Dunkelzahn and Harlequin arcs Options

[sk8bcn]

Another one:

I will also play Harlequin's back. The subject is to protect the rift by finding Talia's Voice (if I recall correctly).

Yet Dunkelzahn's death is about the exact same topic.

I haven't read Ryan's Mercury trilogy: is it Worth it? How much is it related to Harlequin's Back? Can it be used to link PC to this storyplot (outside Portfolio of a dragon)?

[bannockburn]

It gives a lot of background info in very bad writing. YMMV.

[hermit]

I haven't read Ryan's Mercury trilogy: is it Worth it? How much is it related to Harlequin's Back? Can it be used to link PC to this storyplot (outside Portfolio of a dragon)?

Nowhere near my favourite novels, that's for sure. It is kinda related to H2 (as in, it ...

[ Spoiler ]

negates the sacrifice made at the end of h2, and makes the climax of h2 kind of worthless, for the sake of the lead character in the book and Dunkie having a moment

.) It kinda can be used, but ... maybe better don't.

[sk8bcn]

Can it be, mmmm, altered into a PC adventure were they could have a form of spotlight?

like, maybe, replacing Ryan Mercury by PC

[bannockburn]

Don't do that. Ryan is a hopeless Mary Sue.

[hermit]

Can it be, mmmm, altered into a PC adventure were they could have a form of spotlight?

Only with several years' worth of real-time campaign building up to that (the players would essentially have to become Dunkelzahn's own shadow ops team). Not really viable unless you go for the very long haul.

[Nath]

A friend of mine played an adventure where the Dragonheart books were published in-game in the months following Dunkelzahn death, and the real Ryan Mercury, actually an accountant working for Dunkelzahn organization, is very annoyed about his name being made public by some obscure writer, and VP Daviar even more about him being branded as her secret lover and super field ops agent.

Now, unless you consider the romance with Nadja Daviar is a central part of the plot, Ryan Mercury and Assets, Inc. can be pretty much removed from it to make room for the player character. The fact that your PC are not worthy enough to be work for Dunkelzahn is a non-issue to me - they are if the GM says so (also, Dunkelzahn death and the following turmoil could be a reason for M/Ms Johnson to keep the same team as events unfurl).

[ Spoiler ]

The Dragonheart Saga as a campaign would be something along those lines:

Run #1: getting in San Marcos, in occupied Texas, to spy on Aztechnology operations to retrieve the Locus
Run #2: breaking in the Aztechnology/Universal Omnitech delta clinic in Panama to exfiltrate the spy that got the initial intel about San Marcos
Run #3: breaking in the Atlantean Foundation building in Eugene, Tir Tairngire, to retrieve the Dragonheart
Run #4: searching in Hells Canyon, Salish-Shidhe, for the cyberzombie who stole the Dragonheart from the Draco Foundation, learning about his nature, tracking him to the airfield where he took an airplane bound for Washington DC and stopping him as he attacks Dunkelzahn's mansion in Georgetown (retrieving the Dragonheart later than Mercury does in the books).
Run #5: delivering an item to Harlequin's lair in France (not really interesting since nothing actually happens)
Run #6: retrieving the cyberzombie in San Marcos

The books have a lot of "meanwhile in Aztlan..." moment that wouldn't fit in a game. There are also a number of information that are conveyed by Mercury internal monologue et Alice's own story that you would have to hand to the players throught other channels. If I had to do it, I would probably have the PC retrieving much more information during the raid on the delta clinic in Panama as a starting point, and get some more context in Georgetown. The information about the assassination, the Scott Commission, Daviar nomination... can appear in the background, since every media would cover them even when you're in the middle of Salish-Shidhe.

Also, the story could be changed so that, instead of using delivering an item to Harlequin in Marseille as a way to get in touch with him, you would play Harlequin's Back, and then the finale in San Marcos. Even if not canonically accurate, such set-up would allow to play both without leaving the impression that what has been done in HB was a waste of time.

[sk8bcn]

I still have to read and buy the trilogy, but your process of events seems worth to be played. So I'll probably go for something like that.

[hermit]

Also, the story could be changed so that, instead of using delivering an item to Harlequin in Marseille as a way to get in touch with him, you would play Harlequin's Back, and then the finale in San Marcos. Even if not canonically accurate, such set-up would allow to play both without leaving the impression that what has been done in HB was a waste of time.

That seems a pretty good idea that could work (and also would tone down the harley-worship of h2 somewhat).

The Daviar Arc could be optional, with Daviar just being around and open to PC interest in her.