US Law Enforcement Response, Time, Scale and Coordination (Galveston, TX)

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by johndallman

And, of course, Lacoste didn't think to prevent that clock from starting while he went to talk to Michel . . .

In fairness, at the end of last session, when Lacoste's player decided to go back upstairs to deal with the massive numbers of law enforcement there and see if Sheriff Trochesset (the first senior officer on the scene) had been superseded, he didn't know he was going to be confiding in Ed Michel. There was no certainty that ASAC Michel would come to the scene (even feds need to sleep, it was near dawn and Lacoste was aware that Michel had spent most of the night working at the Aqueronte crime scene). And even if he would, Lacoste's player had no information on who would be in charge or what they'd choose to do.

So, when the decision was made to allow the body to start the process of becoming mundane enough not to raise questions, Lacoste and Montoya both assumed that they'd be following SOP for Kessler's people, i.e. tell the authorities only as much of the truth as practical, avoiding supernatural elements or confessions of criminal vigilantism.

It was when I was preparing for the next session and sent Lacoste's player information on what took place next, abstracting procedural stuff down to dice rolls and ending with some dialogue that was supposed to establish for the PCs how scared, frustrated and without answers ASAC Michel was. And Lacoste's player just... decided that he felt he could trust Michel, that he was similar in background to Lacoste (which he is, they are both from New Orleans and worked for NOPD, with Michel even being colleague and friend of Lacoste's father, as well as Michel and Lacoste having worked together before on some task forces up in Baton Rouge) and would understand.

In fairness, that was based on rolls against Body Language, Psychology, Savoir-Faire (Police) and Intuition. With the caveat that I told Lacoste's player that most ordinary people couldn't handle the truth, because of the Facade if nothing else. Essentially, he was betting, going all in on, really, that Michel would decisively win not one, but several Contests of Will against the Facade. And even if he's right about Michel being made of sterner stuff than he lets on, that's still probably no better than 50/50.

Originally Posted by johndallman

Damn right he is.

Allegedly, less now that he's buying Self-Control rolls down to SC 15-. Which, of course, in no way protects Lacoste from his player making impulsive, risky decisions because he believes it's the right thing to do.

Originally Posted by johndallman

Well, if Michel sees nothing wrong in the corpse, and Montoya doesn't want to join Lacoste on the Self-Sabotage Express, the odds on him deciding that Lacoste needs a long relaxing holiday somewhere where the fashionable clothing laces up the back increase noticeably.

Very true.

Working in Lacoste's favor is his Savoir-Faire (Police) -20. He had already established a good rapport with Michel, one cop to another, and that's the kind of skill level that allows you a fighting chance to convince people of extraordinary claims, even absorbing the penalties for not having conclusive evidence.

I certainly can't complain that this is bad roleplaying. Lacoste's Overconfidence means that he likely does believe, without reservations, that he can convince Michel, earn his trust and investigate the case with the FBI as allies, instead of Enemy (Watcher). And his snap decision to confide in Michel was also entirely in character. Essentially, Michel's Savoir-Faire (Police) succeeded on Lacoste (without rolling for it, just the player responding to dialogue) and Lacoste couldn't let a fellow former NOPD cop he liked and admired flounder about under pressure from everyone without having enough information to really work the case.

Apparently, Lacoste still thinks of detectives trying to find the truth as the good guys, for all that he's technically on the other side of the law now. Suppose he isn't very temperamentally suitable for covert work, he's loyal to his allies and doesn't compartmentalize people into categories like 'useful asset, but not worth trusting'.