All of us have our secrets. Every person buried truths that they would rather not have others know. It has become common place in our society to tell white lies to hold our civilization together. However there are those who keep secrets so deep and vast, it is almost impossible to believe. Where not one individual but entire organizations are devoted to keeping themselves away from the eyes of the public. Some are widely known although their publicity is believed to be a front for their nefarious actions. Others are so furtive that only their name is recognized. Their true nature is never known, only leading to fuel the suspicions of some. Their paranoia may be justified though; some of this secretive societies engage in illegal actions to further their goal. Theft, bribery, extortion and even murder are just some of the tools used by these atrocious people. With the strings they gain, they slowly work their way toward their ultimate aim. These groups are the Manipulators."
Welcome to the Manipulators Interest Check thread. The Manipulators is a roleplay in which several secretive societies from across the globe can scheme, plot and maneuver themselves to achieve the ultimate objective of their groups. You will use criminal acts such as theft, bribery, extortion and even murder to achieve them. However, you must remain clandestine. The more transparent your group becomes, the more the world powers will progressively try to stop you.
Now I had this puppy up here before but it died before I could really start it up. Now I'm willing to have a go at it again. I'm planning on having a small group to deal with since this is going to be a bit difficult to gm but if a good number of people are interested, I'll have them in. It's going to be casual, at least 2 paragraphs with five hundred words. Since I'm quite busy myself, I don't this to be fast paced. I'm going to post the mechanics of the game below. So post if your interested and I'll see how this goes.
Each player will have to post at least once every turn. A turn will be half a month in game. Each post will be at least y00 characters long, bare minimum. (I would appreciate it though if your post was long and full of detail). If you want to keep your post a secret from the other players, put it inside a spoiler. At the end of each turn, I will tell each group how much money they have along with any important developments that might concern them. I will set up random events for each player too. Whether it will be disastrous or beneficial will be determined by dice rolls (which I will show to the players).
Each group has special abilities they can activate at any time of their choosing. You can ask me how much the action will cost your group beforehand. Your group may also cooperate with other groups or sabotage or even expose them to the public. Your group must have knowledge about the group in question beforehand though before any sort of action can be taken.
Your group will constantly lose funds each turns due to maintenance and logistics of your group. How much money is lose is determined by your group's efficiency (see below). To gain funding, you must commit crimes in your local region or around the world. Be careful not to generate too much attention to your group though.
Secrecy
As I've already told you, the most valuable resource your group will have is secrecy. As more and more information is known about your group, the more the public and eventually their governments would want your operations to cease. An indicator of how evident 6 group has become is displayed below.
Level 6 - The governments of the world will start to declare war on your group and will use their military assets and resources to hunt you down. Your influence with drastically decrease. Unless you can find a way to hide, you will be destroyed.
Level 5 - The governments of the world will start to declare your group as a terrorist organization. All your funds would be frozen and your members actively hunted by authorities. Some of your allies may start to abandon you.
Level 4 - The masses outright oppose you and the governments are forced to investigate your group. Operations now become significantly harder. The members of your group will have higher chances of being arrested.
Level 3 - The masses start to become dubious of your group. Suspensions and rumors float around. Depending on your hold on the local government, they will ignore you.
Level 2 - Bits and pieces are known about your group but not to their full extent. Only your members knows the full extent of your operations. Those who claim that your operations are illicit are largely fringe groups and ignored by the general public.
Level 1 - Virtually nothing is known about your group. Your group is in complete secrecy with only your members knowing about your organization. The name of your group might be known in some place but nothing else is.
Traits of Your Group​
Your organization will depend on the will and skills of your members. Your group will only be as strong as your weakest link. Each group will excel in some fields and lack in others. You must ensure that you use your strengths to your advantage and stop your enemies from exploiting your weaknesses. The Traits are listed below.
Loyalty - The allegiance of your members to your group and to your goal. This will be tested in times of great peril when your group is in trouble. Groups with higher loyalty will have their members resisting to betray their group, no matter the consequences.
Professionalization - The quality of work that can be achieved by your members when you task them with their missions. Groups with higher professionalization will have their members accomplish their task with a great deal of efficiency and thorough results.
Adaptability - The flexibility of your group to perform their task in changing situations, often testing the resourcefulness of your group. Groups with high adaptability will have it's members have a higher chance of succeeding with a task that requires changes in a short amount of time.
Covertness - The ability of your group to remain secretive even when engaging in acts to further your goals. This is perhaps the most important trait of any organization. Groups with high covertness are more difficult for authorities to expose and/or locate.
Security - The capability of your group to defend yourselves from all manner of threats that you will face. This means that it will involve hazards booth inside and out of your group. Groups with high security will have their members on the field less likely to be caught or die and their information less likely to be stolen.
Funding - The easiness of your group to access finances to purchase the necessities of your group. Groups with high funding will be able to access large amount of finances which may be used in all manners of ways, from purchasing new equipment to bribing personalities necessary for the cause.
Resources - The easiness of your group to access resources needed by your group to operate. This resources include everything from food to ammunition to computers and other equipment. Groups with high resources will fill require less effort and funding to acquire their necessities and equipment.
Operatives​
To achieve your goals and ambitions, you will need the will, cooperation and skills of your subordinates. You must harness the expertise of every henchmen you have at your disposal to achieve your intent or simply to survive. Your group will employ different people to achieve this task, all with different specializations. They are listed below.
Basic Member - The underlings of the organization, they are the jack of all trades. However they never excel in any particular field beyond basic knowledge and understanding. As so, they are often used for simple task and are often expendables to their organization. Basic members have an upkeep of 200 financial points per unit, per turn.
Enforcer - Enforcers are used by the secret societies for their physical prowess. Often they are needed to intimidate people who do not comply. Enforcers can also use heavy firearms, such as machine guns, when defending their bases or out on a mission. Enforcers have an upkeep of 800 financial points per unit, per turn.
Public Agent - The connection of your group to the outside world. They are the public front of your organization, working for your group while never revealing their true intentions to the public. Public agents are able tempt people to join or associate themselves with your group. Public Agents have an upkeep of 550 points per unit, per turn.
Infiltrator - Agents that your group employs to gain access to your enemies organizations without them knowing. Infiltrators can steal your enemy's intelligence and files, plant false information in their ranks, sabotage their operations or even assassinate vital targets. Infiltrators have an upkeep of 800 financial points per unit, per turn.
Medical Personnel - Members of your group may sometimes injure themselves on duty and cannot be treated by non-members on fears of being exposed. Groups employ medical personnel for this reason. Their anatomical and psychological knowledge may also prove useful when interrogating uncooperative hostages. Medical Personnel have an upkeep of 550 financial points per unit, per turn.
Engineer - Employed by groups to oversee and inspect their equipment to make sure that they are in proper working order. If your center of command has been comprised, engineers may be used to find set up a emergency, temporary headquarter for your operations to resume again. Engineers have an upkeep of 450 financial points per unit, per turn.
Computer Expert - Members of your group which specialize in everything that has to do with computers. From making sure your hardware is updated to securing your files from people trying to acquire them. Computer experts can also plant spywares on enemy organizations or on authorities to receive information from them. Computer Expert have an upkeep of 400 financial points per unit, per turn.
Secret Societies​
Now for the secretive groups themselves. Your group along with the different other secretive groups will have different agendas and goals that they want to fulfill. I have classified those groups into different categories for you pick. This group classes have strengths and weaknesses and you can exploit them to your advantage. The examples of the groups are listed below.
Cult - A group with religious beliefs often found unpopular with the public. As such, they have kept their group a secret so that the public is unaware of their continued existence. Cults have high loyalty but have low specialization.
Specialties: Acolytes - The standard cult member is an acolyte. Aside from their increase loyalty to their group because of their religious fervor, acolytes can also invoke their special ability when deployed on the field. They can also sacrifice themselves in the place of other personnel in place of the operation when the situation becomes hostile. Acolytes have an upkeep of 150 financial points per unit, per turn. Calling to the Faithful - Cults can quickly replenish their ranks through their special ability, Calling to the Faithful. When this ability is activated, your group will replenish their all their losses. Once this ability is used, it cannot be used again for the next three turns.
Business Conglomerate - A group established by business people, economist, entrepreneurs, industrialist and others of the kind with one vision in mind. Commonly, this people plan on using their economic knowledge to manipulate the world market into their advantage. Business Conglomerates have high funding but low secrecy.
Specialties: Brokers: Specialized members of Business Conglomerates that specialize in increasing the capital of their group. Unlike other groups who derive their funding from illegal acts, such as stealing and extortion, brokers gain finances through legal means by buying and selling stocks. Of course they could use illegal means too, such as insider trading, to achieve their finance gathering. Brokers have an upkeep of 500 financial points per unit, per turn. Business Connections: Your relationships with other tycoons and moguls will allow you to gain twice as much finance from your global operations for the next two turns. However this has a drawback of having your alert level raised to level 3 and cannot go lower while the action is in effect. Business Connection cannot be used again for the next two turns after being used.
Political Movement - A secretive political party with its agendas hidden from the public. Often it is because their political beliefs and agendas have fallen out of favor with the masses. Political Movements have high covertness but low resources.
Specialties: Solicitors - Special public agent employed by Political Movements. Aside from their roles as social envoys, solicitors also specialized in lobbying legislators and if needs be, bribing them at lower risk and higher chances of succeeding. Solicitors themselves may also run for any political office although the chances of them being exposed are increased. Solicitors have an upkeep of 500 financial points per unit, per turn. Friends in High Places - Your group's deep understanding of the political world allows them to escape the public's attention by having their trace removed. Activating Friends in High Places decrease the threat level of your group to level 1, no matter how high it is. However when used, the ability can not be used again for the next six turns.
Organized Crime Group - A formalized and high structured organization who primarily gain their funding and resources and achieve their goals through illegal means. Organized Crime Groups have high covertness but low loyalty.
Specialties: Mercenaries - Organized Crime Groups have access to specialized enforcers, the mercenaries. Mercenaries require less equipment to maintain themselves and are more likely to achieve their goals when fielded on a mission. However, mercenaries have low loyalty and will likely betray their group when caught. Mercenaries have an upkeep of 750 financial points per unit, per turn. Intimidation Technique - By using their underworld infamy and the unsavory characteristics of their members, Organized Crime Groups can use their special ability. Intimidation Technique allows Organized Crime Groups frighten authorities who are investigating their group. However if this ability fails, the threat level of the group will rise to level 3. The ability cannot be used again for a turn after being used.
Renegade Scientific Community - An organization of like-minded individuals in the scientific fields working in secret to achieve their goals. Often times this groups have become renegades from the mainstream scientific community because their methods ,or even their goals themselves, are unethical. Renegade Scientific Communities have high resources but low security.
Specialties: Technicians - Specialized personnel exclusively employed by Renegade Scientific Communities. Technicians have the vast knowledge about the different equipment utilized by their groups and thus they can better maintain their equipment at less the cost of other groups. They are also useful in acquiring different technologies from around the world. Technicians have an upkeep of 450 financial points per unit, per turn. Public Scare - Using their knowledge over public media and scientific branches, Renegade Scientific Communities can create a string of misinformation that will panic the people and create mass hysteria. Any organization or the local government will be hindered and their operations will grind to a halt for the next two turns. Public Scare cannot be used four turns after it has been used.
Paramilitary Organization - A group with similar organization and structure to a military although not officially part of any. Paramilitary Groups are often revolutionary in nature and thus need their covert actions to stay hidden from authorities planning on stopping them. Paramilitary Groups have high professionalization but low funding.
Militia - Paramilitary Organizations have Militias as their basic members. Militias are more able to defend themselves from external threats, such as the authorities trying to arrest them or other group members trying to eliminate them. Militias can also use firearms which other basic members could not, such as machine guns and grenades. However militias have a slightly higher chance of betraying their group when caught. Militias have an upkeep of 200 financial points per unit, per turn. Insurgence - With a substantial amount of your groups finance, Paramilitary Groups can arm and train the local populous of a region. This will lead to the citizens declaring a revolt against their government and waging civil war. However one should consider the cost of this ability and the chance of being caught and exposed to the public. Insurgence cannot be used for three turns after being used.
Ancient Order - A group whose members are sworn to an oath that has guided their members for a considerably long time. Some even many millennia old. Though they share similarities with Political Movements and Cults, Ancient Orders are more sworn to their ancient vows than any ideology or religious belief. Ancient Orders have high security but low adaptability.
Specialties: Assassin - Specialized infiltrator unit that are used by Ancient Orders who aside from excelling in the art of penetrate other enemy groups or the authorities, are also capable of disposing of people through subtle ways. Assassins however suffer from low adaptability and may be easily caught by enemies with high security. Assassins have an upkeep of 750 financial points per unit, per turn. Honor and Glory - Because of your groups age long existence, it gives your organization prestige among its members. Honor and Glory will bolster the loyalty and security of your organization, making it significantly harder for agents of other groups or the authorities to tempt them to betray their group. This ability cannot be used for three turns after it has been used.
