What does an Enemy ''Watcher'' actually do?

[Prince Charon]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

The Highlander Watchers are too inconspicuous and secretive to qualify. They don't even have nuisance value.

Apart from a few outliers who do count as either a Watcher Enemy, an Ally, a Contact, a Dependent, or a full Hunter Enemy (the aptly named Hunters, like the ones who killed Darius and Fitzcairn). I can't think of any Watchers on the show who would be an Immortal's Rival, though I suppose that would be possible.

[Algarik]

Alright, i guess i can see it a bit more clearly, ''watcher'' enemy will basically spy on you because they believe that they can dig some useful info on you, or they can also just be the stalker kinda enemy can fit into it too, which would be extremely scary for a non-fighter kinda character. I think the key is to define the enemy motivation to know what he will and will not do, and how he could potentially be a annoyance to you. I guess, as with pretty much everything in gurps, it's important to justify and explain how the disadvantage is gonna interact with the character.

Well thank you everyone it was enlightening!

[Phil Masters]

Realistically, any successful politician (in a reasonably free society) will have The Press as a Watcher. It's almost the definition of political success. If they do something illegal, dubious, or contrary to their stated position, they need to keep it secret, maintain very plausible deniability, or be ready to bull it through, because some reporter somewhere will be very happy to reveal the fact to the world.

Actually, the same goes for any significant celebrity - but it's less of an issue for most actors or pop stars, provided that they're not engaged in anything seriously illegal or actively horrible, because a bit of mild notoriety may actually be good for their careers. It can be stressful, though, as anyone who's ever accidentally acquired transient fame will attest. Shyness plus Watcher (Press) is one of those Really Bad Idea disadvantage combos, though GURPS doesn't have explicit rules for being driven to a nervous breakdown.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Actually, the same goes for any significant celebrity - but it's less of an issue for most actors or pop stars, provided that they're not engaged in anything seriously illegal or actively horrible, because a bit of mild notoriety may actually be good for their careers. It can be stressful, though, as anyone who's ever accidentally acquired transient fame will attest. Shyness plus Watcher (Press) is one of those Really Bad Idea disadvantage combos, though GURPS doesn't have explicit rules for being driven to a nervous breakdown.

Back in the day, though, studios invested a fair bit of effort in giving the impression that their leading men were NOT HOMOSEXUAL, whether for fear that they wouldn't appeal to female audiences otherwise, or that they wouldn't be regarded as believable action heroes. Having a "beard" was really important. So there were actors who needed to keep their actual love lives out of sight. And actresses, though less fuss seems to have been made about that.

Tom Reamy did a good fictional treatment of the era in his story "San Diego Lightfoot Sue" (one of the few he published before his untimely death).

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Realistically, any successful politician (in a reasonably free society) will have The Press as a Watcher. It's almost the definition of political success. If they do something illegal, dubious, or contrary to their stated position, they need to keep it secret, maintain very plausible deniability, or be ready to bull it through, because some reporter somewhere will be very happy to reveal the fact to the world.

Actually, the same goes for any significant celebrity - but it's less of an issue for most actors or pop stars, provided that they're not engaged in anything seriously illegal or actively horrible, because a bit of mild notoriety may actually be good for their careers. It can be stressful, though, as anyone who's ever accidentally acquired transient fame will attest. Shyness plus Watcher (Press) is one of those Really Bad Idea disadvantage combos, though GURPS doesn't have explicit rules for being driven to a nervous breakdown.

It is a necessary to keep watch on the State even though it often threatens everybody's security when doing so. When it preys on the everyday tragedies and temptations of people in the limelight without that justification it is one of the less likable elements of our society, and the "stay in the kitchen" excuse only goes so far.

Enemy "Watcher"(Paparazzi) is a good one for any famous person. Maybe even mandatory depending on setting.

[sir_pudding]

Probably the most obvious kind of watcher enemy is police surveillance. Tony Soprano had the FBI as an Enemy(Watcher) for most of the series. They couldn't arrest him, but they were always watching and waiting for his Secret to come up.

[DeathDaisy]

As I see it, a Rival is actively trying to sabotage you by intervening; write untrue smear articles in the case of a journalist, spread false rumors or call the cops just to harass you in the middle of the night in case of a nasty neighbor etc. While a Watcher won't seek to ruin you in that way, but will be vigilant and seize the opportunity if you actually mess up.

[Kabufu]

The G-Man from Half Life seems to fit the Enemy, Utterly Formidable, Watcher mold with the unknown modifier. He can apparently bend time and space at his whim, but doesn't directly mess with you most of the time.

[Johnny1A.2]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

The Highlander Watchers are too inconspicuous and secretive to qualify. They don't even have nuisance value.

As a group, yes. But there were specific cases where individual watchers used their knowledge against an immortal, and proved that they could be a big problem.

[Daigoro]

I'd also point out that an Enemy: Watcher as written on the character sheet may not in fact be a person the character considers an "enemy." Examples could be an overprotective parent, nosy kid sister or do-gooder best friend: anyone who knows what dubious adventure-related activities you might be up to and report it an authority figure.