Re[2]: [BNW] Experiences?

[The White Crow <whytcrow@io.com>]

>Defiants or unregistered would be either very reluctant to give their
>secrets away or be plain stupid. Even if you want to help, would you
>don a cape and do good - and just invite delta prime to come around
>sniffing for that delta they just heard of?

This is very true.

>Are there any good examples for starting defiance campaigns? And don't
>point to the power shield. IMO that call from Truth is just a form of
>clutches (sorry, Shane ;-) - the adventure in itself is very fine).

I actually used the Power Shield adventure, more or less as written.  I had 
to put thought into how to approach each char (one char could only be 
reached by putting a note behind a painting he'd been lured to steal).

>The only axis i seem to able to think of is to have an "agent". Some
>experienced Defiant (Delta or not) who actually monitors new Deltas
>and tries to recruit them for his cause. The problem: how is he ever
>going to be more successful in sniffing the heroes out, than Delta
>Prime itself?

 From my experience, I think I would start *after* the chars have been 
contacted.  Let the players figure out how they would have been brought 
in.  Maybe I'm bitter from running too many games of various genres where I 
had to drag the PCs kicking and screaming into it, and then spoiled by a 
bunch of newbies who sat down, unprompted and figured out how they knew 
each other (not BNW, but a similar theme to the game of secrecy), but I'd 
rather the players do the work.  That way you get less of the "I'm a loner 
and I don't care" types of chars -- since they have to do all the setup, 
they can figure out why the hell the loner would be in the group.  ;)

It won't work for all campaigns, but I plan to use that tactic as much as 
possible.

My suggestion:  Write up the basic premise of what you want, and give a few 
names to it.  If I had to do my campaign intro again, this is what I'd do 
(in essence...)

   "YOu are all members of a newly formed Defiance cell.  Since you are new 
to the Defiance, you don't know much beyond what's been reported in the 
papers, and you don't get much control over the jobs that you will have to 
do to prove your worth.

"Your contact is a man by the name of Whisper.  He gives you your 
assignments via prearranged contact information via the team leader.

"Once you come up with your char concept, you need to figure out how your 
char got involved with the Defiance, and then as a group figure out who the 
team leader is.  If you don't wish to vote on it, Whisper will assign one.

"Some other notes:  while your char technically has the right of refusal on 
assignments, that would make the Defiance look at your char as