[K5pbem] Need help finishing this...

[David at antolovich.com]

Quoting Michael Surbrook <susano at guisarme.net>:

> I had an idea that Shion is going to start thinking about the ideas  
> we touched on last game, where she starts thinking about getting the  
> epsers to work together, to make them a force to be reckoned with, so 
> 
> they aren't playthings of the corps. I had another idea for the song  
> "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" where Shion, Alan, and Ayumi (and  
> others?) meet in Ayumi's temple in Tokyo to talk (argue, actually)  
> over the future of espers.
> 
> Anyway, any opinions on this?

Why not?  I can see a couple of ways this can go depending on who leads what. 
And, realistically I can see several splinter groups forming as well.  Espers 
do not impres me as easily lead about sheeple for the most part so maybe. . .

A civil rights movement?  For fair treatment and so on.

A political movement - Although it would be small, and probably ineffective 
given how many espers to normals there are.  But, since when has that ever 
stopped fringe groups before? 

An Esper union?  

An esper rebellion - maybe attempting to seize a small country or large 
company either overtly or covertly - at least if some large group of epsers 
get organized enough?

Counter movemnt(s) opposed to various goals - In favor of status quo, or maybe 
just opposing conflicting goals.  Who says all espers will play nice together? 

--- 

Then of course there are the corps...  The Zero Zone invasion could have 
revealed that a new phase in the 'nuclear (esper) arms race' is commencing.  
This may cause companies in the know to consider. . .

Children being easier to control (hah! raise little un(s).  Easy to control? 
My ass. ;-) ) They want to gather and brainwash/control child espers for their 
own purposes (defense, offense, both).  I.e. Bad cop recruiting

Want to gather and recruit esper children into their ranks for mutual benefit 
I.e. good cop recruiting

Want the status quo to continue for both corps and espers.  So some coprs 
would find themselves on both sides of the fence

Want to clone espers, need more donor material

Want to upgrade folks to esper status and thus need a lot of espers to sample 
from and lots of experimentation

Want to support good relations with espers as a recruiting tool or just for 
ethical reasons

Want to eliminate espers, either altogether (a drag on the bottom line for 
everyone), or just the other guys.

Several of the above all at once.  Some divisons may do one thing or another 
despite (or because of) company policy.  For example there may be a board of 
directors battle about the proper role, future and use of espers.  Especially 
likely in big companies and mega corps.  

---

A few thoughts

1) This should indeed be a sub plot.  Probably a long reaching and important 
one, but still a subplot.

The world will still go round, deals still need to be made, markets expanded 
(exploited) and profit must be earned somehow.  Espers are a tool to help 
achieve his, not and end unto themselves.  Else we end up with an X-menish 
plot.  That does not mean it could not be the major focus for several players, 
just maybe we should write in other world events that have little to do with 
epsers or the conflict to keep a sense of this

2) Lots of company decisions are made as much on ego, personality and 
tradition as business sense or logic.  Heck we could have the most rotten man 
in the company may be supporting espers, while the more virtous board members 
see them as dangerous.  Lets keep things all mixed up with all shades of 
grey.  Keep it real, provide some ethcial delimas/char development and help 
avoid too much of that Xmen feel.

---

Note, when I say X men feel I mean my overal imprssion from the movies, for 
all I know the comics are more deep.  

Dave