Interest Check for Covert Ops RP

[Green1]

The French did indeed have lots of influence, probably only reason we didn't include them is it'd feel cluttered/ they'd have similar motives to the SAS/CIA.

Excellent... I think I will have you covered there. I am researching FFL ranks and promotions to make the guy's story plausible. I am thinking the guy should be about 40 or so. Not young because there was a mandatory (at least for the lower classes!!) draft in the US during that time for Vietnam. I need to place him in a timeline of peace between the US Korean conflict and Vietnam conflict but with a long enough history to gain at least a middle rank within the FLL system. All folks as officers are native French, but warrant officers and majors can be of any nationality or citizenship from my research.

This would also mean his parents met during WW2. I am thinking the dad would be better to be made from Delaware instead of Rhode Island. The reason being is that a large majority of corporations within the US have headquarters there. Particularly holding corporations and investment corporations because of that state's liberal regulatory and tax regulations. His dad could be a foreign investment strategist. He met the mom who was the daughter of a plantation owner at a social function at the Royale de Zandai ballroom in the capital in the days leading up to WW2. Of course, that hotel has changed ownership as American Hotel magnate Conrad Hilton went on an international hotel buying spree in the late 60s to 70s buying hotels for a song even in places like Beirut (which would be a mistake - but that is another tale).

You would think that in the early 1970s a powerful investor would be ostracized for marring a woman of African decent. Not so. The New England area of the US was very liberal and were not as overtly racist. Nor was his mom anything like the segregated and often under educated blacks of the deep south of that day. In fact, she was fluent in 3 different languages and walked with a grace and poise of royalty for being a daughter of a plantation owner afforded her an education and life far above the millions in abject poverty in Zambai. Let's just say, he made sure to leave her at home if he had to make a business trip to Alabama or Mississippi!

Our hero takes after his mom with a dark appearance that would pass for a local of Zambai since Zambai is truly a melting pot. From the descendants of Shaka Zulu to being mixed with the English and French settlers, not all the locals were the typical dark ebony skinned. Our hero is dark skinned enough to pass easily and fluent in the language, although his dialect is one of the capital and would stand out with the slang filled almost pidgin French/English/Zambian of the jungles or the quicker talk of the scrublands.

[JarlWolf]

So he has roots in Zambia... how did he end up in Zandai? He has quite the illustrious heritage it seems, almost aristocratic I'd say, wealthy at the least. Wondering what his reasons were... was it just the job that enticed him? Or was there something more?

[Green1]

So he has roots in Zambia... how did he end up in Zandai? He has quite the illustrious heritage it seems, almost aristocratic I'd say, wealthy at the least. Wondering what his reasons were... was it just the job that enticed him? Or was there something more?

Not Zambia... Zandai.

The son of an investment strategist... particularly from that area of New England IS aristocracy. But really minor. Not quite a magnate like Rockefellers or the Kennedys but fairly well off.

As far as our hero joining the Legion... well, he took after his mom's side. He wanted adventure! There was no war going on because Korea was over so he booked a plane to Paris and joined the legion as a Engagé Volontaire for the grand total pay of 150 francs a month! Of course, the folks at Dover country club were commiserating with his mom and dad over a wayward son. Some were taking bets over scotch and water at the 19th hole over how long it would be before someone from Paris called to say a body bag was on the way!

Of course, when the mom found out, her heart sunk.

[JarlWolf]

Hrm... I am guessing he had quite the rocky relationship with his family. Almost to the point of disownment I suspect... Should make for an interesting character. Though keep in mind, it's a team your creating, or in the case of a spy group, about 2-3 spies total.

[Green1]

Hrm... I am guessing he had quite the rocky relationship with his family. Almost to the point of disownment I suspect... Should make for an interesting character. Though keep in mind, it's a team your creating, or in the case of a spy group, about 2-3 spies total.

Yeah... that would just be the leader. I need to research 1970s tech and see what kind of folks the CIA would need. To do that, I need to know more about the organizations in the various parts of the country. I would probably base out of the capital.

...and no... this would not be like Bengahzi, Libya either. The team is not staying in some suburb small 3 bedroom house with only 2 exits a rival faction could take out with a small team or a 1970s era shoulder rocket! Richard Nixon may have been a sneaky underhanded president who would disavow everything, but I doubt he would set the crew up for failure the way Obama did.

[JarlWolf]

Mhm... and Zandai is a dangerous place, so I don't think they'd be sending just anyone there. I don't imagine the spy teams working like a total task force anyways, agents work on their own premises for the most part, they have contacts, informants and handlers sure, but direct contact between agents, handlers etc. Is not a very common thing, and for good reason.

[Green1]

That is the reason the whole team looks local.

Zandai big enough to have embassies? Surely at least the Swiss have one. They have historically had embassies everywhere.

One of the things the US did that really hurts rebel factions is to try to take control of the education system. I am assuming that the landed and wealthy 1 percent of Zandains send their kids abroad to London? They probably do if Zandai has an educational system elementary to high school, it is all either foreign volunteers or very good private schools. The volunteer village schools do not really teach as because when the kid is old enough to work a shovel, he needs to be put to work to feed the family. The capitol may be a little better. Maybe for the middle class, there would be a small university. Can you say US Peace Corps?

If it was the 1980s, we could get REALLY evil. I could get the entire rebel faction addicted to crack cocaine! Would not be the first time the CIA dealt in drugs. Then turn around and use the proceeds to fund our pro-west candidate in a legit election. Then, our pro west candidate is "fighting the war on drugs". Not just making it where we can just exploit the resources and already there and destroy any pesky populist rebel. Why arent the Zandains using those resources? Oh.... anyone who actually gets smart enough or gets to be a talent like a doctor or engineer gets the hell out of the country so they can live in a country club without being shot up.

I doubt we would, like the real CIA, get into any gun play directly. That is what Navy Seals are for Not us. We are just here to help a developing nation learn the glory of capitalism and democracy - of course without them knowing we are here. There may be a piece of the pie for some Zandains as well. As long as our investors on Wall Street make some money. Hey,, get stable and stop shooting the place up with kid rebels who are illiterate with AK 47s maybe we can put a Burger King or McDonalds in the village. Give the kids jobs!

[Buster's Uncle]

It might be worth doing a little research into US-French relations around that time.  I know they weren't perfect at a number of points, so there's room for a little conflict/dramatic tension...

[JarlWolf]

Zandai has one city... and has been at civil war for a long time.

There is a Chinese diplomat in there so I think only a few nations have embassies in there. China also had quite a bit of vested interest in Africa, and the Chinese have quite a strong hold on the nation due to the current President spurning the US.
(The current President was installed by CIA and is a comparable kleptocrat to Mobutu in Congo: it's just that this guy spurned the US and used the excuse, Africa is for Africans and kept the country to himself.)

Keep in mind there is ONE major city, Anso Kebar. And this city and the entire country has been at war for a number of years now, so I doubt there is any real extensive amounts of education or otherwise, maybe basic schools.

[Arbee]

I'm really not looking for extreme realism on this one, reality can be boring.  Looking more for plausibility than anything else.

Keep in mind that this is taking place in southern Africa, and there are other larger conflicts going on throughout the area and that Zandai is a dusty little shithole that would barely warrant a blip on the radar if not for its plentiful and virtually untapped resources.  The Chinese, the CIA, and the KGB are getting involved primarily because they want to gain the rights to strip the country of its resources.  Amadi's Boys are there to "help" the rebels and their Cuban allies (and make Amadi's ascension to power much easier) and the SAS team is there to impede the rebels so that the South Africans have an easier time re-stabilizing the country.

Though keep in mind, it's a team your creating, or in the case of a spy group, about 2-3 spies total.

I doubt we would, like the real CIA, get into any gun play directly. That is what Navy Seals are for Not us. We are just here to help a developing nation learn the glory of capitalism and democracy - of course without them knowing we are here. There may be a piece of the pie for some Zandains as well. As long as our investors on Wall Street make some money. Hey,, get stable and stop shooting the place up with kid rebels who are illiterate with AK 47s maybe we can put a Burger King or McDonalds in the village. Give the kids jobs!

Keep in mind that the team can have up to five members, and you're free to customize it as you see fit.  Also, all work and no gunplay makes Jack a dull boy.

Yeah... that would just be the leader. I need to research 1970s tech and see what kind of folks the CIA would need. To do that, I need to know more about the organizations in the various parts of the country. I would probably base out of the capital.

Let me know what kind of information you're looking for and I'll provide it to the best of my ability.

[Arbee]

Role-Playing Tournament (Be Agressive)

[Green1]

Point taken.

second guy on  the team:

Tyrone McGhee.

Helicopter Pilot, former Lt in US Marines. Hometown: Detroit Michigan.

Every team needs an extraction guy, and Tyrone is the man and the only actual American on the team. Tyrone was stationed out of Vietnam in the US's current conflict as a helicopter pilot. It is said he could land a copter with 20 Viet Cong missiles flying in the middle of a typhoon and still keep the aircraft  level enough not to spill a cup of coffee. You would think with those skills he would make his way to promotion fairly quick. Unfortunately, during one extraction where a position was over run by Viet Cong, his co pilot and buddy was shot through the cockpit. When he found out the position was over run because the corporals on watch were too busy smoking pot, he got into a fist fight with the corporal giving him a broken jaw. Of course, the court martial was lenient, but still took away his gold stripes for red and docked him pay for a month. It also effectively ended his chances for his application to be accepted to NASA, having been aspired to be a pilot by Warner Von Bron's early 1960s documentaries. Not only was Nixon cutting the Apollo program, but already competing against hardcore Airforce pilots with cleaner records and actual test pilot experience meant his dreams would be crushed. Not to mention the corporal was the drinking buddy of a certain Major in intelligence and had a hand sending him to this [poop] hole country in Africa.

[Arbee]

All right, just wanted to post in here to let you guys know that I'm still planning on running this thing.

At present, if everyone's still aboard, we have players for Amadi's Boys, the CIA team, and the KGB team.

Still looking for players interested in playing as the SAS or MSS (Chinese intelligence).

[Yitzi]

The only faction that looks like one I'd be potentially interested in playing here is the Children of Dayo (or a small clandestine group thereof), but they're apparently nonplayable...

[JarlWolf]

The SAS are an option, their outfit here is pretty small and their goal isn't as unscrupulous as the others, least directly.