RE: [BNW] Back to Bargainers--Why I don't like their book

[Scott Raby <sraby@asymtek.com>]

>I finally figured out why I don't like the Bargainers.  It is 
>precisely b/c of the new directions.  To me, having the war between 
>the realms kind of cheapens the war on in America--if you have chars 
>who worry about such concepts as Armageddon, it makes it hard to 
>think that one little dictator in his 80s is anything more than a 
>thorn in your side.  An annoyance, sure, but you've got bigger things 
>to worry about.

True it can redefine your focus of whats going on.

>Now that's just my opinion, but what really drew me to BNW was the 
>freedom battle, the shades of grey (Delta Prime is a good example of 
>that--most of hte people there do believe they are doign what's 
>right), the moral conflicts a Defiant must face at every turn, etc. 
>Adding a war between demons and angels adds a new dimension or three 
>that I just don't want.  This dimension is rich enough, thank you 
>very much.

Same here one of the really nice things is that DP can be used for lots of
things. Bad guys you fight, Good guys trying to do what's right, and even
moral delemas that make your players think hard about what to do. Rouge
agents for the right reasons, mean people with the power to hurt others "in
the name of justice" or even insiders trying to work within the system. (the
reason I think the DP is the best of the set so far).

>(Yes, I know I can just ignore it and I plan to do so.  But since 
>Matt and others at least look at this list, people who can define the 
>directions the game goes in, I figure I can voice these topics here. 
>No offense intended to anyone who likes the Bargainers book, and if 
>you have any thoughts on how to use the Bargainers new info *without* 
>overshadowing the freedom fight, and without turning the Bargainers 
>of the group into solo adventurers, let me know).

Well for one thing the MiB are DP agents. You could redefine them as hunting
down insiders kind of like an Internal Affaires Department. another way is
to replace the names "angel" and "demon" with alien races at war and one
group is "recruiting" here on earth (the bargainers) while the DP MiB are
being helped by the other aliens. Of course making this work together with
the Covnet book could take some more twisting for it to all fit. all the
rules would work the same only the deffinations would change of the power
source.


>(Please note that I still like the Bargainers themselves, just not 
>the story background provided in the actual Bargainer book.)

I see your point but I doubt two things: 1, that Matt will change the story
to take out the angels and deamons, and 2, that Matt will not continue to
devlop the storyline in Americas fight to be a free nation. 

Glory Days is comming, should add more focus, and ideas usable in the
mainstream storyline.
and I think that the Cresent City and Evil Unlimited will also tend to be
more in tune with the setup in the USA then the Aramgedon war (of course I
could be wrong and Matt could have Evil U. be run by deamons and Cresent
City be some sort of central gateway.) 

Say now that the whole idea of dimensions is a fact in BNW, perhaps that
idea someone posted a while back may have some truth to it, that Chiago does
still exist somewhere, I mean that land had to go somewhere right and how
did it take all powered up Alphas away. Only Matt knows for sure I guess