Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

High tech intrigue and Cold War
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Shroom Man 777
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

This is where Colonel Putin comes in! :twisted:

Give the Commissariat some SICKLE uplinky thinggy and yes. Cyberpunk NKVD!
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"Sometimes Shroomy I wonder if your imagination actually counts as some sort of war crime." - FROD
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

I don't really want Putin in, 'cause we're scrapping real world leaders and to be honest, Putin's kind of a dick.

Anyway, in other news, I went looking in the archives and I found this:
Romero Virus

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(photographs taken by freelance journalist Amanda Kreinberg, in the town of Burgess, New Mexico)

It is still not entirely clear as to whether this is a hoax, a misinterpretation of military intelligence, or the real bloody thing, but reports have flooded in to both NATO and Soviet records, as well as the omniscient internet rumor mill. Dubbed the Romero virus for rather obvious reasons, it is not clear as to whether this condition is a virus, some odd post-mortem reaction to an outside source (possibly nuclear radiation?) or something even stranger. Well, stranger than the dead apparently rising and acting to attack the living.

There have been twelve incontrovertible reported sightings of and encounters with creatures resembling someone afflicted with Romero virus since 1945. Symptoms include rotting flesh, an insatiable hunger for living animal matter, a lowering of mental and physical faculties, and a kind of herd instinct that causes them to both gather with others who have been afflicted and to "infect" others. Since no one has ever been infected and later told of it, and no one has observed and infection, it is not clear how this is done, but judging by the bite wounds visible on almost all Romero victims, it is believed to be done via transaction of bodily fluids, namely saliva or blood. This lends weight to the virus theory, but does not prove it.

The highest proof that Romero is a real and deadly problem comes from reports made by Amanda Kreinberg, a freelance journalist who was in the town of Burgess, New Mexico, reporting on a scandal within city hall. The pictures taken and e-articles written made it onto the internet, everything from the initial reports of odd disappearances to the town's spiral into zombism to the National Guard response that ended with the entire town being first burned to the ground and then flooded by blowing a nearby dam. Something that was emphasized in the Kreinberg e-articles was that not all victims were accounted for, and that Burgess was located deep in the southwest desert where someone or something could hide for a very long time.

Though there is not a cover-up program undertaken by either western or eastern governments in relation to Romero (mostly because it has not been confirmed; no current or former member of the New Mexico National Guard will comment on the Burgess incident), very little solid evidence can be found to say that it is a real threat. Nonetheless, several people claim to have seen, interacted with, or even defeated such afflicted persons and animals.
Arty wrote that ages ago; it probably needs some work done to fold it into current-CSW (insert something like ACTIVITY, NTET, WRAITH, PARAGON, etc. somewhere) but it's evocative and Moby referenced it and I like it so there. I'll try and go digging for atomic ants later this week!
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Ford Prefect »

Siege wrote:And perhaps, after five years, there'd be a major political struggle about whether the existence of the Commissariat should be prolonged by another five years or not.
Just another five years, then it won't be necessary again. Just another five more years, and maybe putting more surveillance under SICKLE.
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

Exactly...
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
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We dare not meet him with our fleet -
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

Haven't found the ants yet... But I have found a place for them to dwell.

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Plenty place for Enoch Razaq to have a lab up there too.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

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"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

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The Krugerrand is a South African gold coin minted in a durable 22 karat copper-gold alloy. With a value of 1 troy oz. fine gold, the Krugerrand os unusual for bullion coins in that it is intended to circulate as currency.

Gold coins are essentially untraceable, making them an easy, highly portable source of quickly convertable wealth favored by warlords, dictators and others whose professions carry a high risk of having to at one point get out of a country quick. And because of its legal tender status and high intrinsic value the Krugerrand is also extremely popular amongst African arms dealers, mercenaries and other shady characters, in fact replacing blood diamonds as the underworld's exchange medium of choice from the mid-'90s onward.

Until 2000 South Africa was subject of economic sanctions against South Africa for its policy of apartheid; during this period the South African government and armed forces used Krugerrands as the preferred method for bankrolling illicit operations. Special 'black' operations in Angola, Namibia and Botswana; parts of the country's nuclear program and almost the entirety of the Witwatersrand Institute's transgenic R&D was financed with gold coins.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Malchus »

Hey, Siege, have you considered Soviet Submarine LSTs?
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

I have now :D.

On another subject, just now Booted Vulture and I were briefly speculating on Alexis Starr's future because... Well, she's not showing any signs of running out of steam so at some point she presumably hits General of the Air Force, maybe Chairman of the Joint Chiefs... And then what? I'd suspect that after a while even a post-Secret War reorganized Pentagon (or maybe especially a reorganized Pentagon) would get nervous about having an immortal metahuman indefinitely in charge of everything. So she'd be asked to retire. And then what?

Why not run for President?

I mean, hell. Ace military astronaut, international symbol of American values, decorated hero, former General, recipient of the Medal of Honor, savior of the nation several times over... She could write her own ticket. Vote Starr for President in 2025?
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Ford Prefect »

She even sounds presidential. I mean, President Starr? Australians wouldn't believe it!
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Mobius 1 »

Booted and I had a chuckle, because at that point John Baylor would go from being the head of the Secret Service to First Gentleman.
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

First Gentlemang Baylor? That's Jack Ryan-esque. :lol:

But Baylor is a ridiculous fun guy not some uptight technothriller murcanoid, so yeah. Good fun.

Action Hero Presidential Couple?

Maybe the opposing P/VP ticket were MIDNIGHT operatives, and election day was decided by a running gunfight between the presidential candidates. :)


Maybe when all of our original cast of awesome people, from Ridley to Baylor to Starr to Comrade Hammer, et al. grow old and survive their hardships and get high posts in life, they can then form a cabal - originally just a group of friends helping out, but changing into something... conspiratorial - of really powerful and influential people who know each other. Becoming very similar, though different (but how different?) to the organizations they dealt with in their past.

THE PATRIOTS

And then there could be a schism, they break apart forming factions, bitter rivalries, different views. They may be half a dozen sides of the same coin, so very alike, but they will never see the same side!

The next generation of CSW! Coulda... Shoulda... Woulda... EXTREME!

CSWX

:mrgreen:
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

I like the idea of characters growing old (or in some cases dying violently) and retiring, having kids who take up the banner, of ideological rifts between erstwhile allies and all that. At the same time there should at some point emerge a cast of fresh new characters because otherwise CSW'd end up like Dynasty: The Technothriller Edition.

At the same time I'm weirdly drawn to the pretty random idea of the existence of a clone daughter of Chandra Gosely, unaware of her heritage and adopted into a regular family, who still has weird flashes of memories that she couldn't possibly have.

Also, the Starr presidential bid should be bankrolled by Charlie Saint. Because this is CSW, and there's probably no limits on campaign financing by shady multinationals :D.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Booted Vulture »

Siege wrote:I like the idea of characters growing old (or in some cases dying violently) and retiring, having kids who take up the banner, of ideological rifts between erstwhile allies and all that. At the same time there should at some point emerge a cast of fresh new characters because otherwise CSW'd end up like Dynasty: The Technothriller Edition

I think these bits are key. everyone loves your characters no-one to see Balyors or james bond expies dying horribly.

There fore you need to introduce more background characters so you can kill them off horribly. Red shirts!

Moby has already mastered this 'Nooo! Not Fender! Dead! His name has been in the background of all the STBs!'
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

The Baylors becoming old allows them to become final bosses for the new cast of heroes to emerge in CSWX

Hell, like Phoenix. She can be part of the generation two protagonist/anti-hero/whatever character dealing in a world that's been shaped by the Baylors and Ridleys, who by then are no longer small frys but big fishes changing the world singlehandedly. Or Natasha X. And the others.
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Booted Vulture »

Maye they could be retired badasses melancholy about the things they've done that have shaped the world in ways they can't imagine.

Like KILL RIDLEY. Only he'd be more Budd that Bill.

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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Mobius 1 »

Booted wrote:There fore you need to introduce more background characters so you can kill them off horribly. Red shirts!

Moby has already mastered this 'Nooo! Not Fender! Dead! His name has been in the background of all the STBs!'
Fufufufufu.
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Booted Vulture »

u mad bro?
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

With respect to CSW:Next, when Ridley's older and a life peer and running MI-6 and everything, I feel he ought to drive (or rather be driven in) a militarized version of this Ghost to reflect his newfound morally questionable status!

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"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

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"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Ford Prefect »

FEEL THESE GUNS ARCHWIND THESE ARE THE GUNS OF THE FLESHY MESSIAH THE TOOLS OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION THAT WILL ENACT THE LAW OF MAN ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

... wow. At least now I know where ol' Arty got his inspiration for the old Men In Black from :D.
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Mobius 1 »

Hey, what would it take to wound or even kill Alexis Starr?
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Siege »

A really big conventional bomb or a small tactical nuke would probably do it. I have some ideas about what makes her tick, but for plot reasons those are best discussed in private :).
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

For, now De Ruyter's topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
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Re: Random Ideas (Input Requested!)

Post by Mobius 1 »

Some random citiscapes for CSWNEXT, with one possibly being Berlin right before the unification.

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