[MH] Brazilian Secret Monster Hunters

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by jackcelso

There are not a direct relationship between armed forces\ police forces and religion.

So, if I were to take a random group of ten Brazilians, 6-7 would be Catholic, two would be Evangelical Christians, maybe one atheist or without religion and very rarely one might define himself as a believer in Spiritism, Umbanda and Candomblé? But that many of the Catholics and perhaps one of the Evangelical Christians might give some credence to beliefs originating in indigenous mythology, Spiritism, Umbanda or Candomblé, even if they didn't define themselves as followers of those religions?

And that you would expect more or less these same proportions regardless of whether the group contained ten commandos from the Army, ten submarine crewmen from the Navy, ten BOPE military policement from Rio or ten college-educated detectives from the Policia Civil in Espirito Santo?

Or, say, ten intelligence officers from ABIN?

Originally Posted by jackcelso

That said THERE IS in real life at Brasilian National Congress a considerable number of senators and federal deputies that are Evangelicals and some of them are even ministers !! They are called "Bancada Evangelica" the closest translation would be "Evangelical Committee"

They have a lot a political power in Brazil, in special in the southeast region of the country with includes Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo

Ah, thanks. That will be useful.

[jackcelso]

So, if I were to take a random group of ten Brazilians, 6-7 would be Catholic, two would be Evangelical Christians, maybe one atheist or without religion and very rarely one might define himself as a believer in Spiritism, Umbanda and Candomblé? But that many of the Catholics and perhaps one of the Evangelical Christians might give some credence to beliefs originating in indigenous mythology, Spiritism, Umbanda or Candomblé, even if they didn't define themselves as followers of those religions?

And that you would expect more or less these same proportions regardless of whether the group contained ten commandos from the Army, ten submarine crewmen from the Navy, ten BOPE military policement from Rio or ten college-educated detectives from the Policia Civil in Espirito Santo?

Or, say, ten intelligence officers from ABIN?

yes i would say that is right !!

[jackcelso]

So to be clear Espirito Santo is also part of the southesat region of Brazil

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by jackcelso

Brasil doesnt have a tradicional knife... but many farmers, hunters and military units employ a blade called "facão" it is in reality a falchion with 15" long (so is actually a shortsword) used primary to cut trails in florest, jungle and rural areas

Originally Posted by jackcelso

peixeira is a long knife (mostly udes to cut fish (peixe in portuguese)), used in daily routine mainly in the Northeast States in Brasil, but is not a machete and is not used by the military.

The Facão is thus a machete, Long Knife to Shortword sized in GURPS terms, largely depending on whether the weight is closer to 1.5 lb. or 2 lbs. without a scabbard. Such blades can be used to decapitate disabled monsters, but are probably less convenient for the purpose than hatchets, meat cleavers, full-sized axes, breaching saws (powered or unpowered) or some other power tools.

For Brazilian Marines fighting humanoids from below the sea, Deep One analogues who send Changeling / hybrid infiltrators on land, the use of the term peixeira for their combat knives is more a darkly humourous comment on what they are cutting than necessarily indicating the origin of their blade designs. Although, perhaps making steel fighting knives in a pexeira shape, or perhaps even Marines carrying an actual fish knife owned by their father or grandfather, might make them slightly easier to enchant to do more harm to the Deep Ones.*

Are there any easily portable tools commonly used in Brazil, perhaps by butchers, construction crews, loggers or maybe for breaching in tactical units, that forumites think might be especially convenient for cutting off heads?

*Assuming I go with COMAF/the Tonelero Battalion of the Brazilian Marines as pragmatic enough to associate with some Catholic, Spiritism, Umbanda or Candomblé believers who can perform rituals against supernatural threats.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

Great! I really like the tone of your setting!

That's good.

Of course, my setting is essentially just the real world reacting to my One Impossible Thing, i.e. the emergence of the supernatural since the 1980s (and the escalated threat levels in the 200ðs and 2010s).

That means I need this kind of detail for every place PCs might visit or come from, not to mention any power groups of occult-savvy people or entities that might get involved in events anywhere the PCs are.

Happily, most Caribbean nations are too small to develop much in the way of a specialized occult intelligence service, monster hunting teams or other anti-supernatural organizations. In most cases, I can assume that the intelligence, military and security forces there are the same as in real life, but, obviously, some individuals might have become aware of paranormal forces.

In many cases, such indivuduals will reach out to other sympathetic parties in their countries, who will often be part of the network of intelligence sources established by the PCs' Patron. So the PCs have access to what is probably the best source of occult intelligence within the Caribbean itself (the site of a Vile Vortex like the one outside Rio).

The PCs will also know about nearby power groups, like the monster hunting and occult intelligence efforts of Brazil, the apparently no-longer-officially-state-affiliated Argentine 'Secretaría de Inteligencia de Oculto' (composed of former SIDE personnel from their occult faction), the Venezuelan SEBIN and DGCIM, as well as several mysterious factions in the confusing occult civil war going on in that country, the Cuban DI (feared to be thoroughly infiltrated by rogue magicians, possessing spirits and shapeshifting monsters) and the blundering efforts of various US agencies, in the main formally unaware of the occult.

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

The Military Police of São Paulo is a little more moderate than Rio de Janeiro's, however, they have much in common. I believe the strategy would be very similar, specially when comparing special forces groups and how they reacted to a "shadow war" against the supernatural. Violence probably will be swept way for the outlying areas when possible, keeping the rich and tourist areas 'clean of confrontation'.

This is greatly aided by the reluctance of most supernatural beings to venture into the world of asfalto, well-lit streets, modern air-conditioned buildings and crowds of secular, skeptical people. Tourists from rich Western states apparently repel most magicians and monsters, perhaps because magic is far harder to perform around those who do not believe in it.

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

Yes, my observation about university education is because civilians enter police life, in most cases, going through a public tender, where those have the best grades fill any vacancies available. In theory, this would ensure at least university level (a major in Law is almost universal) for the best agents.

Does the same apply to applicants to the Policia Federal?

What about the Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (ABIN)? Fhe English Wikipedia article doesn't have a section on how the personnel is recruited, educational requirements, etc., the way some other intelligence agencies in the region have.

Is there a college program in intelligence or security studies that is a direct pipeline into ABIN, like what Cuba does?

Or are the intelligence officers hired through competative examinations, straight out of college, like the Policia Civil does?

Or are they perhaps more likely to have had other jobs in government service before transfering to ABIN, perhaps as investigators in the federal police, officers in the armed forces or perhaps military commandos?

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

I really endorse all your sugestions. Looks fine to me, and add some regional flavor to combat.

Great.

[Pip Boy]

Originally Posted by Icelander

How close is the pronounciation of SCS and CSC in Brazilian Portuguese?

I guess it's pretty close to american pronounciation. No puns there.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Are any of the following popular in Brazil and how would you refer to them if they are?

Saint George
Michael the Archangel
Saint Sebastian
Saint Ignatius of Loyola?
Saint Eustachius?
Saint Hubertus?
Saint Jude (the Apostle, not Judas Iscariot)?

Saint George = São Jorge.
Michael the Archangel = Arcanjo Miguel.

Saint Sebastian = São Sebastião, it's not viewed as mucha as a "guardian saint" here, not in the sense you're looking for.

Saint Jude = São Judas Tadeu; also seen as the "Saint of Impossible Causes" here in Brazil.

The others are a litte too obscure.

Originally Posted by Icelander

I like the name of Grupo Protege. Do they, like many PSCs, have close relations with police forces where they operate and hire many former cops?

What about off-duty police officers moonlighting as private security? Does that happen with Grupo Protege?

Yes and yes.

Originally Posted by Icelander

I presume São Jorge is St. George, always a good patron saint for slayers of monsters?

Also yes.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Why is it that 'Comando' is not appropriate for groups or organizations named for the Virgin Mary

Not that it is an inappropriate name, but "Comando" in Portuguese also means 'to command', 'to give orders', then ends up being a less used word. Still, you can use the "Our Lady's Commandos" with no issue.

Originally Posted by jackcelso

ok what the census doesnt tell is this... most of the people that call themselfs catholic will also them you that they belive in Umbanda and Candomblé and Spiritism. There are SEVERAL - terreiros - places to practice african origineted religions all across the Brasil. Umbanda and Candomblé are special popular in the Northeast region of the country.

They are very good scource for supernatural power for good or evil. Gurps Vodoo is a very good suplement to this and is 70% accurated in its background

I'm Brazilian, jackcelso. Hehehe!

Yes, these data I have divulged are the NATIONAL AVERAGE, the result of the last census. These numbers change according to the region, as you said. Still, it does not matter much the state, most of the population is Catholic / evangelical - in Rio de Janeiro, which will be the scene of the Icelander campaign, this is even more real.

Originally Posted by Icelander

So, in a way, the Evangelical churches in Brazil are more likely to have reacted to early signs of supernatural phenomena than the mainstream Catholics. And might pursue more energetic anti-withcraft measures than the older faith, which after all has a long history of syncretization with indigenous and Afro-Caribbean mythology.

Yes, I would think so.

Originally Posted by Icelander

For example, do the demographics of the Policia Militar forces, say in Rio de Janeiro, reflect national demographics in terms of religion? Or are Evangelical Christians more or less common there than in the population as a whole?

What about the armed forces? Is any service, command or unit famous for being a bastion of Catholicism and/or Evangelical Christianity?

IMO, it follows the national average. In Rio, specifically, evangelicals would be the majority.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Brazil has an Evangelical mayor, a bishop of UCKG. Does that translate into Evangelicals making up a higher proportion of local government appointees and administrators?

Here, it depends on what you want to use in your setting. Our zeitgeist of the moment, post-election 2018, is exactly this: evangelicals rising in political power.

In our government, there is a pun on the "BBB bench", from 'bible, bullet and oxen", which signifies the ascension of the powers of agribusiness (oxen = "boi"), religion, especially evangelical (bible = bíblia), and armament/firearms and its powerful lobby (bullet = bala).

Originally Posted by Icelander

The Facão is thus a machete, Long Knife to Shortword sized in GURPS terms, largely depending on whether the weight is closer to 1.5 lb. or 2 lbs. without a scabbard. Such blades can be used to decapitate disabled monsters, but are probably less convenient for the purpose than hatchets, meat cleavers, full-sized axes, breaching saws (powered or unpowered) or some other power tools.

Yes.

Originally Posted by Icelander

For Brazilian Marines fighting humanoids from below the sea, Deep One analogues who send Changeling / hybrid infiltrators on land, the use of the term peixeira for their combat knives is more a darkly humourous comment on what they are cutting than necessarily indicating the origin of their blade designs. Although, perhaps making steel fighting knives in a pexeira shape, or perhaps even Marines carrying an actual fish knife owned by their father or grandfather, might make them slightly easier to enchant to do more harm to the Deep Ones.*

Yes! This is a typically Brazilian type of humor; a soldier uses a survival knife to kill a man-fish, and call it my "peixeira".

Originally Posted by Icelander

Are there any easily portable tools commonly used in Brazil, perhaps by butchers, construction crews, loggers or maybe for breaching in tactical units, that forumites think might be especially convenient for cutting off heads?

I think there is nothing regional that is different from the standard: axes, hatchets, saws ...

Originally Posted by Icelander

Does the same apply to applicants to the Policia Federal?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Icelander

What about the Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (ABIN)? Fhe English Wikipedia article doesn't have a section on how the personnel is recruited, educational requirements, etc., the way some other intelligence agencies in the region have.

Yes. Abin it's basically our civilian intelligence service.
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ag%C3%...elig%C3%AAncia

Originally Posted by Icelander

Is there a college program in intelligence or security studies that is a direct pipeline into ABIN, like what Cuba does?

I dont think so, but I'm not sure.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Or are the intelligence officers hired through competative examinations, straight out of college, like the Policia Civil does?

This seems to be the standard, for me.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Or are they perhaps more likely to have had other jobs in government service before transfering to ABIN, perhaps as investigators in the federal police, officers in the armed forces or perhaps military commandos?

I believe that such cases are not the norm. There are tender notices for Abin's vacancies, as I said above.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

Saint George = São Jorge.
Michael the Archangel = Arcanjo Miguel.

Saint Sebastian = São Sebastião, it's not viewed as mucha as a "guardian saint" here, not in the sense you're looking for.

Saint Jude = São Judas Tadeu; also seen as the "Saint of Impossible Causes" here in Brazil.

The others are a litte too obscure.
[...]
Not that it is an inappropriate name, but "Comando" in Portuguese also means 'to command', 'to give orders', then ends up being a less used word. Still, you can use the "Our Lady's Commandos" with no issue.

Ok, so can I get a few examples of private security company names that use the name or some reference to São Jorge, São Judas Tadeu, Arcanjo Miguel or the Virgin Mary and sound good in Brazilian Portuguese?

[D10]

Boy oh boy! Wish I saw this thread earlier, but I was away from the forum for so long! It was posted on my birthday as well, which is a nice plus.

I will try to answer all your questions, but due to time constraints I might have to continue on later posts

What kind of division makes the most linguistic, cultural and operational sense?

How would one divide the Caribbean into 2-3 operational areas?

How much of the Caribbean logically goes with Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, as one area?

Given how much activity there is in Venezuela, should there be a separate team for it or would it make sense for the team which already specializes in Caribbean Spanish to also cover all Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean?

In terms of training, all that it seems would be different would be area knowledge. Perhaps theres one specialized training unit for each theater that brings relevant MH units up to speed, this way you can have less teams but more flexibility in where they will be placed

Also, I think the divisions of operational areas might go along language lines.

I love that kind of thing. Hopefully, some Brazilians can chime in with culture-specific stories about mundane countermeaures for local curses, spirits or monsters.

One curious thing about brazilian religious culture is how much it gets mixed on an individual level. There are catholics who subscribe to spiritist and umbanda beliefs, for instance. There are evangelicals who believe in reencarnation, etc.

I remember an anecdote in a book about a former BOPE officer (which incidentally was the book that inspired the Elite Squad movie duology) where the author claims inside his unit there was a soldier who had a medium grandma, and she consistently gave them impossible insight on how to conduct their operations days in advance, claiming it came to her on dreams or that spirits were telling her stuff.

The author claims initially he was not impressed, but then one day she gave her grandson a knife with a small skull on the pummel and told him to take it to the operation, and the guy was shot exacly there, with the skull stopping the knife.

So although I agree they probably wont associate with outright magicians and etc, I could see them actively trying to figure out which of these genuine gifted religious individuals could contribute to their fight.

In sum, every spiritist and candomble centers, as well as umbanda terreiros have some people claiming to have the medium and oracle advantages, and many people outside these religions frequent and believe in this.

However, spiritism and etc only really prepare a person to accept the existance of ghosts, reencarnation and psychic powers, not really monsters.

Any other suggestions? (regarding weapons)

I think machete works fine for a melle weapon, but it might draw too much attention, a tactical knife would be suited just fine for urban operations

And with regards to firearms, so many illegal weapons from all over the world are present in rio, they could literally use anything that is easy to obtain and maintain and then claim it was actually the badguy's weapons

more soon

[D10]

I know that GURPS is popular in Brazil, so I imagine a lot of forumites know more about Brazil and South America than I do. How likely is it that spies and commandos from Argentine and Brazil who are operating against similar threats would have a good professional relationship? How likely is it that they'd constantly frustrate each other because of mutual distrust and rivalries? Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Up until very recently, anti americanism was widespread in Brazil. The view of argentina as rival was shattered in the falklands war, when we realized that it is much more likely that conflict with 1st world nations would be a cause for concern than conflict with our neighboors.

In this sense, chile was a rival due to its perceived american subservience. Due to the very widespread belief that many of our problems are caused by american interference.

Stereotypes apart, I honestly think it is more likely for there to be cooperation than rivalry at present, but if you really want to push for a rivalry, I think argentina would be the best candidate.

Does anyone have thoughts on potential occult factions within Latin American intelligence and security services?

I think the biggest rift inside our intel community right now is, should we move closer to the US (bolsonaro camp) or keep trying to oppose it and get closer to Russia and China (basically our policy from 2000 to 2015ish)

The current foreign minister, ernesto araujo is very anti globalist and pro christianity and hes been suffering a lot of pushback from the more anti american and secular factions due to him wanting to get closer to the trump administration and openly praising christianity.

Inside this there could be subfactions within all major religions in brazil. You could have a hardline Opus Dei-esque kind of catholic subfaction behind the new administration.

Spiritists despite their crazy beliefs tend to be very secular and to believe eventually science and religion will merge, perhaps theres a faction that has access to truly gifted personel (medium/oracle/esp) and great insight, even with tons of noise.

Finally, militarily wise brazil does not have that much to be proud off, but soldiers ocasionally brag about "the secrets of the jungle", without never actually explaining if what they mean. Is it survival techniques? Hidden lore obtained from amazon ruins? I dont know, but they seem very proud of it.

How various neighboring countries might respond to Brazil carrying out covert operations in cooperation with the Vatican outside their borders?

I can already see the vice documentary title "Meet the priests that accompany brazil's deathsquads" but honestly, I dont think they would care that much other than trying to probe the vatican into explanations, which could expose them to the secret and in turn cause them not to make much fuss about it.

But I dont see any public outcome, only between-agency shenanigans at most

Other intelligence agencies that might operate in similar locations as Brazil's monster hunting teams?

Well, the usual favorites all have some reason or another to be around the settings location. FSB, MI6 and CIA all have local havens and local interests

more later

[Pip Boy]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Ok, so can I get a few examples of private security company names that use the name or some reference to São Jorge, São Judas Tadeu, Arcanjo Miguel or the Virgin Mary and sound good in Brazilian Portuguese?

In fact, it can be any kind of company name you can imagine. I'll suggest you a few, but maybe it's easier for you to name me a few that you prefer, and I translate them for you - even if it does not fit literally, I'll translate it to the nearest direction you've imagined.

Sao Jorge Seguranca e Vigilancia Ltda (Saint George Security and Surveillance Inc).
Grupo SJD (Group SJD is an acronym to "São Jorge e Dragão", Saint George and the Dragon. This kind of acronyms are popular in Brasil. Entepreneurs keep puting 'hidden' significance on their companies, or their inicials).
Segurança São Judas Tadeu (Saint Jude Security).
Arcanjo Segurança, ou Arcanjo Miguel Segurança (Archangel Security, or Archangel Michael Security).
Segurança Miguel Arcanjo - SMA (Michael the Archangel Security).
Instituto Virgem Maria. (Virgin Mary Institute).

And so on...