Social Engineering: Trying to figure out how to run a situation

[BraselC5048]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

You might change the common armament of the street thugs a bit. They can probably slip a tire iron down a pant leg without it showing too badly, but unless the crowbars are short, they're more likely to be carrying brass knuckles, bicycle chains, baseball bats (especially if someone carries a baseball, "Why, officer, we're just getting up a game.") and possibly they'll add weapons 'found' at the scene like iron bars and 2 x4's.

Good suggestion.

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

The thugs are only being paid to beat her up, which for some gangs is just routine business. (The Purple Gang of Detroit supposedly had a price list during the Depression Era listing prices for the specific violence they were to inflict: a broken leg, two broken legs, a broken arm, broken ribs, etc.) The PC is being paid to "take them out" which I would read as a euphemism for kill. While the gang might break and run if they're losing a mere fight; as soon as she kills, or even seems to kill a gang member, even accidentally, the rules of engagement are likely to change drastically.

The gang will now be motivated both to avenge their fallen comrade and to preserve 'face' that a 'mere woman' could kill one of them with her bare hands. While there was a strong social rule about not hitting a lady, (which was even subverted in some of the movies, "She was no lady.") there was also a seeming disconnect where men, who wouldn't dream of striking a woman, wouldn't have a problem with killing her because 'Gee, I don't want to hurt her; I just want to kill her. What kind of a monster do you think I am, anyway?'

So, after the first death, the weapons will be deployed if they haven't already been. Blows will be intended to be lethal and the leader will draw his revolver and either wait for an opportunity to shoot her, or order the other members to back off so he can have a clear shot.

YMMV.

They're going to beat up a women, they'll just be a little uncomfortable doing it, until they start getting beat up. Then the gloves come off. It's just as much not assuming she's a threat at first (what's the modifier for that? +/- 3? 4?).

Most likely is maybe only one of them actually dies right away. The rest of them are likely just going to end up on the pavement unconscious, and making bleeding rolls. Depending on how long it takes for them to wind up at the hospital, there might be only 2-3 survivors. She's not going to finish off anyone who gets knocked out, and you can't really tell if the ones laying on the ground are dead or not without checking them.

In any case they're just the go-to hired thugs of the local, and rather brutal Pinkerton office, who are the real enemies. She didn't expect to face the thugs at this particular time and place, but she might as well get them out of the way.

(The Pinkerton office is starting to put down a major strike - labor unions are paying her, and it's a big showdown - it's dockworkers strike in Duluth in February, half the iron ore in the country moves through those docks, the shipping season starts at the end of the month, and steel mill's winter stockpiles are running out. The strike has the potential to shut down half of US steel production, and everything downstream of that. The thugs will likely be added to the bill.)

I'd say make rolls to see if they stay around every 1/3rd, and when there's a turn or so pause for them where they can take stock and have time to think for a second, as well as when others start running off. Simply standing back a little would count.

[Yafnag]

Originally Posted by Anthony

It's hard to judge the encounter without seeing the character sheet of the PC, but as described this is a plenty dangerous encounter for anyone short of a mid-level superhuman.

Not necessarily. The thug's gang is compose by dozen bad guy, but they think that their target is weak, so instead of go all of them, most likely the boss will send only 2 or 3 of them.

In "The Maltese Falcon" (movie 1941), to intimidate and beat up an expert detective, the bad guy send only two goon squad and they win the fight.

Instead of use the entire gang, a move more realistic will based on surprise: attack her from back, in order to put a sack on her head, one or two grab her arms and keep her secure and the third beat her abdomen with a pipe until her hp drop to 4 or 5. Fast brutal and effective: if it work, AFTER that they will make the intimidation: "Don't mess with Pinkerton". They close the encounter with a knockout and flee. So she can't identify her aggressors and them don't have to look at her face to avoid regret.