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[Majestic7]

Hello boys, girls and elves.

I've been playing LCS for a quite long time now, starting with the original. One thing bugging me has been that the Intelligence Agency isn't really scary. Sure, their siege is pretty tough to fight out, but that's it.

I think they shouldn't put up sieges. Instead they should do assassinations and black propaganda. Propability of them acting out should depend on the laws controlling them. If they are conservative, they will have a field day. If the laws are liberal, the agency will be less likely to pull out operations - and if they do, there is a possibility of a scandal breaking out. (New use for intel files?) Few things I think they should do...

1) Assassinations. When a wanted person is up and out, a sniper strikes. Perhaps some check is made to allow him to notice the red dot on his forehead. Maybe a fanatical minion could jump to take the bullet, especially if the founder is targeted? Being hit by a poison needle is another classic. Requires immediate, difficult first aid to stabilize the guy till he reaches the hospital, otherwise it is game over. There are a hundred different variations... Some skill checks should be involved.

2) Black propaganda. False flag operations, where agents go around molesting children and poisoning kittens, screaming "This is LCS!". This should lower popularity of the crime squad. Good place for a scandal if intel files are found and published?

3) Hi-tech military strikes. The squad is driving around in a van and bam, a predator drone hits them with a missile. This is what the American military and intelligence are doing abroad right now. I suppose in a very conservative environment, this isn't that far-fetched for dealing with domestic dissidents. There is little you can do once a predator is after you, but in order to send it, they first have to identify you... So general precautions against being followed and identified should be even more important. (Changing cars often etc.)

4) Future mode specials. Attack robots, anyone? A deadly virus customised for a certain DNA, so it travels as a harmless cough among the general population - untill it reaches the target and melts his brains. Brainwashing/android copies! A member of LCS is captured and brainwashed/replaced, then released. Once free, it will try to assassinate the founder or at least the highest member it knows. Perhaps sabotage or a kamikaze strike with explosives to the base.

I want the intelligence agency to be something I'm afraid of, not just another bunch of guys who try to siege my safehouses. I want covert ops and deadly plots, so that fighting the man will really get tough if you piss them off in the wrong way.

[Yanlin]

You obviously mean "Carpier Intelligence Agency"

That way it stays CIA.

[Ciarog]

1) Assassinations. When a wanted person is up and out, a sniper strikes. Perhaps some check is made to allow him to notice the red dot on his forehead. Maybe a fanatical minion could jump to take the bullet, especially if the founder is targeted? Being hit by a poison needle is another classic. Requires immediate, difficult first aid to stabilize the guy till he reaches the hospital, otherwise it is game over. There are a hundred different variations... Some skill checks should be involved.

I don't think you'll find very many real snipers who play with laser pointers like that.

2) Black propaganda. False flag operations, where agents go around molesting children and poisoning kittens, screaming "This is LCS!". This should lower popularity of the crime squad. Good place for a scandal if intel files are found and published?

This one I like. NKVD did it all the time to rival partisan groups in Eastern Europe.

3) Hi-tech military strikes. The squad is driving around in a van and bam, a predator drone hits them with a missile. This is what the American military and intelligence are doing abroad right now. I suppose in a very conservative environment, this isn't that far-fetched for dealing with domestic dissidents. There is little you can do once a predator is after you, but in order to send it, they first have to identify you... So general precautions against being followed and identified should be even more important. (Changing cars often etc.)

You can base your operations out of churches and schools like the Black Panthers and Palestinians would often do (with varying results).

4) Future mode specials. Attack robots, anyone? A deadly virus customised for a certain DNA, so it travels as a harmless cough among the general population - untill it reaches the target and melts his brains. Brainwashing/android copies! A member of LCS is captured and brainwashed/replaced, then released. Once free, it will try to assassinate the founder or at least the highest member it knows. Perhaps sabotage or a kamikaze strike with explosives to the base.

MK-ULTRA for the 22nd century? Interesting.

Only if the corporations get robot ninjas. (Robocop III reference)

[Majestic7]

I don't think you'll find very many real snipers who play with laser pointers like that.

Heh, of course not - but this is a humorous game. The point is that assassinations should not be completely unavoidable. Hit n' run, snipers, poison, car bombs and genetically modified attack gorillas are all be fine. The most wanted domestic terrorist should not be able to waltz around with no fear for personal safety when NSA/CIA/whatever is out to get him. 

This one I like. NKVD did it all the time to rival partisan groups in Eastern Europe.

Wo-hoo, a chance to pull Godwin in this thread! Nazis did this with the Reichstag fire, blaming jews and commies. A lot of examples in history. Many of them blatant propaganda, others more succesful.

You can base your operations out of churches and schools like the Black Panthers and Palestinians would often do (with varying results).

Doesn't help you if you are hit by a missile while in car. Of course, if the car is an ambulance, maybe that is a bit different. Israel has kept striking at Hamas et cetera even though there are civilian targets near. I don't see why very conservative US officials should show more concern. Those who harbor liberal terrorists are obviously terrorists themselves. Collateral damage should have a great chance to backfire if the media is even a little bit free, though.

Only if the corporations get robot ninjas. (Robocop III reference)

...but if the police get Robocop, LCS is fucked.

[Leafsnail]

Assasinations can be over the top, just like everything else in the game.  Comon, we need things like umbrella stabbings and drive by shootings.

[Xavior]

I like this idea. You could have random encounters with immediately hostile/alarmed agents if they know who you are and are tracking your movements. They might not even try to assassinate you persay, but once you're X steps away from the exit, immediately call in a siege

Or, they might very well be assassins, with incredibly high weapon skills and juiced to the point where they genuinely rival their targets. If you do manage to subdue them, you may even be able to kidnap/brainwash them. But there could then be a possibility of a double agent, and they would assuredly be the target of even more deadly assassins if not. Probably with provisions against being captured, especially once you've done it once or twice

Random encounters also while driving. Perhaps there could be a warning system. You get a check to notice you're being tailed - being followed - being watched - and if you miss all the checks. BAM. Surprise attack Otherwise you get the encounter early when they're less prepared.

[Jetman123]

I'd say just let the liberal have a chance of surviving, but being wounded, after being shot, or noticing that something's off if they're skilled at street survival enough.

Perhaps something like in Sid Meier's Covert Action, where when you're going back to your hideout, agents intercept you and you end up in a firefight on the street where you can use cars for cover and grab passerby as hostages. (Not that hostage-taking was really implemented in Covert Action, and you yourself were part of the CIA being intercepted by opposing organizations, so hostage taking is a no-no... but the LCS has no such limitations.

[narskie]

I like the idea of false flag operations too, especially since the FBI has a long history of it.  Even as recent as the Seattle WTO protests the FBI dressed up as "anarchists" and smashed store windows and set fires.  The Seattle police of course retaliated against the real protesters with extreme violence. 

As a side note, the Palestians have no where to go as they are trapped by a medieval siege on Gaza by the US and Israel.  I don't see how that counts as using schools as shields. 

[Leafsnail]

Yeah, pretending to be a liberal crime squad and deliberately alienating everyone could be a useful tactic for the CIA.  Of course, you might be able to do the same to the CCS...

[Servant Corps]

narskie: Would you mind providing me links to arguments the FBI were agent provocators?

Leafsnail: How would the CCS recruit people to the "Alienation Crime Squad" though? That's the main question. It can't go out and tell Conservatives, "Pretend to be a left-wing radical, trust me man!" because Conservatives will roll their eyes. They can't recruit Elite Liberals because they'll catch onto the scheme.

[Leafsnail]

They could use some of their hardcore and older members, who understand what they are trying to achieve in their alienation attempts.

[Yanlin]

Really, false flags operations are easy. Not to mention they are hard for the actual organization to disprove.

For example, Anonymous gets a LOT of false flag operations.

[a1s]

For example, Anonymous gets a LOT of false flag operations.

um... doesn't membership in anonymous consist of just decalring that you are in fact anonymous? how can it have false flag operations?

[Yanlin]

For example, Anonymous gets a LOT of false flag operations.

um... doesn't membership in anonymous consist of just decalring that you are in fact anonymous? how can it have false flag operations?

Misrepresenting their agenda?

Not to mention a good chunk of the assaults are done false flag.

[narskie]

Well I obviously can't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.  The only way I could that is if we had another series of events similar to what led to the Church committee hearings on COINTELPRO.  We can be sure that white house administrations and the FBI have taken extra care since then to prevent that from happening again.  But I could probably convince you based on a preponderance of the evidence. 

The Report to the City Council on WTO accountability states many times and with sufficient evidence that the goal of the "Black Bloc anarchists" was to radicalize the protesters and would use violence and property destruction to antagonize the police.  The FBI reported to the Seattle police this was the Black Bloc intentions and admitted to have inflitrated the organization. 

http://www.seattle.gov/wtocommittee/panel3final.pdf

The problem with proving it is not that this was the "anarchists" goal to pit the police against the non-violent protesters, nor that the FBI had inflitrated the Black Bloc.  It is proving whether the non-FBI members spearheaded the plan or the FBI members did, since the Black Bloc seems to not exist outside of the this event. 

We do know that the FBI has inflitrated other organizations and tried to convince it's members to commit criminal acts since COINTELPRO (assuming it really was shut down). 

NEO-NAZI RALLY WAS ORGANIZED BY FBI INFORMANT
Henry Pierson Curtis, Sentinel Staff Writer; Orlando Sentinel; Feb 15, 2007; pg. A.1

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/us/05informant.html
Activist Unmasks Himself as Federal Informant in G.O.P. Convention Case
"Some former friends of Mr. Darby have denounced him as a provocateur and said he might have enabled or encouraged Mr. Crowder and Mr. McKay to break the law. Mr. Darby denied that."

I could probably find more sources but I'm tired and want to play LCS but I think I've at least built a fairly solid case here... on a preponderance of the evidence, as I said.