Urban pacification, Robocop style. Options

[FuelDrop]

I just got home from watching the new Robocop movie, and I honestly quite enjoyed it. It's a rather good way to scare runners away from that full cyborg procedure...

Anyway, at the start of the movie there's a news crew showing us how robots can keep a hostile population rather firmly under thumb and the thought struck me: "That is so how Knight Errant would handle the barrens and other SINless hangouts".

Now for those who haven't seen the movie yet I'll explain. This isn't a spoiler as it's basically the first scene in the movie.
Firstly you have the bigass ED 209 drones outfitted with enough firepower to take on an entire gang pretty much single-handed, which are your muscle. They're packing something like dual HMGs and a grenade launcher or similar heavy loadout to deal with pretty much anything. Supporting them are man-sized humanoid drones at a ratio of about 4-1, armed with assault weapons. VTOL-capable drones are air support, keeping an eye on everything from the sky. The procedure is simple: as the patrol goes down the street everyone comes out and puts their hands up. The robots scan them for weapons and contraband. Anyone who doesn't comply is shot. We can safely assume that various sensors are used to make sure people aren't hiding from the patrols.

Now I figure that 3-4 patrols per day should pacify the barrens rather nicely, at least on paper. And really, when have the Star or Knights ever cared about results if the plan works on paper?

[Sengir]

The question is, why would TPTB want to pacify the Barrens?

[FuelDrop]

The question is, why would TPTB want to pacify the Barrens?

To show how good they are when the Seattle contract comes up for auction again? They don't need to have it under thumb for long, just long enough to prove that they are the right provider for the job.

[garner_adam]

Some thing like that might be interesting for an adventure or a campaign but I wouldn't try to keep it in the setting. It's been a core conceit of the setting that there's this wild urban sprawl called the barrens where the police barely go if they can help it. A system like that would really shake up what makes up the essence of the barrens- namely it being a barely policed urban jungle where might makes right.

But as an adventure concept it might be neat. Where they try out this new procedure and a rival party wants to make sure it fails. Shadowrunners are hired to protect that which is not worth protecting.

[BlackJaw]

Some thing like that might be interesting for an adventure or a campaign but I wouldn't try to keep it in the setting. It's been a core conceit of the setting that there's this wild urban sprawl called the barrens where the police barely go if they can help it. A system like that would really shake up what makes up the essence of the barrens- namely it being a barely policed urban jungle where might makes right.

But as an adventure concept it might be neat. Where they try out this new procedure and a rival party wants to make sure it fails. Shadowrunners are hired to protect that which is not worth protecting.

As the guy that usually plays the team Hacker, I'm all in on that run.

[Blade]

After the Arcology incident, I doubt the idea of putting robots with big guns in charge of something would get any kind of support in Seattle.

[Jack VII]

[Dick Jones directs Kinney to threaten ED-209. Kinney points a gun at the robot.]
ED-209: Please put down your weapon. You have 20 seconds to comply.
Dick Jones: I think you'd better do what he says, Mr. Kinney.
[Alarmed, Kinney quickly tosses the gun away. ED-209 steps forward and growls menacingly.]
ED-209: You now have 15 seconds to comply. You are in direct violation of Penal Code 1.13, Section 9.
[Everyone in the room panics; Kinney tries to hide among them, but is pushed back into open range]
ED-209: You have 5 seconds to comply. 4. 3. 2. 1. I am now authorized to use physical force.

Dick, I'm very disappointed.

Such a classic, classic movie. Such a great satire.

[yesferatu]

I would imagine that sort of pacification isn't cheap. It's not like they could afford to keep that up for long.
Sure, it's effective, but is it COST effective? With no real payoff - other than defense contracts - the money would most likely run out.
Who's going to want to reclaim the barrens after a couple of incursions? That would be a long-term project.

It does set up a nice flux of order and chaos in the barrens though. I gotta take my group to see Robocop one of these days.

[Drace]

Also think of the press. The average barren resident is armed (only the stupid or awakened possibly aren't, and then they usually die). How would it look to have heavily armoured and armed drones going into municipality (filled With children, often armed too) and essentially gunning everyone down? The gangs would organize, te syndacites and corps would be rallying agaisnt it (where do you think corp and syndacites contraband and weapons go) and heavily militant groups like the Crush would be taking excessive firepower towards them. It would be extremely costly with the corp responsible pissing off all syndacites, several megas, and te world as footage of them gunning down hordes of children and little old ladies make the news rounds. That's not even taking into account risks of hacking and te like from matrix gangs and their ilk, neo-As, tribals, awakened, toxic spirits and mages and all te other factions and powers.

Plus the wireless in the barrens is abysmal, you would need to have the riggers extremely close by for reliable service and then that would be a major weak point.

[Sengir]

To show how good they are when the Seattle contract comes up for auction again? They don't need to have it under thumb for long, just long enough to prove that they are the right provider for the job.

With the powers that be I didn't mean the security companies themselves, but the ones contracting them. The Barrens are like your typical African hellhole, as long as the denizens stay there nobody from the better-off areas really cares.

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

After the Arcology incident, I doubt the idea of putting robots with big guns in charge of something would get any kind of support in Seattle.

So, so true... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Dick, I'm very disappointed.

Such a classic, classic movie. Such a great satire.

Which brings the question of WHY BRINGING A ROBOT WITH LIVE AMMO TO A BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S DEMONSTRATION!?!?!? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

Edit: by the way, I haven't seen it yet but did they keep the original soundtrack?

[Cochise]

Edit: by the way, I haven't seen it yet but did they keep the original soundtrack?

You can hear the original theme at some points, but it's not the original soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqlyjClQ4Kc

[SpellBinder]

Which brings the question of WHY BRINGING A ROBOT WITH LIVE AMMO TO A BOARD OF DIRECTOR'S DEMONSTRATION!?!?!? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

Scientists may be really smart, but they're not often very wise.

As for the whole drone thing, I'm not so sure it'd be very popular anywhere after the Renraku Arcology incident. At least in the new Robocop movie there was a human element involved in that patrol.

[Sponge]

With the powers that be I didn't mean the security companies themselves, but the ones contracting them. The Barrens are like your typical African hellhole, as long as the denizens stay there nobody from the better-off areas really cares.

Pretty much. Unless someone discovered an oil deposit or something equally valuable in the Barrens....

[Medicineman]

@Jack VII
Here Ya go (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMMyVKm9BjM

with a slightly Offtopic Dance
Medicineman

[nezumi]

If it's a narrative tool your plot needs, yeah, use it. Sounds cool!

I wouldn't take it as an argument for "why aren't the barrens suppressed already, when they could just do XXX??", but I don't think that's what OP was saying. I'd love to play a game where my runners are fighting with this thread in the background.