Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

[cyst13]

Is anyone gaming the TV show 24? I have a specific question in regards to a counter-terrorism campaign.

 

As a GM, how should I deal with the tech support at CTU headquarters?

 

Here's the conundrum that I see: If I run the tech guys as NPCs, it would be nearly impossible to include any of the interpersonal rivalries, betrayals and double-crosses that are rife within the headquarters on the show. I'd be reduced to periodically informing the field agents that someone's been replaced or a double-agent has just been exposed -- borrring! Other hand, if I make the techies PCs, I'd essentially be running two separate games simultaneously throughout the entire campaign -- Aaagh!

 

Does anyone have a viable solution to this quandry?

[Maelstrom]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

How about leaving the positions open, and filling them with Followers? Then each PC would have a techie on his side, but the NPCs -- watch out for them!

[cyst13]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

Actually, that's a pretty good idea. Then I could have the players controlling two characters a piece (field agent & techie), which would eliminate the downtime prob of switching tween player groups. Thanx.

 

Sometimes solutions are so obvious you have to ask some one else to joggle your brain in order to see them.

[Maelstrom]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

I live to serve. *bows*

[Remjin]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

I live to serve. *bows*

 

Sweet! I'd like a cheeseburger and fries and a root beer. If you would put salt and pepper on the fries for me, heavy, distributed well? Shaken, I think. I want the root beer in a frosted mug, and make the cheeseburger medium, just a bit of pink in the middle, with all the fixings. Thanks! Oh, and can I get that delivered?

 

[Shaft]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

I considered doing this. Having 4 players with 2 characters per player (1 field, 1 support) is a good idea (makes the 2-4 thing work nice to), but set it up so that players don't have their two characters talking to one another.

 

The support characters aren't neccesarily CTU. They could be presidential staff, or even the President himself, on a visit in the local CTU office.

 

I think you can cover one hour of "real time" in a three hour session, so scheduling 24 sessions is a good idea.

 

The rivalry disadvantage should be mandatory for everyone.

 

2 player characters should be moles. Possibly both characters of one player. You may want to have every character have a secret of some kind (affairs or office romances with other PCs or NPCs are a good one).

 

A romantic relationship between characters doesn't spare them being targeted by a mole, even if they are involved with the mole.

 

Make sure you set a player character up and have him be interogated by another PC.

 

Plan to have 4 PCs killed over the course of the day. You may even want to have write ups for third characters that can be taken over.

 

Anyone from Division is an NPC. The PC who is the local unit CTU unit will have to be replaced by an antagonistic NPC at one point.

 

You'll need to be able to think on your feet very quickly. Break down each hour into five minute "scenes". Make a chart with each character and write where they will be and what "action" they will be involved with. Spread the action out so that one of each player's characters is always a cut scene away.

 

Remember you can have one of a given characters characters sidelined for most of the session if his other character is in the middle of things.

 

You'll need to have a lot of secret note passing. You may even want to send out "false notes" with irrelevant data.

 

Get the 24 CDs. There are two of them: one that covers Seasons 1,2,3, and the other that cover 4 and 5. It really adds to the modd to have the music in the background as you narrate a scene.

 

Good luck. The clock is ticking.

[Shaft]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

Slightly related to the above thread, CTU Hudson City might be a cool arc, especially if you have vigilantes and masked villains in the mix. Or applying the 24 hour format to a Hudson City Task Force.

 

"We have a tip that the Blue Moon Killer plans to assassinate Senator Relm, who recently escaped charges of corruption, in the next 24 hours..."

[Shaft]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

IThe rivalry disadvantage should be mandatory for everyone.

 

2 player characters should be moles. Possibly both characters of one player. You may want to have every character have a secret of some kind (affairs or office romances with other PCs or NPCs are a good one).

 

I gave this some more thought. You may even want to have 1 player have a field agent who has already infiltrated the badguys, or have a PC play a bad guy openly (a lot of the scenes in 24 are the badguy finding out complications to their plan). You'll need mature players who don't use out of game knowledge if you have one of the PCs act openly villainous).

 

The PC villain isn't the main villain of course. He works for an NPC. He may turn on that NPC though and/or defect (but trust won't be earned until further in the day).

[Shaft]

Re: Gaming advice for 24/CTU?

 

Oh, and if your PCs have good cell phone plans that allow for cheap texting and affordable rates, call them up on their cell phones in play so you get the ring in game- it's a great prop, and it adds to the feel if you have the other PCs watching you and the players converse face to face via cell phone. If you can download the CTU rain tone, that also helps.

 

Ideally you'll have th PCs begin texting one another with their conspiracy theories, but if your PCs start stealing their fellow players phones to look at their call logs, it may have gone too far.