Infinity Fun: Saving FDR

quarkstomper · 09-04-2006, 10:46 AM

I intended it to be a one-session plot for my Infinity Game. I wanted to spotlight our Reformed-Burglar-Turned-Clergyman-Now-Working-for-Infinity character by running a game where the team had to break into a prison. The scenario I came up with was like this:

The name of the timeline is Hoover-2. In this world, the Great Depression triggered a series of riots in America and President Herbert Hoover was assassinated by a socialist agitator. His successor used the emergency as justification to suspend the Constitution and declare martial law. It's now several years later (about 1937) and America has become a totalitarian state where fear of the Red Menace is used to keep control over the increasingly disaffected masses. The current president is pretty much a figurehead with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI controlling the government. Pockets of resistance do exist; former NY Governor Franklin Roosevelt was for a while broadcasting inspiring messages to the nation from a secret radio station until he was captured and arrested.

Infinity is concerned about this timeline because they fear it could easily turn into another Reich. Indeed, the U.S. Government there has developed close ties to Chancellor Hitler. So Infinity authorizes a raid to rescue FDR from Leavenworth in order to aid the Resistance.

Getting Roosevelt out was not the problem. One of the players is a magical Jumper, so all we needed to do was get her to FDR and she could pop him back to Homeline. The trick was to get into the prison and to find Roosevelt. We had half the team with the Reverend and the Jumper sneaking in while the rest created a diversion out in the prison yard.

In the middle of the diversion, my wife (playing her usual psychotic warrior-woman character) commented that considering what I've been reading lately she expected to encounter a "certain person". That floored me. As a matter of fact, I had been reading a few Doc Savage novels earlier that week, but it had not occurred to me to use him in this game. But I instantly saw how he would fit in...

(I keep telling my wife she needs to run a game sometime. She always has these great plot ideas).

So Doc Savage showed up, along with his companions Monk and Ham, and tried to stop the party. It added a good hour and a half of fight to a session which had looked like it was going to end too soon. In the end, I let the party escape with FDR, but they wound up bringing Doc with them.

"You can't just leave it there!" my wife insisted after the session was over. She wanted to play some more with Doc Savage. So I let her persuade Doc to switch sides over to the Resistance. Not too hard, since Doc is after all a Good Guy.

The following week, the group accompanied Doc back to Hoover-2 to try and recruit the Shadow to the Resistance. And they met Oliver Warbucks and his adopted daughter Annie as well as Warbucks' lethal bodyguards, Punjab and the Asp. And a bushy-haired old man named Albert who plays the violin and knows a lot about phyics. Fun, fun!

This past Sunday they uncovered an insidious plot to trigger a war with Canada. A lot of suspected radicals have been fleeing across the border and Hoover has been blaming Canada for sheltering Red Terrorists. So he decides to engineer a "Remember-the-Maine" moment by arranging for an airplane with Canadian markings and loaded with explosives to fly into the Hindenberg as it circles the Statue of Liberty on its visit to the United States.

The party managed to save the Hindeberg, (as well as Annie and "Daddy" Warbucks who were on board). I think the next step will be to expose the conspiracy.

AmesJainchill · 09-04-2006, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quarkstomper

The name of the timeline is Hoover-2. In this world, the Great Depression triggered a series of riots in America and President Herbert Hoover was assassinated by a socialist agitator. His successor used the emergency as justification to suspend the Constitution and declare martial law. It's now several years later (about 1937) and America has become a totalitarian state where fear of the Red Menace is used to keep control over the increasingly disaffected masses. The current president is pretty much a figurehead with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI controlling the government. Pockets of resistance do exist; former NY Governor Franklin Roosevelt was for a while broadcasting inspiring messages to the nation from a secret radio station until he was captured and arrested.

This is hilariously ironic to me.

AOTA · 09-05-2006, 09:20 AM

What a great campaign. It has given me ideas too since I love the pulps.

Pesterfield · 09-05-2006, 09:47 PM

Could they plausible find a way to get copies of Hoover's files from Homeline to the resistance? Good intelligence and propanganda, at least if some of the subjects haven't changed much yet.

flyingwombat · 09-05-2006, 10:56 PM

Must say you have a cool idea. BTW did FDR get polio in this timeline?
You may not be aware of this, but in 1934 retired Marine general Smedley Butler twice decorated with the Medal of Honor, and speaker at the Bonus Marchers rally in '32, was approached by business men to lead a coup d'teat against FDR. They told Butler that FDR had gone of the deap end because of his New Deal policies. Butler, said he think aboit. Instead he contacted the government The was an investigation, but no arrests. The plot died.

ManOfTroy · 09-06-2006, 08:11 AM

Actually, the attempted Coup was in the 'Weird War' book in the WWII series. Second chapter, if I remember correctly. Rather interesting stuff.

Qoltar · 09-06-2006, 10:21 PM

The above alternate timeline sounds SO "Wold Newton"-ish.
Thats meant as a compliment. I LIKE the Wold Newton Universe Timeline.

quarkstomper · 09-09-2006, 05:52 PM

Yes, FDR had polio in this timeline too. Homeline has given him an exoskeleton to wear under his suit. He won't be challenging Jesse Owens anytime soon, but he can walk in it; and since the Feds are looking for a guy in a wheelchair, that's a big help.

In one of the games we had a fight between the Shadow and "Daddy" Warbucks' bodyguard the Asp. The Asp never got as much face time in the comic strip as Punjab, but he has a nice cool mysterious vibe to him and I play him as a kick-butt ninja. Since both characters were NPCs, I didn't devote much game time to the combat, I just mentioned that the Asp seemed to be fighting someone but the players couldn't see who...

I haven't decided yet whether the Lamont Cranston is the Shadow, as in the radio series or just one of his aides, as in the original novels. But since the Shadow's such a mysterious character anyway, I don't really have to reveal anything. I had a brief scene in which a couple of characters talk to Cranston about the Shadow, and of course he denied everything.

Next game I'd like to bring in Doc's aides again. I sent them off to Central America at the end of the first game to secure Doc's supply of Mayan Gold. That's a plot device that deserves to be used. Besides, it's fun running Monk and Ham. I'll need to bone up on my thesaurus to play Johnny, though. ("I'll be superamalgamated!")

09-04-2006, 10:46 AM	#1
quarkstomper Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: The Enchanted Land-O-Cheese	Infinity Fun: Saving FDR I intended it to be a one-session plot for my Infinity Game. I wanted to spotlight our Reformed-Burglar-Turned-Clergyman-Now-Working-for-Infinity character by running a game where the team had to break into a prison. The scenario I came up with was like this: The name of the timeline is Hoover-2. In this world, the Great Depression triggered a series of riots in America and President Herbert Hoover was assassinated by a socialist agitator. His successor used the emergency as justification to suspend the Constitution and declare martial law. It's now several years later (about 1937) and America has become a totalitarian state where fear of the Red Menace is used to keep control over the increasingly disaffected masses. The current president is pretty much a figurehead with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI controlling the government. Pockets of resistance do exist; former NY Governor Franklin Roosevelt was for a while broadcasting inspiring messages to the nation from a secret radio station until he was captured and arrested. Infinity is concerned about this timeline because they fear it could easily turn into another Reich. Indeed, the U.S. Government there has developed close ties to Chancellor Hitler. So Infinity authorizes a raid to rescue FDR from Leavenworth in order to aid the Resistance. Getting Roosevelt out was not the problem. One of the players is a magical Jumper, so all we needed to do was get her to FDR and she could pop him back to Homeline. The trick was to get into the prison and to find Roosevelt. We had half the team with the Reverend and the Jumper sneaking in while the rest created a diversion out in the prison yard. In the middle of the diversion, my wife (playing her usual psychotic warrior-woman character) commented that considering what I've been reading lately she expected to encounter a "certain person". That floored me. As a matter of fact, I had been reading a few Doc Savage novels earlier that week, but it had not occurred to me to use him in this game. But I instantly saw how he would fit in... (I keep telling my wife she needs to run a game sometime. She always has these great plot ideas). So Doc Savage showed up, along with his companions Monk and Ham, and tried to stop the party. It added a good hour and a half of fight to a session which had looked like it was going to end too soon. In the end, I let the party escape with FDR, but they wound up bringing Doc with them. "You can't just leave it there!" my wife insisted after the session was over. She wanted to play some more with Doc Savage. So I let her persuade Doc to switch sides over to the Resistance. Not too hard, since Doc is after all a Good Guy. The following week, the group accompanied Doc back to Hoover-2 to try and recruit the Shadow to the Resistance. And they met Oliver Warbucks and his adopted daughter Annie as well as Warbucks' lethal bodyguards, Punjab and the Asp. And a bushy-haired old man named Albert who plays the violin and knows a lot about phyics. Fun, fun! This past Sunday they uncovered an insidious plot to trigger a war with Canada. A lot of suspected radicals have been fleeing across the border and Hoover has been blaming Canada for sheltering Red Terrorists. So he decides to engineer a "Remember-the-Maine" moment by arranging for an airplane with Canadian markings and loaded with explosives to fly into the Hindenberg as it circles the Statue of Liberty on its visit to the United States. The party managed to save the Hindeberg, (as well as Annie and "Daddy" Warbucks who were on board). I think the next step will be to expose the conspiracy.

09-05-2006, 09:20 AM	#3
AOTA MIB Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Olathe, KS	Re: Infinity Fun: Saving FDR What a great campaign. It has given me ideas too since I love the pulps. __________________ Bob Gilson Mib#3477 Formally Bobzilla GURPS Checker for Prime Directive

09-05-2006, 09:47 PM	#4
Pesterfield Join Date: Dec 2004	Re: Infinity Fun: Saving FDR Could they plausible find a way to get copies of Hoover's files from Homeline to the resistance? Good intelligence and propanganda, at least if some of the subjects haven't changed much yet.

09-05-2006, 10:56 PM	#5
flyingwombat Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Alameda, CA	Re: Infinity Fun: Saving FDR Must say you have a cool idea. BTW did FDR get polio in this timeline? You may not be aware of this, but in 1934 retired Marine general Smedley Butler twice decorated with the Medal of Honor, and speaker at the Bonus Marchers rally in '32, was approached by business men to lead a coup d'teat against FDR. They told Butler that FDR had gone of the deap end because of his New Deal policies. Butler, said he think aboit. Instead he contacted the government The was an investigation, but no arrests. The plot died. __________________ Fraser: "Could you elucidate, sir?" Welsh: "No, no. Not since the late sixties." Ray: "That's Canadian for explain." --- from "due South" episode Seeing Is Believing

09-06-2006, 08:11 AM	#6
ManOfTroy Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Homeline Universe, Milkyway Galaxy, Sol System, Terra, North American Land Mass, United States	Re: Infinity Fun: Saving FDR Actually, the attempted Coup was in the 'Weird War' book in the WWII series. Second chapter, if I remember correctly. Rather interesting stuff.

09-06-2006, 10:21 PM	#7
Qoltar Pike's Pique Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio U.S.A.	Re: Infinity Fun: Saving FDR The above alternate timeline sounds SO "Wold Newton"-ish. Thats meant as a compliment. I LIKE the Wold Newton Universe Timeline. __________________ Take me out to the black Tell them I ain't comin' back Burn the land and boil the sea You can't take the sky from me.... A vote for charity: http://s3.silent-tower.org/TheKlingonVotes/index.html

09-09-2006, 05:52 PM	#8
quarkstomper Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: The Enchanted Land-O-Cheese	Re: Infinity Fun: Saving FDR Yes, FDR had polio in this timeline too. Homeline has given him an exoskeleton to wear under his suit. He won't be challenging Jesse Owens anytime soon, but he can walk in it; and since the Feds are looking for a guy in a wheelchair, that's a big help. In one of the games we had a fight between the Shadow and "Daddy" Warbucks' bodyguard the Asp. The Asp never got as much face time in the comic strip as Punjab, but he has a nice cool mysterious vibe to him and I play him as a kick-butt ninja. Since both characters were NPCs, I didn't devote much game time to the combat, I just mentioned that the Asp seemed to be fighting someone but the players couldn't see who... I haven't decided yet whether the Lamont Cranston is the Shadow, as in the radio series or just one of his aides, as in the original novels. But since the Shadow's such a mysterious character anyway, I don't really have to reveal anything. I had a brief scene in which a couple of characters talk to Cranston about the Shadow, and of course he denied everything. Next game I'd like to bring in Doc's aides again. I sent them off to Central America at the end of the first game to secure Doc's supply of Mayan Gold. That's a plot device that deserves to be used. Besides, it's fun running Monk and Ham. I'll need to bone up on my thesaurus to play Johnny, though. ("I'll be superamalgamated!")