in this category are not the armor personnel carrier or tanks most commonly associated with military. Instead these are common military vehicles that characters may come across.
The characters will most likely not have much contact with military vehicles, unless the GM has set up an anti-terrorist team. But the majority of spies won't be driving a Humvee around anytime soon. These vehicles are made to take a serious beating and still operate, even under adverse weather conditions.
Example: Jeep
Hits: 1,700,000 to 3,000,000
Defensive Bonus: 35
The following page contains a master list of the equipment discussed in this chapter.
Now we come to the heart of Black Ops, intelligence agencies. This chapter will give an introduction to espionage, followed by a brief outline of some intelligence agencies. At the end of the chapter there will be some options for role playing an espionage game. It should be notedthat information on intelligence agencies is, by nature, sparse. Some governments don't even acknowledge their intelligence services publically, let alone release information about them. As a result, the agencies associated with the United States and Western Europe have more details than some of the others.
This section gives an overview of the intelligence and counter intelligence agencies.
Since the end of World War II and the advent of the Cold War, intelligence agencies have become important players in the information game. Countries have always needed to know what other countries are up to, and the need has only grown with time. While gathering vital information used to be the sole domain of operatives who had to infiltrate another country, today the electronic aspect of spying has become an ineseapable part of life.
Information is classified into five categories according to the source of information. Here are the intelligence classifications:
COMINT: Communications Intelligence. This is known as "reading other people's mail" and include short-wave radio, telephone, microwave, sattelite, and other means of transmission. The communications can take the form of voice, facsimile, binary data, television, or multiplexed signals.
SIGINT: Signal Intelligence. Basically this is intelligence about the radio signal itself. Agencies will set up Direction Finding (DF) units that triangulate signal locations, and can develop radio "fingerprints" of a source.
PHOTINT: Photo Intelligence. Photos from satellite surveillance and high-flying aircraft are included in this classification.
ELINT: Electronic Intelligence. This is all non-communications type radio usage, such as radar.
HUMINT: Human Intelligence. The use of actual persons in the collection of information, agents on the scene. This category, of course, has been around the longest. In some ways it is still one of the most reliable methods, although members of the electronic gathering community may argue the point.
There are three phases of intelligence work: gathering information, analyzing it, and taking actions based on it. Intelligence is the raw data gathering from the five sources detailed above. Analysis take the data and try to extrapolate and draw conclusions. The analysis is then passed along to desission makers in the government, and decisions are made.
Intelligence agencies may differ in methods, purposes, or structure, but they will each have the following functions:
Overt Intelligence: Also known as public intelligence, due to its source. A large, some say too large, amount of information can be learned from readily available public sources. These include news media, academic and government publications, public interviews, the Internet, and corporate reports, to name a few areas. Overt information needs to be carefully scrutinized by analysis to determine what is useful.
Covert Intelligence: Important information is kept secret by countries, as such it becomes necessary to spy in order to get it. Methods of gathering will include a variety of technical, personal, and even illegal actions. This could be as passive as setting up a listening post on a border, to actively infiltrating a restricted base inside another country to steal documents. Covert intelligence usually involves subversion, deception, and a little luck. Covert information, once it has been found, generally has straightforward relevance and value.
Domestic Intelligence: This is the act of gathering intelligence on foreign countries from sources within one's own country. Information can come from monitoring communications in embassies and consulates, or from infiltrating organizations or businesses that are controlled by foreign governments.
Counterintelligence: Since almost every government has spies, chances are there are some spying on you. Your counterpart at a rival agency will be working just as hard to acquire information about your country as you will about his. Counterintelligence units work hard at preventing rival agents from getting covert information. This includes improving security, turning agents, and misinformation.
Covert Operations: There are times when a nation, in the name of national security, will have to commit illegal operations. Covert operations can include supporting rebels in a foreign country, destroying foreign installations, and last, but not least, assassinations. These actions are conducted in secrecy, sometimes even from the originating government itself.
Those are the basic functions of intelligence agencies. Each country will have a different structure, such as the more militaristic style of Mossad, or the corporate structure of the CIA. The point is, no matter what the structure, the functions remain the same. Sometimes different agencies will handle different aspects of intelligence operations.
Cooperation between agencies can and does happen, usually between allied countries. There is occasional cooperation between traditional enemies, such as the United States and the former Soviet Union, when it comes to terrorists and international criminals. Since each government has its own agenda, however, sooner or later there is going to be a conflict. The best cooperation in the intelligene arena happens between individual agents that share information with trusted counterparts.
Espionage holds a certain amount of danger, but it is relative to the action and the country of operation. If an agent is operating inside of an allied, or friendly, country, there is only a small amount of danger. In most cases of this sort, the undercovered agent will be expelled from the country, followed by an official statement of reprimand to the offending country. There of course can be exceptions to this, such as Johnathan Pollard, who spied on the U.S. for Israel; he received a stiff prison sentence. Other problems can arise when a loss of life occurs. In those cases, especially depending on the circumstances, the danger level increases.
The level of risk is highest when an agent is working inside a hostile country. Any confrontation can immediately become violent and nasty. The agent knows that if he is caught he is likely to be interrogated violently before being killed, so he has no reason not to do whatever is necessary to get out of any dangerous situation and away from the hostile authorities. Again, there aer exceptions to this. If the country has a lot to gain by promoting the capture of a foreign spy, or if the country has a democratic political tradition, the agent may only be tried and sent to prison.
Whether the country is hotile or friendly, the safest players in the espionage game are diplomats. When diplomats are caught spying they are expelled from the host country, and depending on the situation, they may never return. The standard of diplomatic immunity is shared by most countries, because they all want their diplomats treated in the same manner. As a side note, a foreign embassy is considered foreign soil. Invasion if a foreign embassy by the host nation is considered a serious violation, if not an outright act of war. To a spy, his native embassy is sanctuary, at least for the time being.
This listing is not meant to be comprehensive, it is designed to give the GM a selection of agencies to include in his compaign. The information given is as accurate as could be obtained. Sources vary on ost specifics, such as number of employees or the resources an agency has at its disposal. This reference guide will give a quick overview of each intelligene agency, structure/resource information, and some of its most (in)famous exploits. Even though the era of electronic espionage is upon us, the birth of the modern spy began just after World War II, with the beginning of the Cold War in the 1950s — an era full of good scenario ideas.
The U.S. has one of the most comprehensive intelligence organizations in the world. The 1995 budget for intelligence gathering was $28billion. A large percentage of the money went to the NSA, because of their costs for satellite and communication espionage are so high. The rest of the budget was allocated, in order, to the CIA, FBI, Treasury Department, DIA, DEA, Energy Department Intelligence, National Reconnaissance Office, and State Department Intelligence. Of those groups, only four are detailed here. The remaining agencies either don't have covert agents to obtain information, or their field is too narrow to include. The agencies below will sometimes come across information that can be useful to other agencies, and in those cases it will usually be passed along.
Name: Central Intelligence Agency
Date Formed: 1947
Estimated Employees: 30,000
Headquarters: Langley, Virginia, U.S.A
Area of Operations: Primarily outside of the United States. Any domestic activities must be coordinated with the FBI and have the approval of the Attorney General.
Objectives: To collect foreign intelligence and provide support for other U.S. intelligence agencies, using either covert or overt methods.
The Black Ops group for the U.S., the CIA carries out the majority of covert operations for the government. Of the total $28 billion intelligence budget in 1995, the CIA received about $3billion. The CIA is composed of four directorates, but only one is an operational directorate. The Directorate of Operations (DO) actively collects HUMINT, conducts espionage, and carries out covert operations. The Director of the CIA is the coordinator for all of the U.S. intelligence agencies. The Director is appointed by the President and is his chief counselor on foreign intelligence.
The Deputy Director for Operations run the DO, also known as the clandestine service. The DO runs the covert branch of the CIA, which has an estimated 2,800-4,00 agents. Among these agents are case officers who run several thousand foreign agents in governments overseas. Some of the aspects of the DO are listed below.
The Deputy Director of Intelligence's Directorate (DI) has three duties in the agency. The DI collects and analyses information provided by all directorates, including intelligence from CIA agents, satellites, and overt sources such as the media. The DI attempts to predict events in foreign countries from the analyzed information. Finally, they provide the President with a daily intelligence briefing.
The Directorate of Science and Technology (DST), run by a Deputy Director, has the job of producing necessary spy equipment. They provide and create the toys of the trade, including disguises, false documents, and transmitters. Analysis of satellite photos is handled through this directorate. Communications coming from or going to foreign countries are intercepted by this branch.
The Deputy Director of the Administration Directorate (DA) has some unusual tasks to perform. They provide supplies and training to agents, some of which take place at Camp Perry. The DA launders money to be used in operations, conduct background checks on potential employees, and debugs CIA offices. The oddest job this branch performs is to analyze speciments from foreign leaders to determine their state of health.
Role Playing Notes: This is the most likely candidate for a Black Ops campaign in the U.S. intelligence community. The CIA has extensive resources and can mount just about any operation a GM can think of. In the real world, the CIA only hires people with at least a Bachelor's degree in some area and foreign language skills. Since this is a game, however, the GM can decide what the requirements are. Informants and recruited agents in other countries, obviously, are not bound by the education prerequisites. In the area of illegal dealings, the CIA has committed assassinations, coups d'etat, and the sale of narcotics to finance operations. A GM can run the CIA in two different ways.
Option 1: The CIA is a somewhat benign agency that enforces the will of the U.S. government. In this version, the CIA is a bunch of nice guys who are patriots for their country and cringe at the naughty little tasks they must do to maintain national security. The Tom Clancy novels with Jack Ryan are a good example of this. Players at this CIA will be the pillars of the intelligence community, ready to help an ally, and will avoid unnecessary illegal actions in their duties. Unless, of course, it will directly save a life.
Option 2: Assassins, drug dealers, and vicious psychopats. This CIA has its own agenda and Heaven help anyone who stands in their way. Players in this CIA will be able to get away with many questionable acts in their operations, including murder. The GM still has the large resources to run almost any operation; just the moralquelms of the operation have been dismissed. The reputation of this CIA can either be really good, in a reality seting, or really bad, in a real world setting. An example of this is the movie "Three Days of the Condor".
The truth is that the CIA has elements of both options. The GM can try to go oneway or run the middle ground. Regardless of the attiture for the CIA the GM chooses, the fact is they have enormous resources. The CIA has more resources to spend on operations than some countries have to run their economies. Once an operation has been approved, getting equipment for it will not be a problem.
Name: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Date Formed: 1924
Estimated Employees: 50,000
Headquarters: Washington D.C., U.S.A
Area of Operations: The United States and its possessions. In recent years, the FBI has started security operations in other countries regarding embassies or American citizens.
Objectives: To investigate federal crimes, conduct counterintelligence within the U.S., and coordinate such activities with other agencies.
The FBI is the principle domestic investigative agency in the U.S. They investigate violations of federal law, espionage, terrorism, subversive activities, and other areas of interest to U.S. national security. They also investigate organized crime, drug trafficking, and white-collar crime. Started by the now-legendary J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI acquired its present name in 1935 and made its name against organized crime. Latelu the FBI has been spending a lot of time and resources in counter-terrorism operations, including the New York Trade Center bombing, the plan to blow the Manhattan Island tunnels, and of course the Oklahoma City bombing.
The FBI has several offices and divisions, including the Office of Personnel Management, the FBI Laboratory, and the Identification Division. The Office of Personnel Management is responsible for conducting investigation of federal employees. It also handles some security background checks. The Identification Division takes care of fingreprings, and as of this date has 173 million sets. The FBI participates in the International Exchange of Fingerprints, in which 80 countries participate. The FBI Laboratory has subdivisions in documents, handwriting, bullets, blood, hair and skin, textiles, soil, rocks, and metals. It is said that with only a tiny scrape of pint from a car, the FBI can usually identify the car make, year, and sometimes model and condition of the car.
FBI agents have college degrees, plus work experience in their field. They continue to train their agents by having them do periodic re-training and classes in the newest criminology techniques. FBI training is also used to teach police instructors and administrators around the U.S.
Another area of notoriety for the FBI is the Behavioral Sciences Division. This is where the famed FBI psychologists create profiles of terrorists, serial killers, and many other serial criminals. Legendary around the world for its accuracy, Behavioral Sciences has been the subject of feature films such as "Silence of the Lambs".
A problem overshadowing the FBI in mid-1995 was the Ruby Ridge incident. Members of the previous prestigious Hostage Rescue Team went in front of a Congressional Hearing to testify about the death of Randy Weaver's wife by an FBI sniper. During the Ruby Ridge stand-off the standard rules of engagement were changed by someone. The resulting firestorm over this incident will result in some changes to the FBI HRT, but exactly what is uncertain.
The FBI is responsible for investigating acts of domestic terrorism and espionage. They have counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism divisions that have successfully preempted criminal acts on U.S. soil. Their reputation as an effective counter-terrorist and espionage agency is well-earned.
Role Playing Notes: The FBI has been expanding their duties and their areas of operations. Earlier in 1995 a six member FBI team went to Karachi, Pakistan to lead the investigation into the deaths of two U.S. diplomats. They have also been doing some work in South America, notably Colombia, under the guise of embassy security. It hasn't been made clear exactly what they have been doing, although the idea of work against the Cali cartel may have been their goal. The FBI has enormous resources, though their success in recent years has been met with equally notorious disasters, such as Ruby Ridge. A team of FBI PCs could work if the GM wanted to run a mostly U.S. campaign.
Name: National Security Agency
Date Formed: 1952
Estimated Employees: 75,000
Headquarters: Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, U.S.A
Area of Operations: International
Objectives: To monitor U.S. and foreign communications coming from satellites, land-based transmitters and submarines. To break foreign codes and ensure the security of the U.S. government's own communications.
The NSA encrypts all sensitive information used by the U.S. government. It also employs cryptographers to break the codes used by other governments. The NSA has three prominent offices and five smaller offices.
The Office of Signals Intelligence has three smaller units responsible for different geographical regions. A-Group is responsible for the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe. B-Group is responsible for China, Korea, Vietnam, and rest of Asia. C-Group has the rest of the world, including allies, as its responsibility.
The Office of Communications Security, also known as S Organization, is responsible for all forms of COMSEC. This includes diplomatic communications, secure phone links, and satellite voice and data transmissions. As with the Office of Signals Intelligene, this office is responsible for the collection of information from the listed sources.
The Office of Research and Engineering has the responsibility of developing the techniques and equipment necessary for intercepting transmissions, breaking codes, and ensuring secure U.S. codes. The office of Research and Engineering is divided into three divisions. The Mathematical Research Techniques Division are the code-breakers. The Intercept Equipment Division develops the machines needed for the NSA's COMINT and ELINT interception programs. The Cryptographic Equipment Division attempts to develop secure coding machines.
The smaller offices have various duties, including the disposal of classified waste, support of the NSA computer network, and personnel security. Another function of the NSA is the supervision of the encryption of information from military branches.
Role Playing Notes: The NSA has been included because they are a good source of intrigue and plot ideas. A GM could easily use the NSA as a beginning point for a campaign (e.g. NSA cryptologist turns spy, new code-breaking equipment is stolen, etc.). Since the NSA has such an important role in the protection of U.S. communications, they provide endless amounts of role-playing material. The NSA is not a good agency for a PC to come from, as it doesn't have field agents. A good movie with an encryption plot and the NSA is "Sneakers".
Name: Defense Intelligence Agency
Date Formed: 1961
Estimated Employees: 6,500
Headquarters: Pentagon, Washington DC, U.S.A
Area of Operations: International
Objectives: To provide and coordinate military inteligence for the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and non-defense agencies.
DIA duties include security checks for security clearances for military personnel, and analyzing information from all of the military intelligence branches. In October 1995 a new unit of the DIA, the Defense Humint Service (DHS), began operation. DHS has 1,000 agents that have been working successfully for the past few years. The DIA has access to the 13,000 analysts working at the Pentagon, compared to the 1,800 of the CIA. On occasion the new DHS unit will work operations for and with CIA.
Role Playing Notes: The new DHS unit will add an interesting aspect to a campaign. DHS agents are military trained personnel being used as agents. This would make a potentially good starting point for a PC with a military background starting a career in intelligence. As a GM this will be harder to run, because the DHS is such a new agency there isn't any background to give the GM an idea of how to run this unit. The GM could run this as a disciplined, organized military bureaucracy that works with the CIA in a case-by-case basis. Mostly, the DIA will only be involved in military intelligence types of operations. The movie "No Way Out" used some DIA facilities and personnel.
Intelligence services in Britain have been operating for many years. The dates shown for MI.5 and MI.6 are just the modern incarnation of these agencies. Britain had some excellent espionage operation during World Wars I and II. The CIA was started with the encouragement and assistance of the British intelligence community. The British gained the deserved reputation as the standard to which other intelligence agencies compare themselves. That reputation was tarnished in the late 1950s and early 1960s when the Kim Philby spy ring was exposed. The damage done to British intelligence by Soviet spies was devastating, but they were able to recover their reputation in the 1980s and 1990s. Along with MI.5 and MI6 is another agency called the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which is roughly the equivalent to the NSA in the U.S. The target for British intelligence is given through the secret ways, which means money is allocated without public knowledge. A recent estimate for the intelligence budget is about $400 million.
Name: MI.5
Date Formed: 1909
Estimated Employees: 1,000
Headquarters: Leconfield House, London, UK
Area of Operations: Isolated to domestic borders, but does include UK possessions.
Objectives: To protect England from espionage by maintaining domestic counterintelligence activities.
MI.5 is similar to the FBI, except for one outstanding aspect: its agents have no legal authority to arrest anyone. MI.5 conducts investigations and the Special Branch section of Scotland Yard makes the arrests. MI.5, also known as the Secret Service, isn't recognized in British common law and is not authorized in any statute. MI.5 conducts domestic intelligence and counterintelligence for British authority. MI.5 has six directorates, or branches, that answers to the Deputy Director General of MI.5.
A-Branch, Intelligence Resources and Operations, handles technical support, survaillance, and administration. B-Branch, Staff Office and Administration and Finances, is responsible for recruitment, training, and personel matters. C-Branche, Protective Security, handles personal and document security. F-Branch, Domestic Subversion, is responsible for investigating political parties, both left and right wing. K-Branch, Counter-Espionage, has two subdivisions K7 and K9. K7 handles counterespionage within the British intelligence services. K9 investigates people who have unexcpectedly resigned or retired from sensitive positions. S-Branch, Support Service, Registry, Computer Center, Training Office, handles other aspects of technical training and support not handled by A-Branch.
MI.5 has had some success overseas in Kenya and Malaya, but at home they have had even better luck. Klaus Fuchs, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Kim Philby, and Anthony Blunt were all exposed by MI.5. British Secret Service agents also conducted operations against the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). In one operation, MI.5 was able to break into CPGB's office and copy all 55,000 of their secret membership files. Failure occured mostly against Soviet targets, primarily because of the efforts of Soviet moles in the agency. The hight of the mole search reached all the way up to the Director General, Sir Roger Hollis, in the 1960s.
MI.5 has recovered from the previous moles, but the paranoia of Soviet infiltration is still considered a threat. Even though they don't exist in law, MI.5 has been allowed to exercise the right of prior review on scripts for the British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC).
Role Playing Notes: MI.5 can be a good agency to have contacts in for a PC. Since they are responsible for domestic or UK possession intelligence gathering, they can be limiting for a player. But if a player is conducting an operation inside of England, then they wukk be working with MI.5. With the fall of the USSR, the British intelligence community is resting a little easier about moles, but the past isn't easy to forget. A GM could use the history of moles in the UK intelligence community to run a campaign or promote paranoia in an existing one. MI.5 spent a lot of time in the 1980s chasing down the IRA and potentially threatening neo-nazi groups.
Name: MI.6
Date Formed: 1910
Estimated Employees: 2,000 (agents and analysts)
Headquarters: Century House, London, UK
Area of Operations: Activity is conducted outside of England and her territories.
Objectives: To provide intelligence on foreign governments and to conduct covert operations.
The structure of MI.6 is very similar to the CIA, but it does have one radical difference in the reporting organization. This agency is responsible for covert operations and intelligence gathering. The amount of resources allocated to MI.6 is around $120 million. The agency has four directorates and seven controller areas for their operations. The head of MI.6 answers to the Foreign Secretary of the British cabinet. Captain Mansfield Cummings, the first head of MI.6, had his subordinates refer to him as "C". All subsequent MI.6 heads have followed this tradition.
The four directorates are Personnel and Administration, Special Support, Counterintelligence and Security, and Requirements and Production. The directorates are only involved in field operations through controllers or other intelligence services. The seven controller areas are Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East, Far Eeast, Western Hemisphere, and the UK.
Operaons are handled in each specific area by a controller agent who answers to the Director of MI.6. The British tend to concentrate on developed nations. The number of station in all Third World countries together totals about 30, with only about 1-3 officers per station. There were some regional stations as well, such as the Buenos Aires office, which operated for all of South America until 1982.
Role Playing Notes: A GM running a campaign with British agents wil have plenty of material to work with. MI.6 has had some of the most notorious cases of Soviet infiltration of any intelligence agency. (See the notable espionage cases section in this chapter.) Since the end of WWII, they have had several top officers in MI.6 exposed as Soviet spies. Beyond their penetration by the Russians, MI.6 is still one of the best agencies operating today, with good resources. A GM should remember that the paranoia of penetration is sti lrampant in MI.6, which could be useful in a operation. The most likely targets for MI.6 will be Middle Eeastern terrorist groups, or Russia. Players of MI.6 should know what the British have a reputation as having the "original" intelligence agency, and MI.6 agents like to live up to a reputation as the old, wise man on the intelligence block. Cooperation with the U.S. and French intelligence agencies has happened with few problems.
The French have been a consistent force in the intelligence community, but they haven't had a lot of publicity. They execute covert operations that include assassinations, kidnapping, adn military operations. In recent years the DGSE has been battling Greenpeace and Algerian rebels. With the French renewal of nuclear weapons testing in the South Pacific, environmentalists and activists keep the government busy.
The leadership of the DGSE isn't immune to problems, though a struggle for control between military and civilian personnel has been going on since the DGSE's inception. An example of this is when socialist Francios Mitterand became President, Alexandre de Marenches, Director General of the SDECE, and a virulent, conservative, anti-Communist, refused to work for Mitterand. Maranches resigned and was replaced by Piette Marion, a former executive of Air France and friend of the new defense ministre. Marion's arrival led to the restructure of the SDECE, and it became the DGSE. Five hundred staff members resigned, and discipline problems began. While visiting a DGSE base, Marion was suddenly surrounded by 400 DGSE commandos in a threatening manner. This was passed off as an initiation rite. In another incident, Marion was kidnapped from his office in the first floor of the DGSE headquarters in broad daylight by four armed men, They dragged him into the trunk of a car, drove him to the south of France, transferred him to a helicopter, and flew him to a trawler in the Mediterranean. Again, this was dismissed as a security exercise.
Regardless of their target, the DGSE is a formidable opponent. It was the DGSE who never gave up the search for Carlos, and finally captured him. Even with their internal problems and notorious efforts against ecological groups, the French intelligence services are determined, intense, and highly competent groups.
Name: Direction Generale du Securite Exterieure (DGSE)
Date Formed: 1945/1982
Estimated Eployees: 3,000
Headquarters: Paris, France
Area of Operations: International, outside of France, although DGSE is allowed "hot pursuit" into France (see below)
Objectives: To conduct covert operations and gather intelligence outside France.
The two dates represent the birth of the two faces of French intelligence. The 1945 date was the birth of the Service de Documentation Exteriure et de Contre-Espionage (SDECE), the post-war French Intelligence service. The SDECE was mainly a military service that consisted mostly of military intelligence officers from the war. An illustration of this is during the French Indichina War (194501954), the SDECE was involved as the 2nd Chock Battalion, a special combat unit that participated in Dien Bien Phu. The military structure of the SDECE went on until about 1982, when a new charter was made for the intelligence service and renamed it the DGSE, making it public. In the late 1960s, the personnel make-up of the agency began to change from military to civilian.
There are two main directorates: Direcorate of Intelligence (DI). amd tje Directorate of Infrastructure and Means (DIM). Under the DI are the following groups: Technical Means, Esppionage, Evaluation Prospects Orientation, Counter-Espionage, and Action Service. In the DIM are these departments; Military Personnel, Civil Personnel and Finances, Training, Material, and General Services.
Within the Action Service is an especially interesting group, known as Service 7. Service 7 has been involved in all sorts of espionage, from convincing comercial pilots to stray from their courses, to photographing Easter Europe, to attempting to steal a tactical nuclear weapon from a U.S. base near Frankfurt, Germany. They have intercepted and opened so many diplomatic pouches that they have had champagne parties on the 1,000th and 2,000th openings.
The biggest public fiasco against the French intelligence service would have to be the sinking og the Rainbow Warrior. The ship was docked in Auckland, New Zealand in 1985 and was preparing to disrupt French nuclear tests later in the week. DGSE agents set limpet mines that exploded, sinking the ship and killing Gernando Pereira, a photographer. Two DGSE agents were caught by New Zealand police. They were tried and convicted, and later repartriated to France with the undetstanding they would serve out their prison terms, but were released in 1987, Greenpeace and the French government have always been bitter enemies.
Role Playing Notes: The DGSE would make a good agency in which to run an espionage campaign. They have a large amount of resources, good infrastructure, and a ruthless desire to succeed. They have begun spying on foreign businessmen, especially computer and aerospace industry employees. If the GM would like to run an international campaign, see GM Options at the end of this chapter; a French addition would be an excellent choice. A DGSE operatiobe met during an overseas operation could be friend or foe, depending on the operation a GM is running. The French are notorious for doing thongs their own way and for moving any obstacles in their path.
Name: Defense et Surveillance du Territoire (DST)
Date Formed: 1937
Estimated Employees: 900-1,000
Headquarters: Paris, France
Area of Operations: France and her possessions
Objectives: To conduct domestic espionage operations including running spies, counter espionage activities, and security operations in overseas possessions.
The DST has been the quiet little brother in the French intelligence community. Although they are supposed to have authority on domestic operations, by the late 1970s the SDECE was running as much as 80% of its activities inside of France. There was a temporary uproar and new direcutes for the DST were written with the hope of giving it a new life. But the directuves weren't able to curb the dominating activities of the SDECE. Even in recent years many counterintelligence operations have been run by DGSE instead of the DST. The DST did, however, investigate, catch, and expel American agents spying in France in early 1995.
Role Playing Notes: This agency has been added to try to be complete, but its viability is in serious question. It is not recommended that a PC be a member of this organization. The DST could be used by a GM as a tool in a domestic French operation being run with PCs, but otherwise probably should not be used in a campaign.
Israel has high-quality intelligence services that began in the post-World War II period of Jewish immigration to Palestine. At first the intelligence branches were separated and sometimes worked against each other in their pursuit of information. But in 1951 the Israeli cabinet decided to reorganize the services. The Mossad became the political intelligence service agency and Shin Beth was promoted to an independent service. Some notable episodes in the history of Israel's services are the assassination of PLO terrorists, supporting military covert operations, and stealing uranium to support Israel's nuclear program. They have had an extremely small number of penetrations, at least that have been made public. The Israeli intelligence network has devoted most of its efforts towards Arab countries and Arab terrorist groups.
Name: Mossad Letafkiddim Meyouchadim
Date Formed: 1937
Estimated Employees: 2,000
Headquarters: Tel Aviv
Area of Operations: Global
Objectives: To maintain the national security of Israel, and conduct espionage/counterespionage activities and intelligence gathering operations.
The Mossad had departments of Technology, Technical Operations, Collection, Operational Planning and Coordination, Political Action and Liaison, Manpower, Finances, Logistics and Security, Training and Research. It has a Director, known as "D", without an official deputy. The Director of Operational Planning and Coordination, currently a woman known only as "A", acts as the second executive officer of the agency. They have regional branches in Central and South America, Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, Africa, Asia and Oceana, the Mediterranean and Near East, Europe, and North America. The Mossad, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service, supposedly has a very good relationship with the CIA and other foreign services.
Mossad has been a participant in KILOWATT, a counterterrorist information exchange group with Western powers as mebers. They helped establish the Ghanian Military Intelligence Service and have helped train the Zairois, Liberian, and Ugandan services. They have also worked with the CIA to help form the former Shah of Iran's intelligence service, the SAVAK.
Besides handling obvious threats from pro-Arab terrorist groups, the Mossad has spent a lot of time trying to acquire scientific and technical information. Their Kfir fighters is based on the French Mirage, whose blueprints the Israeli were able to "appropriate". In 1968, for Operation Plumbat, the Mossad stole 200 tons of uranium oxide by diverting it with fake orders and shipping documents. In recent years, the Mossad has made serious effort to gain access to the American computer technology business.
Some Mossad operations have met with failure. After several Israeli athletes were murdered by the Palestinian group Black September at the 1972 Olympic games, Israel began a vengance program named Wrath of God, to hunt down and assassinate any and all people resonsible for the athletes' deaths. In 1973 a team of Mossad assassins mistakenly killed a Moroccan waiter during an operation in Lillehammer, Norway. Six members of the Mossad team were captured and sentenced to prison, but were released after short time.
Role Playing Notes: This organization has good potential for an intelligence agency for PCs. The Mossad has executed some incredible operations, such as kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and transporting him to Israel. They also helped rescue the hostages held at the Entebbe airport. They have also spied or committed security operations against almost every Western power and Arab country within reach, friendly or not. The singlemindedness that fuels the Mossad intelligence service will at times run counter to the desire of other nations or people, which could pose a problem in an international campaign setting. However, the Mossad would be an interesting, intense agency to work for and with.
Name: Sherut Bitachon Klalt
Date Formed: 1951
Estimated Employees: 1,000
Headquarters: Tel Aviv
Area of Operations: Israel
Objectives: Domestic security and counter-intelligence operations.
Known as Shin Beth (Counterespionage and Internal Security), this agency is divided into eight departments: Administration, Technology, Operational Support, Protective Security, Interrogation and Legal Counsel, Coordination and Planning, Non-Arab Affairs, and Arab Affairs. Field organization is divided into regional departments for Gaza, the West Bank, Northern Israel, and the remainder of Israel. They handle anti-terrorist efforts, foreign liaisons, and analysis of domestic subversion information. Of course, they specialize in Arab countries and peratives. Shin Beth has another adventage. it has such an advanced telephone switchboard it is able to tap any telephone in Israel without installing microphones or interfering with wiring. Shin Beth is currently run by a 25-year veteran known as "K".
Shin Beth has attempted to recruit many of the Marine guards at the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv. They have also made recruitment drives towards the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization in Jerusalem.
Shin Beth's counter-intelligence efforts have been particularly successful. They exposed Kurt Sitte in 1961 and Aharon Cohen in 1962. Their greatest success also came in 1962: they exposed Israel Beer.
Beer was a Defense Ministry employee who was actually the intelligence liaison to the Minister. Beer joined the militia against the British during the War of Independence in 1948-49. He authored the official history of the war, and was the youngest Lt. Colonel in the Israeli army. He later served as a top security official and had access to NATO information. He was caught in 1962 handling information to a Soviet diplomat. He was setenced to 10 years in prison.
An especially interesting case was that of Mordechal Vanunu. In 1975, at 20 years old, Vanunu was hired as a technician at the Israeli nuclear plant in Dimona. He worked there for 10 years before being leid off. Allegedly concerned at Israel's push to aquire nuclear weapons, Vanunu went to England and sold his story to the London Sunday Times newspaper. The paper published an extensive story on Israel's nuclear weapons program late in 1986. Vanunu was lured to Rome by a mysterious woman, where he was abducted and transported to Israel to stand trial. He was sentenced to prison. The interesting aspect of the case is that the Missad, Shin Beth, and basically the Israeli government may have wanted Vanunu to expose the nuclear weapons capability of Israel. One theory stated that Vanunu was used to show the world, especially Arab countries, that Israel had nuclear capability. After the information was leaked, Vanunu was prosecuted to show the "sensitivity" of that information.
Role Playing Notes: The Shin Beth is much like MI.5, in that they don't have arrest capability, instead relying on the Special Tasks Division of the National Police for that service. While they are a domestic unit. If they operate outside of the country, it is with Mossad. As with MI.5, this group is included as potential ally or obstacle for a GM to use. Otherwise, they are highly competent and just as ruthless as their global counterpart, the Mossad.
Before the reunification of Germany, the Bundesnachrictendienst (BND) was decades on the frontline of the Cold War. German intelligence is made op of the BND, known as the Federal Intelligence Service, the Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution (BfV), and Military Counterintelligence (MAD). The only group detailed here is the BND, because they are undeniably the most powerful and active of the German intelligence groups. The BfV and MAD split some of the intelligence and counterintelligence operations into civilian and military areas, respectively. Since reunification, Germany has had many problems dealing with new citizens and old hotilities. This hasn't been made any easier with the acquisition of the files of former East German secret police, the Stasi (see below).
Name: Bundesnachrichtendienst
Date Formed: 1947
Estimated Employees: 7,000
Headquarters: Pullach, Germany
Area of Operations: International
Objectives: Internal and domestic intelligence gathering and covert operations.
The BND was starrted by Reinhard Gehlen, a general working for Hitler. Gehlen was able to convince the fledgling CIA to provide financial and political support for the BND's creation.
The BND is a huge organization with a large number of departments and subdivisions. There are four divisions: Collection of information, Technical, Evaluation, and Central Office. The four divisions receive information from allied intelligence services, as well as the BfV and MAD.
The Collection of Information Division has subdivisions in military, politics, economics, armaments, technical, and counter-espionage. Each of those divisions have the following regional subdivisions: Germany, former Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Far East, Africa, Latin America, Western Europe, Southern Europe, Northern Europe, and North America. The Collection Division handles all HUMINT gathering operations, technical ops are left to the Tecchnical division.
The Technical Division has four subdivisions: Radio Monitoring, Electronics, Radio Program Monitoring, and Clandestine Technical Operations. The Candestine Technical Operations division takes care of covert technical operations as well as developing equipment for operations. This group is the ELINT, SIGINT gathering division.
The Evaluation Division is identical to the Collection of Information Division in structure and design. They have the same subdivisions and the same regional subdivisions. Evaluation takes all the information gathered from other branches and analyzes it for final presentation to BND policy-makers or to organizations outside the BND.
The Central Office Division has subdivisions in Finance, Legal, Administration, Organization, Personnel, Security, Training, Guards, Couriers, Public Relations, Press Department and the Computer Documentation Central Library. The Central Office handles the day-to-day operations for the agency. They maintain security for personnel and buildings, are archivists for the agency, and also handles personnel training.
The BND has had a mixed history. It used ex-Nazi officers to fill its ranks during its early years, primarily because they were the best-trained personnel available at the time. Although the BND later phased them out, it wasn't fast enough to prevent double agents, such as Heinz Filfe, from wreaking havoc. Filfe was working counterintelligence on the Soviets when they recruited him, and by the time the BND exposed him, he had compromised 94 agents and countless operations. The BND was for years the best source of intelligence on Eastern Block countries. The price for high-quality information, it seems, was multiple penetrations by Soviet agents into the BND.
Since German reunification, the BND has arrested more than 400 people for espionage or conspiracy, including a few Americans living abroad (see timeline). The fervor to cleanse Germany of communists has led to an almost incapacitating hunt for all of the Stasi informants within Germany, at the cost of everything else. The BND has, however, had enough time to become embroiled in the death of Wolfgang Grams, a RAF leader, which caused an uproar. Germany's BND has become a giant in the intelligence community, and although its immediate future is unclear, long-term the BND will be a force to be rekoned with.
Role Playing Notes: The BND would make a good agency for which to work, or to include in a campaign. Since they handle both domestic (alongside the BfV) and international operations, a P would lie at home in this agency. They have good resources, financially and in talented manpower, but the search for Stasi informers, as stated above, has created some problems. The BND has uncovered quite a few Stasi informers, but in doing so has created serious problems for some German citizens accused (whether rightly or not) of Stasi involvement. The BND maintains stations around the world, and their intelligence in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union is still excelent. Their intelligence in Africa and South America is somewhat weaker.
Not much is known about the Chinese intelligence network and structure. Some speculation has occurred that Chinese intelligence was second rate or underfunded. Existance of Chinese penetrations have broven the contrary, however. The only agency that has been documented is the Chinese Secret Services, known as the Tewu. There is virtually nothing known about the structure of the Tewu, only a few operatives have been ever been exposed.
Name: Tewu
Date Formed: 1920
Estimated Employees: unknown
Headquarters: unknown
Area of Operations: International
Objectives: Intelligence gathering and covert operations, although it is unknown wether it is also a domestic security service.
The Tewu was started in 1920 by Kang Sheng, and it has remained an enigma since then. Although two books on the Tewu were published in 1990, the authors came to separate conclusions about key events or defections in the Chinese intelligence community. However, the authors did agree that the Tewu exerts a presence in the world. One author states that up to 7,000 Chinese agents may be at work in the U.S. alone. With the Chinese student population in the U.S. at 40,000 and climbing, the Tewu may have a large source from which to recruit potential agents.
An example of how deep undercover the Tewu can go is the case of Larry Wi-tai Chin. Chin, a Tewu agent since 1948, was also a trusted CIA employee who never raised any suspicion about his duplicity. He is thought to have provided China with their best sources of information on U.S. plans in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam and Korea. Chin may have even retired, with the U.S. never having been wiser, had the adoptive son of the Tewu founder not defected. The defector turned Chin in, and Chin was arrested in November 1948 and convicted of espionage. Three weeks before he was to be sentenced, he committed suicide in his jail cell. The U.S. is still trying to determine the damage from the Chin affair.
Another example is the strange case of Liao Ho-sho's defection. The bizarre story began in 1966 at The Hague, where a Polish scientist produced a viral poison gas. A sample batch of the gas was stored inside a capsule small enough to fit unobrusively in a pocket. The Tewu and the CIA wanted the gas, and after complicated and convoluted deal-making process, Hsu Tsu-tsai wound up with the capsule.
Hsu, a Chinese national, was attending a welding conference at The Hague and agreed to deliver the gas to a U.S. agent for $3 million. Hsu apparently got greedy, for he handed over the capsule but withheld the microfilm, asking for an additional $5 million. The Tewu, meanwhile, were still expecting to receive the capsile from Hsu. When Hsu learned the Tewu knew he had double-crossed them, he attempted to defect.
As he was announcing his intention to defect to his American contact, Hsu noticed four Chinese nationals following him. He panicked and ran, and was hit by a car. He wound up inside the home of the third secretary to the Chinese diplomat. Later, under pressure from Dutch police, Hsu was taken to a local hospital. He was kidnapped from the hospital's X-ray room. Liao Ho-shu distracted the hospital authorities long enough for a commando team to get Hsu.
Liao played down the Dutch protests to the kidnapping of Hsu by announcing Hsu was dead. Although Liao was supposed to be on the fast track for success in the Tewu, this affair knocked him into disfavor. This hurt Liao so much that he felt threatened enough to walk into a Dutch police station in January 1969 to announce his intention to defect. He is still the highest ranking Chinese defector to the West. Although nothing is verified, two authors state that Liao was debriefed by the CIA, but aroused their suspicion by not divulging anything unknown to them. He was given a harmless job as a translator and was later traded back to China.
The U.S. intelligence community has begun to look at the Tewu as a stronger foe than agencies of the former Soviet Union, because of their penchant for deep cover penetrations, and their patience in cultivating contacts over extended periods of time. Yet the Chinese government itself may prove to be the greatest problem for the Tewu. The blood of student protesters spilled in Tianamen Square may have exposed some Tewu operatives or contacts by angry relatives of friends in the U.S. While it is unknown whether the Tewu is as pervasive as it appears, the U.S. intelligence community ranks them among the agencies to watch most closely in the coming years.
Role Playing Notes: This is a tough one. Because there is so little information available on the Tewu, the GM has the license to make them fit into whether mold is acceptable to the campaign. A likely area of intense resource use for the Tewu is the acquisition of technical information, primarily from the U.S., Japan and Western Europe. The timeline has some events on Chinese operatives.
The Australian and British intelligence services are so closely linked that ASIS officers refer to the MI.6 headquarters in London as the "Head Office" and the Melbourne headquarters as the "Main Office". The Office of National Assessments (ONA) Australa's newest intelligence agency, directs the Australian intelligence effort. Australia's main external agency is the Australian Secret Intelligence Services (ASIS), also known as M09. The Australian Secret Intelligence Organization, the equivalent of Britain's MI.5, is Australia's domestic security agency.
Name: Australian Secret Intelligence Service
Date Formed: 1952
Estimated Employees: 400
Headquarters: Melbourne/Canberra, Australia
Area of Operations: International
Objectives: To conduct intelligence gathering and covert operations outside of Australia
ASIS is formally responsible to and under the control of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, although essentially it operates as a separate agency. In the charter for the ASIS it states plainly: "We are talking here about espionage. ASIS exists to run spying operations in the Australian interest. We should not allow any euphemism to cover that point." The majority of covert political actions conducted by the ASIS wre directed against Indonesia.
There are three assistants, heading departments, all answerable to the Deputy Director. The Assistant Director of Operations has subdivisions/stations in Jakarta, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Manila, Cairo, Kuala Lumpur, Rangoon, and Port Moresby. The Assistant Director of Intelligence is concerned with analysis of material received from covert operations and overt means. The Assistant Director of Administration and Services takes care of day-to-day operations of the agency. Operational assistants are usually female operatives that assist in the stations.
The ASIS has had some problems over the years. A move to disband the unit has occured not once, but twice. The order to disband went through once, but was rescinded with pressure from the CIA and MI.6. The ultimate saving grace for the ASIS has been its key role in operations in Indonesia. The ASIS was able to get a MIG-21 manual from the Indonesian Air Force, code books, and other material important to intelligence operations in Indonesia.
Role Playing Notes: The ASIS is basically a second arm of the British intelligene service. They are more of a regionally strong group than a truly international agency. This should probably not be the first choice for a PC in a espionage game. Operations occuring in Indonesia would likely involve the ASIS, but beyond that they are an unseen agency.
Name: Australian Security Intelligence Organization
Date Formed: 1949
Estimated Employees: 800
Headquarters: Canberra, Australia
Area of Operations: Australia
Objectives: Domestic intelligence gathering and covert operations.
The ASIO was created primarily at the insistence of the British and U.S. intelligence communities. Concerned about Australia's lack of security, the U.S. was very reluctant to share any information about its nucear program with Australia, even refusing to pass on any information to Britain unless Britain promised not to give it to the Australians. Australai was losing out on valuable information, so the ASIO was born.
ASIO's charter was pushed by Sir Percy Sillitoe, the Director General of MI.5 in 1948. So when the ASIO was created it took the charter of its parent, MI.5. The ASIO is for the "defense of the Commonwealth from external and internal dangers arising from espionage and sabotage, or from actions of persons and organizations, whether directed from within or without the country."
The structure of the ASIO includes four branches, A through D, and they are headed by an Assistant Director-General. Branch A, Management and Support has groups as Director, Plans and Development, Legal, Finances, Registry and Files, and Training. Branch B, Research and Analysis, has subdivisions indicated by the title "B-", B1 is Subversive Activities, B2 is Counter-Espionage, B3 is Soviet Bloc, B4 is the Asian Section, and B5 is the Terrorist Section. The MI.5 Exchange Office, Special Security office, and C1 Section are also under Branch B. Branch C, Protective Security, has C1, Analysis, C2, Physical Security, C3, Traces, and External Liaison. Branch D, Operations, has D1, Counter-supervision, D2, Soviet Bloc operations, D3, Asian Operations, D4, Operational Research, a Technical Unit, and a Photographic Unit.
ASIO focuses intelligence gathering and covert operations mainly on the former Soviet Union and Asia. The ASIO does tens of thousands of security checks every year of personnel with access to sensitive information. During the years of the Vietnam War the ASIO committed illegal operations against anti-war protesters. A Royal Commision in 1977 stated that the ASIO has, at times, committedjobs contrary to the laws of Australia and its charter of operations.
Role Playing Notes: As with its international cousin, ASIS, the ASIO is a minor-league player in the intelligence community. This is included for completeness, rather than effectiveness. However, it would be a mistake to dismiss the ASIO or the ASIS completely; they just aren't as active or powerful as the larger agencies on the intelligence block.
Canada isn't seen as a real force in the intelligence community, they are more concerned with internal security. Last year the Canadian Security Intelligence Service got into some trouble over a domestic spying program involving a neo-Nazi group (see below). The majority of the intelligence duties were the jurisdiction of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, until 1984. The RCMP was relieved of these duties after it was found they were committing illegal actions, such as unauthorized break-ins.
Name: Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Date Formed: 1984
Estimated Employees: 2370
Headquarters: Ottawa, Canada
Area of Operations: Canada, with a few international exceptions
Objective: To conduct domestic security operations and other economic and political intelligence.
The CSIS is a relatively new creation on paper, but its foundation has been around since World War II. The structure the CSIS uses is a hand-me-down from the RCMP. There are three departments, each headed by a Deputy Director General: Operations Service, Administrationa adn Personnel, and General Operations.
The Operations Service has five subdivisions, E Ops, F Ops, I Ops, J Ops, and Automated Information Services. E Ops, Communications Intelligence, is responsible for transwriting wiretapped and bugged conversations for investigations and analysis. E Ops also has a subgroup called E Special that conducts break-ins for information gathering. F Ops, Security Records, maintains files on indiciduals and groups, including archiving Security Service reports. I Ops, Surveillance, is also known as the Watcher Service. I Ops follows the movements and actions of targeted indiciduals. J Ops, Technical Development, plants bugs, but doesn't wiretap, that is the job of the phone company. J Ops members will often accompany E Special operatives on break-ins.
The Administration and Personnel department has subdivisions in Internal Security, Administrion C, Financial Supply and Services, Staffing and Personnel, and Training and Management. This department also handles recruitment of new officers and training of established officers.
The General Operations department has five lettered sections and an Intelligence Coordinating Unit. A Ops, Security Screening, is responsible for checking into the backgrounds of individuals with access to classified information. Background checks include character weaknesses, such as drugs, excessive alchol use, gambling, and large debts, that would make an applicant a risk. B Ops, Counterespionage, checks incoming immigrants for hostile intelligence connections, observes foreign embassies in Canada, and investigates indiciduals who fail A Ops background checks. D Ops, Counter-subversion, is responsible for individuals or groups with "subversive interests." In Canada this includes Maoists, Quibec separatists and communists. H Ops, Far East Counterespionage, was created in 1969 and is mainly targets China. L Ops, Human Source Development, is repository for information from all of the Security Service informers in Canada. Once recruited, L Ops evaluates the information and determines their payment.
The CSIS was created to take the majority of the Security Service operations way from the RCMP in 1984. There were some differences imposed in the creation of CSIS. The first was denying CSIS law enforcement power, such as arrest. CSIS must cooperate with a special division of the RCMP to arrest suspects, similar to the MI.5/Special Branch relationship in the UK. Another big difference is that CSIS has permission to operate outside of Canada. But according to their charter CSIS will not engage in covert operations abroad that seek to influence or alter the politics of another nation.
Last year CSIS came under fire because one of its informers, Grant Bristow, was a co-founder of a neo-Nazi organization called the Heritage Front. The problem was that Heritage Front and Bristow were also infiltrating the Reform Party, the third largest political group in Canada. The CSIS was accused of trying to discredit the Reform Party by linkin it to neo-Nazis. Investigations are still under way to determine who authorized Bristow's actions.
Role Playing Notes: CSIS may be chartered to operate outside of Canada, but it has little experience in operations abroad. It does not have a good reputation in the intelligence community. If as a GM you throw a member of CSIS into an adventure, the players from the larger, more successful agencies will probably not have much respect for them. They will be polite, but tense and hesitant to listen to any suggestions from a CSIS operative.
In 1991 a group within the Soviet government decided to overthrow the regime of President Mikhail Gorbachev. The KGB chief, Vladimir Kryuchkov, was one of the leaders of the attempted coup. As a result of the KGB's participation, it was disbanded and its resources split into several organizations. Now no one is sure about the strength, capabilities, and competence of the Russian intelligence community. In the years preceding the 1991 coup, the KGB was one of the most dominant, feared, and capable intelligence organizations in the world. But now that Russia, led by President Boris Yeltsin, is following a more democratic and capitalist philosophy, the nature and power of the former intellgence apparatus may not possible to achieve. The three main Russian agencies are the Foreign Intelligence Service, Federal Counterintellgence Service, and the Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information.
Name: Foreign Intelligence Service
Date Formed: 1991
Estimated Employees: unknown
Headquarters: Moscow
Area of Operations: International (it is not known wether it can operate domestically)
Objectives: To gather intelligence and analyze information for the Russian president.
Recent reports hold that the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is led by Yevgeni Primakov. This agency was formed after the aborted coup of '91 destroyed the KGB as a whole unit. This service took over all of the spies, analysts, and foreign operations conducted by the KGB, including overseas intelligence stations. The budget and structure of the organization is a state secret. Inside sources have admitted, however, that economic and technological information is on the top of the espionage wish list.
While the budget may be a secret, the financial problems being suffered by the SVR are public knowledge. Tass and other Russian newspapers have been reporting on the budgetary crisis the service has been experiencing. According to reports the service doesn't have access to computers; they are still using typewriters. SVR reports are being typed on the baacks of old documents. They can't afford domestic subscriptions to newspapers, let alone foreign periodicals. Tass reported that the SVR cut 40% of its staff and closed 30 overseas stations.
A lack of funds is also hurting SVR's agent recruitment programs. The Aldrich Ames case will probably be the last of the big money recruitments by the Russian intelligence agency. The agency only had two other types of foreign agents they could recruit. The first consisted of idealists who wanted to help the socialist worker state. The second type are anti-American activists in Third World countries, trying to counter U.S. infringement on their countries. Now that Russia is trying a more capitalistic system, the Russians must look more to the second type of recruit.
Role Playing Notes: The SVR is technically the Russian version of the CIA, but lacking the resources and political power of the KGB, it is doubtful it will be as strong as its predecessor. The restructuring of the Russian intelligence organization has left a lot of questions without any answers. It will be up to the GM's imagination as to how much power and strength to give the SVR.
Name: Federal Security Service
Date Formed: 1991
Estimated Employees: 75,000
Headquarters: Moscow
Area of Operations: Russia and her territories, with some international operations
Objectives: To conduct domestic intelligence/counterintelligence gathering operations.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) was also known as the Federal Counterintellgivne Service until President Yeltsin reorganized it into its current incarnation. This is the Russian equivalent of the FBI. They handle domestic security, including terrorism, organized crime, and counterintelligence. The former director stated they had arrested or expelled 20 spies in 1993.
In April of 1995, President Yeltsin signed the Federal Security Services Act. This act transformed the Federal Counterintelligence Service into the Federal Security Service and broadened its powers. The FSS Act allows searches of Russian citizens, or other suspects, without a warrant. It also legalizes electronic surveillance and it revived the practice of intelligence gathering from foreign sources. President Yeltsin chose Mikhail Barsukov to lead the new agency.
Role Playing Notes: GM's should consider the FSB to have a similar structure and functions as the FBI. The big difference will, of course, be the ability to search without a warrant and the sheer size of the FSB. 75,000 employees is a large source of manpower for any single agency. Players will undoubtedly run into this agency sooner or later. The attitude of FSB agents will be up to the GM, but these agents were some of the same people inside the notorious KGB, so don't look for kinder, gentler, espionage service.
Name: Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information
Date Formed: 1991
Estimated Employees: unknown
Headquarters: Moscow
Area of Operations: International
Objectives: To gather ELINT from sources around the world and conduct technical espionage operations.
There isn't much informaiton on this group. It is supposed to be the equivalent of the NSA and GCHQ agencies. It handles technical operations: electronic surveillance, bugging, and information from listening posts. This entire agency is derived from 8th Directorate of the KGB. The FBI reports that this group has good experience and its employees are very competent in their efforts.
Role Playing Notes: This isn't an agency for PC's to play in; this is listed as a esource for the GM to use in an adventure.
Name: Guards Directorate
Date Formed: 1991
Estimated Employees: 8,000
Headquarters: Moscow
Area of Operations: International
Objectives: To protect the President and conduct operations in the interest of state security.
This group has the most potential for an abuse of power. The Guards Directorate is derived from the former 9th Directorate of the KGB. The Vympel and Alpha units are among its 8,000 agents. These units are special force anti-terrorist divisions who stormed the Russian Parliament building. They only answer to President Yeltsin, and publicly they are compared to the U.S. Secret Service, because of their protective role. It is rumored they conduct some intelligence operations during their duties, but it isn't known exactly how much.
Role Playing Notes: This is definitely a wild card group. Since its inception, the Guards Directorate has tried to cultivate two images: the first as a new, democratic protector of the president, and the second as an avenging angel. It is uncertain how a GM would like to use this group, but if they are met, it could get nasty.
There are, of course, other intelligence agencies and groups in the world than those listed above. The agancies found and detailed are from the major countries in the intelligence community and there is a sufficient amount of information to include them in a campaign.
There are three other levels of intelligence agencies in the world. The first is the de-centralized, unfocused agency. This occurs sometimes when a country doesn't believe in funding intelligence operations, or doesn't believe it has enough enemies to support such a function. The second is an intelligence agency that has undergone some restructuring and philosophical shift. For example, the Warsaw Pact nations, which used to be KGB outposts, have now become separate intelligence entities. The last category predominate in Third World countries; the notorious "secret police" agencies that conduct counter-intelligence services for their countries. The title often has a stigma attached to it: a reputation for human rights abuse, illegal operations, and political death squads. In some countries, this reputation is well-deserved. Listed below is an example of each category, to give a GM an idea of what is meant, and to give some other examples of groups that can be included.
Japan has several intelligence gathering networks, but nothing comprehensive or international. Each of their intelligence gathering organizations are housed under Ministries in the government. The majority of Japan's intelligence information comes from the CIA, which is sometimes used as a lever against Japan. During the Gulf War, when Japan refused to go along with the anti-Saddam bandwagon, the CIA limited Middle East info until Japan conceded. There are two specific agencies that are notable in Japan:
Defense Agency: This agency collects electronic communications inside of their region. They lack two important things: spy satellites and analytical department.
Public Security Investigative Agency: The closest thing to a counter-intelligence agency in Japan, this agency is under the Justice Ministry and has 1810 employees. The Agency has had some success tracking North Korean agents in Japan.Japan is struggling to get out from U.S. dependence on intelligence, but there isn't really anything they can do until they get their own satellites in orbit. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry recently stated that they will have a satellite in orbit within 10 years.
Poland has changed quite a bit in the last decade. Its intelligence agency has changed with it. Known as the State Security Bureau, the Polish agency shrugged off its KGB controll in the late 1950s, although the KGB continued to advise them. The Bureau has come a long way since its days as a Communist-led puppet agency. An example of the change came during the Gulf War. The CIA had six agents trapped in Iraq and couldn't get them out. After the British and French services refused to help, the CIA turned to Poland. Polish construction and technical workers in Iraq numbered in the thousands, so inside contacts weren't a problem. The State Security Bureau was not only able to get the six CIA agents out, but it also helped 15 other foreigners out of Iraq during the war as well. Polish intelligence was rewarded for their efforts by a forgiveness of $16.5 billion in loans to Poland from several Western nations. It is uncertain where this leaves the State Security Bureau, they have resources internally, but it is unknown how much power they have. Since Poland wasn't accepted into NATO, there is still some ill-will from the West, and how that is going to affect the future is unpredictable.
In 1973 Chile was suffering from political upheaval, poverty, and a lack of direction. Today Chile is not much different, except in one respect: DINA. The Chilean secret police, DINA, was started in 1973 an dcontinued until 1990, led by Manuel Contreras. In the 17 years of operation DINA was responsible for 2025 deaths from executions, assassination, and torture. The expansion of DINA's operations reached to the U.S. in 1976. Contreras hired an American explosive expert, Michael Townley, to assassinate Chilean Socialist leader Orlando Letelier. Townley placed a car bomb in Letelier's car and exploded, killing Letelier and his secretary. Townley was caught and sent to jail in the U.S., but Contreras walked away clean. Even though DINA was disbanded in 1990, Contreras retained power over the new civilian government by threatening to expose former DINA informers still at work in high-level positions. DINA is, unfortunately, typical of the secret police abuses that occur.
This timeline lists notable espionage and intelligence agency incidents. Some incidents will also be found in the terrorist timeline. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, only a short historical primer of past events.
Black Ops includes a chapter on terrorism because terrorism has become one of the greatest threats since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. This chapter has four sections: role playing with terrorist groups, regional terrorist areas, terrorist group profiles, and a terrorist action timeline.
The first section deals with setting terrorists in an espionage campaign, and some suggestions on handling terrorists as NPCs and characters. It also includes some information on the structures and workings of some groups.
Part two gives a quick look at regional terrorism in the world. The areas listed are Middle East, Western Europe, Latin America, Asia (including Sikh terrorism), Africa, and the United States. This section lists some of the differences between the varying regions and their goals.
The terrorist group profiles in the third section are not a comprehensive list of all the terrorists groups active in the world, such a list is beyond the scope of this project, besides this is a espionage genre, not terrorism.
The last part of this section is a timeline of terrorist activities. It includes activities of groups listed in the profiles section, as welll as some of the more spectacular acts of terrorism in the last 27 years.
The role of terrorism in the realm of espionage is wast and cannot be ignored. Over the past 30 years, terrorism has gone from isolated egions of Third World countries to devastating attacks with a world-wide reach. In the early 80s the first terrorist actions of the modern era began against Israel, acts committed by Palestinians. It wasn't long before disgruntled people began to form groups around thnic, political, or ideological structures to fight for their beliefs. Terrorism will be defined as the use of, or the threat of, violence by a group or clandestine state agency to promote an idea or belief.
Terrorism has become one of the major preoccupations of intelligence agencies around the world. Since the mid-1980s, when terrorism became a virulent, world-wide threat, intelligence agencies have targeted terrorist groups with the majority of their resources. This is especially true of countries where terrorism is rampant: Israel, Germany, France and England. The United States jumped late into the anti-terrorist game, because of the death of comprahensive terrorist attacks on American territory. Fewer U.S. budget resources were allocated for anti-terrorism actions than for espionage action against the Soviet Union and other left-wing countries. This is no longer the case, as terrorist attacks have brought the violence home.
All intelligence agencies have sections devoted to terrorism. These sections are usually broken down by world regions and then isolated into tracking known terrorists and terrorist groups and making profiles of new terrorists and terrorists groups. Usually the terrorist portion of intelligence constitutes about 30-50% of an agency's resources, depending on the degree of threat and the allocation of resources allowed by the country.
Intelligence agencies have long sought to have informants inside terrorist groups, but it is one of the most difficult goals to achieve. Usually agencies rely on surveillance techniques to spy on terrorist groups. It is rare to find a terrorist that will inform on his friends for money, unless they have a personal motivation to betray their friends, such as the loss of a loved one. Even terrorists captured by state agencies rarely betray their friends. The famous exception to this is the Red Brigades and Italy. Italy was able to turn captured Red Brigade members against their fellow terrorists for lighter prison sentences. In contrast are soe of the Middle Eastern groups, whose members will commit suicide rather than reveal any useful information to police.
This does not mean that intelligence agencies don't have reliable information about terrorist groups. On the contrary, their information is exemplary. They just have to depend on many varied sources to correlate information, instead of having one inside person point out the bad guys.
Although intelligence agencies are usually responsible for locating, tracking, and anticipating terrorist groups, they aren't usually responsible for taking actions against them. Intelligence operatives sometimes direct an operation directly against a terrorist group, but it is usually a rare event. Special military units, anti-terrorist groups, are the common remedy for terrorist problems. These units are specialists in retrieval, assassination, infiltration, and sabotage of terrorists. These are usually military outfits that have special operations training. They will sometimes work with civilian intelligence agencies, but they will likely take their orders from military brass, rather than an intelligene operative. Listed below are some of the anti-terrorist units around the world.
| GSG-9 | Germany |
| Seal Team Six | U.S. |
| Delta Force | U.S. |
| Special Air Service | UK |
| Special Boat Service | UK |
| Emergency Response Teams | Canada |
| Special Air Service Regiment | Australia |
| Special Intervention Squadron | Belgium |
| Special Branch | Ireland |
| Sayeret Haruv | Israel |
Terrorist groups, at least the successful ones, are able to play on either the fears or desires of their intended audience. Without the support of the public, or audience, a group has very limited financial and labor resources. The biggest question about terrorist groups is: How do people become terrorists, and why?
Terrorists recruit out of the pool of people that sympathize with their goals, in other words, people they can trust. The recruiting process for a terrorist group can be a long, involved process that takes years of work and the building of trust, or it can be a relatively immediate placement, depending on how badly they need the experience or capability a person can provide. It also depends on the job an individual can do for the group. It may not take much brains to drive a suicide truck into a building, so any volunteer would probably be accepted from the group members. But a person going under deep cover in hostile country for an extended period of time will take more training, more resources, and thus, more trust to be accepted for such a mission. Sometimes a terrorist group will recruit from its audience if there is someone who could provide sa much needed talent, such as chemical weapons, explosives, or electronics. A group may also pay an outsider for their talents, not depending on them very much at first, to be sure, but enough to see if they can be trusted with something more sensitive later. Recruiting fytyre terrorists is something that is difficult, as the level of trust needed is high, but terrorists need to fill their diminishing ranks with future bombers one way or another.
The question of why someone becomes a terrorist is a little harder. It can be out of some sense of revenge or rightousness, as in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or a matter of desire for change as with a majority of the Western European terrorist groups. Money is almost never the reason; the exception to this is the well-paid outsider who is providing a talent for a price. Usually, an outsider rationalizes his effort as being isolated work, and he is not responsible for his work once it is done. In order for terrorists to become successful, they must believe they are right in their actions, especially when their actions result in the deaths of others. Sometimes a person will become a terrorist to avenge the death of a loved one, or in retribution for the misery of some predicament. Again, an example is the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian battle. Whatever the reason, terrorists have one thing in common: they believe they are on the correct side of the fight, just as much as law enforcement officers believe in their duty to stop them.
A terrorist is generally loyal, intelligent, and capable. Self-reliance and discipline are two of the most desirable qualities in a potential terrorist, not brute strength and weapons ability. In these ways, terrorists are much like intelligence agents. Both the hunters and the hunted in the spy/terrorist game need very similar characters and mental abilities to be sucessful at their chosen professions, for the obvious reason they are doing basically the same job. Ideas of terrorists as bumbling oafs that are only successful because of the lackadaisical attitude or security pf a government is false. If terrorists were not highly skilled, they would all be in jail or dead by now. Take for instance Israel, who set up a retaliatory strike team called the Wrath of God to punish the instigator of the Munich Olympics massacre. With the resources of an entire country backing them, it still took the Wrath of God years to find all of the guilty parties and execute them, meaning the terrorists were smart and capable enough to elude the Israeli strike team for a significant period of time.
Terrorist groups can operate in several ways; small cells, large groups with an identifiable leadership, or in a mass guerilla movement. In small cells terrorists operate on an intimate level, usually not larger than 5-10 people who have a very specialized task or ability, such as robbery or kidnapping. In a cell structure, only one person will usually have contact with someone outside of the cell, usually through a third party who only deliver messages between cells. Although it is possible some cell members may know individuals of other cells, such cases are rare. The greatest adventage of cells is that they are nearly impossible to infiltrate because of the close-knit group, and they represent a low security risk, because if they are captured they won't know very much about the rest of the group or its leadership. The downside to cells is that they are harder to maintain because of the demands for secrecy and security. Large groups that use small unit tactics, but have an identifiable leadership, have an easier time organizing operations because they can speak directly to operatives to insure proper communication. Large groups, however, can have security problems in that an identifiable leadership can also be assassinated by outsiders. Mass guerrilla movements, such as Shining Path, rely more on a military structure, with a solid organization of an extremely large number of operatives. Such organizations benefit from a reliable chain of command. Any structure a terrorist group chooses has positive and negative aspects.
This is a general outlook for the types of terrorism that are growing in the different regions of the world. A common problem is religious or ethnic terrorism. The hatred associated with those areas never seems to be extinguished, no matter how much time and blood is lost.
Terrorism has come of agen in the last 30 years. The largest war in the terrorist world has been the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Their conflict has caused thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in damage to both sides. In September 1993, the peace accord between PLO leader Yasir Arafat and Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin was supposed to begin a new era of cooperation and relations between the two rival groups. But other Arab groups who have no interest in a settlement with Israel have made it clear through continued terrorist actions that they would rather see Israel destroyed than make a deal with them.
The Middle Eastern issue of terrorism has a long past and a lot of major players. In recent decades, state-sponsored terrorism has become an reality. Middle East groups operate globally and have obtained sophisticated weapons, extensive logistics support, precise intelligence, and safe havens in sympathetic countries.
This region's most notorious practitioner of terrorism, Libyan military dictator Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi, historically has employed terrorism to lash out against regime opponents and to further his own foreign policy objectives within the Arab political areana and within worldwide revolutionary movements. Libian People's Bureaus abroad, Revolutionary Commettees, the Anti-Imperialism Center in Tripoli, numerous front organizations, and inteligence and security services all have been called upon at times to support Libyan terrorism. Following the April 1986 U.S. air strike, however, detectable Libyan involvement in terrorist activity dropped significantly through 1987. Nevertheless, Qadafhi shows no sign of forsaking terrorism, and Libyan agents continue to track and kill opponents of the regime. Qadafhi has turned increasingly to surrogates for attacks, seeking greater plausible denial and safety from retaliation. Libya now hosts the most extreme Palestinian terrorist group — the Abu Nidal Organization — and there are other signs that Libyan involvement in terrorism may be again on the rise.
Syria, under President Assad, previously was an active, if not a more calculated, sponsor of terrorism. Syrian operations normally were confined to the Middle East, although Western Europe occasionally has been the venue for its activitiess. Three acts of Syrian terrorism occured in Europe in 1986: an attempted bombing of the El Al airline in London, the bombing of the German-Arab friendship society in Berlin, and the bombing of the El Al ticket counter in Madrid. These attacks drew intense international critisism and sanctions, forcing Syria to distance itself from its previously close association with terrorism, although more circumspect support for terrorist acts in the Middle East likely will continue.
The Khomeini regime in Iran views terrorism as a basic tactic to be used against U.S. and other Western influences and presences in the Middle East, as well as a tool to foment Islamic fundamentalist revolution. Iran also uses terrorism to intimidate Arab states in the Persian Gulf and as another means to wage war against Iraq and its allies.
Iran's principal surrogate, the Hizballah movement in Lebanon, has carried out car bombings against Western interests since 1983. Like Libya, and previously Syria, Iran uses its government apparatus to recruit, train, finance, and deploy terrorists, especially in Lebanon. This has diminished somewhat in recent years because of pressure from U.S. and Western European powers. The release of the last remaining hostages in Lebanon a few years ago indicated Iran's willingness to renew relations with the West, instead of a continued, indefinite, hostile stance.
The newest, and it seems the last, country to give safe haven for terrorist groups was Sudan. In last years Sudan was providing training grounds and some funding to certain Palestinian groups. That changed in 1994 when Sudan decided to give up Illich Ramirez Sanches, AKA Carlos the Jackal, to French anti-terrorist units. Sudan decided that it was ore beneficial to give up Carlos than to keep him around. (They wanted to get off the U.S. list of terrorist nations so they could be eligible for western aid). This does not mean Sudan has stopped all funding of and participation in terrorist activities. Like so many other Arab countries, however, Sudan has just decided to become much more clandestine about their involvement.
Among the most long-standing and well-known practitioners of terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere are the various Palestinian organizations that emerged in the 1960s and the 1970s. The best known Palestinian organization is the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which was founded in 1964 as a nationalist umbrella organization dedicated to establishment of an independent Palestinian state. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, control over the PLO devolved to the leadership of the various fedayeen militia groups, the most dominant of which was the Fatah, led by Yasir Arafat. In 1969, Arafat became the chairman of the PLO's Executive Committee, a position he still holds. The United States consider the PLO to be an umbrella organization that includes a number of different constituent groups and individuals who hold differing and often opposing views on terrorism. At the same time, U.S. policy has taken into account that elements of the PLO have actively advocated, carried out, or accepted responsibility for acts of terrorism.
In the early 1970s, several PLO groups including the Fatah, carried out numerous international terrorist attacks. In the mid-1970s, under international pressure, the PLO claimed it would restrict attacks to Israel and the occupied territories. Nonetheless, several terrorist attacks have been carried out since then by Fatah-affiliated groups (including the Hawari group and Force 17) and a PLO affiliated group (the Palestinian Liberation Front).
The most wide-ranging and vicious Palestinian terrorist group is the Abu Nidal Organization, which has killed scores of people in locations ranging from Karachi and Istanbul to Rome and Vienna. Other international terrorist groups include the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palisitne—General Command, the Arab Organization of 15 May, Hamas, and the Lebanese Armed Revulotionary Faction, a pro-Palestinian Lebanese terrorist group that has conducted its terrorist operations primarily in Western Europe.
Although many spectacular terrorist acts have taken place in the Middle East, U.S. citizens are more numerous in Western Europe and have been targeted more consistently there. Despite the number of indigenous terrorist groups in Western Europe, the most serious terrorist threats there actually comes from various Middle Eastern terrorist groups described in the previous section, especially now with the fall of communism sending a crushing blow to many Marxist or similar political groups.
Most indigenous Western European terrorists are "urban terrorists". The most notorious groups are reminiscent of 19th century anarchists — they espouse a revolutionary philosophy usually some form of Marxism-Leninism; they are dedicated to overthrowing the existing government and social order, but are inarticulate about their vision of a substitute system; but they are mostly small.
Lethal terrorist acts usually are carried out by a small nucleus. Some groups like the West German Red Army Faction, the Italian Red Brigades, and the Greek 17 November are highly structured. Others like the West German Revolutionary Cells are loosely organized. All attack the state, its representatives, and symbols of the established order, and all target the United States and NATO as representatives of "imperialism". They characterize the U.S. military presence in Europe as an occupying force, justifying attacks on U.S. military personnel and facilities.
Their targets usually are selected very deliberately rather than indiscrimenately, and involve consideration of the symbolic value of the target. Members of these indigenous groups are usually from the middle class and are not the deprived members of society more commonly found among rank and file members in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. Members are often very well educated, and sometimes include doctors, lawyers, and other professionals.
"Ethnic separatists" form another major category of West European terrorism. Examples include Armenians, who mostly always target representatives of the Government and its interests outside Turkey; and Basques, who attack French and Spanish interests inside Spain; and Algerian Islamic groups that target Frensh.
Most of the politically motivated groups have suffered serious setbacks with the demise of the Soviet Union, both in spiritual and financial areas. It seems as though most of the political groups that are still operating are doing so out of rivalry with government, rather than a desire for political change. The exceptions to this are the ethnic separatist movements mentioned above.
Terrorist attacks against official or high-visibility U.S. targets in Latin America have occurred intermittently since the rise of Fidel Castro in Cuba. Since 1979, however, Latin American terrorism generally has been on the rise, attributable largely to the inspiration provided by the success of the Sandinista movement in Nicaragua, as well as renewed Cuban enthusiasm for promoting revolutionary violence.
Terrorism in Latin America is frequently an indicator of the initial phase of a fledgling insurgent movement that has as its eventual goal the development of full-scale guerrilla warfare. The most notable examples of that are Shining Path and M-19. Terrorist tactics are likely to be used as fallbacks to demonstrate that a group continues to be a viable threat, even though its insurgent forces may be experiencing setbacks. In addition, the illegal narcotics trade has increased the sporadic interaction between narcotics traffickers and these groups in recent years. Shining Path has made a habit of protecting drug smugglers and drug operations from the police in exchange for funding of their guerilla movement.
Latin American terrorism differs from that in Western Europe and the Middle East mainly in that multi-national terrorism in the area has not yet become a significant threat to U.S. citizens. Latin American groups tend to be highly nationalistic, even though they frequently benefit from external support such as military training, funding, and material, especially from Cuba and Nicaragua. Neither multi-national coordination nor foreign direction of operational planning has been characteristic.
Increased efforts against international narcotics trafficking are generating growing violent reactions from the narcotics traffickers, who often employ the tactics of terror. A marriage of convenience between some traffickers and insurgents occasionally produces common objectives, as in Colombia, where assassination-for-hire arrangements have occurred between narcotics dealers and leftist terrorists.
Most acts of anti-U.S. terrorism in Latin America have been directed against official U.S. facilities and other symbols of U.S. presence and influence. The most frequent targets have been embassies, ambassadors' residences, or less secure facilities such as bi-national or bicultural centers and U.S. businesses. The most common methods of attack have been dynammite bombings and strafing with automatinc weapons fire. Though not usually targeted, U.S. citizens have been involved in at least 35 significant attacks since 1979. Most of these have occurred in Colombia, Honduras, and El Salvador and to a less extent Guatamala, Costa Rica, and Peru.
In Chile, the Manuel Rodrigues Patriotic Front has become increasingly bold. Although this organization's targeting was directed primarily against the Pinochet regime, has directed some attacks at U.S. facilities.
In the French departments of Guadalupe, Martinique, and French Guyana, Libya has made efforts to gain influence with radical groups, with the shared objective of undermining French authority there.
In Peru, Shining Path has been one of the most violent and oppressive terrorist groups in the Western Hemisphere. In its 12-year existence, it has cost Peru $22 billion in damages and 22,000 lives in their fight to overthrow the Peruvian government. They continue their battle today without one of their founders, Abimael Guzman, who was captured a while ago.
Terrorism in Asia has been on the rise since 1986. It occurs primarily as part of ongoing insurgencies, ethnic conflicts, religious motivation, and domestic disputes, although in recent years Afghan-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan and Abu Nidal Organization activities in India and Pakistan demonstrate the ease of operations for states and multi-national groups in Asia. Asian insurgent and dissident groups rarely target foreigners, instaed directing their violence at domestic targets.
The use of terrorism by the two major insurgent groups in Asia — the Filipino Communists and the Sri Lankan Tamil guerrilla — differs markedly. The military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People's Army (NPA), employs terrorism as a calculated and precise tactics to intimidate the population and eliminate key government figures. NPA terrorism usually consists of assassinations carried out by hit teams called "sparrow" units. The CPP and NPA decision to target Americans, as in the killing of Clark Air Base personnel in October 1987, refects careful calculation of political, strategic, and tactical benefits.
The Tamil separatist insurgents of Sri Lanka use terrorism as a widespread, often indiscriminate tactic. Lacking the rigid military organization of the NPA, the Tamils use terror in an uncalculated, crude, and often ineffective manner. Bombings, assassinations, and assaults against civilian targets are common, and the general population is increasingly at risk. The Tamils have conducted operations against foreigners infrequently, as in the May 1986 jetliner bombing in Colombo, which killed several Europeans. Their latest attack killed 55 people, including a presidential candidate, and injured 200 others.
Terrorism in Japan has continued at a generally low level, with the Chukaku-Ha, a radical leftist group, launching periodic incendiary and rocket attacks at Japanese and U.S. facilities. The international terrorist group Japanese Red Army, responsible for the 1973 Lod airport massacre in Israel, has conducted terrorist operations in Europe and Asia as well as in the Middle East. The recent reemergence of this group after a hiatus of several years is particularly troublesome. The JRA is one of the few Asian groups to participate in a multi-national operation, which may be a sign of things to come for this group.
In Pakistan, the bloody September 1986 Abu Nidal Organization attempt to hijack a PanAm airliner in Karachi highlighted the potential of multi-national terrorism in Asia. Afghanistan's Ministry of State Security, WAD, has sponsired an increasingly violent terrorist bombing campaign in Pakistan, particularly in the Northwest Frontier Province. Over 200 Afghan refugees and Pakistani civilians have been killed and 1,200 wounded in over 100 attacks attributed to the WAS in 1987 alone.
North Korea practices terrorism on its own behalf against South Korea, as illustrated dramatically in November 1987 wgeb two North Korean agents placed bombs abord a Korean Air flight (KAL 858), causing the loss of the aircraft and all 115 passengers. Prior to that incident, North Korean terrorism had been directed principally against senior South Korean leaders, as evidenced in a 1983 bombing incident in Ragoon, in which several South Korean Cabinet ministers died. North Korea also provided training to various international groups in the 1970s.
Iran and Libya have shown interest in Asia. They have attempted to recruit followers among lower-class Muslims and have established basic infrastructures in the region.
In India, Sikh terrorism remains primarily domestic, but the Sikhs have demonstrated amply their ability to operate on an international scale. Sikh terrorist operations consists primarily of bombings, often against civilian targets, and assassinations of Government officials and moderate Sikhs. Sikh activity outside India was illustrated most dramatically by the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight over North Atlantic. There has been, however no comparable attack outside India since then.
Numerous Sikh terrorist organizations worldwide have been invoved in a variety of violent activities. Nevertheless, information concerning the culpability of Sikh groups for specific operations, or even on the infrastructures of Sikh elements is sparese. For these reasons, only two of the more notorious organizations are described in the profiles that follow below: the Dal Khalsa and the Dashmes Regiment.
A small, violent movement emerged in 1981 when Sant Jarnail Sing Bhindranwale began preaching Sikh fundamentalism and urging the Sikh community in India to pressure the government for an independent Sikh state. Bhindranwale's followers and supporters adopted terrorism as one of their tactics. In June 1984, Indian troops stormed the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sikhism's holiest shrine, where Bhindranwale and many of his followers had their headquarters. Bhindranwale and many of his followers was killed in the exchange. Sikh bodyguards of Priminister Indira Gandhi subsequently assassinated her.
Sikh advocates of a separate Sikh state of Khalistan since have engaged in bombings, sabotage, and indiscriminate murders of numerous governmental officials and civilians in an effort to keep the Khalistani cause prominent. Funding for terrorist operations appears to be generated strictly from within Sikh communities in India and abroad.
Radical Sikhs have sought to escalate Kindu-Sikh tensions further by committing atrocities against Hindus throughout the Punjab and surrounding states. The radicals probably are hoping to provoke more violent Hindu reprisals against Sikh communities. sucj an outcome would serve only to enhance the cause for Khalistan further by exacerbating communal animosities and weakening the stance of the moderates.
International terrorism in Africa generally presents a low level of threat. The greatest hazard to U.S. citizens from terrorism are from individuals or groups sponsored by Libya's intelligence organizations, from tbe Abu Nidal Organization, and from accidental involvement in domestic terrorist activity by insurgents against their own governments. The level of domestic terrorist violence by indigenous insurgent groups, however, can be very high. For Mozambique (RENAMO) has employed large-scale violence against noncombatant civilian popilations in an apparently coordinated pattern. Over 100,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed between 1986 and 1988.
The trickiest example of terrorism in Africa was the outlawed African National Congress in South Africa. This group planted bombs and committed assassinations and other acts of terror in the campaign to overthrow the apartheid South African government. Of course, when the ANC came to power in South Africa, they became immortalized for their terrorist efforts because they paid off.
This has become a new branch in the terrorism network tree. The level of threat is very low for U.S. citizens unless they are engaged in one of the areas of danger. There is very little threat of widespread damage being done, as the U.S.-based terrorist groups localize their efforts to specific targets. The obvious exception has been the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As it stands now, it appears Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols are being held responsible for the blast that killed 167 people and wounded 400 others, giving the dubious honor as the single highest loss of American life in a domestic terrorist attack. Their reasons for the attack remain unclear, but rumors suggest that it was in retaliation for the botched ATF raid that left 90 Branch Davidians dead after a 51-day siege. The majority of U.S. terrorism occurs by groups or individuals acting on group ideals, not individual acts like the Oklahoma bombing. The arena of U.S. terrorism ranges from anti-abortion assassinations to tree-spiking, and animal liberation to white separatists or supremists.
Under the banner of saving lives of unborn children, the right-to-life movement has turned to violence in the past few years. The most notable people are Paul Hill, who killed an abortion doctor and his aide in Florida, and Shelley Shannon, who burned or injected noxious acid into nine buldings and shot an abortion doctor. Anti-abortion feelings have translated into 155 incidents and $13 million in damages. This does not include the blockades of clinics, harassment of clinic workers, and the added expense every abortion clinic has in increasing security for their buildings and personnel. U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno recently authorized the FBI to investigate right-to-life groups to see if a national conspiracy was taking place. National pro-life organizations, for hte most part, have denounced the violent acts as perpetraited by tortured loners or psychotics. Operation Rescue, one of the strongest nationwide pro-life movements, disavows the practice of killing doctors, while at the same time its slogan is "If you thik abortion is murder, than act like it". The move towards a violent era in the abortion movement seems be well on its way in the U.S.
Eco-terrorism is a little hard to pin down. Spiking trees with steel rods to prevent their removal by loggers has been a proven tactic of the environmental group Earth First. They have also been known to inject plastic into trees bound for mills, to gum up the machinery and make the wood unusable. Efforts such as these can be defined as terrorism, but are by far the most benign actions of U.S. terrorist groups. So far only one person has been hurt by tree spiking: a logger who had his arm cut badly when his chainsaw hit a metal spike. The environmentalists have made great efforts to warn the logging companies of their actions, to prevent any unnecessary harm to the workmen. There was an incident of a bomb going off in a car belonging to two Earth First members (the FBI believes they were transporting the bomb to a location when it exploded), but members of Earth First have been relatively bloodless in their efforts to stop what they see as the harmful destructive rape of the Earth's natural resources for profit.
The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) came into the spotlight about 5 years ago with break-ins at animal research facilities. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been implicated several times by the FBI in the affairs of ALF over the past years, but as of yet no substantial link has been established. ALF has caused $2 million in damages and destroyed quite a few research laboratories in their efforts. They have also released many animals from labs to prevent their use as test subjects to sometimes painful experiments by the labs. While no loss of life has occured in the years ALF has been active, their use of firebombs and arson has the greatest risk of causing bodily harm or death to the unseen or unsuspecting person.
White separatists and supremacists have been active longest of terrorist groups in the U.S., beginning with the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War, to The Order of today. There is a difference between the two types of groups: separatists want to be left alone and live away from other ethnic races, and supremacists want to control everyone vecause of their "natural" superiority over other ethnic races. Aryan Nation, a goup started by Richard Butler in 1974, is a separatist and a supremacist group. Some member of the Aryan Nation have been involved in bank robberies and armored car holdups. Another group called The Order, a.k.a. The Silent Brotherhood, was started by Robert Jay Mathews in the early 80s. Mathews wanted to start a separate white nation in the Pacific Northwest if the U.S., and in trying to fund this new nation they participated in bank robberies, armored car holdups, counterfeiting, and assassinations. Mathews was killed in 1984 in a shootout with federal authorities on Whidby Island, Washington.
A notable exception to the group organizations are the efforts of the individual called the Unabomber. His first bombs were mailed in 1978, and over the years he has struck 16 times, killing three people and wounding 23 others. The bomber got his name from the early bombings that targeted unicersities (UN) and airlines (A). The last bomb was sent after the Oklahoma bombing, along with a manifesto to the New York Times to explain his actions. The era of terrorism in the U.S. has most likely only begun, and as a home-grown terrorist operations begin to take hold under the banners of environmentalism, white rights, abortion, the opportunity for violence is growing.
This section outlines terrorist groups that are either active or have been active in recent years. This information is relatively current and is meant to add as much realism to an espionage/terrorism campaign as possible.
Date Formed: 1974
Estimated Membership: 500
Headquarters: Libya, perhaps Sudan (previously Syria and Iraq)
Area of Operations: International
Leadership: Sabri Khalil al-Banna (Abu Nidal)
Other Names: Fatah — the Revolutionary Council (FRC), Black June Organization (BJO), Arab Revolutionary Brigades (ARB), Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims (ROSM), Black September Organization (BSO)
Sponsors: Previously Syria and Iraq, current Libya and Sudan; also self-sustaining economic operations
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
A rejectionist and extremely violent Palestinian terrorist group, the Abu Nidal Organization opposes all efforts toward political reconciliation of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The group contends that both inter-Arab and intra-Palestinian terrorism are needed to precipitate an all-embracing Arab revolution that alone can lead to the liberation of occupied Palestine.
The Abu Nidal Organization is often seen as the most dangerous terrorist organization known, and its areas of operation are among the most extensive. The group made its initial appearance after the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War, when Yasir Arafat decided to restrict terrorism only against Israeli targets in Israel and the occupied territories. Abu Nidal decided to fight any effort at moderation by continuing international terroist operations against Israeli interests and by targeting pro-Arafat Palesitinians and moderate Arab states. In fact, the rift between Abu Nidal and Arafat is so intense that Abu Nidal actually was sentenced to death, in absentia, by Arafat. Since 1973, the Abu Nidal Organization also has targeted those countries — primarily in Europe — that hold imprisoned operatives.
As Abu Nidal's following grew, the group's operations against Palestinian moderates escalated. In April 1978, 130 guerrillas were arrested with Fatah leader Muhammad Da'ud Awdah (Abu Da'ud), who was preparing to disobey Arafat's orders and launch operations behind Israeli lines in southern Lebanon. These guerrillas are believed to have been sent by Abu Nidal, seeking to strengthen Fatah leftists and enable them to wrest control of Fatah from Arafat. During the first half of 1978, the Abu Nidal Organization assassinated three prominent PLO officials, who were allies of Arafat. Although a temporary rapproachement took place in 1978, the Abu Nidal Organization continues to target moderate Palestinian elements.
Despite support from a succession of state sponsors (first Irac, then Syria, and more recently Libya), the group maintains its own political agenda. Although many of the group's operations coincide with the interests of its state sponsors, the Abu Nidal Organization also conducts independent operations.
Although rumors about the poor health — and even demise — of Sabri Kjalil al-Banna (Abu Nidal) abound, it is doubtful that his existence is essential to the organizations viability. The Abu Nidal Organization is financially sound and may be one of the most economically viable of all terrorist organizations. The group is believed to draw one-thord of its income from patron states, one-third from graft or blackmail, and one-thord from its own network of business companies and front organizations.
Date Formed: 1957
Estimated Membership: 6000 in Lebanon and 5000 scattered throughout the world
Headquarters: Tunis, Tunisia, serves as the symbolic international headquarters - Fatah operates both overt and covert offices throughout the Middle East and Europe
Area of Operations: International — the Fatah's operational efforts are focused primarily against Israeli targets in Israel, Levanon, and the occupied territories
Leadership: Yasir Arafat (Abu Ammar), Salah Khalaf (Any Iyad)
Other Names: The Fatah used the name Black September Organization (BSO) from 1971 to 1974 and cover name al-Asifa (The Storm) in 1965. In recent years, Force 17, the Hawari group, and security elements of the Fatah have been involved in terrorist operations. The name Fatah is a backwards acronym for Harakat al-Tahir al Filistini, which means "Palestine Liberation Movement" in Arabic
Sponsors: Palestine Liberation Organization, Palestinians abroad, most Arab states, China, the former Soviet Union, and other communist countries
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
Formed by Palestinian exiles in Kuwait in 1957, the Fatah surfaced in 1959 and began to mount raids into Israel in January 1965. After the 1967 Six-Day War, the Fatah, the military arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). grew rapidly and eclipsed other Palestinian organizations. In 1969, Fatah leader Yasir Arafat assumed leadership of the PLO.
The increase in the Fatah's power after 1967 also created new problems for the organization, and in 1968 Istrael initiated retaliatory strikes for Fatah operations against Israel by hitting Fatah location in neighboring Jordan. The Fatah, meanwhile, began to compete directly with Jordanian authority in areas such as the Jordan River valley. These tensions culminated in September 1970 (referred to as "Black September" by radical Palestinians) when Jordanian authorities fought Fatah to reassert control during a nine-day siege of Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan. Fatah-Jordanian friction continued through 1971, when the remainder of the Fatah forces relocated to Lebanon.
Dificulties in conducting cross-border attacks against Israel from neighboring Jordan and Egypt prompted the Fatah to resort to international terrorism in 1971.
Fatah's strategy for using international terrorism changed in the wake of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. Increased efforts on the part of the United States and other Western nations to forge a peace process in the Middle East caused Yasir Arafat to reconsider his political stance in the region. In an effort to improve Fatah's image with the United States and the West, Arafat decided to limit the employment of terrorist operations to Israel, Lebanon, and the occupied territories. The Fatah has not always adhered to this pledge, as Fatah elements have conducted terrorist operations against Israeli targets outside Israel and the occupied territories.
Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 dealt a severe blow to Arafat's Fatah organization. After suffering a total military defeat in Lebanon, Fatah forces were allowed to leave Beirut in masse. The Fatah established its current headquarter in Tunisia in 1982. The effects of the 1 October 1985 Israeli air raid on PLO Headquarters in Tunis prompted a significant reduction in Fatah presence in Tunisia. Today only a nominal PLO headquarter staff remains in Tunis. The primary concentrations of Fatah personnel are in Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, and the Yemen Arab Republic. Almost all intelligence and security personnel stationed in PLO diplomatic posts throughout the world are from the Fatah.
Date Formed: 1983
Estimated Membership: Approximately 3000 fulltime members, with parhaps as many as 500 directly involved in terrorist activity
Headquarters: West Beirut and Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Area of Operations: Middle East, and Europe
Leadership: A consultative council (Shura) that reports to Iran. Leading officials are Hussayn Mussawi, Abbas Musawi (killed in 1992 by an Israeli hit team), Subhi Tufayli, Muhammed Rad, Nalm Qasim, Muhammed Fennish, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel stationed in Lebanon. Shaykh Muhammed Hussain Fadlallah is the overall spiritual leader of the movement.
Other Names: Islamic Jihad, Party of God, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of the Oppressed
Sponsors: Iran
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The Hizballah is a political, social, and military organization that gives focus and general identity in Lebanon to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic militancy. The Hizballah espouses an intense hatred of any influences that does not support its views of Shi'a Muslim ideology. An element within the Hizballah actively employs terrorism as a tactic to support the group's political and religious goals.
The Hizballah movement was born as a result of the merger of Husayn Musawi's Islamic Amal and the Lebanese branch of the Da'wa Party in 1982-83. Three area councils, for Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and south Lebanon, oversee activities in their respective geographic areas. Series of functional area committees play roles in policy recommendation and execution. The Shura functions as the principal governing body on day-to-day matters, but actually exists to advise Iran on the changing situation of the Islamic movement in Lebanon. Hizballah elements receive training in the Bekaa Valley of eastern Lebanon. Through this connection, Iranian Revolutionary Guardsmen provide political indoctrination, financing, and material support. The Hizballah and the Revolutionary Guards work in close concert on terrorist operations. The Hizballah itself seldom directly claims specific terrorist acts, but does so under code names such as Islamic Jihad.
Iran created the Hizballah movement, and some of the Hizballah's cadres are directly in Lebanon. The Hizballah''s official spokesman, Ibrahim al-Amin, reportedly has stated that he has no influence over certain cadres, who receive orders directly from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Date Formed: 1977 (split in 1983 and further split in 1984)
Estimated Membership: 300 (among 3 factions)
Headquarters: One faction (Tal'at Yaqub) in Syria, another (Abu al Abbas) in Iraq, and the third (Abd al Fatah Ghanem) in Libya
Area of Operations: Lebanon, Israel, and Europe
Leadership: Muhammed Abu al Abbas, Abd al Fatah Ghanem, and Tal'at Yaqub; each heads one of the three major factions
Other Names: Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FLP)
Sponsors: Syria, Libya, and Iraq
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
Although originally part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine — General Command (PFLP-GC), the PLF was established under Muhammed Abu al Abbas, in opposition to PFLP-GC leader Ahmad Jibril's support for the Syrian incursion into Lebanon in June 1976. After unsuccessfully attempting to obtain control of the PFLP-GC in September 1976, the PLF was severed officially from the PFLP-GC by PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat in April 1977. The PLF was established with Iraqi support, and its existence as an independent group was recognized when it obtained seats on the Palestine National Council in 1981, with its headquarters in Damascus.
Near the end of 1983, the PLF itself split into factions when Abu al Abbas felt that his organization had become too close with Syria. Leaving Damascus, along with many supporters Abu al Abbas went to Tunis to align himself with Arafat and the mainstream Fatah organization. Following the Achille Lauro incident, the Abu al Abbas faction relocated to Baghdad at the request of the Tunisian government.
The parts of PLF remaining in Damascus were further split in January 1984, when Ah al Fate Ghanem attempted a takeover of the PLF offices and held Tal'at Yaqub, Secretary General of the PLF, hostage. Through Syrian intervention, Yaqub was released, and Ghanem formed his own faction with ties to Libya. Yaaqub's faction juined the Palestine National Salvation Front and is generally aligned with Syria.
Operationally, the PLF has demonstrated creativity and technical acumen. The group has employed belloons and hang gliders for airborne operations and a civilian passenger ship for an attempted seabourne infiltration operation. Similar operations against Israel are expected to continue.
The Achille Lauro hijacking in October 1985—followed by the airborne intercept of the PLF operatives by U.S. Navy jets over the Meditterranean Sea and the subsequent conviction of the terrorists—created international condemnation of Abu al Abbas and his faction of the PLF.
Date Formed: 11 December 1967
Estimated Membership: Approximately 1000
Headquarters: Previously Syria
Area of Operations Europe, Middle East
Leadership: Dr. George Habash
Other Names: None known
Sponsors: South Yemen, Libya
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The PFLP was formed after the Arab defeat in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. George Habash created the Popular Front as a merger of three formerly independent groups — the Arab Nationailst Movement's Heroes of Return, the National Front for Liberation of Palestine, and the independent Palestine Liberation Front (as distinguished from the currently existing Palestine Liberation Front). Referred to by his follwoers as al-Hakim ("the physician" or "the wise man"), Habash has remained consistent in his position towards solving the Palestinian problem — the total liberation of Palestine.
The PFLP established itself early as one of the most violent Palestinian terrorist groups. It concurrently sought to establish strong ties to other Marcist revolutionary organizations. Those links facilitated PFLP European operations that gave the group much of its notority. Habash strongly favors well-publicized attacks on civilian targets, and the PFLP reputation for ruthlessness was built on that strategy.
As a result of ideological inflexibility, internal disputes, and personality conflicts, the PFLP spawned several splinter groups, including the PFLP—General Command and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
The PFLP was one of the most active international terrorist organization in the early 1970s. As a result of publicity that attracted condemnation even from Communist Bloc countries, the PFLP ceased international operations and focused on developing conventional and guerilla forces for use against Israeli targets.
Date Formed: 1968
Estimated Membership: 500
Headquarters: Syria
Area of Operations: Middle East, especially Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel
Leadership: Ahmad Jibril
Other Names: None
Sponsors: Syria, Libya
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
Ahmad Jibril formed the PFLP-GC in 1968 when he became disenchanted with George Habash's leadership of PFLP. An officer in the Syrian Army, Jibril was interested in developing conventional military capabilities to complement PFLP-GC terrorist activities. As a result, the PFLP-GC always has been known for its conventional military expertise. In addition to ground infiltration capabilities, the PFLP-GC is developing air and naval infiltration capabilities as well.
PFLP-GC terrorist activities include using letter bombs and conducting major cross-border operations directed at Israeli targets. The PFLP-GC also has shared its terrorist expertise with other international groups, such as the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, as well as European groups who have sent members to Lebanon for training.
The PFLP-GC arsenal includes sophisticated weapons such as Soviet SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles, heavy artillery, and light aircraft such as motorized hang gliders and ultra-lights. The Communist Bloc countries also provide small arms such as Kalashnikov assailt rifles and RPG-7 anti-tank rockets, but Syria or Libya may serve as the conduit for such support.
The PFLP-GC activity participated in the Lebanese conflict, including sniping attacks that injured U.S. Marines who were members of the peacekeeping force in Beirut in 1982-83. In addition, the group attacked Israeli citizens and interests, with operations launched from Lebanon. The PFLP-GC also occasionally recruits West Bank Palestinians to conduct terrorist attacks inside Israel.
In May 1985, the PFLP-GC engineered an exchange of 3 Israeli soldiers for 1150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The Israelis were captured by the PFLP-GC near Beirut in September 1982. This was one of the few operations conducted by PFLP-GC since 1978, although the group may have broken out of its relatively dormancy with the spectacular hang glide attack near Qiryat Shamona in November 1987.
Date Formed: 1959
Estimated Membership: Approximately 200 active members
Headquarters: Basque provinces of Spain: Vizcaya, Alava, Guipuzcoa, Navarra; and Bascue provinces of France
Area of Operations: Spain and France
Leadership: Jose Antonio Urruticoechea Bengoechea ("Jose Ternera"), Francisco Mugica Garmendia ("Artapalo", "Paquito"), Santiago Arrospide Sarasola ("Santi Potros", captured in France in 1987), Javier Maria or Francisco Javier Larreategui Cuadro ("Atxulo"), Jose Javier Zabaleta Elosegui ("Waldo"), and Eloy Uriarte Diaz de Gereno ("Senor Robles", "El Robles")
Other Names: Euzkadi at Askatasuna (original language)
Sponsors: None confirmed
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The ETA is one of the oldest West European terrorist groups currently operating. Although the leadership of ETA generally espouses a Marxist-Leninist ideology, the primary motivation for many of its members is Basque nationalism.
The ETA actually is composed of several factions that share a loose alliance, but still maintain separate identities. The more vehemently aggressive faction is known as the ETA — Military Wing (ETA-M). It advocates a relentless campaign of terrorist violence directed at the Spanish government. Another faction, the ETA — Political-Military Front (ETA-PM), now largely inactive, pursued a course of terrorism, but tried to blend it with grassroots political agitation to broaden the base of revolution. The ETA-M does have political connections through the Herri Batasuna (HB) political party.
The ETA regularly targets Spanish government officials, members of the military and security forces, and moderate Basques for assassination. In addition, the group has carried out numerous bombings against government facilities and economic targets, including seasonal campaigns against tourist resorts. The ETA is believed to be responsible for over 500 deaths since 1968, and can claim to be one of the most violent groups in Europe. ETA funds are generated by kidnappings, armed robberies, and extortion of "revolutionary taxes"/ Millions of dollars have been "liberated" through large ransoms and bank robberies. The ETA has, on occasions, obtained ransom of more than $1 million.
The organizational structure of ETA is very sophisticated. The majority of the members (commandos) are organized into three or four-member cells. Most commandos are "legal" — ETA members, not known to the police, who live open lives without suspicion. They carry out operations and then disappear into their surroundings. A smaller number of commandos are "illegals", who are known to the authorities and live and operate entirely underground. There is also a large group that provides information, communications, and the other support needed to maintain ETA's infrastructure. Resources for a wide-ranging program of terrorism are available not only in the Spanish Basque provinces, but in the French Basque areas along the border, although recent actions by the French government may have the effect of denying sanctuary there.
The international connections of the ETA are quite extensive. It has reported ties with the Provisional Irish Republican Army, with which it has numerous common characteristics. Its other connections may be based on a common Marxist orientation. In the past, ETA members have trained at Middle Eastern terrorist training camps. The Cuban government has provided safe haven and training for ETA militants. There are also ETA members in Nicaragua, some of whom have been implicated in attacks against opponents of the Sandinista government. Most of the ETA presence in other regions result from transfer agreements between the Spanish government and the governments of the receiving vountry. Thus, activity associated with ETA members probably involves individuals acting on their own rather than being directed by ETA leaders in Europe.
In fall 1987, a seriecs of complementary arrests in France and Spain resulted from documentation seized by the French during the October 1987 capture of "Santi Potros". Police operations against ETA have been continuous and often successful. Nonetheless, the ETA seems able to rebound from even the most successful counter-terrorist operations.
In July of 1992 the ETA attempted to enter negotiations with the government. In exchange, the ETA would not interfere with the Olympics in Madrid. The government officially refused to enter talks, but unofficially talks began between the two groups. Successful counter-terrorist operations against the group combined with public outcry over the death of children in ETA bombings have resulted in the diminished activity for the group. But because of the large size of the group's support base and the high level of nationalist sentiment among the Basques, ETA violence is expected to continue to plague Spain for the foreseeable future.
Date Formed: 1979
Estimated Membership: Unknown
Headquarters: Paris, Lyons
Area of Operations: France, Belgium
Leadership: Jean-Marc Rouillan, Nathalie Menigon, Joelle Aubran, Georges Cipriani (all arrested by French policen in February 1987), Regis Schleicher (sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1987), Max Frerot, Frederic Oriach, Andre Olivier (arrested in 1986), Eric Moreau
Other Names: Accion Directe (original language)
Sponsors: None known
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The AD is believed to have evolved from French radical groups in the 1970s, such as the Revolutionary International Action Group (GARI) and the Armed Nuclei for Popular Autonomy (NAPAP). These groups occasionally resorted to terrorist tactics, but never demonstrated the organizational sophistication and operational capability displayed by the AD.
AD's anarchistic orientation has led it to develop a highly decentralized organization in which specific terrorist acts are planned and conducted by terrorist cells operating in relative isolation. The AD is believed to be divided into two wings, one international and one domestic. with the domestic wing being less violent. The international wing, based in Paris and allegedly Belgium, headed by Rouillon, has perpetrated several sophisticated bombings and assassinations, targeting individuals and institutions associated with the military and with West European industry, as well as institutions symbolizing both European cooperation and U.S.-European ties. The domestic wing seems to prefer exclusively French targets and usually bombs unoccupied buildings. The AD has financed its operations primarily through bank robberies, and has used a wide variety of weaponry and explosives in its attacks.
The international wing of AD allied itself with the German Red Army Faction (RAF) and possibly the Belgian Combatant Communist Cells (CCC) to form the Anti-Imperialist Armed Front. This front called for the formation of an "international proletarian urban combat organization" to combat the "Americanization of NATO" and thwart moves toward greater military cooperation withn the Atlantic Alliance. The intenational wing og the AD and the RAF may have conducted joint operations such as the January 1985 assassination of French General Rene Audran and the August 1985 bombing of Rhein Main Air Base. Evidence uncovered in AD safe-houses revealed strong logistical and perhaps even operational liks between the AD and the RAF.
The AD also is believed to have ties with other West European and Middle Eastern terrorist groups: The AD may have contacts with the Italian Red Brigades. There is evidence the AD has provided explosives to the Irish National Liberation Army. The AD also is alleged to have cooperated with the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction on several attacks carried out in France.
The AD has not conducted an attack since the arrest of the international wing's leadership cadre in February 1987. The group is believed to have been severly crippled by police successes in 1986 and 1987.
Date Formed: 1970
Estimated Membership: 200-400 hard-core members
Headquarters: Northern Ireland, Irish Republic
Area of Operations: Primarily Northern Ireland, occasionally England and continental Europe
Leadership: Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness
Other Names: Provos
Sponsors: Libya
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
Since Northern Ireland separated from the Irish Republic after the latter gained its independence in 1921, the Roman Catholic minority in Northern Ireland has protested discrimination by the Protestant-controlled government, and has pushed for inification in both violent and nonviolent campaigns. In the late 1960s, a strong Catholic civil rights campaign emerged that featured confrontational politics and occasional violent protests. In 1969, the dormant Irish Republican Army split into two wings &mdahs; Official (OIRA) and Provisional (PIRA). Initially both wings were agressively militant, but in 1972, the Official became nonviolent. Other Northern Irish extremist groups emerged, but the PIRA has maintained its leading position.
Most PIRA adherent. particularly in the rural areas, are traditional Irish nationalists, or Republicans, as are older veterans of the movement. Ranged against the conservative forces, however, and at present dominating them, is a goup of younger leaders, primarily from Northern Ireland, who have radical leftist tendencies. They sponsored PIRA's dual "Armalite and Ballot Box" strategy, according to which PIRA has pursued terrorism while at the same time promoting the efforts of its political wing, Provisional Sunn Fein, to become a legitimate political force in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Many conservative, traditional PIRA members reportedly are suspicious of the socialist inclinations and political aspirations of the new leadership. They fear that PIRA will be drawn toward political activity, forsaking violence and terrorism, which in their view are the only effective weapon in the struggle to achieve the group's goals.
PIRA terrorism is designed to move the people of Northern Ireland and Britain to pressure the British government to withdraw from Northern Ireland and let the Catholic and Protestant Irish settle their conflicts without British interference. By using violence, the Provos also hope to focus worldwide attention on the struggle against British "oppression" and thereby generate broader international pressure on the British government. In 1984-85, some of these people split form the Provisional Sinn Fein, when the latter's annual convention approved more political activity, and formed the "Republivan Sinn Fein". PIRA leaders have settled in for a long war of attrition in the hope that the prohibitive economic costs and international stigma attached to Britain's presence in Northern Ireland will drive the British Army out of Ulster, while admitting that a mlitary victory is unlikely.
The PIRA has focused its energy on inflicting maximum casualties from the beginning. The over 1000 victims who have died, and a far greater number who have been injured, are grim testimony to the PIRA's determination to "wash the British out of Ireland on a wave of blood". Favored PIRA targets include the British Army, Ulster security forces, prison and juducual officials, and Loyalist political party members. Most attacks have occured in Northern Ireland, but occasionally actions have been carried out in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain, and other West European nations. PIRA methods of attack included shootings, bombings, and mortar attacks. The PIRA arsenal is large and varied and i thought to include various handguns, machine-guns, grenades, Soviet-made RPG-7 grenade launchers, and a variety of homemade, commercial, and military explosives.
In the early 1970s, the police were especially effective in using information from informers to round up large numbers of PIRA radicals. As a result beginning in 1977, the PIRA was reorganized. The cells (called Active Service Units—ASUs) are compartamentalized, with members kowing only ech other and the person issuing orders from above. They also are functionally specialized in such activities as intelligence, sniping, executions, bombings, or robberies, and are capable of operating outside their own areas to confuse seurity forces. The cells are subordinate to local commands or brigades and ultimately responsible to a new "Northern Command", the primary PIRA operational authority.
Beginning in 1982, the British government succeeded in convincing many former PIRA terrorist to inform on their comrades-in-arms. These informers (referred to as "supergrasses") have helped British (along with their highly developed surveillance and intelligence methods) to arrest many PIRA militants. Nevertheless, PIRA actions — such as the 1984 bombing at Brighton in an attempt to assassinate British Prime Minister Thatcher and much of her Cabinet — indicate that the group remains a potent force.
Financial support for the PIRA has come from a variety of sources. Its civilian support base is a continuous source. Robberies fo banks, post offices, and corporate payrolls also are used routinely. Private U.S. citizens have been a source of funds. The PIRA also has received large amounts of money from the government of Libya.
In addition to money, the PIRA has received arms and possibly training from Libya. In 1973, 5 tons of Libyan weapons were intercepted off the coast of Ireland. PIRA leader Joe Cahill was aboard the ship. Later the Libyans allegedly gave PIRA between 1 and 2 million British pounds in financial assistance. This support stopped for several years, but was resumed in the early 1980s. In April 1986, the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland stated publicly that substantial support in arms and cash had been provided to PIRA by Libya since 1982. In November 1987, a Libyan arms sguonebt to the PIRA, containing various weapons, ammunition, and explosives, was confiscated off the French coast.
In addition to the Libyan connection, the PIRA is reported to have links with other terrorist organizations. The PIRA's closest ally among European terrorist groups is reported to be the Spanish Basqye group Fatherland and Liberty. Close links between these two groups allegedly date back to the early 1970s. The PIRA allegedly also has contacts with the West German Revolutionary Cells and appears to have strong support structures in West Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Date Formed: 1968
Estimated Membership: 20-30 hard-core members
Headquarters: Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)
Area of Operations: Primarily Federal Republic of Germany
Leadership: Functions with a collective leadership thought to include, among others, Barbara Mayer, Inge Viett, Sigrid Sternbeck, Tomas Simon, Wolfgang Grams (murdered by GSG-9 agents June 1993), Horst Meyer, Birgit Hogefeld, Silke Maier-Witt, Susanne Albrecht
Other Names: Baader Meinhof Gang, Baader Mainhof Group, Rote Armee Fraction (original language)
Sponsors: No major foreign sponsors
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The RAF began as part of the student antiwar movement in the 1960s. Originally called the Baader Mainhof Gang, it was dedicated to general terrorism and anti-establishment activity as part of its perceived role as a stimulus to worldwide Marxist revolution.
The current generation of the RAF is Marxist-Leninist in ideology. The RAF sees itself as part of an international movement aimed at bringing about a world wide revolution that would topple existing power structures in the capitalist world.
The RAF has suffered many changes of fortune during its two-decade history. All of its original leaders were captured or forced out of the country by the mid-1970s, but a new and more violent group replaced them. Most of the RAF leadership are well educated. Many have medical, legal, or technical training.
The RAF organizational concept calls for a multilevel structure. The hard-core membership consists of 20-30 combatants who live underground and conduct most of the lethal terrorost activities. West German authorities say the hard-core command level also directs the operations of illegal militants, who carry out bombings and lower level attacks. The periphery, of whom there are probably several hundred, form the vital support base that provides necesary funding, shelter, and communications for the operatives. A larger number of legal sympathizers assist in propagandizing RAF ideology.
The RAF has received support from many sources. In the 1970s, several members received terrorist training at camps in the Middle East, sponsored by extremist Palestinian groups. Contacts are maintained with French, Dutch, Belgian, Danish, Swiss, Irish, Italian, Spanish, and American groups and individuals of like interests. The RAF is one of the cofounders, with the Frensh Direct Action (AD) and Belgian Combatant Communist Cells (CCC), of the now-defunct Anti-Imperialist Armed Front in Western Europe, which had "declared war" on NATO, and had the goal of furthering terrorist cooperation. The RAF may have conducted joint attacks with Direct Action in 1985-86.
The RAF has perpetrated a variety of bombing and assassination attacks over the years. Each major RAF operation is the subject of detailed planning and generally is executed in a professional manner. Major RAF targets include representatives of the West German establisment, military and industrial sites, and the U.S. military presence in West Germany. The RAF has access to a large and varied supply of weaponry, including handguns, machine-guns, grenades, and RPG-7 rocket-propelled granades. The RAF also has shown considerable skill in manufacturing improvised explosive devices.
In April of 1992 the RAF attempted to enter peace negotiations with the German government. Since the reunification of Germany and the fall of the Soviet Union, the RAF had weakened enought that they wished to find a peaceful solution to their problems. The German government was divided about whether to deal with the terrorists after so many years and loss of life, but some concessions were made by lifting the isolation restrictions on several prisons where RAF members were located.
The progress made in the talks between German government and the RAF was destroyed in June 1993. Wolfgang Grams was killed in a shoot-out with GSG-9 and police officers. What at first looked to be just another chapter in the battle between the terorists and the government ende dup with high level resignations of German government officials. The initial reports were that Grams, when he realized he had been surrounded by police at the rail station, pulled a gun and opened fire on the police. In the resulting firefight, Grams was mortally wounded and died at the station. Eyewitness reports and an investigation brought out a different story. Grams was shot by police and lay helpless on track nine of the station when two GSG-9 members jumped down to him, held him down and fired at his head and torso at point blank range, essentially executing him. The Interior Minister and the chief federal prosecutor resigned shortly after the investigation findings became public. The RAF issued a statement declaring that if the government would not let htem live, then none of the government's or society's elite would live either.
Although the RAF has had an irregular history because of the periodic cpature of its primary leaders, the group has shown a disturbing ability to resurface with renewed and vicious attacks. Because if its relatively large support base, it probably will continue to be a serious terrorist threat.
Date Formed: 1970
Estimated Membership: Approximately 50-75 hard-core terrorists
Headquarters: Rome, Naples, Genoa, Milan, and the Tuscany region of central Italy
Area of Operations: Italy
Leadership: Most prominent BR leaders are currently in jail. The identities of current leaders at large are not known
Other Names: Brigate Rosse (original language)
Sponsors: None known
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The Red Brigades has been one of the most lethal of the major European terrorist groups. It has conducted extensive attacks with murder, "knee-capping", and kidnapping as its favored terrorist tackticcs. Preferred targets have been representatives of the Italian establishment, whom it considers the "oppressors of society". These individuals include business executives, members of the police, judiciary, and legal professions, and political party activists. Attacks have been characterized by precise planning and execution.
The BR was spawned by the ultra-radical winh of the Italian labor movemnt. Although the BR began with a clear focus on destroying the Italian establishment, it expanded its horizons in late 1981 when it "declared war" on NATO, and in early 1984 when it expressed solidarity with Middle EAstern terrorist groups. Recently the group's propaganda has offered support to the idea of increasing contacts and cooperation among West European terrorist groups, and of targeting individuals and institutions involved in Stategic Defense Initiative research.
The BR organizational structure is believed to be highly cellular and strictly copartmentalized, helping to ensure security and independent action by the various units. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Italian police succeeded in arresting many BR leaders and confiscating large amounts of arms and explosives. In 1987, with the cooperation of French and Spanish authorities, the Italians succeeded in apprehending numerous BR terrorists, including those responsible for the March 1987 assassination of Italian Air Force General Lucio Giorieri. While drastically reducing the operational capability of the BR, police action has not totally destroyed the organization.
Two separate faction sappear to have developed within the BR since 1984. One faction, the Militarists or the Fighting Communist Party (FCC), constitutes the majority and usually follows a strict Leninist view that only violent terrorist acts can pave the way for revolution. The other faction, the Movementalists or Union of Fighting Communists (UCC), is the minority or splinter group that does not believe a ervolution is possible until the proletariat has been sufficiently politicized to support revolutionary action. Regardless of differences in rhetoric, the two groups show little difference in either methods of operation or targeting.
The BR has had contacts with the West German Red Army Faction (RAF) and the French Direct Action (AD) organizations. BR members have been arrested in France in the company of AD militants. Large numbers of BR militants enjoy safe haven in France, and evidence points to the existence of a BR external column whose task is to protect fugitives and recruit new militants. Recent arrests also indicate a BR presence in Spain.
The BR also may have ties to Palestinian terrorist groups. In the late 1970s, BR members smuggled into Italy at least two shipments of weapons provided by Palestinian elements. Training of BR militants in Palestinian camps in Lebanon also has been alleged. Moreover the BR is suspected of involvement, along with the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction, in the 1984 assassination of American Leamon Hunt, Director General of the Multinational Force and Observers for the Sinai.
Alberto Franceschini, leader of the BR, was released from prison in June 1992. He served 18 years of a 30-year sentence. One of the conditions of his release was to renounce terrorism.
The structure and capability of the BR is unknown at this time because so many of its leaders and support have been killed or arrested by Italian police. It seems unlikely they would be a serious threat to Italy, but they have come back before, so the future remains unclear.
Date Formed: 1975
Estimated Membership: Approximately 20-25
Headquarters: Believed to be in Athens
Area of Operations: Athens
Leadership: Unknown
Other Names: Epanastaiki Crranosi 17 Noemvri (original language)
Sponsors: None known
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
Since its first appearance in December 1975, when it claimed responsibility for assassination of U.S. Embassy officer Richard Welsch in Athens, the 17 November has established itself as one of the most proficient and lethal terrorist groups in Europe. Marxist in orientation and virulently anti-U.S., the group has conducted attacks against Greek targets it considers to oppose the revolution and official U.S. personnel who represent interference in Greek affairs.
The 17 November attacks have been almost exclusively ambush-style assassinations by two and three member teams. Victims usually are attacked near their homes or offices. The group has used the same pistol in several of its attacks, including the assassination of two Americans; this could indicate that the group has limited resources, or it may be a method to authenticate its responsibility for attacks. In any case, using the same pistol indicates that the group is confident in its ability to elude the police. In fact, not a single 17 November member has been arrested in nearly 13 years of attaacks. The 17 November organization has been responsible for several bombings since 1985, including an attack against a bus transporting U.S. military personnel in April 1987 that injured 18 individuals. The 17 November organization also claimed responsibility for an August 1987 bomb attack against another bus carrying U.S. military personnel; 12 were injured, 10 of them Americans. Recently, the frequency of 17 November attacks has increased considerably, while the use of bombs to cause indiscriminate injuries gives the 17 November group additional capability and poses an adde threat.
Little is known concerning the 17 November's membership, organization, or relationships, if any, to other Greek terrorist groups. Following an October 1987 shoot-out between police and members of the Revolutionary Popular Struggle (ELA), however, and a subsequent search of ELA hideouts, Greek police believe they have established a link between the two rgroups, There is no evidence that the 17 November maintains ties to foreign terrorist groups.
Date Formed: 19 April 1970 (formation generated by 1970 electoral defeat of the National Popular Aliance political party). First operation claimed in 1974
Estimated Membership: 1000
Headquarters: Cali, Colombia
Area of Operations: M-19 has two main rural fronts in Colombia: a Southern Front in Putumayo Department (Province) and a Western Front in Caldas, Cauca, Vale del Cauca, uindio, and Tolima Departments. M-19 also operates in ANtioquia. An urban infrastructure exists in the capital of Colombia, Bogota
Leadership: Carlos Pizarro Leon-Gomez, Antonio Navarro, Otty Patino
Other Names: Movimento 19 de Abril (original language)
Sponsors: Cuba, Nicaragua, and to a lesser degree, Libya
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The M-19 announced its existence on 17 January 1974 by stealing the sword of Simon Bolivar from a Bogota museum, though the group surfaced as early as 1973, when a group of revolutionaries began raiding banks to finance their attacks on Colombian society. The group took its name from the date of the election defeat in 1970 of former President General Gustavo Rojas Fitulla and adopted 19 April 1970 as its founding date.
The M-19 rapidly expanded in 1977 and 1978 and increased in size, capability, and scope of activities as a result of training received from Argentine Montoneros and Uruguayan Tupamaros, as well as in Cuba and possibly Libya.
Although the group primarily recruited middle-class intellectuals and students in its early years, by 1985 the M-19 also was recruiting some peasants. Also that year, the M-19 announced that it was transforming itself from a guerilla group into an army, together with the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) and the Workers' Self-Defense Movement (ADO). After suffering serious losses in clashes with givernment forces, the terrorists seized Bogota's Palace of Justice on 6 November 1985.
M-19 activities include occupations of and attacks on towns, as well as attacks on army garrisons and high-level military and police officials. The group also engages in fund-raising kidnappings of wealthy businessmen or employees of foreign companies. It has hijacked two commercial jetliners, a cargo plane, and a civilian helicopter.
The M-19 has conducted anti-U.S. terrorist actions, including killing U.S. citizen Chester Bitterman, kidnapping of U.S. mining engineer, and making threats against the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia.
In addition to kidnapping for ransom, the M-19 obtains some funds through drug-related activities. In 1980, Cuba apparently arranged an arms shipment to the M-19 through Jaime GuillotLara, a Colombian drug smuggler, althouh no further operations of this type are known to have occured. Since 1984m there haave been several reports of the group extorting money from narcotics growers. Revenues from drug-related activities complement the M-19's fund-raising through kidnapping, robberies, and external supporters, although there are indications that the group continues to suffer financial shortages.
The M-19 reportedly has ties with many active and dominant Latin American terrorist organizations, including the Uruguayan Tupamaros and the Ecuadorian AVC, as well as groups in EL Salvador, Costa Rica, Peru, Guatamala, and Venezuela. M-19 guerillas also are loosely allied with other Colombian groups such as the Popular Liberation Army (EPL), the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Patria Libre, and the Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRT) under the National Guerrilla Coordinator (CNG), which excludes the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The M-19 also joined in the Simon Bolivar Guerrilla Coordinator, a FARC-led loose aliance formed in 1987. In April 1984, the M-19 announced an alliance with Spain's Basque Fatherland and Liberty separatists for training and mutual assistance.
Many guerrillas probably receive basic training at camps in Colombia and reportedly from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Libya as well. Documents captured in May 1981 indicated that 300 M-19 guerrillas were trained in Cuba in 1980. Cuba also provided the M-19 with weapons during its formative years. Some guns used in the Palaceof Justice siezure indicate Nicaragua also may supply some material. Currently, many of the M-10's weapons probably are acquired through purchase abroad.
The M-19 has suffered a series of setbacks since the november 1985 Palace of Justice attack, ncluding loss of several top leaders. owever the M-19's urban unit in Bogota became active gain between late 1987 and early 1988.
Date Formed: 1978
Estimated Membership: Unknown
Headquarters: Unknown
Area of Operations: Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Leadership: Unknown
Other Names: Ejercito Popular de Boricua (EPB), Boricua Popular Army. (Poricua refers to rural inland Puerto Ricans.)
Sponsors: None known
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The Macheteros are a tightly organized and extremely violent Puerto Rican separatist group that has targeted primarily U.S. military personnel and Puerto Rican police. The group has tight internal security procedures and precisely executes its attacks.
The Macheteros appear to be fiercely dedicated to total Puerto Rican independence. Nothing short of that is likely to cause them to cease terrorist operations. The stated position of the group is that they have declared war on the United States.
Direct ties of the Macheteros to other groups operating in Latin America have not been established. The Macheteros apparently cooperate with another Puerto Rican separatist group called the Organization of Volunteers for Puerto Rican Revolution. The two have made joint claims following some attacks. The Macheteros probably also have links to the Armed Forces of National Liberation, a Puerto Rican separatist group that has conducted anti-U.S. attacks for over three decades.
Robberies and thefts evidently provide a major source of funds. The Macheteros also may receive donations from ideological backers.
Date Formed: 1969; began terrorist operations in 1980
Estimated Membership: 4000-5000
Headquarters: Ayacucho Department
Area of Operations: Peru
Leadership: Manuel Ruben Abimael Guzman (a.k.a. President Gonzalo - captured 1992), Julio Cesar Mezzich, Carlota Tello Cutti (a.k.a. Carla)
Other Names: Sendero Luminoso (original language)
Sponsors: No foreign sponsors known, but drug cartels have been known to help their funding
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The Shining Path is a highly active and violent terrorist/insurgent group that claims a neo-Maoist orientation. Its hope is to create a rural-based insurgency that will sweep into the cities and destroy the current system of government.
The SL developed from an extremist splinter group of the Peruvian Communist Party (PCP). It has tried to radicalize the Marxist-Leninist movement in Peru and feels that the old, heroic traditions of the Quechua Indians are the proper elements for a new social and political system. By using names and symbols from the Indian heritage of the rural regions, the SL has been able to attract some support that might not have been drawn to a purely Marxist ideology.
The SL is organized to conduct simultaneous urban terrorism and rural guerrilla warfare. Although it is ;arge and adequately equipped and trained, the group tends to avoid direct conflict with the military unless it can attack with overwhelming force.
Unlike most other Latin American leftist subversive groups, the SL is not believed to have obvious or extensive ties to Cuba or other sponsors. Bank robberies and extortion are the primary sources of funding. The SL imposes a "war tax" that apparently provides a large source of income.
The SL conducts very aggressive indoctrination programs in its rural bases. Its recruiting practices frequently target 12- to 15-year-olds who can be molded into highly motivated, even fanatical activists.
The SL employs a cellular structure for terrorist operations, and each cell has at least one female member. Women serve as members of assault teams as well as smugglers, intelligence operatives, and messengers.
Particularly gruesome assassinations are a hallmark of the SL. Victims often are ritually mutilated, and the corpses are left on public display. This feature of the SL operations is partly a reflection of an Indian belief that an unmutilated victim's spirit can reveal its killer, and it also magnifies the terror of the killings.
Although the SL espouses a rural, peasant revolution, its leadership comes from radical middle-class intellectual circles. The leaders, however, are very skillful at maintaining the image of a people's movement, thus enhancing the SL's ability to attract support in rural regions. Nonetheless, if a village demonstrates resistance to an SL takeover, residentts frequently are terrorized into cooperation; extermination of village leadership is not uncommon.
The principal targets of SL assassination teams are civilian technicians of overnment-sponsored civic actin projects and local political leaders affiliated with the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APR) political party. Several relatively ambitious development projects cannot get off the ground because the SL assassinates techncians, destroys work completed, and blows up construction machinery needed to continue work. Economic disruption by the SL also has targeted the railways, in an attempt to cripple the major transportation system.
The arrest of Abimael Guzman in September of 1992 seemed, at furst, to put SL on the defensive by the loss of one of their leaders, but within a short time SL was in participating in operations the same as before. When Guzman was transferred from his island prison to a maximum security, windowless cell on an inland naval base, in front of international media, SL retaliated by ambushing police patrols and exploding bombs in downtown Lima, killing 11 people, including police and soldiers.
SL can and does function without the leadership of Guzman. This terrorist group is far from being stopped.
Date Formed: 1971
Estimated Membership: 25
Headquarters: Lebanon
Area of Operations: Western Europe, Middle East, Asia
Leadership: Fusako Shigenobu (a.k.a. Marian Fusako Okudaira, Miss Yuki), Haruo Wako
Other Names: Nippon Sekigun, Nihon Sekigun
Sponsors: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Libya
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The Japanese Red Army (JRA) terrorist group was formed in 1971 by Fusako Shigenobu. While serving as liaison between the Japanese Red Army Faction and Palestinian terrorists, Shigenobu formed the JRA with a small cadre of personnel who had joined her in Lebanon. The core strength of the organization probably never exceeded 20-25, and a base of sympathizers in Japan probably numbered about 100. Homeland supporters provided some moral support and financial aid, as well as an audience for JRA propaganda. The primary sources of funds, however, are believed to be Palestinian factions and probably Libya.
The JRA conducted terrorist acts on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) from 1972 to 1977, most notably the 1972 Lod Airport massacre in Israel. It also has acted independently over the years, although the JRA probably consults with the PFLP prior to conducting any attacks for its own purposes. JRA members who are still at large are believed to operate out of Lebanon with the PFLP. Rumors circulated have indicated that Shigenobu and Dr. George Habash of the PFLP are lovers.
Since 1977, the JRA has not claimed credit for violent actions; however, individuals formerly identified as mebers of the JRA have been linked individually to acts of terrorism as recently as 1988. Though JRA member Osamu Maruoka was arrested in Japan last November, and suspected member Yu Kikumura (formerly with the Japanese Red Army Faction) was arrested in New Jersey in April 1988, the majority of JRA core members remain in Lebanon.
Date Formed: 1972
Estimated Membership: 2000 active
Headquarters: Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka
Area of Operations: Sri Lanka
Leadership: Vellupillai Prabhakaran, leader; Anton Balasingam, spokesman
Other Names: Tigers, Tamil Tigers
Sponsors: Formerly the Tamil Nadu State, India
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
Long the strongest Sri Lankan Tamil militant group, the LTTE is the only major group that has fought the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka. The LTTE was formed in the early 1970s by young Sri Lankan Tamils who sought a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka as a way of redressing Tamil grievances against the Sri Lankan government. The LTTE gained notoriety after it claimed responsebility for the 1975 murder of Alfred Doriappa, the mayor of Jaffna.
The LTTE started uts campaign for a separate Tamil state in earnest in 1977 with assassination attempts on several moderate Tamil politicians. Since the widespread communial riots of 1983, the LTTE has expanded its operations to include attacks on Sri Lankan security forces, bank robberies, and indiscriminate attacks on Sri Lankan officials and civilians in Sri Lanka's northern and eastern provinces. The LTTE also has fought with other weaker Tamil militant groups in an attempt to ensure its preeminence. The LTTE has come under considerable pressure since October 1987, when Indian Peacekeeping Forces has continued its actions against remaining LTTE fighters in the north and east.
In November 1994, the LTTE members assasinated a presidential candidate, killing 55 people and wounding 200 others. LTTE's actions have no end in sight.
Date Formed: Around 1982
Estimeted Membership: About 200 members
Headquarters: Central headquarters probably located in Punjab
Area of Operations: Throughout India, especially in Punjab and Haryanam and to some extent worldwide
Leadership: Unknown
Other Names: None known
Sponsors: Various Sikh leaders
Political Objectives/Target Audiences:
The Dashmesh "Tenth" Regiment probably was oganized onder the aegis of Sant Jarnail Sing Bhindranwale. After conducting a reign of terror in the Punjab in the early 1980s, he was killed by the Indian Army in a June 1984 attack on the Sikh Golden Temple. The group was named after the Sikhs' revrend 10th and last guru, Gobind Singh, who in the 18th century, in addition to greatly influencing the Sikh religion, forged the Sikhs into a warrior class.
The Dashmesh Regiment's founder is reputed to have been Major General Shaheeg Singh, a Sikh officer with experience training irregulars in Bangladesh, who sobsequently was cashiered from the Indian Army for corruption. However, shortly before his death in the attack in the Golden Temple, the general hevemently disclaimed any connection with the Dashmesh Regiment or any knowledge about such a regiment. Surinder Singh Gill, an orthodox Sikh who gave up a prized civil service position to join Bhindranwale, probably was the group's first leader. Following the assault on the Golden Temple, Dashmesh gained increased covert and popular support, and has continued to claim responsibility for terrorist attacks throughout India.
This is a general timeline of terrorist activities since the late 1960s, the birth of modenr terrorist groups. This is not an exhaustive list of every event, but a significant summary of acts comitted in the last couple of decades.
This section is designed to give the GM some ideas and guidance in running espionage adventures. Included are options for espionage agencies, different settings, and some thoughts on developing adventures.
Listed below are some options for running espionage adventures. An imaginative GM may want to mix and match these options, such as a Dark Reality-Multi-National Team setup, or a 1950s Vampires... game. GMs, of course, are free to disregard any of these options for one of their own.
If a GM decides a real agency is too limiting in its structures and capabilities, he can alsways create a fictional super agency. Some television examples have been CONTROL with Maxwell Smart and the Man from U.N.C.L.E. Taking a real agency and adding the powers of another is also an option, such as giving the CIA control of domestic counterintelligence and operations, instead of the FBI. This can be a code-word secret organization that isn't mentioned or even acknowledged by the government it works for, or a totally open agency with a notorious reputation. Either way, of a GM decide to go this route, the sky is the limit.
This is an option that can provide some of the best action and adventure, but it also can get the ugliest. In this setting, every conspiracy and negative rumor about intelligence agencies is true (i.e. they deal drugs, assassinate anyone who gets in their way, and have no restraint on their actions). If as a GM you want your characters to get down and dirty than this option may be for you. Committing illegal acts may not seem that different from the questionable acts of the real espionage world, but it's the degree of actions that is referred to here. In real life, the CIA is supposed to be banned from committing assassinations, so instead they just hire out people who do that for them. In Dark Reality, agents will not only commit assassinations, but the agency will have a team trained to kill, a sort of anti-hostage rescue team. The prohibition against incurring civilian casualties would be lamost the first to go.
In a Dark Reality, all intelligence agencies become vicious, ruthless, mindless monsters without any oversight or control over their actions. Yes, this is different than how agencies actually work. They may be ruthless, at times, but not as a constant, and there is always some entity reviewing any agenc ycations, though the public may never hear about it. As a GM it will be up to you to determine if this is something you want in your campaign.
Every horror story, UFO sighting, and mythological beast you have ever heard about has some merit to it. In this option, the intelligene community has their hands full with spying on other countries, as well as keeping a lid on the existence of these creatures. This is recommended for a really imaginative GM that wants to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, at hte players. Imagine a team conducting an operation to arrest the buyer and seller of nuclear material. When the team moves in, they discover, much to their surprise, the buyer is a vampire; a very upset, very strong vampire. The situation could get ugly really fast. Under this option the GM doesn't have to stop with fantasy creatures either. How about a dose of dimensional travel for the PC team, or perhaps time travel? Everything from reality shifts to alien abduction is fair game in this universal option. An excellent show for story ideas is Fox's "X-Files"
If the players want to have different nationalities or agencies to work for, then this may be the option to use. Here, a special task force has been set up by some participating countries to exchange ideas and techniques. This is only possible with friendly countries on a long-term basis, such as a German, U.S., French, and British team. This could make for a tense and suspenseful campaign. If, during the course of events, it becomes necessary to choose country or team, which will the character side with, what should they decide? Orders within a multi-national team can conflict and that may become a problem. This is a good option if the team works consitently in an area all of the nations have a similar stance on, say nuclear proliferation, terrorism, or technical espionage. Otherwise, the campaign could start to look like a John Woo film, with all of the characters standing in a circle pointing their handguns at each others faces. Bam, and they all fall down.
The timelines of espionage and terrorism provides a GM with a good foundation for a campaign set in an earlier time period. For example, if a GM wanted to run an espionage campaign during the height of terrorism fear, the early-mid 80s, he could look on the timelines to see what events are going to happen in the chosen time. Anther time period that could be chosen maybe the 50s-60s, when espionage angencies were at the height of the Cold War. This is just another option for a GM to consider.
Another option for characters is to remain outside of agency bureaucracy by forming a freelance team that hires itself out to agencies for special operations. The taem could specialize in a certain area, such as propaganda, exposing double agents, or stealing other countries' or businesses' secrets. A freelance team would have the adventage of remaining outside of the politics of a particular agency, but they would also be on their own in every sense of the word. A freelancer doesn't have the contacts, resources, and diplomatic immunity that agency operatives have.
Once the characters have been created and the setting have been developed, it is now time to run an op. There are several types of campaigns a GM can run, hight-speed adventures, puzzles, or intense, detail-oriented operations.
In high-speed adventures, all that is sought is a place to run, jump, and shoot, preferably at the same time. When it comes to these, the plot is only as necessary as it is a means to get the characters into car chases, shoot-outs, or precarious positions. These are good ideas for short, quick doses of role-playing. The idea is to get the characters into the game fast and keep them running for the duration of the adventure.
If constant action isn't your cup of tea, then how about trying to unravel a mysterious plot. An imaginative GM could throw out some odd clues that seem to not have a connection, but as more clues arise, the level of crisis could rise, imposing a sense of urgency in the need to solve the puzzle. These are good for medium length missions. Good mysteries take time to flourish.
For GMs that like long missions, detail-oriented operations can be fun. These are missions in which the characters are investigating a possible douoble agent, trying to duplicate classified documents in a different country, or maybe trying to recruit an agent in a foreign embassy. These missions take time and the payoff comes from good planning, not shooting. Missions of this sort can, however, become high-speed, especially if the opposition finds out what the characters are doing.
To keep players' interest in the game, props are always a nice addition to a campaign. These could include maps of cities the characters are visiting. Pre-written messages are helpful and can be "aged", coded, ciphered, or written in a foreign language. Background music can also help set the mood for players. Even real newspaper reports could be used by a GM to add realism to the campaign. Props can be as elaborate or as simple as you want to make them. Everything from a note to a videotaped briefing can be employed to make the game more interesting.
There are several good ideas to keep in mind when running an adventure. A GM is going to have a tough time creating missions, running them, and keeping them fun and orderly. Here are a few tips to keep a campaign running.
BE FLEXIBLE: The death of many campaigns is lack of flexibility on the part of the GM. If a character wants to do something outrageous to make the game more interesting, allow them to try. If it sets your shcedule behind or if it alters your storyline, that's okay. You wil recover. A slight change in plans shouldn't be able to destroy your entire adventure. If you are flexible, it can make the game much easier to play, as well as GM.
ENTERTAIN: This is supposed to be fun. Put in some opportunities for the character to get a laugh during the adventure. If the team is only entertained by action, then toss the dog a bone. If as the GM you make the experience more enjoyable, then you have fulfilled your mission.
PACE: Trt ti jeeo the game going no matter what. If there is a discrapency about the rule, make a quick compromise, or even give it to the player, for now. Anything to prevent the pace from slowing down or coming to a stop. Nothing is more boring than being on the verge of an event and than having to wait 30 minutes for a someone to look up a rule.
KEEP COOL: If things aren't going your way, so what. A good GM has the situation in hand and you are here to have fun, so why freak out because your version of events didn't exactly go according to plan? This goes double for being rude to the GM. The GM has put effort into attempting to make the game a fun experience for you; respect that. If you have a problem with the GM, let it ride until a more appropriate time. During a car chase, fire fight, or even as you are falling off the side of a building, is not the time to spoil the mood.
ROLE PLAY: This may seem silly point to bring up, but it is a necessary one. Play your character, with his abilities, knowledge and experience, not yours. You may know about security systems in real life, but if your character doesn't, then don't be surprised when a GM disallows your disarming of a system without any game experience. Stick to what your character knows and has experienced. The variety is part of role-play's challenge and fun.
JUMP IN: The GM has gone to the trouble of creating a story for you to pursue, its up to you to go after it. Don't wait for the GM to give you clues, go after the plot with a vengance. Try out ideas, no matter how inane they may seem. Being involved in a campaign is the fun of role playing.
These are some adventures to draw players into the espionage genre. At the end of this section is a quick chart to generate some campaign scenarios.
The characters are sent to Bogota, Colombia to rescue an agent captured during a routine assignment. Designed for characters of low to middle level of experience in field operations.
The Colombian government has declined in recent years in meeting the need of its people. Corruption, greed, and incompetence have all taken their toll on the structure. Add to that several active terrorist organizations and crime cartels, and Colombia looks like it's ready for a change in leadership, one way or another. That was the agency's official line and they wanted to see just how close Colombia was to falling apart. Agent Ken Bierson was sent in to buy information from a friendly in the government about the stability of Colombia. During a brush contact for the information, and unforseeable accident occurred. M-19 (19 of April Movement) exploded a bomb in the lobby of the hotel, killing eight (including the contact), and wounding four (including Bierson). Colombian officials arrived at the scene and found Bierson with some of the documents. He was quickly shuttled away to the hospital under military guard until they decided what to do with him.
When Bierson didn't show up at his pre-arranged checkpoint, the agency decided to mount this operation to get him out before anything could be learned from him. The agency hopes that Bierson looked at the documents before the explosion occurred. Bierson has a photographic memory, and he did look at the documents briefly in the lobby before the blast.
What the agency doesn't know is that an M-19 sympathizer was also searching the wreckage, posing as a rescue worker, and found some of the official papers. The sympathizer saw Bierson taken away and report what she saw to her friends, who now also want to talk to Bierson, or at least get their hands on the rest of the stability information.
A brutally efficient intelligence officer from the Colombian Administrative Department of Security. He is in charge of the Bierson case. Competent, cruel, and feared in the government, Durante wants to continue his rise in the directorate and thinks a successful inquiry of Bierson would give him another promotion. He lost his wife to an M-19 attack three years ago, although there were rumors he knew of the bomb threat and decided his wife would better serve him as martyr rather than in person, intensifying his already fanatical hatred of the group. If he finds out M-19 is involved, he will try whatever is neceessary to trap them, even using Bierson as bait.
An M-19 operative for three years, Camas has been given the assignment of finding out where the rest of the documents are and getting Bierson out of the hospital. He has a knack for tactical ability and small unit combat. Camas has only failed once in his career as a terrorist, against the DEA and Colombian military he was forced to retreat, an insult he would like to pay back soon. He has a fanatically loyalty and deadly 10-person cell under his command. Camas has moved up in the M-19 leadership since the Justice Building occupation. He was against it as being unsound, and he was right. After the smoke cleared, there weren't too many people to oppose or argue with him. He will try to go for Brieson after the rescue team gets him from the hospital, saving him from having to deal with the military. He will kill the retrieval team to get Bierson.
An undercover agent and accomplished pilot, de Soto was recruited five years ago in Colombia. De Soto has been a valuable resource with his many contacts and safe houses. His two daughters were killed by soldiers during election year violence. His wife, a newspaper reporter, was murdered by a drug cartel during an investigation into a smuggling operation. He is loyal to the agency and cannot be bribed, because he believes the operations against the terrorists and cartels are justified. He has the unenviable assignemnt of helping the characters get Bierson out of the country. He will also accompany the team on a raid, if necessary, to get Bierson out of the hospital. If he does accompany them, he will leave the country with the team.
An experienced agent, Bierson's talent lies in being able to look like a totally harmless tourist, no matter what country he is in. An American with training in Spanish, French, and dialects of South American Indigenous Peoples groups, he also has another special ability: a photographic memory. Anything he looks at he can recall at +90. This does not mean he understands what he has seen (i.e. he regurgitates information without comprehension). Bierson was hurt in the explosion, but should be able to come around. He would be of use to the characters with his language and area experise.
Bogota is a city of six million people with futuristic skyscrapers standing beside colonial churches. New wealth is accumulating daily, while oppressive poverty leaves its trademark beggers and shack homes. Crime is rampant. While the drug cartels consists of the most infamous criminals in the country, if not the world, there are still plenty of lesser known and just a s dangerous people running around Bogota after dark. Avenida Jimenez is noted for such activities as theft, prostitution, drug sales, and murder. There have been too many bodies found lying in the streets of Bogota the next morning, says a tourist guide, to chance goig outside by ourself after dark. Police are armed with .38 revolvers and Uzis, and travel in pairs if not fours during nightfall in bad areas. Their vehicles usually have other weapons in either the trunk, such as shotguns, or mounted on the vehicle itself, such as .30 or .50 caliber machine guns. Law enforcement officers in Bogota are aware of their role as friendly guides with tourists in the country. But after dusk in bad areas, police are understandably suspicious, cautious, and sometimes quick to fire first and ask questions later. Characters shouldn't have any trouble or stand out in the city as long as they stick to the tourist routine. Streets running north-south are called Carreras and streets running east-west are called Calles.
This is one of the more expensive hotels in Bogota, but the service and security is excellent. The building is ten stories tall with singles, doubles, four royal suites and one penghouse at $30, $48, $100, and @250 a night, respectively. The hotel has all the amenities, including a pool with a 20-feet deep end, and a roof-top restaurant.
An advanced hospital, especially for Bogota, that is being used to keep Bierson secure until he is finished with treatment. The hospital is located on Calle 13 No 8-28, or number 6 on the map.
The sub-basement contains the morgue, testing laboratories, and primary x-ray lab. There is always somebody fere to take in bodies, or a team running patient tests. The first floor has the reception area, waiting room, gift shop, and emergency room. The gift shop closes at 10 p.m.; everything else is always open, like any other hospital. Floors 2-10 are the normal rooms for patients, storage, nurse stations, lounges, and a small pharmacy. The 11th floor is pediatrics. It is set up the same as floors 2-10. The 12th floor, again the same as 2-10, is for terminally ill and burn patients. Floor 13 is for the operating room and main storage of emergency equipment. The upper two floors are divided differently than the rest of the hospital. Floor 14 has been separated into six single suites for private care and VIP patients. This is where Bierson is being held. Outside of his room are two soldiers armed with Uzis. They will approach anyone who gets off the elevator with suspicion and regard them as a threat until proven otherwise. There is only a small chance they will be caught off-guard while on the floor. Inside the room are another six soldiers armed with Uzis and equally alert.
The top floor houses another emergency room that treats patients brought in via helicopter transport that lands on the roof. It also has a waiting room, supply closet, pharmacy, and EMT prep room.
When a helicopter is approaching it will communicate to the hospital for a clear landing pad and four-person EMT team waiting for touch-down. Usually a severe case is brought into the emergency room on the 15th floor to give the patient a better chance to survive by being given immediate medical attention.
Bought by de Soto in 1992, the house used to be an overnight city home for a former general until his assassination in 1991. De Soto made some additions to the already customized home. (The former owner was paranoid of attack, but apparently not paranoid enough.) It has the following features.
The windows is gone from this room so it is entirely sealed with additional steel armor. It has a closed circuit monitoring system covering the outside and inside of the house, including night and thermal vision capabilities.
The characters, once briefed, will have only a week from the time they arrive in Colombia to rescue Bierson from the hospital. After that, Bierson will be transferred to a secure military hospital in Cartagena. Mission priotities, as will be explained to the team during the briefing, are as follows, in order of importance:
The documents are secondary to Bierson's life. Only if they are easily accessible should an attempt be made to get them. The briefing will include the soldiers on the outside of the hospital room, but not those inside. It is known Bierson travels with a pair of guards when he has medical tests on the 15th floor. It is suspected that M-19 will be alert because of the security surrounding Bierson's quick removal from the scene. If the team can get Pierson out of the hospital they have one month to lay low in the safe house before the agency believes it will become a problem. What the agency doesn't know is that M-19 personnel have taken up positions around the hospital and they are following de Soto. They stumbled on de Soto when they saw him at the hospital and the scene of the explosion. They know the location of the safe house, along with other homes de Soto owns, but theydon't knwo its assets.
The plan for the characters to get Pierson out should come from the players's initiative, but if they are having problems, the GM can hint at de Soto's piloting skills and his ability to lay his hands on a Texas Ranger Bell Helicopter. Prompring and hints thrown around by a helpful GM should help the players formulate a plan for an air rescue during one of Bierson's many trips to the 15th floor for testing. If the characters go in disguised and yelling revolutionary slogans appropriate to M-19 or one of the many other terrorist groups in Colombia, they may just be able to pin the rescue on somebody else. The biggest problem, if they choose this route, will be noted under Obstacles. Other plans could be to take him in the elevator or gtom outside the building and lower him down. But remember, they don't know there are six other soldiers waiiting inside of the room.
Other equipment will be provided, with reason, if the characters can justify the expense and explain the probability of success based on that particular piece of equipment.
The characters are gathered for their assignment. If they are a multi-national team, they are flown in to a central location under heavy secrecy, without much explainatoin. When the entire team is present, the briefer will explain the Bierson situation and give the time limit, review the equipment needed, give an up-to-date intelligence assessment, and familiarize them with the city and de Soto. A team leader should be chosen for the mission, to be accountable for the mission. The characters will fly into Bogota as tourists and be picked up by de Soto at the airport and taken to the Continental Hotel where he will deliver their equipment. While on the way to the hotel one of the team members has a decent chance (+10 Alertnes or Observation) of spotting the M-19 tail. The tail if spotted will leave and report the team's arrival to Camas. If thei tail isn't noticed, then she will try to get as much information about the team as possible before reporting. The only change of information between the characters left and their arrival is that the identity and background of Col. Durante has been confirmed as the man in charge of Bierson.
Each member of the mission team will be issued their normal sidearm with four magazines and one flash/bang grenade. Two Mac-10's and two AN-PVS-7 night vision goggles are also available for the team.
Other aids already mentioned are de Soto, his area expertise and contacts, and the safe house with the cache it contains. De Soto also knows how slack the military response time is to an air rescue of Bierson.
There aren't too many other tangible aids. The Colombian government would probably not expecting a team to try to rescue Bierson bu helicopter or any other means. The alertness of the soldiers is due to Durante's reputation of terror, which in itself may help the clever characer.
The biggest obstacle in this mission will be to stay within the mission priorities, stay away from the government and police, and still rescue Bierson.
The six soldiers in Bierson's room will pose a big problem. Any PC who even if they don't know about thm decides to have a shoot-out in the hospital will probably die before he knows what has happened. THe soldiers are expecting something to happen, or at least they act like it at all times, in fear of Durante. Because of that fear, it is unlikely they will be caught by surprise.
The leader of M-19 is watching the hospital and de Soto, waiting for someone to take Bierson away from the soldiers so he can take Bierson away from them. If he see the team get away with Bierson, he will begin searching the known homes and hangouts of de Soto. It will take 1-4 hours before he finds the safe house, assuming the team holes up there. If the team is there then see Encounters with M-19 for reactions from Camas and his team.
The final part of the mission profile dealing with documents is a no-go. They were burned upon retrieval from the blast site and security has been maintained at the Ministry of Information.
The last obstacle is Bierson himself. He has a slight concussion, broken weapon arm, and is suffering nausea and blackouts. He is not exactly someone you wold want to back you up in a fire-fight.
If Bierson is rescued without undue attention, or ig the blame is placed on some other group then award bonus experience points all around. If de Soto has to leave with the team, he can become an NPC for the team. Bierson can put in a good word for the team to help them get into a specific department or upcoming mission they may want in on. Maybe the characters would like to relax? Perhaps the team is deserving of a nice vacation? (See mini-scenarios Vacation)
If the team can pull this off, they will have earned a high level of respect in the intelligence community. If they fail, they will be tagged as dangerous and their names will be mentioned in the same breath as "that Bierson fiasco" or the "Colombian folly". This will remain until the characters do something to reverse it.
If the soldiers guarding Bierson are attacked while accompanying Bierson on the upper level, it will take only 3-5 rounds before their companions arrive on the scene ready for combat. There is a 50% chance the characters will run into Durante while at the hospital. He is alert and on the look-out for sneaky characters.
Once the team leaves the hospital, regardless of wherther they leave by helicopter, on foot, or by car, the Apache will be sent into the air within 1d10 minutes to begin an air search for the team. If it finds the teamm the GM can decide what armament the Aoache is carrying.
If the team makes it to the safe house, begin marking the time. In 1-4 hours the M-19 terrorist team will arrive. If they see the characters inside, they will attempt an attack on the house. If they don't succeed in entering the house fast, they will use plastique to blow a hole in the door or wall with due haste.
Once the fighting begins, again start marking time. Within 15 minutes, the police and military will arrive with the Apache and a squad of ground troops. If M-19 didn't have the right moves to break in, the Colombian army will. If the characters didn't run into Durante at the hospital then he will be at the house, directing efforts. If the army does show up, the best the team may be able to do is go out through the tunnel, blow it, and hope thea rmy spends some time shifting through the rubble while they escape.
The characters go to Seattle to prevent the murder of a Native American leader and, if possible, capture a terrorist turned assassin. This is designed for any of the field operative classes, although a researcher or hacker may be useful as well. This is for medium to upper level operatives.
The Makah Indians on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state want to restart their tratition of whaling that they stopped in 1913, due to the deplation of whales in the Pacific Ocean. The leader of the Makah, Jonathan Lighten, went to Ireland to plead his case before the World Oceanic Federation to allow the Makah to hunt five whales a year. This would re-establish the treaty the Makah have with the United States, provide them with much needed income, and give them a link to their traditional practices. This idea was not treated favorably in the anti-whaling community; groups such as Greenpeace, PETA, and many commercial fishing companies protested against the Makah effort, even to the point of threatening them with violence.
On an early Thursday morning, a King Country police officer caught a thief breaking into a car in the Red Lion parking lot located next to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). The officer arrested the 15 year old, but while inspecting the car he found the following: an H&K SR-9 sniper riffle, Baretta 92-F (capable of three-shot bursts), $5000 U.S., $3000 Canadian, two 3.5" computer disks, and an envilop with a driver's license, bank card, American Express card, Master Card, and American passport. The identification was for a woman, Amy Hardman. The officer called it in and the FBI was contacted. The FBI took charge of the investigation after the photo turned out to be that of Heike Albrecht, Red Army Faction terrorist turned assassin. GSG-9, Germany's anti-terror unit, and the CIA also came on board in the effort to arrest her.
The characters can be brought in as part of the investigative and protective team for Lighten. Their orders are to help protect him and try to capture Albrecht.
When Albrecht was still a member of the Red Army Faction, she participated with Action Direct in the murder of French General Rene Audran in 1985. She also helped kill Gerold von Braunmuehl, the leader of the political department of the German foreign ministry in 1986, and participated in numerous bombings. In 1990 she left RAF under unknown circumstances and began a career as a private assassin for extremist groups. Her work has taken her to South Africa (ANC), South America (Shining Path), Japan (Japanese Red Army), and now America. From captured compatriots she has been described as obsessive, intelligent, and ruthless in achieving her mission goals. She has been hired by a violent combination of several groups: PETA, ALF, and Greenpeace, with the job of killing Lighten to prevent the whaling. Albrecht realizes she has only a week to kill him before he is back on the reservation. It would be far too difficult to attempt a hit there, because she would be spotted immediately. The client also wants the hit in public, to send a message.
A leader among the Makah who is trying to save his people's traditional way of life before it's too late. He went to Ireland to try to convince the world their hunt is to save a way of life and people rather than for greed or profit. He's coming back to the O.S. and is going to visit Seattle and some places around the city for a week before returning to the reservation. He is a strong-willed man who wants to help his people. He is not ignorant of the limited whale population, but he knows that the Makah hunts won't exterminate the species and will be beneficial for his people. He is ready to die for his beliefs, especially if it will make him a martyr to the Makah. However, since he has been the driving force for the return to whaling, his death would most likely end the movement.
A member of GSG-9, the German anti-terrorist unit, who has been decorated several times for bravery and valor. He was instrument in the capture and death of Wolfgang Grams in 1993. Schmidt's unit was responsible for the raid that resulted in the death of a police officer and Grams. The uncovering of the murder of Grams by two officers ended with several resignations and many careers ruined. Schmidt wasn't among them. His connections in the intelligence community proved too valuable to be lost, so his part in the cover-up was ignored and he was gone on serving GSG-9 as an efficient leader of loyal, successful team. He wants Albrecht, dead or alive, and he doesn't care if Lighten dies in the process, or just anybody else not on his team. He is being backed in his effort by his superior.
A former member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Trainer went underground after a bomb he placed in a university building killed a security guard in 1971. Since then he has been wanted by the FBI. He has made a living by helping leftist extremsist groups plan illegal operations, such as tree spiking and raiding animal testing labs. He has made contacts in the international community and has helped other terrorists hide out while planning operations. Albrecht has known him for some years and trusts him, enought that she is staying with him while she is in Seattle. Trainer was the go-betweener for Albrecht and her clients. He also set up the car with the goods the police accidentally found. He saw the police take the car away and has set up another drop for Albrecht before she arrives on Thursday night.
Two members of Schmidt's team have accompanied him with permission of the U.S. government. Gunther Zimmer and Hans Larsen are both loyal to Schmidt. Zimmer was with Schmidt in 1993 on the Grams operation; he helped with the cover-up. Larsen only joined the unit last year and has an idea of the lengths Schmidt would got o in apprehending a terrorist. He doesn't always approve, but he is part of a unit, not an individual, and will follow any orders given him. Zimmer, on the other hand, will go out of his way to aggressively pursue a terrorist, and doesn't mind hurting others who get in his way.
The Emerald City, a bustling city of half million in the inner city, bills itself as one of the birthplaces of alternative music. It's a fairly liberal place with a noticeable, and growing population of gays and lesbians alongside a large influx of students from the many colleges and oniversities in the area. Crime is slightly less, statistically, than in most other big cities, and is usually related to drugs. Most of the downtown area is safe to walk 24 hours a day. The plice range from openly hostile to cooperative. The active population changes to 20-30 year-olds after nightfall when the clubs open up downtown and start playing music for every taste.
A small city south of Seattle that has the largest airport in the state in its center. Among its other attractions are the many motels, hotels, fast-food shops, and car dealerships. A large number of prostitutes used to work the strip in front of the airport, but the city sais it has gotten rid of them. The prostitutes now work the hotels and areas further north or south. This is where Lighten is coming in from Ireland after the meeting. The airport itself is patrolled by the Port of Seattle police, one of the better trained, better equipped, and more alert law enforcement units in Washington. They have a fast response time in the airport — 5-15 seconds — and have experience dealing with international visitors.
One of the nicer hotels in the Seatac area, it's located near the airport. Rooms average about $80-100 per night and can be accessed bu several glass encased elevators in the main tower. There is a bar/restaurant downstairs and a nicer restaurant on the roof. The hotel has all the amenities and services of most nice hotels, with average security. Lighten is staying here for the week before leaving for the reservation (See Red Lion drawing for room set-up)
Located in a quiet community called Broadview in N. Seattle, Trainer has spent considerable time and effort in concealing the house's strengths from his many neighbors. The windows have been reinforced adn several, as noted in nthe drawing, are bullet-resistant. Some of the interior walls have kevlar plates inserted into them, making the walls difficult, if not impossible to shoot through. Inside the home is a gun safe with five H&K MP5SDs and five Sig-Sauer 9mms. It also includes some nightvision gear — PVS-7s, body armor, tear-gas, and masks for five people. He keeps about $10000US and about $5000 equivalent of other countries' currency on hand. There are two Kawasaki GSX-1100s in the garage, along with a black Saab convertible. Trainer has also set up a security system that pages him if the house has been breached, and if he dails a number to his home it sets of charges laid throughout the house destroying it. His neighbors believe him to be an engineer at the Boeing airplane plant in Everett, a city north of Seattle. They would describe him as quiet, likable guy.
A casino run by the Tulalip Native Americans on their reservation about one hour north of Seattle. Lighten is visiting the casino to see whether it would be a viable option for the Makah people (it probably isn't because of the distance to the Makah reservation, compared to Tulalip, but Lighten wants to check it out anyway). During the visit he will be in the company of the casino manager and other staffers while he has lunch in the restaurant and plays a little blackjack while taking the tour.
Tucked away in the community of SHoreline, north of Seattle, this community college has one of the rare Native American History programs in the state. Lighten is coing to visit the instructor and sit in on one of his classes. Lighten will only be at the college for a few hours, but maybe long enough for an attempt by Albrecht. The chance this being the spot increased because the safe house is just over 5 minutes away from the school.
The Washington State Ferry system carries thousands of vehicles and passengers a year. When Lighten return to the Makah nation on the peninsula, he will take a ferry across Puget Sound. In that time he will be trapped for about an hour on a ferry with nowhere to go. This is a last resort chance for Albrecht, or possibly her ultimate plan.
The characters are trying to keep Lighten alive while attempting to capture Albrecht. Those are the only objectives of the mission. Lighten, once told about the situation, will prove cooperative in that he won't mind the characters and the GSG-9 unit following him around for a while. He will have no objectations unless it starts to interfere in any way with his schedule or mobility; then he will become hostile to the team.
It will be up to the GM to determine where Albracht will strike; the airport, hotel, casino, or the college will be the sites, in the order he will visit. He will be staying at the Red Lion in between his sight-seeing trips. Brief layouts are provided for the stated areas, so the GM can decide which are likely spots for the attempts. Here are some scenarios that could happen:
Ultimately this is a tricky set-up in which the GM can throw Albrecht at the team at almost any opportunity. It is what could happen during and afterwards that might get messy.
As was stated before, if a hit is attempted, Schmidt will become single-minded in his pursuit of Albrecht, to the point of disregarding civilians in the chase. The characters' team must decide if they are going to let the GSG-9 unit get away with that behavior, or even participate, or are they going to confront them. Remember, GSG-9 is trained military anti-terrorist unit, the characters are not. If a confrontation turns violent between them, it will get bloody, potentially benefitting Albrecht.
The team is gathered, briefed, and introduced to the GSG-9 team, where the Germans take a superior position in dealing with Albrecht, or at least her type (which may have some merit, but who wants their nose rubbed in it?). The GSG-9 will try to run the show at any opportunity they are given (Note: this is not standard operating procedure; usually GSG-9 agents are a cooperative group. It is just this particular unit.) Lighten, who will be briefed by the characters will take a liking to the team, mostly because of the attitude of the German unit. When the time comes for a choice to be made for a team leader, the Germans will expect Schmidt to be chosen and will be aggressive on that point. Characters are faced with quite a juggling act: keep Lighten alive, the Germans happy, and get Albrecht in or before killing Lighten.
The team may want to split up into two sections, one for protecting Lighten and one for investigating Albrecht's possible contacts and whereabouts in the city. If that is done, there are several areas for the investigating team to look into:
There are just two of the leads that could be followed by an investigative team in the hunt for Albrecht.
Players can have automatic weapons, armor, and if they wish, an armored limo to drive Lighten around in. Schmidt and his team will have their own equipment, all of it high quality. Use of experts in demolitions, counterfeit documents, or terrorists are available for the characters to consult. Since this is an operation in the U.S., if the characters are U.S. agnecy operatives, the cooperation of local law enfocement will be forthcoming in almost any manner deemed necessary.
Like it or not, even though Schmidt may be a conceited character, as well as a potentially psychopatic one, he is skilled in tracking terrorists and will have some good ideas in the search for Albrecht. Of course, he won't let the characterrs forget who came up with those ideas.
A large obstacle in this operation could be dealing with GSG-9 during the week. The Germans will make clear their wish to apprehend Albrecht, even if it takes the death to Lighten to do it. (Note: They will make jokes about Albrecht possibly being killed while escaping, or similar comments diguised as jokes.) If the characters try to report the attitude of theGSG-9 unit to their superiors, they will be seen as being unable to work with others in difficult situations. They would be better off dealing with it on their own instead of trying to get someone else to step in. Only if they can prove that GSG-9 will jeopardize the target's life or the lives of civilians in the pursuit of Albrecht, will something be done.
Trainer will join Albrecnt in her mission if she convinces him he is needed. He will not join just for the excitement or thrill. If he does join her, he has experience in demolitions as well as weapons to put at her disposal. He would recognize Schmidt and know better than to go toe-to-toe with him in an open fight.
Lighten will forego his cooperation with the team if they become too aggressive in trying to curtail his activities while visiting. He may get to the point of trying to ditch his protectors if it gets bad enough. The team needs to remember they need Lighten, because he is the target for Albrecht. Without him, they don't stand a chance of getting her.
If the team can keep Lighten alive, they will have a success for their effort. If they can capture Albrecht, they will receive notoriety among the espionage community for their efforts. The same goes for the killing of Albrecht, although, ironically, their notoriety will spread to military anti-terror units rather than intelligence community. If Albrecht dies in this scenario this may be a good starting point for another terrorist, possibly another German Red Army Faction member, to seek revenge on the team in a later campaign. Unless Schmidt kills a lot of civilians, he will go back to Germany a hero, for hunting a terrorist in the U.S., making him even more difficult to deal with later on.
This is an adventure for secretive, decepptive, and clever players. This isn't a kill or be killed scenario. The characters must locate and identify a Chinese team of agents that is receiving the plans to a powerful electronic weapon.
The Chinese government has nuclear capability, but it has been seeking new weapons. Enter the magnetic pulse box. At a three-day international trade convention in Amsterdam, Holland, a team of Chinese agents, working for Tewu, the Chinese intelligence service, is going to purchase the newly developed waeapon. This weapon, called the EM-3, creates a 30 degree aimed electro-magnetic pulse that has a range of two miles. The pulse acts on electrical components in a very dangerous way. Within its range it can down a fighter jet, stop a car, or wipe a computer hard drive. One of the deadliest potential scenarios is the downing of a passenger airliner without a sound.
The prototype was created by Wasnick Electronics, an American firm, a few months ago under a U.S. government contract. Recently, the prototype was destroyed and the design stolen from the company by a disgruntled engineer, Jason Robar, who helped invent the device. Robar was able to get out of the country before his absence and the theft were noticed. Once his actions were discovered, however, the U.S. government quickly stepped in, especially after learning the potential applications of the device. An investigation of Robar's residence, phone records, and associates uncovered contacts with Shei Vang, a Chinese intelligence operative, and information about the trade show. Robar used his own passport to Amsterdam, hoping he would be able to make contact, sell the design, and disappear before anyone could get him. Vang, for her part, was able to see a video of the pwrking prototype from Robar before he left the company and she is anxious to get her hands on the design. The Chinese have agreed to pay him $1.2 million for the designs; at least they have convinced him of that. Vang would ideally like to get the plans, verify them, and then kill Robar. Vang and associates have planned to meet Robar at the convention, where the trade-off would take place. The hope of the U.S. government agency is to either intercept the plans before they get to the Chinese or alter them afterwards.
An intelligent and greedy scientist that wanted recognition for his efforts on the project, Dr. Robar only has his work. He has no family or friends, part of which is due to his obsession with his work. When he was approached by Vang, he decided that money was more important than company or country loyalty. He was able to make a copy of the EM-3 test and show it to his contact to prove it worked. Once the deal was made Dr. Robar had them deposit $100000 U.S. in an account in the Bahamas, for good faith, and agreed to the Amsterdam meet for the document drop. Dr. Robar, while capitalistic, isn't stupid. He realizes that the U.S. government will be sending someone after him, so he is watching for it. For his defense, he has bought an illegal firearm on the street in Amsterdam, and while he may not be very good with it, he is willing to use it. He does trust the Chinese operatives to deal honorably with him, which isn't their intention.
Vang has been an operative for the Tewu for 10 years, and in that time she has been able to turn 15 scientists personally, and plan the operations on 13 others. She has expertise in seduction, interrogation, and duping, as well as speaking Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, French, Dutch, and German. Vang is professional in the classic sense. She won't take unnecessary risks, won't kill unless it's vital, and has a healthy respect for operatives in other agencies. Her sole exception to her aversion to killing is to competitive agencies; she will eliminate them in an effort to maintain control of her operations. Vang works with a five person team she has picked and helped train over the years. Her position in the Tewu has become so strong over the years that she has absolute authority over her operations, and her budget is one of the largest for such a small intelligence unit.
The security chief for Wasnick Electronics, also the brother of the current CEO, who is looking for Dr. Robar. Wasnick Electronics put a lot of money into the research of the EM-3 project, and even with the government funding, the company will be in serious financial trouble if the project isn't delivered to the U.S. government. Wasnick would like to get the designs back, but barring that, he would like to kill Dr. Robar for his betrayal. Wasnick was had training in the Army and has been able to continue his training in weapons, security operations, and martial arts. He has only had a few problems since taking over security at the company: a couple of break-ins, security violations, and one low-level scientist selling designs to a new high temperature resistant electronic circuit board. Since that last incident, Wasnick thought he had tightened security enough to stop this from happening again, but Dr Robar had enough seniority and trust to be almost above reproach, or so Wasnick thought. Now it is a matter of saving his brother's company and restoring trust in his security abilities.
One of the most important commercial cities in Europe with a population of about 700000, Amsterdam is a major port city that is linked to other European countries by a network of railways and famous canals. Its major business are shipbuilding, textiles, and diamonds (polishing and cutting). It is a fallacy that any address can be found following the numerous canals and the Amstel river. To foreigners, addresses can be confusing. The police are laid back and are not seen except in very busy tourist areas and at night near coffee shops. The police carry side arms, but they aren't heavily armed because the largest amount of crime in Amsterdam isn't violent. Some of the more famous (or infamous) aspects of the city include the Red Light District, where prostitutes show themselves off in neon-red lit windows, and the availability of drugs, one specialty being space-cake, a hash-laced chocolate cake. Of the approximate 700000 people in Amsterdam, almost all of them seem to be very vocal, friendly, and liberal in their attitudes.
Opened in 1866, the Amstel has become the traditional retreat for visiting royalty and famous entertainers. All of it's rooms are large and spacious, but it has eight enormous rooms that are more like apartments. It is one of the most expensive hotels in Amsterdam, costing from $250 U.S. per night for a small room, and it includes full amenities available for all the guests. Dr. Robar has checked in to this hotel; he believes he deserves only the best. The company, unwillingly due to budget concerns, has put the team in this hotel to be close to Dr. Robar.
Another nice hotel, but not as luxurious as the Amstel, that sits on the Prinsengract canal. This hotel has the normal amenities, as well as a hallway art gallery, a threelined open courtyard, and a good-sized seating room. This is where the daily post-convention gathering takes place among the visitors, with a nightly dinner with guest speaker and an open bar in the courtyard afterwards. (See Pulitzer Hotel drawing for building layout.) Vang and her team are located in this hotel, according to Dr. Robar's instructions for the meet.
The characters have been briefed about the EM-3 machine, photos of Dr. Robar, a layout of the Amstel Hotel and cover as representatives to the convention. The team only has three days in which to do the document switch. What the government wants to happen is that the team will be able to steal the plans for Dr. Robar, without his knowledge, replace certain documents with altered ones, and then return the documents before the hand-off happens. The altered designs will make the design worthless in a multitude of ways, enough so that it will make it virtually impossible to create the device. The second part of the mission is to determine who the recipient of the material is, or rather, was. The government does not want a foreign power, or even more terrifying, a terrorist group, to get their hands on this device. Mission priorities are listed in order of importance:
A problem may arise for the characters if they can't get to the documents before the hand-off occurs. Then the team must get to the documents and the buyers before they leave the country. The hope is that the buyer will spend a lot of money, time, and resources in building the defective device, thereby discouraging gurther research in that field and any future attempts at trying to buy technology.
Who the buyers are is unknown, but it is suspected that it is a government, rather than a terrorist group. Because of the materials necessary to build the device, a government is a more likely buyer, being more able to supply the resources needed. The team has a 10% chance of recognizing Vang. Her name and old photo were presented to the characters during the briefing, alsong with 25 others who specialize in tirning scientists. Vang will not recognize the team, if this is a mission that is carried out early in their careers in the espionage game. Otherwise, the GM should use discretion for a percent chance of recognition by a professional such as Vang.
The team, or the government for that matter, doesn't know Wasnick is in the country stalking Dr. Robar. He was in on the original investigation and after it was leaked to Wasnick that Dr. Robar was in Amsterdam, he left shortly affterwards for the Netherlands. There is a small chance the team may have seen a photo of Wasnick, as he was also investigated as a matter of routine (5% chance).
The team will be operating in Amsterdam with the permission of the Dutch government, but that doesn't mean characters can open fire in a heavily populated area and get away with it. Since they are operating with permission on foreign soil, they will have the benefits of that help (see Aids).
One final note: if the documents can't be switched unknwoingly before they leave the country, then the government, in an effort to destroy the documents has authorized the use of deadly force against Dr. Robar and against buyers, if it can be done without harming civilians. It is made clear that the device must not fall into someone else's control, no matter what.
As with most missions, the beginning depends on the make-up of the team. If they are multi-national, they will be on loan to the U.S. for the mission. It they are U.S. agents, they are assembled in their briefing room for the initial information. The players can get information on Dr. Robar, Amsterdam, the hotel layouts, and their cover. They will be flown into the Netherlands on a commercial flight. From there they will be taken aside by the Dutch intelligence service at airport customs. The Dutch agents will give the players their equipment and provide either a car or motorcycle for the team (GM or player discration). Dr. Robar and the Chinese team don't have the resources to stake out the airport watching for agents, so it should be an uneventful arrival, unless player paranoia takes over. Once the team has settled in the hotel and the equipment is checked, the adventure can begin.
The team will be issued cameras, video tape recorder/players, tracers, portble tracer receivers, communications gear, sidearms with three extra magazines, and cover identification. They have a layout of the Amstel hotel and know what room Dr. Robar is in, with the master key to the hotel. The team ma yrequest other equipment, and in this case the government agency will be a little more liberal in their resources, owing to the urgency of this mission. Few pieces of equipment will be refused the team.
A major aid to the team is the cooperation of the Dutch government in their operation. The local police haven't been informed and will act in limited role in the operation, such as providing a driver if needed, and getting the team with their equipment in and out of the country. They will also help the team get out of any tight spot they find themselves in during the operation. The Dutch are not interested in participating in the operation, but should it go wrong, they will provide damage control. They will protect the identities of the agents, and if the mission gets messy, the help of the Dutch government will be necessary to avert a public relations crisis. For their help, the Duthc want the credit for the arrest of Dr. Robar, who the team should hand over to the Dutch after the drop.
The biggest potential obstacle will be Wasnick. He wants Dr. Robar dead and the designs back, almost in that order. He knows aout the convention and has been searching relentlessly for Dr. Robar all over Amsterdam. Wasnick knew Robar well enough to start checking the nicest hotels in the city, and it wasn't long before Wasnick found his target. Wasnick was able to procure a Glock .45 through illegal contacts. He is waiting for an appropriate time to get to Robar. Wasnick became a little irrational about the whole affair during the course of the investigation, and he has made up his mind to kill Dr. Robar no matter what happens. If he becomes warped enough, he will attempt to kill the team to get to Robar. If the team sees Wasnick and reports him to the Dutch police, the chances of him being brought in unharmed increase greatly. Otherwise, Wasnick on the loose will go gunning for Dr. Robar sooner or later.
The documents come in two copies, on paper and on disk. The government doesn't know that there is a copy on paper, they only know of the disks. Dr. Robar has made paper copies of the design plans as well as having the five 3.5" disks that hold the plans and the reserach data. Robar knows he has gone too far to turn back now, and is becoming paranoid of being followed, although it doens't do him much good, because he has no security training. He carries the paper copies with him wherever he goes; the disks are locked in his room hidden away. Dr. Robar realizes he will be hunted by the U.S. sooner or later; his one hope is that he can sell the design and get out of Amsterdam before anyone even knows he is there.
Vang and her team have set up Dr. Robar for a hit after the drop and the documents have been verified as to their authenticity. Since Vang knows, at least believes, the device works from the video tape of the successful test, she has no desire to let Dr. Robar walk away with over a million dollars with of the Chinese government's money. This is not the usual operation procedure for turned scientists. Usually they are given the option of working in China for a considerable profit, but Dr. Robar turned it down. Combining the rejection with the fact that Dr. Robar's treachery exposed himself so much that he can't go back to work at his old job (burned his bridges, so to speak), Robar is a liability to Vang. If he dies in Amsterdam before anyone can get to him, then no one will even know the Chinese bought the device.
A 100% success in this mission will be given the Chinese the altered documents without their knowledge, arresting Dr. Robar, and preventing an armed showdown with Vang, Dr. Robar, or Wasnick on the streets of Amsterdam. If htis is pilled off, the government will be greatful enough to grant the team the choice of their next operation. Experinece points should be half again as much if the team is 100% successful in the operation. If no firefights occur in downtown Amsterdam, then the Dutch will also be thankful and a favor from an intelligence service could be very useful in the future. If this goes bad and people die, the government might still be greatful, as long as the documents have been retrieved or destroyed. If the documents make it out of the Netherlands with the Chinese, then there will be hell to pay for everyone.
Once the team gets settled into the hotel, they can begin the surveillance of Dr. Robar. He isn't leaving the hotel much. He will take in some sights and go for Indonesian food occasionally, but for the most part he dines in the hotel restaurant. When he eats in the hotel, he is usually out of his room for 90 minutes. The team could use one of those times to swipe the disks, if theu can find them (-75 to a search for the diskis). If a team member can get close enough to Dr. Robar, or perhaps bump into him, they might discover he is carrying some papers with him (+5 to Alertness; they are oversized).
During the stake-out of the Msterl Hotel for Dr. Robar, the team will sooner or later notice another person stalking Dr. Robar: Wasnick (+10 the first day, +20 the second day to notice Wasnick). The team will have to decide what do do about Wasnick, if they even notice him.
On the third and last day of the conference, Dr. Robar has set up a meeting with Vang in the courtyard of the hotel at 7 p.m., after the last dinner/seminar session at the Pulitzer. Once the drop has been made, Vang will give Dr. Robar $300000 U.S. and an account number for the rest of the cash, and a plane ticket to Egypt, with several stops along the way leaving tomorrow as agreed. Vang will get the documents sent to China immediately to run a quick check for completeness. Once that is done, taking about two hours, Vang and her team will leave the Pulitzer for the Amstel to kill Dr. Robar.
If the team needs to get into Vang's room, they will be able to get a key, with the help of the Dutch. But getting in or out of Vang's room will be difficult. She has motion detectors set in the room she or her agents aren't in them. Getting around the detectors will provide almost impossible without alerting other hotel guests or staff. (See the Pulitzer Hotel layout for Vang's room and the drop point.)
Wasnick, if he hasn't been spotted yet may show up here after following Dr. Robar to the drop. Wasnick may (15% chance) go for Dr. Robar during the drop, shooting Vang and anyone else in the way. If the drop turns into a bullet festival due to Wasnick, Vang will get out of the hotel and Amstedam, quickly, but not before killing Dr. Robar on the way out the door, if she can.
These scenarios can be run as really quick missions or as preludes to larger campaigns the GM may have in mind. Either way, these are just lightly outlined ideas the characters can be thrown into at a moment's notice. The basic idea here is if you give the players an idea to run with, they will go the distance to follow through.
An operative is making a drop at a pre-arranged location. The information being left is extremely sensitive information on a rival country's satellite capabilities and weaknesses. The drop is at a subway station in New York, London, Paris, or other city the GM chooses. The location is important because there is nowhere to hide. The characters will have to either loiter nonchelantly or disguise themselves in some way. This can be run in two ways.
Option 1: In this option the characters are the intended recipients of the information. They have the place staked out to make sure they get it and no one else does. This get dangerous if the team is in a foreign country, especially if it is one that is hstile to their native country.
Option 2: The characters are setting up a rival agency team. This is all a ruse to expose the other team. If the other team is exposed, they could be arrested, expelled, or maybe turned.
Whichever option is chosen, the GM can throw in false alarms for the characters, keeping them constantly on their toes throughout the ordeal. While this adventure is going on let the characters wait in real time. With a real time wait, combined with enough false alarms, the characters will become extremely paranoid of any coming near the package, which could be worth the wait all by itself.
If the team is patient, however, then have a person come to the drop point to deliver the package, under option 1. After the person scans for anyone watching her, she drops it off and walks away. After a long wait for this information, the team may make a run immediately for the drop point. If they do or they don't, it doesn't matter, because soon enough they spot some other people interested in the package. From there it is up to the players as to how they want to handle it.
After waiting a while with the second option, send a person in to retrieve the information. If the team pounces on this person, it will be a mistake. The person getting the package was just given some money and asked to get the package from the subway. They don't know anything about what is inside, and now the real recipients are aware of the team's presence. If the team is patient enough to follow the pick-up, he, or she, will lead them back to the real spies. And again, it's up to the team from there.
The team must investigate another agent to see if they are selling secrets to another agency or country. They could know the person they are investigating or it could be someone they have never met before. They are under orders to follow the person, investigate their finances, and determine if the person is a double agent. If they discover the suspect is a double agent, then, if possible, they should find out for whom. They are given two weeks to determine the suspect's status, before more experienced agents are brought in. There are two ways this can be run.
The person they follow exhibit some suspicious activities, and has some unusual financial dealings. All of the tell-tale signs are there. When they tail him, or her, they see the suspect meet with a person several times and pass a computer disk between them, although it isn't obvious. Before they can expose the traitor to their superiors, he comes to them. He explains he has found information that the agency the charactters work for has been conducting drug experiments on human subjects without their knowledge or consent. The subjects for these tests are mental patients in a nearby hospital. He shows the team docuemntation and a video tape of the procedures to prove his story. He also shows the team evidence that the information he has been passing is medical information to doctors inside the mental facility so they can attempt to treat the subjects once the tests have stopped. It seems the agency has been less-than-forthcoming in realeasing any information about the test drug, even though it has some hoddible side effects (GM's choice).
Now the characters must decide if they will expose this person to their superiors. If they do, this person will be arrested and tried for his betrayal of state secrets. If they don't, the suspect has asked for their silence on his dealings. After all, he says, who is he hurting?
Option 1: This is a test. This is a test of the emergency spy organization. The entire deal is set-up, a loyalty test to the agency. Te best thing for the characters to do, if this is the case, is turn the suspect in the first chance they get. If the test option is running, and the characters choose to hide the suspect's actions, it will not only look bad, but could put their careers in jeopardy.
Option 2: Everything is as it seems, the goy is helping the victims of the agency test. The information may help the test subjects, it may not — either way it's more than they are getting from the agency. What will the characters do?
This is an incredible devious, underhanded, vicious way of getting the characters into a precarious position. Characters have a tendency to rely on the agency or their weapons to get them out of dangerous situations. Well, here is a sure fire way to cure them of that, or at least force them to rely on their own resources.
Here is how it works. After a successful assignment, the agency springs for a trip for the team to a particularly exoting (i.e., remote) location, although it could also be work in a foreign tourist location. The idea is that they are being rewarded for their efforts and it is supposed to be a save environment for them to relax and recoup. This means they won't have their high-tech gear, weapons, or agency support if they run into a problem, which they will.
Give them a few days to have fun, frolic, get a tan, eat well, then sucker punch them. About three days into their vacation several things can happen to them, depending on how isolated from their agency they are.
Option 1: The characters are recognized by a rival agency they have operated against. The characters actions were so damaging the rival agency want them eliminated. A hit team joins the team at their vacation spot and the fun begins when it hit team follows the characters to a secluded sightseeing spot. The characters will have to act quickly to save themselves. Of course, if there is an especially paranoid character that keeps making check to see if someone is following them, they might be able to see the hit-team before it is too late.
Option 2: The team gets caught up in some bizarre occurances while on vacation. Given the proper clues and incentives, they will probably investigate. The activity gets into dangerous territory faster than the characters can handle, leaving them on the run in a foreign land, without any weapons to defend themselves. Good luck.
The premise behind this may sound like a nasty little thing to do, but catching the characters off guard can get players' creative juices flowing, especially if it is their characters' lives at stake. This can be a really fun exercise for the players as well as the GM.
As a GM you will need to find new material for campaigna. There are plenty of sources to help generate ideas; the best sources are the newspapers and other news media. Movies are another source of ideas, especially if a storyline is general enough to be changed by the GM and still keep the basic premises the same.
The espionage genre is a constantly changing scene, and in the U.S., especially, it is being reported regularly in the news. Hardly a month goes by when somebody isn't caught committing some act of espionage, somewhere in the world. If you keep you eyes peeled, you will see information all over the place in newspapers, television news, and news periodicals.
Even if a news report doesn't say it has do with espionage, you can just make it about espionage. Take these topics for instance: Ebola-Zaire outbreak, a bomb explodes outside of the offices of the IRS, or a drug cartel leader is missing. All of these occurences did happen, and they have all been attributed in some way to an intelligence agency. The point is that almost anything is fair game in the espionage genre, and if you keep your eyes open, information will practically come to you.
The listed filmography and bibliography at the end will also give some suggested material to peruse for the potential GM.
This is as good a place as any to include a few words about where the experts says this field is heading. There are three main areas of interest that are growing in danger and activity for intelligence agencies: nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and economic espionage. These three areas represent the majority of time and technological efforts in the intelligence community.
All of the nuclear powers fear the spread of the bomb. They are worried that countries in less stable areas politically or militarily may use the bomb as a first resort. In countries of economic hardship, a nuclear device may be sold to a terrorist group or to a country with less scruples about using it, whcch is one of the rasons why the numerous attempts to sell stolen material from Russian stockpiles is scaring so many people.
Terrorists are still with us (see Section 8); they have just became smarter about their prfiles and exposure. Whether domestic or international terrorism, the threat is real and every intelligence agency in the world has some department to deal with it. As terrorism has spread, so have intelligence communities' efforts to stop it, including cooperation with former enemeies to get to terrorist targets.
Economic, or business/corporaate, espionage is definitely on the upswing. This year alone France expelled four U.S. diplomats for attempting to commit economic espionage. Three years ago the FBI expelled several French agents trying to steal or buy plans to the V-22 Osprey aircraft. A retired French intelligence officer stated that they routinely spy on aerospace and computer company executives in France, including sometimes bugging their rooms and monitoring their phone calls. The Chinese also are trying to do this against the U.S. They try to steal tecgbikigical information that will prevent their having to spend a lot of money on research and development of a project, even if it isn't a military project. Regardless of why, this is a growing area of espionage.