Claves esenciales de atención al cliente

When a Tribe member or recruit is deeply engaged in Tribe activities, he or she is constantly being bombarded with subliminal messages and data moving at a fast pace on-screen. Normally it is best to use GM Fiat for this and simply state that the person is fascinated by this effect (see Fascinated, M&M, page 171), if it qualifies as a setback for a player character then that character should receive a hero point for this.

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DC20: The Tribe is distributed all over the world, but has dense ‘cells’ in various high-tech regions such as Silicon Valley, Bangalore, Shang Hai, Seattle, and the Research Triangle in North Carolina.

DC25: The Tribe has no leader and no governing body, but it does have some sort of emergent intelligence all its own. Tribe members themselves may not be aware of what they’re doing when they’re doing the Tribe’s business. The Tribe “hijacks”

almost all of its major equipment, weapons, vehicles, and robots.

It does not possess its own factories or resources in the tradi-tional sense.

kNOwLEdGE (TEChNOLOGy)

DC15: The Tribe appears to have knowledge well beyond that of normal technology, able to fashion robots, high-tech gadgets, weapons, etc.

DC20: The Tribe cannot be permanently shut down due to its distributed network. It doesn’t exist in one location, person, or object.

COMPuTERS

DC 20: The Tribe communicates subliminally through computer screens, using something akin to machine language that taps directly into the human mind.

DC 25: The Tribe has its own coding buried in countless pro-grams, from operating systems to shareware and games. An entirely “clean” (written from the ground up) system would be difficult, if not impossible, for the Tribe to hack.

MEMBERS

Most Tribe members are such only temporarily. They are used to accomplish some end, then rarely, if ever, contacted again. These temporary members are typically just random computer-savvy people. They can be people in positions of use to the Tribe; gov-ernment agents, military intelligence officers, corporate security agents, or the like. They’re generally unaware of their involvement with the Tribe. However, some highly-skilled, -motivated, or -intel-ligent members may be frequent tribesmen, and may even begin to gain an understanding of the Tribe itself. These members are likely social outcasts (and certainly are once they voluntarily join the Tribe), and are somewhat paranoid about their involvement with the Tribe being discovered. Even the most involved members of the Tribe have no control over the Tribe itself.

VANGuARd

When paranormal danger threatens international stability; they are there to restore order. When disaster leaves thousands injured, homeless, and hungry; they are there with medicine, food, and shelter. When despots use paranormal mercenaries to enforce their tyrannical agendas; they are there to stand for justice and peace.

In a world where the line between right and wrong is all too often blurred, one group has dedicated itself to international cooperation and the preservation of integrity. From all around the world, these paragons have pledged themselves and their astounding abilities to this cause. They are the Vanguard.

OVERVIEw

Sometime after the Breakout redefined “impossible” for most of the world, an unidentified paranormal appeared on the outskirts of Evanston, Wyoming in the United States and, unwit-tingly, changed the course of history. Travelers eastbound on Interstate 80 towards Evanston from Utah reported a strange figure staggering down the middle of the highway, seemingly bound for Evanston from parts unknown. Described by witnesses as ‘bewildered and possibly intoxicated,’ the unusual figure was apparently unaware of the danger he was in from late evening traffic, prompting the intervention of the state’s highway patrol.

It wasn’t until local authorities attempted to detain the individual for his own safety that the situation became dangerous. Confused and frustrated, the paranormal lashed out at the officers confront-ing him, killconfront-ing them instantly. As the situation quickly escalated, the frightened paranormal tried to escape only to be confronted again by Evanston police, resulting in a confrontation that all but destroyed several blocks of commercial property. Within hours, National Guard units arrived in Evanston intent on con-taining the situation. Unable to cause even the slightest harm to the now-enraged superhuman confronting them, the situation spiraled out of control. The ensuing altercation caused millions of dollars in property damage and cost the lives of hundreds of people. Although the paranormal escaped and was never clearly identified, the devastation was shocking…particularly to the mil-lions of spectators who watched the events unfold live on news channels across the globe.

The ‘Evanston Incident’ solicited a panicked response from all corners of the world. Paranormal events had been covered in news reports before, but this was the first time that the danger posed by paranormals had been made starkly, staggeringly clear to the masses. While government officials in every major country had been aware for sometime that paranormals with both crimi-nal and terrorist agendas were a very real and very dangerous threat to both national and international security, the Evanston Incident moved these concerns from the realm of possibility into reality. Worst of all, such dangers had been realized in full view of the public. Fearful that paranormal monsters now lurked around every corner, ready to explode amidst unwary citizens at a moment’s notice, the world’s populace demanded a response from their leadership. Within days of the events in Evanston, anti-paranormal demonstrations were organized in major cities across the globe, many of which devolved into riots. In several countries, gangs of self-styled “witch-hunters” assaulted and, in many

cir-TRIBE hACkER PL 3

Str 8 Dex 14 Con 8 Int 16 Wis 14 Cha 8

Skills: Computers 8 (+11), Knowledge (pop culture) 4 (+7), Knowledge (technology) 6 (+9), Notice 2 (+4)

Feats: Benefit (Tribe membership), Equipment 1

Equipment: Desktop computer, laptop computer, cell phone, PDA, multi-tool

Combat: Attack +0, Grapple –1, Damage –1 (unarmed), Defense +1, Knockback –0, Initiative +2

Saving Throws: Toughness +0, Fortitude –1, Reflex +2, Will +4 Abilities 8 + Skills 5 (20 ranks) + Feats 2 + Powers 0 +

Combat 2 + Saves 2 = Total 19

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cumstances, publicly executed suspected paranormals in an effort to reclaim the world for ‘normal’ men. The chaos grew and soon threatened to consume international safety and peace of mind.

As national governments scrambled to respond to the demands of a frightened populace, a ray of hope appeared, albeit from an unexpected source. Scant days after the events in Evanston, the United Nations Paranormal Action Executive, or PAX, a sub-committee of the UN Security Council, met in a carefully secured closed session. The PAX committee had been formed, initially, to study Fortean phenomena as it appeared with greater fre-quency around the globe and to make recommendations to the Security Council on paranormal occurrences. Events in Evanston were, obviously, extremely concerning to the global community but, PAX had never before met in a closed session. While the exact nature of the discussion that occurred that day was never disclosed, two things are known. First, the meeting lasted, unin-terrupted, for over seven hours. Second, four individuals were in attendance at that meeting who had never attended of meet-ing of PAX before. Two of these individuals were United States Army Colonel Jackson Cross and a New York criminal psycholo-gist named Jeremiah Prophet, while the other two were later identified as the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Governor of the State of New York.

On the morning following this meeting, PAX officials held a press conference on the steps of United Nations plaza. The Secretary-General of the UN announced the formation of a new organization that would be dedicated to preserving international peace and security in response to the potential threats posed to both by the

“amoral and unconscionable use” of paranormal abilities. “If

indi-vidual nations,” the Secretary-General said, “are incapable of taking action to deal with the threat to international security posed by these new phenomena, then the UN must be at the vanguard of such an effort.” As the astonished media listened, the Secretary-General went on to say that this new organization, code-named

‘Vanguard’, would operate under sanction from the United Nations.

The then-Governor of the State of New York, took the podium and announced that the state, as a sign of goodwill and support, had donated Governor’s Islandto the United Nations in order to pro-vide Vanguard with a base of operations. Colonel Jackson Cross, stepped forward to introduce himself as Executive Director of Vanguard Global Operations, and to introduce Vanguard Mission Team Alpha: Luminary, Raindance, Valkyrie, and Vector. “These,”

Colonel Cross stated, “are the first of many we will recruit to aid in our mission to ensure the safety, security, and sovereignty of the nations of the world.”

Today, Vanguard is a shining example of what the nations of the world are capable of when they work together. Although not always greeted warmly by every nation on the globe, Vanguard mission teams are typically a welcome sight in a time of crisis; be it a natu-ral disaster or a Fortean danger. The first line of defense in the war against paranormal terrorism and crime on an international scale, Vanguard and its members are some the most visible and recogniz-able paranormals operating in the world today.

STRuCTuRE

Vanguard is structured on a paramilitary model roughly analogous to international police agencies like Interpol and Europol. At the top of the command structure is the Executive Director of Global Operations,

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who oversees the bureaucracy and support staff that allows the agency to function on day-to-day basis. The Executive Director is also responsible for Vanguard’s relationship with outside agencies and organizations, including local governments and law enforcement agencies, and is answers directly to both PAX and the Secretary-General of the UN. The current Executive Director of Vanguard is United States Army Colonel Jackson Cross. Immediately beneath the Executive Director is the Deputy Director of Field Operations, a posi-tion currently held by Jeremiah Prophet. The Deputy Director of Field Operations is responsible for coordinating the activities of the true heart of Vanguard, the mission teams.

Vanguard’s mission teams form the core of the agency’s abil-ity to respond to global threats. Recruited from all corners of the globe, all mission team operatives operate under authority from the United Nations and have international police powers.

Generally composed of between four and eight individuals, the mission teams are assembled as needed from those agents who are both immediately available and best suited to the task at hand. One agent, usually the most senior, acts as the team’s Field Commander. Several mission teams exist on a permanent basis, as is the case with Mission Team Alpha, which is tasked with provid-ing ongoprovid-ing paranormal protection to both the Guardtower and UN Headquarters. Simultaneously, members of Mission Team Alpha are often called upon to reinforce other mission teams in the field when those teams encounter more opposition that they are able to deal with on their own. As the mission teams are the public face of Vanguard, all agents currently operating as part of one are held to a strict code of conduct that includes working respectfully with local authorities whenever possible and protecting human life and safety above all else.

BASES OF OPERATIONS

Vanguard is based out of a high-tech facility that dominates most of the southern half of Governor’s Island, a 172-acre island in Upper New York Bay approximately a half-mile from the southern tip of Manhattan. Generally referred to as “The Guardtower”, the sprawling complex employs a staff of over 500 and acts as the cen-ter of both administrative and technical operations for Vanguard.

From here, Jeremiah Prophet and Mission Team Alpha coordinate the activities of other Vanguard mission teams in the field. The Executive Director of Vanguard Operations, meanwhile, maintains offices at United Nations Plaza, where he is within easy reach of both PAX and the Secretary-General.

RESOuRCES

Vanguard’s funding seems almost limitless but the exact source of the funding is something of a mystery. While the United Nations does provide the agency with substantial monetary support, the agency’s expenditures clearly exceed that funding by many mil-lions of dollars. Even with the subsidy provided by donations from corporations such as WorldTree Technologies, Vanguard’s opera-tions should regularly bankrupt the agency, but such is clearly not the case.

Regardless of the source of its funding, Vanguard has enormous resources at its disposal. Through the United Nations and its members, Vanguard has access to a wide-array of military-grade equipment and thanks to Valkyrie’s able assistance, Vanguard also has a wide-array of high-tech hardware available nowhere else;

most notably, the supercomputer ODIN (see Valkyrie in Chapter Five). Additionally, Vanguard maintains excellent relations with other international police agencies such as Interpol and Europol, with whom Vanguard shares information freely. This, in turn, gives Vanguard operatives access to the legal and criminal databases of those agencies.

Arguably, the most impressive resource Vanguard has to draw upon is the United Nations itself. All representatives of Vanguard are endowed by the United Nations with international police pow-ers, allowing them to act as deputized police officers in the course of their duties—so long as the nation in which they’re operating recognizes those powers. Further, all members of the Vanguard organization are considered ambassadors and, as such, are afforded diplomatic immunity while operating on the soil of any UN mem-ber nation. The protection and goodwill of the United Nations is a boon that no Vanguard operative can do without.