How do you interogate? - Dumpshock Forums

How do you interogate?, An excuse to quote homocide?

Prefered Interogation style
You cannot see the results of the poll until you have voted. Please login and cast your vote to see the results of this poll.
Total Votes: 59
Guests cannot vote

6thDragon

Aug 24 2005, 01:43 PM

Post #51

Moving Target

Group: Members
Posts: 266
Joined: 16-April 02
From: DC
Member No.: 2,605

QUOTE (Crusher Bob)

most of that stuff is to make the subject 'tired and slow'. You add in some simple social psycology (for example, when you see the interrogator you get a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate (or whatever) and your life is pretty suck all the rest of the time). It makes you 'relax' when in the presense of the interrogator. So you are mentally and physically worn down, and 'relaxed' in the presence of the interrogator, most people will tell the interrogator exactly what he wants to know.

In this technique the interrogator tried to play himself off as your friend. It's almost like the good cop/bad cop. The guards or whatever are extra tough on the prisoner and the interrogator gives him little extras with great fanfare. This works best when the prisoner is isolated. It makes the prisoner appreciative and wants to help, or at least not loose his only friend.

Penta: The Geneva Convention classifies sleep deprivation as torture. In the US military were we allowed to use it under extreme circumstances and from my experience it took too much effort just to get it approved (especially after Abu Ghuraib). I've never used them but Stress positions are good for tiring out the person and letting them know whose in charge. They work with a otherwise cooperative prisoner. The risky part about stress possitions ILR (US military regulations) are that if the prisoner refuses to do them there is little or nothing the interrogator can do. So you look like you don't have much authority, a hugh mistake. Drugs would also be a "no go", but they would probably also have the same effect of tiring the prisoner out. A tired prisoner is a careless prisoner. It's easier to trick them or catch them off guard. And it's easier to read their body-language.

One the the best aspects of being friendly is usually the prisoner doesn't expect it. They come into the process fully prepared to be tortured and beaten to a pulp. So you can initially catch them off guard.

Having the prisoner think of the interrogator as a friend is very effective. I remember once in Baghdad we raided a mosque and had something like 50 detainees to deal with. Most of them were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. So I started in on this guy after he'd been locked up for a good three weeks. He started bitching about how we shouldn't keep him because he's innocent. I told him we was right, but that he was lucky. If Saddam's men caught him at a mosque with weapons he would be dead by now, or at least probably not in the possession of 10 intact fingers or any form of broken bones. After that he agreed and told me what little he knew.

Spookymonster View Member Profile	Aug 24 2005, 01:56 PM Post #52
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 639 Joined: 22-April 02 Member No.: 2,638	Some interesting reading on interrogation strategies from Slate magazine.

6thDragon View Member Profile	Aug 24 2005, 02:19 PM Post #53
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 266 Joined: 16-April 02 From: DC Member No.: 2,605	There are several important ones that this websight misses. Another good approach is a false-flag. This is where the interrogator, or someone else dresses up in another uniform. This can be from any country of NGO out there. This isn't always legal for them, especially with NGOs, but it can be effective. Also the variety of emotional approaches. "Tell us where your friends went after the attack. If they gave a shit about you they wouldn't have left you behind for us to capture would they?" Or there are countless others

Penta View Member Profile	Aug 24 2005, 03:13 PM Post #54
Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,978 Joined: 26-February 02 From: New Jersey, USA Member No.: 500	Reason I asked: One of the characters I play, not in SR but in a modern day PBEM, is Israeli. I realize they may not be the most popular teachers around, but I'm trying to figure out why things may or may not be done. That said, thanks 6D. A good question nobody's asked yet: What's the legality of tactics like, say, saying you'll put in a good word for a guy to get to America (if he's only a threat in-theater)? Or, conversely, how legal is it to threaten to, say, hand a guy over to the <Israelis/Jordanians/Egyptians/Pick-your-bogeyman>? Even if that never happens?

Foreigner View Member Profile	Aug 24 2005, 03:27 PM Post #55
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 586 Joined: 22-November 02 From: Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A. (or C.A.S.) Member No.: 3,630	I didn't vote because my character hasn't interrogated anyone yet--forcibly or otherwise. I just thought that I'd relate this little anecdote that I found somewhere on the 'Net (I'm paraphrasing this, but the original tale was pretty close): In a game of Top Secret, a character playing the stereotypical British M.I.-6 operative--"stiff upper lip", and all that--was kidnapped by a group of thugs who were temporarily employed by a rival agency. In the course of a particularly brutal interrogation, the intrepid agent was kicked in the groin, hard. Shortly thereafter, the local authorities, acting on an anonymous tip provided by a fellow agent who had been watching the victim's back, but didn't want to jeopardize his/her (the fellow agent's) cover, freed the agent. However, some of the thugs escaped in the confusion. When a policeman asked the newly-freed agent to describe the kidnappers, he responded as follows: "I'm terribly sorry, Old Chap, but my genitals have recently absorbed a substantial amount of kinetic energy, and as a result, I am momentarily incapable of responding to any inquiries." Whereupon he slowly sank to the floor. Needless to say, the session had to be halted temporarily because all of the players, as well as the Administrator (*Top Secret*'s counterpart to a Dungeonmaster, Storyteller, or Game Moderator) were laughing hysterically. --Foreigner

ShadowDragon8685 View Member Profile	Aug 24 2005, 03:34 PM Post #56
Horror Group: Members Posts: 5,322 Joined: 15-June 05 From: BumFuck, New Jersey Member No.: 7,445	Bwahahaahaahaahaahaaaaaaah! That's one for the anecdote threads. :P

Bearclaw

Aug 24 2005, 03:37 PM

Post #57

Shooting Target

Group: Members
Posts: 1,632
Joined: 26-February 02
From: Portland Oregon, USA
Member No.: 1,304

QUOTE (Penta)

6thDragon, Bearclaw:

How are drugs, sleep deprivation, stress positions, etc. seen by professional interrogators?

As you've said, torture is ineffective...But what about those other techniques?

6th Dragon is the expert. I've only read about it, and maybe been "questioned" once or twice.
As I was never guilty of what I was being questioned about, I never got the full treatment, but I did especially enjoy the "if you didn't do it, who did. Tell us or you'll go to jail for obstruction."

6thDragon

Aug 24 2005, 04:34 PM

Post #58

Moving Target

Group: Members
Posts: 266
Joined: 16-April 02
From: DC
Member No.: 2,605

QUOTE (Penta)

A good question nobody's asked yet:

What's the legality of tactics like, say, saying you'll put in a good word for a guy to get to America (if he's only a threat in-theater)?

Or, conversely, how legal is it to threaten to, say, hand a guy over to the <Israelis/Jordanians/Egyptians/Pick-your-bogeyman>? Even if that never happens?

I'll probably raise some eyebrows by saying this, but most of the regulations are rather vague. There are a lot of grey areas, and very little oversight. In shadowrun some guidelines if the characters are ever being interrogated. The interrogators are usually overworked and are often more tired than the prisoners, but that depends on the situation. The corporation or government involved: I'd be willing to bet the corps are more brutal. I don't think the corporate court would get involved and I don't know how the UN would force something onto a AAA. Oversight costs money. I have the sourcebook that has info on the UN, but I think I lent if out before I had a chance to read it myself. Usually the prisoner isn't familiar with the regulations of the interrogation approaches, so the interrogator can get away with a lot. Someone has to read the reports (which are usually classified) or if they exist, watch any videos or listen to recordings (which are always also classified), and can be very time consuming. The many grey areas by default are permissible as long as it isn't blatant disregard for the regulations. I do remember the LS sourcebook and SOTA 6064 that says the internal affairs are very understaffed, underfuned, and overworked.

nezumi View Member Profile	Aug 26 2005, 08:49 PM Post #59
Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,546 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760	Something my wife showed me of interest: http://www.grayarea.com/police8.htm

Sunday_Gamer View Member Profile	Aug 27 2005, 12:43 PM Post #60
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 344 Joined: 28-July 03 Member No.: 5,133	Interrogation should always be left to the magic user =) Everyone else is just so sloppy about it unless they're really good. ;) My (I don't really like the word interrogation) information gathering skills =) Are mostly composed of scarring the crap out of people, I don't hurt people, it's not the Monkey way. 1) Analyze truth and letting the large Sam ask the questions. 2) Compel truth, trid phantasm, influence and alter memory. By phase 2, I can influence your reactions, force the truth from you and by using phantasms and alter memory, I can make you remember whatever horrible scenario I want and then whammo, suddenly he's back in the chair and he still has both eyes and none of his fingers are missing and there really isn't a small army of 4 inch tall demons nibbling the flesh off his feet... =) NOW he feels like chatting =) (note: you gotta piss me off proper before I'll start implanting memories of torture, and yes, once I have the info I will remove those memories along with the ones that you just told us everything... I find it best to let them think that 1) they never gave it up and 2) We (the PCs) were obviously amateurs and didn't have the balls to really interrogate him and he's just so much better than we are... Kong

Ed Simons

Aug 28 2005, 03:41 AM

Post #61

Moving Target

Group: Members
Posts: 276
Joined: 29-September 02
Member No.: 3,348

QUOTE (Sabosect)

If that fails, we force them to watch as we implant cranial bombs in their family/friends.

You do realize that going to cost over 81,000 nuyen per cranial bomb and the bombs have an availability of 18. If you’re running around with the kind of money that you can routinely blow several hundred thousand nuyen on an interrogation and you’ve got the skills needed to make that 18 target number to get the cranial bomb in the first place; then why on earth are you running the shadows?

For contrast, let me note that a bullet to the hostage’s head costs a mere 2 nuyen per victim and doesn’t require a cybersurgeon to put it there.

QUOTE (Sabosect)

Then we implant them with biomonitors,

Note that this is another 10,000 plus nuyen per victim. And a biomonitor is not a lie detector. (Though someone skilled in Biotech and Interrogation could probably use it and have a good idea if the subject was lying.)

QUOTE (Sabosect)

Every time they lie, they get to watch gore splatter around the room.

And who gets stuck with cleaning up the splatter room? That’s lots of very messy physical evidence than needs to be disposed of. Getting rid of a corpse is enough of a problem, getting rid of pieces is far more difficult. In fact, this is a drawback of all torture methods.

QUOTE (Sabosect)

Once we get the information from them, we do another surgery and leave them and any other surviving hostages to be picked up by the police. Of course, we tell them that attempting to tell others what happened will set off the bombs. Telling anyone about the bombs will set them off. The police finding out about the bombs will set them off. We wait until they are back in their home and send a final detonation code.

That’s a rather dramatic way of doing it. Lone Star and the media should be quite interested. And there can’t that many runners buying cranial bombs in bulk.

And for all of these posts – torture is not a substitute for the Interrogation skill.

Sunday_Gamer View Member Profile	Aug 28 2005, 03:59 AM Post #62
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 344 Joined: 28-July 03 Member No.: 5,133	and interrogation, is no substitute for a good compel truth. =) Kong

hyzmarca

Aug 28 2005, 04:17 AM

Post #63

Midnight Toker

Group: Members
Posts: 7,686
Joined: 4-July 04
From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop
Member No.: 6,456

QUOTE (Ed Simons)

QUOTE (Sabosect)

If that fails, we force them to watch as we implant cranial bombs in their family/friends.

You do realize that going to cost over 81,000 nuyen per cranial bomb and the bombs have an availability of 18. If you’re running around with the kind of money that you can routinely blow several hundred thousand nuyen on an interrogation and you’ve got the skills needed to make that 18 target number to get the cranial bomb in the first place; then why on earth are you running the shadows?

For contrast, let me note that a bullet to the hostage’s head costs a mere 2 nuyen per victim and doesn’t require a cybersurgeon to put it there.

A small but of C4 and a miniture remote detonator = poor man's cranial bomb. Cordless power drill = We don't need no stinking cybersurgeon.

Some people say that trepanning increases intelligence and helps prevent possession so they might thank you for drilling holes in their skulls.

I do completely agree about the biomoniter.

.....mmmmmmm.......trepanning.

Sabosect

Aug 28 2005, 04:54 AM

Post #64

Moving Target

Group: Members
Posts: 807
Joined: 9-October 04
Member No.: 6,741

QUOTE (Ed Simons @ Aug 27 2005, 10:41 PM)

You do realize that going to cost over 81,000 nuyen per cranial bomb and the bombs have an availability of 18. If you’re running around with the kind of money that you can routinely blow several hundred thousand nuyen on an interrogation and you’ve got the skills needed to make that 18 target number to get the cranial bomb in the first place; then why on earth are you running the shadows?

Two words: Corporate backing.

And, yes, this group really does have that much money. Hell, go read on the thread I started recently about how they modified an Excalibur. Besides, buying in bulk tends to create a discount, especially when you have a really good face handling it.

QUOTE

For contrast, let me note that a bullet to the hostage’s head costs a mere 2 nuyen per victim and doesn’t require a cybersurgeon to put it there.

True. But then, that's not quite as horrific as what I'm going for.

QUOTE

Note that this is another 10,000 plus nuyen per victim. And a biomonitor is not a lie detector. (Though someone skilled in Biotech and Interrogation could probably use it and have a good idea if the subject was lying.)

Actually, they are. Modern lie detectors are just biomonitors programmed to look for specific biosigns, and most of them are not even that sophisticated and just monitor biosigns. It's not that hard to do in SR. I would say a programming check of 4 to change the lifesigns looked for.

QUOTE

And who gets stuck with cleaning up the splatter room? That’s lots of very messy physical evidence than needs to be disposed of. Getting rid of a corpse is enough of a problem, getting rid of pieces is far more difficult. In fact, this is a drawback of all torture methods.

Rent a slaughterhouse. The body you just dump off in the Barrens.

QUOTE

That’s a rather dramatic way of doing it. Lone Star and the media should be quite interested. And there can’t that many runners buying cranial bombs in bulk.

Hey, let them look. Officially, we're a legit business that buys leftover cyberimplants at a reduced price, strips them down, and uses them as spare parts for various items. They get nosey, we can provide documentation for the disposal of the explosives.

They get really nosey, we give them incentives to leave us alone. Like, framing them for a run against Saeder-Krupp that does enough damage to get that corporation's notice.

QUOTE

And for all of these posts – torture is not a substitute for the Interrogation skill.

No, but it's one hell of an aid to it.

lorthazar View Member Profile	Aug 28 2005, 05:00 AM Post #65
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 485 Joined: 25-October 04 Member No.: 6,789	High force control emotions to make the target friendly and talkative. Need I really say more.

« Next Oldest · Shadowrun · Next Newest »