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Old 11-18-2010, 04:32 PM   #11
Michael Cule
 
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

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Originally Posted by Tyneras View Post
The guy who works for the Smithsonian, the one who gets all the "weird stuff", Dr. Selden Graves (GURPS Cabal, p.17). He has connections all over the place and is not associated with the Cabal (unless you make that a plot twist, but it is left up in the air).

Because he is the go-to guy of the US government, the PCs could encounter/handle something odd without knowing how odd, and Dr. Graves takes notice and hires them/they get assigned to him.
Yes, I've got my eye on him. And on Warehouse 23 as a possible Patron.

Without the idea of Infinity Inc to back him though, I'm not sure that he makes a viable long term opponent of the Cabal.
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Old 11-18-2010, 04:35 PM   #12
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

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Originally Posted by martinl View Post
Start the PCs out with advantages or artifacts that allow them to hide from the Cabal.

Ex: The PCs are all Righteous Souls who died at the exact moment that a coalition of especially ambitious Cabalists launched an assault on Heaven. Their souls were at the right place at the right time to interfere, and they did, foiling the Cabalists' dastardly plan. (You can even make this the first session.)

They wake up again in the moral world, in the place they died, mysteriously healed, and with several new advantages that make them resistant to, and impossible to track with, supernatural powers. They can also always tell where the other PCs are, and sense Cabalist supernatural powers in operation.

The Ineffable has made them Its agents. Being ineffable, It knows that they will do what is needed without direct instruction.
Hmm, well the idea is that they start as fairly normal human beings. But the idea of re-incarnation... Now there's a possibility...
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Old 11-18-2010, 04:45 PM   #13
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

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Originally Posted by Michael Cule View Post
Trouble is I can't see a way to that end that doesn't either end up with them killed very early on or with them corrupted and joining the Cabal. (I like heroism: so sue me.)
The Cabal's Outer Circle groups don't have much power and aren't watched over terribly closely; they're useful sources of funds and recruits, but part of the reason for their existence is that they are expendable. There's possibly only one actual Cabalist involved in a front group like this, and a group of PCs could have some success in taking them down without drawing higher attention.

In the longer term, though, they're going to have to have some sort of power that matches the more inward circles of the cabal - magic, spiritual, tech...
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Old 11-18-2010, 04:48 PM   #14
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

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Well, yes but...
None of the rivals seem entirely powerful enough to challenge the Cabal.
True, but there's nothing saying that you couldn't make them more powerful in your setting, or combine them with other powerful groups... there are hints in the Cabal sourcebook that Exodus 22 is controlled by none other than the Bavarian Illuminati. Or, being the Church's Secret Magical Strike Force (the Leonines) could present all kinds of interesting possibilities.

Or, reaching outside of the "official Cabal universe" into crossover territory, the Company (from GURPS Black Ops) is powerful enough to fight off multiple extra-dimensional invaders and conspiracies ... they should be able to give the Cabal a run for their money. Heck, tie them in with Warehouse 23 and/or the Majestic 12 to make them even more powerful.

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And none of the routes to power they offer are without a cost in the characters' basic humanity..
I guess that depends on how they define their basic humanity. Most roads to power in a Cabal campaign will probably involve the paranormal/supernatural, but that isn't the same as "evil and corrupting" unless you say it is. Is all magic black magic, or is magic just a tool that can be used for good or evil? Is a Psi less of a human than someone without psionic powers?

If you decide that, yes, all supernatural power sources are Inherently Evil, then your PCs will be limited to technological sources ... making the Company (or similar group) a perfect fit.
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Old 11-18-2010, 05:26 PM   #15
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

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Hell, for a twist, IOU could be a part of the world of the Cabal.
It's not? COUP will be surprised! O;>
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Old 11-18-2010, 05:43 PM   #16
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

Check out GURPS Voodoo, and replace "Hermetic Lodges" of that setting with the cabal. Or, if not all vampires want to join forces with the Countess Bathory, an organization like the Camerilla could rival the cabal. So could the Justice League, er, International Super Teams. So could the cultist who managed to awaken Cthulhu. And of course, the cabal's cosmology features higher planes than Yetzirah. Or just don't worry about it; succeeding against long odds is part of what makes the story heroic. Of course, certain advantages can help a lot, like Destiny and Common Sense as well as Illuminated. -GEF
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Old 11-18-2010, 07:23 PM   #17
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

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...Or, if not all vampires want to join forces with the Countess Bathory, an organization like the Camerilla could rival the cabal...
Or the Pavane des Vampires, Ken Hite's own spin on the Camarilla....

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Or just don't worry about it; succeeding against long odds is part of what makes the story heroic.
Totally. That'd be my inclination, if I wanted to start with low-point / "mundane human" characters. Maybe give them a Mysterious Benefactor to help keep them alive for awhile, but that sense of overwhelming "THEY are after us!" desperation can give a party of underdogs a real sense of purpose and ingenuity in the face of horror. And if they're clever, they can use the Cabal's own fractiousness against it, or possibly even maneuver it into conflicts with other conspiracies. They don't have to be physically powerful or politically connected to monkey with the plans of the Secret Masters ... they just have to be smart enough to survive the fallout.

Last edited by CousinX; 11-18-2010 at 07:32 PM. Reason: Removing redundancy and refining the thought
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Old 11-18-2010, 09:53 PM   #18
IrishRover
 
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Default Twisting Infinity/Centrum/College Januarius's info to fit

I'd expect the Cabal to be aware of the Many Worlds--but they don't know that Infinity/Centrum/College Januarius/Other similar group exists. So, if the PC's accidently blunder into one of these organizations, tey now have a patron of sorts--but they REALLY need to preserve the secret. You could do this as they start to peel back the onion. Perhaps they find out about the crosstimers by accidently rescuing a prisoner a Cabalist held--a prisoner who knows where the conveyor/Trod/Gate/whatever is.

Or they could be the first crosstimer to discover The Cabal. They could also have discovered a secret spell/device of the Cabal's, and use it.

The point is, when they discover Infintiy or other group, the pc's are the resident expert on the Cabal, and have a chance to negotiate a merger between their knowlege and Infinity's resources.
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Old 11-19-2010, 12:26 AM   #19
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

The stranger stood in the shadows, with his hood pulled over his head - giving no chance of seeing his face. You hear him quietly call your name, not just your given name, but also your middle name. Then you hear him say your grandmother's name from your mother's side adding "wanted you to have a chance at the legacy. I've arranged for a tutor in latin to become available for your schooling. Either you take his schooling or you don't, as I don't much care, but I owed your grandmother this much at least."

As the Gm, all you need to do is discuss with the player "Do you want to find out what your Grandmother's legacy is, or do you want to ignore it?"

Since I have no real idea how you want to run your campaign world, I can't really go too much further, but my idea is based upon something I read once about the occult fables/tales if you will.

If you place this campaign prior to the GREAT WAR (or World War I to latter day historians), then this should take place in England or perhaps even Spain.

Each player then gets a chance to join in on this "legacy" For three years, the "students" will withdraw from society, and will be studying from a rather um, unusual set of teachers in an underground cavern that exists in the mountains between France and Spain.

There, the players CAN learn magic, or alchemy, or what ever else you wish for them to start off with. The deal? 13 of the students shall study tuition free with no limits on the arcane knowledge they seek. The catch? After three years, they must leave the cavern, never to return. The last student to leave - belongs to the Devil.

Symbolically, that leaves you with twelve disciples who wander throughout the lands. Perhaps these new members of the world will discover that there are others who use arcane knowledge and techniques in secret. Perhaps they can do the math and realize that every three years - there should be 12 who know the arcane arts (you could rationalize that this schooling is overed such that it is 3 years on, 10 years off). Either way you look at it, the school produces 12 students who will have to make their own way in the world. Perhaps there are those who hunt the students as predators, knowing that the magic must be kept secret. Perhaps Harry Houdini was an active practioner of real magic, but worked as a stage magician in an attempt to insure that real magic would be perceived as very clever stage magic that has yet to be explained. Then, little by little, books are discovered with traces of real magic in their writings. Each stage you build up a bigger and larger "cabal" in operation.

For instance? I ran a recent campaign where an Irishman was into black magic, and found a book with a ritual that would grant him immunity from aging. The problem is, the young girl used in the ritual was his son's best friend, and his son interrupted the ritual before the pact could be sealed. This happened just after the American Civil war occurred. Then, every 12 years, the pact was renewed - by an imcomplete ritual, because the father could never find the book that detailed the rest of the pact to bind his deal with the Devil. This guy became rich and had connections to the criminal organization because of his longevity. Then he had the bright idea of selling the ritual to powerful influential state government officials - including a judge. His company sold cosmetics and dietary supplements and was called THE NEW U.

In short? Pick story, the first episode if you will, and figure out how make the story start from there. The players will do all the heavy work - trust me ;)
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Old 11-19-2010, 12:49 AM   #20
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Default Re: GURPS CABAL: A problem

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Originally Posted by Michael Cule View Post
And none of the routes to power they offer are without a cost in the characters' basic humanity..
There are very few routes to power that don't have a cost to a character's basic humanity. Either in the real world or in the Cabal homeworlds.

You can play a good Cabal game of low circle characters who have no idea that they are working for anybody other than a government task force or a paranormal investigation team with slightly more financial backing.
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