Police campaigns

[hal]

They've got some pretty snazzy software out there that helps build precinct districts as well as beat areas - based on multiple criteria. Said criteria might be past history of events within a given locale, population values, or even something as simple as response time. Then comes the issue of balancing work loads - as the Police officers also get burned out like anyone else if the work load is too heavy.

Ultimately, it is like anything else these days - they use computers to milk the most efficiency out of any resource or get the biggest bang for their buck.

In the old days (before the computers), they would build those beats like anything else - by hand, experience, etc.

If it weren't for this Covid-19 situation, I'd be likely heading into the nearest Police station and asking if I could speak with someone who handles public relations. I'd bring my copy of GURPS COPS and lend it to the police officer saying "I'd like to try to build a fictional city infrastructure that includes police precincts and such for a city of 8 Million people. I'd like to try and simulate precinct resources, build precinct maps and beat maps for this fictional city (Did I mention I'm using Campaign Cartographer for use with my maps?).

Yup - Covid-19 stir crazy ain't I?

;)

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by hal

If it weren't for this Covid-19 situation, I'd be likely heading into the nearest Police station and asking if I could speak with someone who handles public relations. I'd bring my copy of GURPS COPS and lend it to the police officer saying "I'd like to try to build a fictional city infrastructure that includes police precincts and such for a city of 8 Million people. I'd like to try and simulate precinct resources, build precinct maps and beat maps for this fictional city (Did I mention I'm using Campaign Cartographer for use with my maps?).

Try a polite email to their public relations people.

[copeab]

Originally Posted by hal

So, thoughts? Comments?

For several years I ran a police campaign, but most of what I did wouldn't be helpful to you. I put it in my cyberfantasy setting (around 2048) and the officers worked (initially) with the gang crimes unit (so not beat cops). I also ran it like a Hollywood series, with episodes and seasons.

[cptbutton]

Originally Posted by smurf

There is an old 3rd Ed called Cops and another called SWAT. Plus campaigns for Espionage, Covert, and Special Ops.

They are available on W23 as PDFs.

I hop the Cops pdf has a way to get rid of that ghastly background, but probably not.

[copeab]

Originally Posted by smurf

There is an old 3rd Ed called Cops and another called SWAT. Plus campaigns for Espionage, Covert, and Special Ops.

They are available on W23 as PDFs.

SWAT is useful. Covert Ops is not quite as useful for beat cops, but can be for detective PCs. Espionage is even less useful for beat cops and Special Ops has little relevance to police campaigns (yes, I have all of them).

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by copeab

I ran a police campaign, but most of what I did wouldn't be helpful to you.

I also ran a police campaign, but it was science fiction detectives. Mysteries was really good for what we did, but I don't know if it'd be good for you. I suspect the typical RPG Police campaign is based on detectives rather than on patrol cops.

[hal]

For what it is worth...

This campaign will have its roots with the technology present with GURPS CLASSIC ULTRATECH and CLASSIC ULTRATECH 2. I plan on having a bunch of encounters that aren't seemingly significant, so as to hide the one that will be:

"Five Adam Fifteen. We have a 911 call claiming to have sighted a free roaming primate at 2627 Wilshire Street."

"Dispatch, mark Five Adam 15 as responding to call at 2627 Wilshire Street."

From that one seemingly odd encounter, the Campaign theme will unfold. If you've ever watched BLACK MIRROR on NETFLIX, you may have an idea of what my plans are for this campaign. Think of it as a sort of BLUE BLOODS meets BLACK MIRROR".

Sort of.

And it is all the fault of the classic GURPS sci-fi source books.

;)

[copeab]

You do understand that as beat cops, the PCs won't be investigating crimes, right? That's what detectives do. So if you have some big plot laying underneath the surface of society, the beat cops will only find it by accident ... and then it will be promptly handed over to detectives.

The exception is for small police departments, but it sounds like you want to set this in a major city.

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by dcarson

Apparently the police show that many cops think is the closest to reality is Barney Miller.

Every cop I've ever talked to (and I've talked to a fair number) all agreed with this statement.

You might take a look at police blotter reports and call logs. A lot of departments publish those online, themselves, in the mornings.

Here in Colorado, the Boulder PD, Colorado Springs PD, Golden PD, and the El Paso County Sheriff's Department all do that.

Some of them are hilarious, but most just provide some insight into the daily routine of police work.

Generally speaking, very few of the people who commit crimes are evil. Most are just kinda stupid and almost all lack impulse control, for one reason or another.

Moreover, a significant fraction of the blotter reports include the same names of the same people. There's always a subset of people in any town (or large city police precinct) who just can't get it together, and make one bad choice after another -- after another.

So, for a campaign such as this, I'd pick a few calls at random from a police blotter, and fold a couple of them into each session. Make sure to include some funny dialogue at the precinct station when they bring in a suspect for booking, and follow up with the results of a trial (if any -- lots of them plea bargain).

Weave the more light (or somewhat annoying) events onto your larger narrative, to mix things up. :)

[hal]

Originally Posted by copeab

You do understand that as beat cops, the PCs won't be investigating crimes, right? That's what detectives do. So if you have some big plot laying underneath the surface of society, the beat cops will only find it by accident ... and then it will be promptly handed over to detectives.

The exception is for small police departments, but it sounds like you want to set this in a major city.

What will be the main focus is the day to day life in the city. Yes, they are expected to arrive at a crime scene, secure the crime scene, and possibly canvas the area for witnesses or take statements.

That being said, there is the full time working as a beat officer, then there is the time spent off-duty. Eventually, someone will suggest to the player character "if you have an interest in solving crimes or investigation, you should take the Sergeant's test." Depending on how well the player does on the test and the numbers involved, the player will need to make a roll against an "opening" value to see if he ever gets a chance at becoming a detective after taking that examination.

The scope of play is to start as a beat, and work his way up. He's thinking maybe SWAT. However, his evaluation as a beat officer in actual game play will determine whether or not he will even be considered being allowed to test for an opening, and like the Sergeant's exam, he'll be competing against others.

For now? My task will be to try and map out some of the details so that he can know for instance, that a Call for service (911) may take him out of his normal patrol area to an adjacent one. He may end up having to pull all stops for an officer down incident involving superior firepower or tactical situations that normally requires a SWAT team, but as a first responder, he is going to need to assess the situation and act not only to aid his officers, but keep gawkers from pressing too close to the action.

In an effort to keep this brief - just know that I'm using a fair number of sources for the creation of my "Chrome City" campaign, not the least of which includes material from sources long out of print (Remember CRIME FIGHTER by Task Force Games?). Remember the CRIME SCENE Sources such as SHERIFF'S OFFICE, FORENSICS, FEDS or MAFIA? Remember DOG TOWN?

Then there is SERVE AND PROTECT for CP2020 - which if I use any of its material, will be made to be toned down so as to avoid the "Over the top" aspects of the genre conventions pioneered with CP2020. A bozo in that game would be called a suicide bomber today and hunted into extinction (so, No Bozos will ever be used in any of my near future campaigns - just no.)

So - my job is to keep my game world alive in my mind with some level of passion involved. This is but the opening act if you will. I can't wait to hit the player with a few episodes of BLUE BLOODS merged with BLACK MIRROR. I look forward to the idea of the player having to deal with future shock as various elements from the GURPS ULTRATECH books (Both Classic and for 4e) are brought into the picture. If we start in the year 2050 as I plan on for this campaign, there will be blimps in the sky advertising for the ELON MUSK raffle - hurry now and you can buy a cheap chance at the Lottery for the Mars Colony expansion". There will be those "Augmented Reality" scenes from THE MINORITY REPORT, as Google's successors use pinpoint advertising where ever people turn while using Smart glasses (Search for those on YouTube and ask yourself where that might go in 30 years).

Ah, I meant to keep this short darn it!