Media
NEWSMEN AND REPORTERS WHO GO TO THE WALL FOR THE TRUTH
"Okay, so it's dangerous. Look, I'll tell you something. When I was a kid, I used to watch those reporters on the TV news. They wore those chill trenchcoats and were always broadcasting from some exotic place like Mozambique or Saigon. They went right into the Central American warzones with the cybergrunts, and they got the story even when the shooting was maximally fierce. That's the part I like; the danger."
They're bending the truth out there. And you're going to stop them. Someone has to do it. The Corporations rule the world. They dump toxics, destabilize economies and commit murder with equal impunity. The Government won't stop them-they own the Government. The only thing between the Corporations and world domination is the Media. And that's you.
You've got a videocam and a press pass-and you're not afraid to use them. You're a national figure, seen nightly on a million TV sets worldwide. You've gotfans, contracts and your own Corporation backing you. They can't make you disappear. When you dig down for the dirt and slime the corrupt officials and Corporate lapdogs try to cover up, you can dig deep. The next morning, you can put the details oftheir crimes all over the screamsheets and vidscreens. Then the Government has to act.
A week ago, you followed a hot lead and discovered a medical corporation dumping illegal drugs on the Street. This week, you're uncovering a secret Corporate war in South America-a war with jets, bombs, and cybertroops that's killed almost seven thousand innocent people. Each new story you get to the air is one more blow for freedom and justice. Not to mention ratings.
It isn't easy. They've tried to pressure your Mediacorp dozens of times. You've had stories suppressed-once, Corporate pressure forced them to cancel your news show. Each time, you went to the top, backed by your news director and your crew, and fought to get the story out. Three or four times, they tried to killyou-that's why your backup's a crack Solo bodyguard and you've got one of the top 'Runners in the business digging through the Net to back your stories. You have to be good, or else.
Your 'Runner's just phoned in with a hot lead. He's found a line on twenty tons of illegal weapons being shifted to a port in Bolivia-possibly nuclear. You grab your gear and flag your backup. You're going to break those bastards.
This time, for sure.
Role Ability: Credibility
The Media Role Ability is Credibility. The Media not only can convince an audience of what they publish, but also has a larger audience the more credible they are. They also have greater levels of access to sources and information. Medias are also in the know and pick up on rumors and information passively.
Credibility is a powerful tool, and will have a big impact on the story of any campaign. Corporate guards can be easily and painlessly replaced, but at higher Ranks of Credibility, a Media can make a Corporation feel real hurt by going to the wall to get the truth. They may retaliate, but when you document it in your next tell-all book, they'll feel even more pain.
Armed with Credibility, if they can't discredit you, and they can't silence you, and you won't cut a deal, and you won't go away, you can make real change. As a Media, it's within your powers to give even a bad story a good ending.
Rumors
Medias are deeply plugged into information networks. Assuming you aren't entirely off-grid, at least twice per week the GM will secretly roll Your Credibility Rank + 1d10. If the Check beats any of the DVs on the Rumor Table's Passive column, the GM will clue the Media in on the highest DV rumor which their Check beat. These are the same rumors that a Media might find by hitting The Street during gameplay using their relevant information gathering skills like Library Search, Conversation, or Interrogation. When a Media is actively looking for a rumor like this, they roll appropriate STAT + relevant Skill + 1d10 against the DV on the Active column the GM has set for the rumor based on how detailed it is.
| Rumor | Description | Passive DV | Active DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vague Rumor | The rumor is hazy. It contains the bare minimum of information required to start hunting down the supposed truth at the core of it. | 7 | 13 |
| Typical Rumor | The rumor is enough to know where to go next in an investigation. It contains enough information to get a passing glimpse at the supposed truth at the core of it. | 9 | 15 |
| Substantial Rumor | As Typical Rumor, but the rumor additionally contains concrete information that is beneficial to a potential investigation, like names, places, and times. | 11 | 17 |
| Detailed Rumor | As Substantial Rumor, but the rumor additionally contains information that, if verified, could become a piece of evidence the Media can use in a story they might publish about the supposed truth at the core of the rumor. | 13 | 21 |
Rumors, by definition, are often untrue, and are never the full story. Finding that is your job.
Remember, some threads are dangerous to pull.
Publishing Stories or Scoops
Access/Sources represents those you can reasonably get in touch with/interview or otherwise gain information from.
Audience is how many people your stories or exposés can reach.
Believability is how well your story or exposé goes over with your audience. The higher your Credibility, the more likely people will believe something you have written or broadcast. You roll 1d10 based on your Believability when you publish a story and any time you want to find out whether an individual (or a group of individuals) believe your story. If your story contains even a single piece of verifiable evidence that is easily understood by the masses, the chance your audience will believe it is 1 higher. If it contains more than 4 distinct verifiable pieces of hard evidence, the chance your audience will believe it is 2 higher. These two bonuses stack with each other. LUCK can never be spent on a Believability Check.
Impact is how much change any individual story or revelation you publish has on your audience. For example, a story about an unfair economic practice at the incremental level might just get a few local bosses to change their practices. But at higher levels of Credibility, your exposé may cause entire Megacorps to fall. Your GM will handle this. Once you publish a story/scoop you cannot publish another story on the same exact topic unless you have new information to add to the conversation.
Credibility Ranks 1 and 2
Access/Sources: Local honcho, gang lord, local neighborhood leadership
Audience: Immediate neighborhood.
Believability: 2 out of 10 chance the audience buys it.
Impact: Change created by a story/scoop is small, incremental. Small-time bad guys are scared and may change their ways a little.
Credibility Ranks 3 and 4
Access/Sources: City gang honcho, minor politician, Corp Exec, well known person in the neighborhood
Audience: You're well known as a contributor on the local screamsheet or Data Pool.
Believability: 3 out of 10 chance the audience buys it.
Impact: Change created by a story/scoop has a direct effect; local small-time bad guys get arrested or thrown out of power, justice gets served.
Credibility Ranks 5 and 6
Access/Sources: Major City player, City politico, local celebrity
Audience: Your stuff goes Citywide. You're a regular columnist or contributor to local screamsheets or TV.
Believability: 4 out of 10 chance the audience buys it.
Impact: Change created by a story/scoop changes things all over the City. Higher-level bad guys may be jailed or thrown out of power. Local laws may even get passed.
Credibility Ranks 7 and 8
Access/Sources: Local Corp president, mayor or City manager, City celebrity
Audience: Your stuff goes Statewide. You are a minor celeb in your own right.
Believability: 5 out of 10 chance the audience buys it.
Impact: Change created by a story/scoop can change things all over several cities. Mid-level corporations or governments may be thrown out of power. Laws may be passed that affect people over several cities.
Credibility Ranks 9
Access/Sources: Divisional Corp head, State politico, well known celebrity
Audience: You are known by many across the country, but not by everyone. If they've seen you, chances are it is on a national newsfeed.
Believability: 6 out of 10 chance the audience buys it.
Impact: Change created by a story/scoop can change things all over a major area like a whole nation. Large corporations or local governments may be toppled. Laws may be passed that affect people over a national area.
Credibility Ranks 10
Access/Sources: Major world leader, major Corporation head, world-famous celebrity
Audience: You are known worldwide. People stop you for autographs and people in high places use you to leak important stuff.
Believability: 7 out of 10 chance the audience buys it.
Impact: Change created by a story/scoop can change things all over the world. Megacorps and powerful governments may fall or be overthrown. International laws may be established. Change can affect millions.
Role-Based Life Path
Some things are universal. Other things are pretty specific. One of these is how your day job (or night job or side job or whatever - we won't judge you) affects your life. The things that a hard-bitten Lawman on the Street has to face are way different from the glittering club life of a Rockerboy, and they both deal with shit no pampered or privileged Corpo could even imagine. To that end, find below a series of Role-based questions that supplement the regular Lifepath.
Comments