Forays into The Department, Noir Sci-Fi Police Procedure Skirmish Gaming

[Legionnaire]

As a roleplayer for many decades, I've always enjoyed playing out stories. And with the (personal) success of my ongoing Five Parsecs From Home campaign, I found myself wanting to play a cop drama type of game.

With limited time to actually play and health waxing and waning, also being a solo game experience, it was important for me that it actually could be doable without having to spend ages painting and assembling terrain. Otherwise it'd be most likely one of those "unfinished never seeing daylight" projects  .

Shortly before Christmas I bought myself a 3'x3' foldable table for about £36, so I can easily set up a game and tuck it away at leisure. That really set the ball rolling!

I saw some very nice cardboard standees (David Okum), all in colour and looked perfect for my genre and gaming needs (30mm), so with just some glue and scissors, I could have several minis done in a short time.

I also bought some quite cheap (about £9/ pack) Corvus Belli card scenery, ready printed and only had to be folded and put on the table. Job done!

I found some modern vehicle flats for free on the internet that I stuck to cornflake card as well to add to the urban look.

I will probably get a few bits and bobs to add to the street scene (lamp posts, vending machines, ATM, terminal) but that's probably all I'm going to need before I'm ready to play .

Most likely this won't happen until end of February at the earliest, trying to keep the Five Parsecs From Home momentum and have 5 more games to run before that campaign is finished. I try to get a game a week in but it's not always possible.

I know my table is mainly cardboard scenery, with a few MDF bits in, but it'll do it for me and as I said, time and health have to be taken into consideration.

THE FLUFF:

Shakti Rajakhan is fresh out of the Academy against her parents wishes, who wanted her to become a doctor. She graduated among the top five, but personally requested to be assigned to Precinct 43, nicknamed "The Dump", where things have been known to stagnate and "die". With her youthful enthusiasm and energy, she aims to make changes there and bring it up to a level where officers can be proud of working there.

The management at Precinct 43 was none to impressed with her application, they could see how she'd be ruffling the feathers of many a colleague so they decided to partner her up with:

Berthold "Lefty" Almgren has had a long yet fairly unremarkable career. As a younger man he served with the S.W.A.T. team and he is no stranger to violence. He is a grandfather and have only a short time left until retirement, which he aim to see. Plodding along, taking unassuming cases, waiting for the gold watch... But I think he'll find that the time up to his retirement will be VERY exciting

[Kourtchatovium104]

Very interesting background, I can't wait to read your next report 

[Legionnaire]

Very interesting background, I can't wait to read your next report 

Cheers mate. By the time I actually get time to play, after sorting out extra terrain etc, I most likely have more ideas about the background, fluff, personalities and setting. Currently I'm thinking first game (being a try out of the rules), should be a "walking the beat, doing the rounds, something happening that sets it all in motion" 

The rules say you start with a "Boss" and that dictates your end goal (providing your Budget doesn't run out or you get kicked out of the force by Internal Affairs), telling you what kind and how many of the different Leads you need to play the "Boss Level" and bring them down.


I'm thinking along the lines of "crazed serial killer with copycat entourage" or possibly "drug kingpin" but I'll see what I fancy.

[Storm Wolf]

Have fun!

I have this game but unfortunately not played it (yet )

Interesting to follow your adventures.

G

[Sunjester]

This is very interesting to me, I'd never heard of this game before. I shall be following your progress eagerly.

I have a bunch of contemporary/near-future cops, feds, bikers etc (mostly the old Foundry Street Violence range) that have not been out on the table for some time. Where are the rules from?

[Legionnaire]

This is very interesting to me, I'd never heard of this game before. I shall be following your progress eagerly.

I have a bunch of contemporary/near-future cops, feds, bikers etc (mostly the old Foundry Street Violence range) that have not been out on the table for some time. Where are the rules from?

The rules can be found here (PDF only, no POD currently): https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/212581/the-department

The ruleset is either for a solo game or up to four players taking control of one investigator each, with Stats, Skills and Perks. The "perps" and civilians etc act on the table according to a D6 rolled on a parameter behaviour module (Normal, Fleeing, Aggressive) which can make for unpredictable yet very satisfying situations.

(You canvass the neighbourhood for something tangible, you spot someone that behaves a bit odd. They might leg it, they might turn out completely innocent, they might even be gangbangers on the lookout calling on their mates!)

The main thing is, you have a Budget, anything you buy is only good for that scenario (except your law enforcement issue Slug Pistol). It costs Budget to undertake a scenario and your main goal is to gather the number of Evidence to face the "Season Boss". You can also incur IAP (Internal Affairs Points) if you use lethal force, interrogate a suspect a bit too hard, do dubious things (bribes) etc and if you have too many you might risk getting kicked off the force (eliminated from the game).

I've never seen anything like it before, a totally different level and fresh take on wargaming so look very much forward to playing it in the near future.

[mikedemana]

This sounds really interesting and I will be following it for sure...!

Mike Demana

[Grumpy Gnome]

Law enforcement gaming is rare indeed. I am very curious to hear how you get along with it. Narrative gaming, like 5 Parsecs (as well as Stargrave and Core Space) is just my kind of thing.

[Legionnaire]

Law enforcement gaming is rare indeed. I am very curious to hear how you get along with it. Narrative gaming, like 5 Parsecs is just my kind of thing.

People have different ideas of what's fun. I belong to a very active gaming club but even so, the story driven campaign type games are almost never played there due in part to working commitments and TOO MANY choices  . Some of our members have huge collections. This is the chance for me to play those type of games I particularly enjoy, in my own time.

And yes, I'm very happy having found 5PFH, it's a "stellar" game  .

[Legionnaire]

Some refined/ added background for my The Department gaming:

CRUXES BAY

30 years ago, Cruxes Bay was a bustling holiday resort on the Californian coast. Then recession hit the community hard and it's not looking to bounce back soon. Many lost their jobs and the big names in industry have almost to one man abandoned the town. Boarded up businesses and trash littering the streets are an all too common sight. Poverty, drug abuse and many society issues are flourishing.

The town is quite multicultural. A significant portion of the population are Hispanic. It also boasts a large Asian community with Koreans, Chinese, Indians and Vietnamese, African-Americans and of course people with European ancestry.

There are plans in the works to drag the town onto it's feet but it's going to be hard work...


CRUXES BAY POLICE DEPARTMENT

A small and understaffed department in desperate need of a makeover and an attitude shift. A damning report in 2059 noted that there was "an almost institutionalized practise of bribery and a general unwillingness to do their job, to UPHOLD THE LAW." The paintwork is flaking and far too many officers are just going through the motions, drawing their paychecks because it could be THEM that'd be out there on the streets.

SHAKTI RAJAKHAN

Shakti both surprised and upset her family when she suddenly quit her medical studies halfway through and enrolled in the police academy. The family can't understand why, but she feels that she'd be of much more use as a police officer than a doctor. She graduated from the academy with honours, specialising in investigative techniques and analytic procedures. She is definitely more at home in the lab but yearns for the chance to prove herself out there in the field.

She gave her family a second shock when she told them where she was going to be posted. She could have taken her pick and she chose possibly the WORST place to be! Currently the relations are strained, mildly speaking.

In her spare time Shakti is a voracious reader, she lives with her cat Mamselle and she is a practitioner of Aikido.

BERTHOLD "LEFTY" ALMGREN

Husband, father, grandfather. Berthold has served with the department since before the decline. He was with the S.W.A.T. team for a long while before he became promoted, or more like a sideways promotion, to detective. He has seen the ugly underbelly of the town and attended far too many police funerals. He knows how to read a situation though after his many years in the field, and he has had to use lethal force on more than one occasion. Despite his age and looming retirement, Berthold is in great shape. He wakes up, goes to work and always aim to come home in one piece. He takes no unnecessary risks and counts the days until retirement. He feels a bit ambivalent about it.

In his spare time Berthold enjoys spending time with his family, fishing and working out. He has recently had to get glasses and he feels a bit embarrassed about it.