Hakurabi
15-03-2006, 23:03
What would you think of a sort of 'hidden' civil war? What I'm thinking of is a sort of Character RP civil war where the two factions vying for control are both not affiliated with the government.
See, the pretense is that these opposing ideological groups learn of each other's existence and since popular control is key to influencing government decisions, a de facto civil war takes place between them.
Now, during all this sabotage, assassination and the like, the government also notices these two groups, and decrees that all organisations (or cells, if you like) must be registered and any organisation refusing to register can be forcibly disbanded. Now, whilst this is fast and free, it also makes any unlawful behavior by the members of an organisation far easier to trace and therefore more vulnerable. On the flipside a registered organisation is also to an extent more protected, because actions against the organisation are easier to follow up.
Now, what happens is that the groups are pretty much coalitions of smaller organisations, each with their own set of 'agents' - those with the power to actually enact changes. However, anything too overt or consistent may well attract the attention of the government and result in the elimination of the character. If they attempt to do things they would not normally have the skill to do they may be eliminated as well (not necessarily by the government).
For instance, Organisation A has 'John Smith', an ex-special forces commando. Now, John breaks into the home of John Doe, of Organisation B, but runs into him and a gunfight ensues. At the end, John Doe is dead and John Smith is wounded and must flee. When the police arrive they trace the blood to John Smith, who is either arrested or shot, depending on whether he fights back or goes quietly. There is also the possibility of Organisation B finding out it was John Smith and sending John Citizen in a revenge.
Pretty much you are restricted to low-key operations - something as blatant as raiding a neighbourhood with automatic weapons will almost certainly result in the destruction of your organisation, while a simple botched break-in could possibly be covered up or used to frame someone else. On the other hand, you could have an appropriately skilled agent break into government systems and then destroy the evidence whilst fleeing. As long as it remains below radar (or legal, mind you) you have a low chance of being caught.
Now this will all happen in and around a single city subdivided into regions, and when one faction achieves 60% dominance over the populace or successfully eliminates the other they have enough government influence to eliminate all opposing organisations.
See, the pretense is that these opposing ideological groups learn of each other's existence and since popular control is key to influencing government decisions, a de facto civil war takes place between them.
Now, during all this sabotage, assassination and the like, the government also notices these two groups, and decrees that all organisations (or cells, if you like) must be registered and any organisation refusing to register can be forcibly disbanded. Now, whilst this is fast and free, it also makes any unlawful behavior by the members of an organisation far easier to trace and therefore more vulnerable. On the flipside a registered organisation is also to an extent more protected, because actions against the organisation are easier to follow up.
Now, what happens is that the groups are pretty much coalitions of smaller organisations, each with their own set of 'agents' - those with the power to actually enact changes. However, anything too overt or consistent may well attract the attention of the government and result in the elimination of the character. If they attempt to do things they would not normally have the skill to do they may be eliminated as well (not necessarily by the government).
For instance, Organisation A has 'John Smith', an ex-special forces commando. Now, John breaks into the home of John Doe, of Organisation B, but runs into him and a gunfight ensues. At the end, John Doe is dead and John Smith is wounded and must flee. When the police arrive they trace the blood to John Smith, who is either arrested or shot, depending on whether he fights back or goes quietly. There is also the possibility of Organisation B finding out it was John Smith and sending John Citizen in a revenge.
Pretty much you are restricted to low-key operations - something as blatant as raiding a neighbourhood with automatic weapons will almost certainly result in the destruction of your organisation, while a simple botched break-in could possibly be covered up or used to frame someone else. On the other hand, you could have an appropriately skilled agent break into government systems and then destroy the evidence whilst fleeing. As long as it remains below radar (or legal, mind you) you have a low chance of being caught.
Now this will all happen in and around a single city subdivided into regions, and when one faction achieves 60% dominance over the populace or successfully eliminates the other they have enough government influence to eliminate all opposing organisations.