Running on the Other Side, Lawbringers in Shadowrun Options

[TheOOB]

I have an idea for a new SR campaign, and I want to know what you'alls think. The campaign involves the players being an FBI special ops team working in the Seattle Metroplex (I don't know if the UCAS still calls it the FBI, but it's federal law enforcement). The premise is that with the rise of corporations handling public security, and the Corporate Courts having strict rules about government interfearance in corporate affairs, the FBI has been required to rely mostly on small teams of elite and versatile individuals to perform Federal Law enforcement in areas with corp public security rather then large organizations so as to reduce the chances of a corporate scandal. While sometimes working in the open, these teams may also be required to perform Grey and even Black ops off the record in order to enforce the law, making the teams resemble shadowrunners to a point.

The team would thus be provided with Gear, but also unofficially encouraged to buy their own with their shockingly large pay for government work, gear that wouldn't be traceable to the FBI. This the team would have to be very careful what they do, oftentimes competing against Knight Errant for a collar. Some missions would even take the team into Corp or Salish turf to silently capture a criminal who is escaping the law.

Think this campaign would work?

[Mardrax]

As long as you and the players enjoy playing whatever it is you're playing, any campaign will work.
I'm assuming we can put you down. Just the players left.

Be sure to play up the downsides of corp extraterritoreality, and balkanisation of jurisdiction. Lot of black ops if you want to get anything done.
On the side of "realism", would a government, that's in all likelihood seeing itself as fighting a losing battle, take the risk to put themselves on shaky ground like that?

[Ascalaphus]

It's a powerful premise for a campaign. There's room there for characters to be anything from corrupt feds to idealistic patriots to frustrated cynics.

Consider these ideas, too:
* There's a separatist movement in Seattle. They think that Seattle is too far away from the UCAS to truly belong and stuff. The FBI probably takes a dim view of that, and would want to keep an eye on that. Within the confines of the Constitution. Of course.
* Alls this Salish-Shidhe land was once UCAS too. Maybe some people in the FBI still feel a sort of obligation (white man's burden) to keep an eye on it, perhaps in a vigilante style way.
* Seattle is a hotspot for subversive activities by foreign governments (Aztlan, NAN, JIS) which the FBI is partially responsible for keeping in check.

Basically, Seattle is a nasty ungrateful outpost of the UCAS and it's deeply in bed with evil corporations, rent-a-cops and evil foreigners. And it's the FBI's job to keep it from getting out of hand...

[TheOOB]

It's a powerful premise for a campaign. There's room there for characters to be anything from corrupt feds to idealistic patriots to frustrated cynics.

Consider these ideas, too:
* There's a separatist movement in Seattle. They think that Seattle is too far away from the UCAS to truly belong and stuff. The FBI probably takes a dim view of that, and would want to keep an eye on that. Within the confines of the Constitution. Of course.
* Alls this Salish-Shidhe land was once UCAS too. Maybe some people in the FBI still feel a sort of obligation (white man's burden) to keep an eye on it, perhaps in a vigilante style way.
* Seattle is a hotspot for subversive activities by foreign governments (Aztlan, NAN, JIS) which the FBI is partially responsible for keeping in check.

Basically, Seattle is a nasty ungrateful outpost of the UCAS and it's deeply in bed with evil corporations, rent-a-cops and evil foreigners. And it's the FBI's job to keep it from getting out of hand...

That's the kinda things I had in mind. There are things the government has to do to protect it's people and it's interests, and many of those things you can't expect(or trust) private security to do. When an Ares executive kills a hooker, do we expect Knight Errant to arrest them? Not likely. I think exploring what federal law enforce would do in a corporate controlled world(especially an area like Seattle) would be fun and interesting.

As far as realism, I think part of the point is that the FBI has no choice but to do some work under the table. The environment in Seattle makes operating openly political suicide, so they work kind of like Shadowrunners. By using small, elite teams, they get things done more quietly, and if things do go wrong, the teams orders and command structure are vague and autonomous enough that the FBI can pin the blame on the team instead of the organization.

[kzt]

The fact that your guys are playing fast and lose with the "rules" is a suggestion that lots of other people would do the same. So contacts in corp security can provide you with a bunch of off the record help if is important. Of course, you'll be doing the same for them.

And with Ares, the issue is getting someone to pay attention. When the Aztechnology and SK owned press is running with the story, yes, KE will arrest his ass. Mr. Knight hates it when someone makes his baby look bad.

And an annoyed AT security officer tired of a scumbag exec can tell you when said AT scumbag exec is about to leave the corporate property so you can coincidentally arrest his ass.

[Ascalaphus]

And with Ares, the issue is getting someone to pay attention. When the Aztechnology and SK owned press is running with the story, yes, KE will arrest his ass. Mr. Knight hates it when someone makes his baby look bad.

Well, that could be precisely why the FBI uses "shadow cops"; to gather all the evidence and leak it to Azt and SK, just to get KE moving on the issue.

Just because they're the Feds doesn't mean they can't be cunning (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)