Gaming and the Corporate World

[Pmandrekar]

After almost 12 years in a Corporate, Biotech environment (privately held), all of them in Research and Development, I have to say that I feel like I could write a book on Corporate environments.

But, I would make a recommendation. The Series "Angel" Featured the interplay of a large corporation (Wolfram and Hart) with a large city with supernatural characters running around in it. Season 5 of this show was almost entirely against a corporate backdrop. I would recommend this as getting into the headspace of In Nomine in a Corporate environment. The Fictional corporation had R&D, Manufacturing/Operations, Legal, Corporate Affairs, and HR/Admin components to it, not unlike a number of large corporations probably would. The Adventuring "Party" from Seasons 1-4 are distributed as per their talents across those departments, so you get a glimse into the varied departments that make up a corporation.

I've been in a corporation for a long time, but strangely, I've never run a campaign within a corporation. Hmmm...

Cheers,

-P.

[Pmandrekar]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

By the by, even though this started for an In Nomine campaign, the advice so far looks good for just about any game with a corporate flavor (big kudos to JCD). Mods, should this be moved over to the "Roleplaying in General" forum?

Seconded. I don't normally read In Nomine, and happened upon it. But I think that RPGs in Corporate environments would be an appropriate discussion in the Roleplaying in General Area.

-P.

[ladyarcana55]

I agree. How many people have avoided the Corporate Environment because there isn't a lot of info about it? Granted there is always Shadowrun, but even that isn't as realistic as it could be.

And with Marc? It's almost required!

[JCD]

Originally Posted by Jason

That is some awesome advice. Did not even realize HK is a real, private company. This actually sounds like it could lead to some really interesting scenarios.

Sigh. Since you insist.

-Officer Ramierez has been noting a number of dead bodies all with HK rifling marks on the bullets (the marks CSI matches up). He responsibly asks the local corporation for comparative bullets to try to track the gun source or just some sales records. Here is the problem. Rameriez is worthy, an honorable cop trying to stop the violence, who just happened upon some Celestial shinanigans. Make it more interesting by giving him the 'blessed' advantage, thereby resistant to manipulation. Do they recruit him? Do they remove a worthy fellow from a notoriously corrupt institution? Do they discredit a good man? What if he doesn't want to be recruited?

-Lar discovers some interesting information about new weapon systems. Someone in corporate is pushing for land mines and 'crippler' bullets. This is a major and unanticipated corporate shift. Who is responsible? Vapula? Baal? Humans?

-The LA branch is hit by a serious lawsuit at the same time some board members are asking very pointed questions about his unofficial activities. In fact, they seem diabolically well informed. How does he lose the scrutiny? Are the two related?

This plays more like Grisham then Rambo, but can be interesting for the right crowd.

[Orlin]

First of all, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has offered their advice. I never expected that I would receive quite so many replies so quickly, but I've gotten a lot of great counsel. Oddly enough, I was originally going to post this in the "role-playing in general" section, but I didn't feel that the posters there would be able to offer me what I was looking for. I need people who understand In Nomine and, like the posters here, can help guide me toward constructing plot hooks within the genre.

While it would be wonderful if I could find someone out there who could break down the corporate world (and indeed, that was a part of my original request), I don't think that the people in role-playing in general would be able to offer ideas about things like Marc's involvement in H&K, or what fingers other Superiors might have in the corporate pies.

I forget the angel's name, but the vessel's name is Alexander Patton. The name was styled after General Patton and Alexander the Great, as Malakim are often said to take their names from great heroes. I think it's funny that he's been referred to hypothetically as "Lars." =P Continue as you like.

Yes, I suppose that after a fashion he is rather like Bruce Wayne, with the major exception being that he murders people. Drawing that analogy was helpful, though; I never thought about looking to Batman as a potential source for a story hook.

So far, the character has relied more on his fiery sword than anything else.

As for the nature of his weapons, this is something that we've glossed over. I've told him that Michael sometimes uses him to secure shipments of weapons to other servitors, but this is a process that is probably laundered through a railroad of faithful Soldiers and runs across the country. My guess is that H&K would distribute to some vendor, who would then put them up on display in gun shows, where a Soldier would slide some weapons to another Soldier or Servitor at a discount. It could also be that they distribute to companies like Blackwater (a mercenary group, if I'm correct -- although I may be way off), who would then offer some of the weapons on the cheap to their members, who would then distribute the weapons to other Soldiers and Servitors. The impression that I gave him was that these weapons are probably distributed across the country, rather than locally.

Now, if a fellow brother came knocking on his door with instructions from "Mr. M" to secure some serious firepower in bulk...well, that would be interesting. Once again, this comes back to "what legal channels could the character take, how long would the process run him if done legally, and what are the illegal alternatives?"

At any rate, nothing has lead me to believe that the means in which he acquires the weapons HAS to be illegal...and because he has so far relied primarily upon a pistol and a fiery sword, it hasn't yet been covered. The problem is knowing what weapons he would LEGALLY have access to so that I can tell him "You can have this, this and this -- but not that."

The players reasoning is that, as a COO of Heckler and Koch (basically he manages the "Western Branch"), and a member of the ex-military, he has licenses for weapons that most civilians wouldn't possess. Now, I don't know what sort of licenses he would have or what this would entitle him to -- but so far he hasn't laid claim to any fully automatic weapons.

He says that his character secures the weapons by purchasing them directly from the company at a discounted rate. The idea being that there are probably company sponsored events such as Gun Shows, where upper-management would be liable to receive HUGE discounts. (This is the players argument -- I have not yet made a decision.)

I am aware that Heckler and Koch is based out of Germany, but so far we haven't covered any international business trips. The way I've interpreted it, Xander is a filthy rich Malakite who works 9:00AM to 5:00PM with an hour-long lunch break and weekends off (and time to golf). This is a direct result of my ignorance of the corporate world; I have no idea what kind of major deals he'd have to make, how long he'd realistically be in the office or what sort of travel the company would demand from him. This is the sort of thing that I'd very much like to gain an understanding of.

The major focus of the game has been about the War on Hell.

Oh, and for the record, I DID wiki Heckler and Koch (but for some reason I felt like I should post this before conducting my research) and have since learned that their U.S. offices have been based primarily out of Virginia and Georgia. The Los Angeles branch is entirely fictional.

[robkelk]

Don't forget that In Nomine is an inherently cinematic game - yes, you can run realistic games with the rules, but that isn't what they're designed to do. If you want to go with Hollywood Logic and say a corporate CEO works the same shift as a mailroom new-hire, more power to you.

(I've got a Mercurian of Trade with high Status in my campaign - "Alexander Champion" is CEO of Champion Enterprises. No it isn't realistic that the company "owner" would be the company CEO; it's more likely he'd be Chairman of the Board. But it works in the game.)

(And what is it with company bigwigs named Alexander, or "Lex" for short, anyway? Does your game get as many "Lex Luthor" jokes as mine does?)

[JCD]

The place I live has a lot of middle and upper management. When I told one fellow about my 60 hour work week, he was jealous!

That said, COO's et al can schedule 'business meetings' on the golf course. But anything less then 10 hours is not likely. I'm betting on monthly or bimonthly trips to Germany. Frequently, in the middle of an op, he will likely get phone calls about this or that factory, proving run problem, legal tangle, etc. Most of the big deals will be handled by the other sections, but he is expected to show at ones which concern him (More travel)

Essentially, he can have anything that HK sells to the American Military (Why ship German or British stuff all the way here?) That is a search HE can undertake. But again, he had best have a strong alibi and lawyers up the wazoo. He is allowed to own Machine Guns if they are made before 1986. Other then that, only dealers and LEOs can have them. But he IS a dealer. So legality isn't an issue.


HK is a small arms manufacturer. So no rocket launchers, land mines, grenades etc. Can he trade with other Celestials? Sure. But that is another issue. Here is a link to a PDF with the LE and Military hardware. Use with caution.


It's fine to have the fictional office. Works well.

Essentially, at his level of work (he DID pay for the status and role required for this, yes? Status/Role 5 min), he is responsible for everything in the office. This is a major job! He will be called upon to try to coordinate more sales (not him personally, but his sales force) His job is much more important then merely murdering people. Any 9 force nimrod can do that. He needs to ensure the flow of arms to the right people...and if that means dipping into his vast wealth to buy OTHER guns for Michael, so be it.

Oath: I shall not conduct any action which will impede my ability to ensure the flow of arms to my fellows. Keeps him from obvious brainlessness.

But again, this isn't a Rambo character.

Now what he REALLY wants is a Military Lobbyist/ Contact.

This guy is supposed to be an expert on firearms and is used by companies like HK to sell to the military. Much more latitude, at a lower pay grade. Just some advice.

[Orlin]

Originally Posted by JCD

Sigh. Since you insist.

-Officer Ramierez has been noting a number of dead bodies all with HK rifling marks on the bullets (the marks CSI matches up). He responsibly asks the local corporation for comparative bullets to try to track the gun source or just some sales records. Here is the problem. Rameriez is worthy, an honorable cop trying to stop the violence, who just happened upon some Celestial shinanigans. Make it more interesting by giving him the 'blessed' advantage, thereby resistant to manipulation. Do they recruit him? Do they remove a worthy fellow from a notoriously corrupt institution? Do they discredit a good man? What if he doesn't want to be recruited?

-Lar discovers some interesting information about new weapon systems. Someone in corporate is pushing for land mines and 'crippler' bullets. This is a major and unanticipated corporate shift. Who is responsible? Vapula? Baal? Humans?

-The LA branch is hit by a serious lawsuit at the same time some board members are asking very pointed questions about his unofficial activities. In fact, they seem diabolically well informed. How does he lose the scrutiny? Are the two related?

This plays more like Grisham then Rambo, but can be interesting for the right crowd.

Just wanted to offer a special thanks for these hooks.

[ladyarcana55]

Originally Posted by Orlin

The problem is knowing what weapons he would LEGALLY have access to so that I can tell him "You can have this, this and this -- but not that."

In the West Coast? In L.A? HA!

In California, you CANNOT have automatic weaponry. In a lot of places, you can't. Cali has some of the toughest gun laws in the country. Mass and New York being the other states. This, I speak from experience.

In Mass, you have to be interviewed by three different police officers three different times, then talk to a judge just to get a permit for a stun gun. This was when I was there in the 90's. I think its changed but for pistols, you still have to jump through some serious hoops.

Originally Posted by Orlin

The players reasoning is that, as a COO of Heckler and Koch (basically he manages the "Western Branch" which I've found out doesn't really exist, but that's moot), and a member of the ex-military, he has licenses for weapons that most civilians wouldn't possess. Now, I don't know what sort of licenses he would have or what this would entitle him to -- but so far he hasn't laid claim to any fully automatic weapons.

HA HA HA HA HA! Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Again, speaking from experience, just because you are ex-military DOES NOT MEAN you would have a license. If anything it puts him on their radar because he has the training and the means to use them. Trust me, I know.

To get some of the big weapons, or rather to have permission to have some of the big weapons, he would need a Class 3 gun permit. That is only given to government employees and they are almost constantly being watched by the feds. They can always be stripped of the permit.

Another option is a CCW (Carry Concealed Weapon) and you need express permission from the Chief of Police or the Mayor. One of our friends is going for a CCW and he has been on that for the last 6 months. He's law enforcement so he doesn't have to jump through as many hoops as your guy would.

Originally Posted by Orlin

He says that his character secures the weapons by purchasing them directly from the company at a discounted rate. The idea being that there are probably company sponsored events such as Gun Shows, where upper-management would be liable to receive HUGE discounts.

If he has a dealer's license he would be able to have possession of guns, but what makes him think they wouldn't record who has what? They have to, otherwise it's lawsuits up the wazoo.

And if someone bought 8 or 10 pistols from you, wouldn't YOU worry? And if it's an employee, how do they know he's not reselling them on the streets and making an additional profit? I used to work at a video game company and we had a limit to the number of games we can buy. Why wouldn't a weapons company?

He would have to pull them off the line for it to fly under their radar. Because he would have to grab them before they stamp them. Once guns are off the line they are very carefully monitored. Eventually ballistics and other forensics would point to an inside man. It wouldn't be a question of if but when.

Again, this is based on my experience and what I've seen. I am by no means an expert.

[Rocket Man]

Excellent points all around (though I might correct the good Lady -- as tough as Cali's gun laws are, Wisconsin's may be the toughest; I found that out when I was consulting with ISNorden for her IN:Madison game). And I'm definitely going to file away some of the finer corporate points when I revive Kaimana, my Elohite of the Waters who is the silent power (and Power) behind a West Coast philanthropic organization.

All that said, as Rob pointed out, this is a somewhat cinematic reality, and a little bit of "inventory shrinkage" can fit the genre if the GM's willing to allow it. Recall the recent Batman movies where Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox outfit the Gotham vigilante with a host of Wayne Enterprises' forgotten R&D projects. Of course, even working by film logic, some interesting tension can arise when a middle-management employee realizes that something is slipping out the rat hole ...

LUCIUS FOX: (to accountant Coleman Reese) "Let me get this straight: You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands. And your plan is to blackmail this person?" (chuckles) "Good luck. "