The Octagon Case: Black Ops and MMA

[jeff_wilson]

I'd like to send a squad of Black Ops to a big name mixed martial arts tourney, ostensibly as competitors and their body guards, to let the bruisers show off and to motivate some earnest covert operations, but I'm having trouble contriving a reason for the Company or Argus to be interested enough to send a team in. Investigating a missing previous team is better than "because you were ordered to", but I'd still need a reason the previous team was poking around there.

Ideas?

[johndallman]

Somebody is winning too many bouts, seemingly recovering from exhaustion and accidental injuries very quickly. He looks human, but his combination of strength, speed and endurance raise real suspicion that something inhuman is going on.

[Icelander]

A plausible-but-unconfirmed intelligence report that someone with supernatural gifts is using them to compete in MMA might have started it. Argus may have sent recruiters or at any rate someone who wants to discourage that sort of public scrutiny for anyone with powers, fairly standard and not PC-material at all, but that would quickly change if these disappeared without a trace. That, now, is the sort of thing that leads you to send people who really find out stuff and deal with it.

You could also tie it into an ongoing campaign by revealing after the PCs smash some shadowy and organised menace that in their computers and bank records you can find a lot of references, and a stream of truly staggering amount of carefully laundered money, to an upcoming MMA tournament.

Why? Well, why would anyone want to sponsor an event designed to allow millions of screaming and devoted fans of bloody violence to watch while chosen champions match their skills against each other until there is only one, the fiercest warrior whose only weapon is his body? Are they looking for a worthy sacrifice? A suitable test subject? Enacting a ritual designed to reawaken another such warrior, bringing his soul from the feasting hall of the gods into the body of the victor? Is someone looking for a lover? A meal? A worthy adversary?

[Lemn0c]

One or more of the other competitors was a suspected covert operative / terrorist. And is still there.

The grand masters of the tournament are believed to be masterminds of a very large and dangerous crime / terror syndicate

...

[Anthony]

The sport is rumored to be rife with some new performance-enhancing substances that don't show up on drug tests. Your bosses suspect that it's supernatural in nature, and want to find the source.

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by jeff_wilson

I'd like to send a squad of Black Ops to a big name mixed martial arts tourney, ostensibly as competitors and their body guards, to let the bruisers show off and to motivate some earnest covert operations, but I'm having trouble contriving a reason for the Company or Argus to be interested enough to send a team in. Investigating a missing previous team is better than "because you were ordered to", but I'd still need a reason the previous team was poking around there.

Ideas?

Intelligence has discovered that Somebody Else (the Greys, the Lodge, whoever) are interested in the MMA, really seriously interested and vesting a disproportionate amount of resources.

The Company doesn't know why, they're scratching their heads over it, but it does make for an easy cover, a lot of Combat ops or the like could easily pass themselves off as part of it. So they send the team to find out why They are interested.

As a side-hook, you could pose a mystery by having your bruisers go up against an apparently unaugmented, normal player who consistently beats the Combat ops. He doesn't seem to be augmented or drugged or anything, he looks to be ordinary, but somehow keeps winning against the Combat Divisions fighting machines.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Anthony

The sport is rumored to be rife with some new performance-enhancing substances that don't show up on drug tests. Your bosses suspect that it's supernatural in nature, and want to find the source.

And then appropriate it for the Company's use!

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Langy

And then appropriate it for the Company's use!

Kinda depends on what the substance is. If the increased strength comes from demonic possession, or from being transformed into an Unspeakable Thing, the Company might want to take a pass...

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Kinda depends on what the substance is. If the increased strength comes from demonic possession, or from being transformed into an Unspeakable Thing, the Company might want to take a pass...

How unspeakable are we talking? Chtulu ftagn or just Greek?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Icelander

How unspeakable are we talking? Chtulu ftagn or just Greek?

Well, I was thinking of the first, but the amazing power to create an financial mess might also not appeal to the Company.