NYPD: Spycopter

The New York Police Department (NYPD) got a new spying toy. A helicopter stuffed full of surveilance electronics with amazing (and frightening) capabilities:

  • looks like a civilian helicopter made by “Bell”
  • an arsenal of sophisticated surveillance and tracking equipment powerful enough to read license plates — or scan pedestrians’ faces — from high above New York
  • see-but-avoid-being-seen advantage
  • worth $10 million
  • high-powered robotic camera mounted on a turret projecting from its nose like a periscope
  • camera has infrared night-vision capabilities
  • a satellite navigation system allows police to automatically zoom in on a location by typing in the address on a computer keyboard
  • can beam live footage to police command centers or even to wireless hand-held devices

The NYPD got the expected reactions:

“From a privacy perspective, there’s always a concern that ‘New York’s Finest’ are spending millions of dollars to engage in peeping tom activities,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

And answered them the usual way:

Police insist that law-abiding New Yorkers have nothing to fear.

Yeah, right. Nothing to fear? If I want to be spied upon, I would move to North Corea. Yahoo tells us, that the NYPD plans to spend tens of millions of dollars strengthening security in the lower Manhattan business district with a network of closed-circuit television cameras and license-plate readers posted at bridges, tunnels and other entry points. We are sure they are only taping the “non-law-abiding New Yorkers”. That’s pretty much the usual stuff. The UK (who somehow misunderstood George Orwells 1984 and now seem to take it as an instruction manual) has all this. But now the Yahoo article starts to get surreal:

Police have also deployed hundreds of radiation monitors — some worn on belts like pagers, others mounted on cars and in helicopters — to detect dirty bombs.

And fantastic – did he read the R. Talsorian “Protect and Serve”?

[NYPD Police Commissioner Raymond] Kelly even envisions someday using futuristic “stationary airborne devices” similar to blimps to conduct reconnaissance and guard against chemical, biological and radiological threats.

Thanks to Don’t Tase Me, Bro! for pointing me to the Yahoo News Article. I remember a (bad) science fiction movie featuring a helicopter that could see into rooms with thermographs. Anybody remember the name?

Wie funktioniert ein Taser?

Taser sind old-news in Cyberpunk 2020. Aber jetzt erreichen sie den Massenmarkt. US-Polizisten sind bereits damit ausgerüstet.

[youtube ACUjnJBHIZc “]

This entry shows a tough army soldier being tasered. He describes the experience at 3:40 of the video:

[youtube 1kiPuyssrko”]

Going to a (even legit) demonstration will become a lot of fun as soon as riot police is equipped with tasers…

New (Dis-)Advantages for Ocelots Character Generation System

New (Dis-)Advantages for Ocelots Character Generation System

Author: Hound, used with permission.

This article is based on Ocelots Character Generation System, to be found here.

Motorcycle: 1 SPs

Basic Bike

Good Motorcycle 2 SPs

Harley ThunderGod, Max Metal Bikes Continue reading “New (Dis-)Advantages for Ocelots Character Generation System”

Ocelot's Alternate Character Generation System for Cyberpunk 2020

MODIFIED R. TALSORIAN CYBERPUNK

Version 3.3, last updated 7.17.02. A spanish translation can be found here.

by Gary Astleford

SUMMARY

The following information details an alternate character creation process designed for use with Cyberpunk 2020. It incorporates new rules for buying skills, creating older characters, an advantage and disadvantage system, and a new way to figure out starting funds. Character roles are not used. This will allow responsible players more flexibility with character creation.

Any part of this system can be adapted for GMs and players who wish to keep using the regular CP2020 system roles. The elimination of roles is not an essential part of this system, although it is an important step, and the rest of this variation will assume that they are not in use. Feel free to use whichever parts you feel comfortable with.

This edition (version 3.3) has been updated slightly. This is reflected in a more standardized cost system for advantages and disadvantages, as well as several new advads and disads. Many of the old advantages and disadvantages have been reworked and/or clarified. Some of the lifepath details have been altered slightly, and I’ve made a few additions. Overall, things work just like they used to. There’s just a little bit more to work with. Continue reading “Ocelot's Alternate Character Generation System for Cyberpunk 2020”