On 16 Jul 2016 19:13, "Thomas Jones-Low" <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 7/16/2016 1:01 PM, Timothy Collinson wrote:
>>
>> On 16 Jul 2016 11:45, "Richard Aiken" <xxxxxx@gmail.com
>> <mailto:xxxxxx@gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Jul 14, 2016 at 5:32 AM, Timothy Collinson
>>
>> <xxxxxx@port.ac.uk <mailto:xxxxxx@port.ac.uk>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In my (newish) ongoing lunchtime game with some work colleagues, the baddies
>>
>> maybe about to abandon the PCs in a desert to die.  Dumping them with no
>> supplies and their grav vehicle, an air/raft, incapacitated.  (So the whole
>> thing should look like an unfortunate accident rather than murder.)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Ummmm . . . .
>>>
>>> The Bad Guys are leaving them alive and going away? But they want the eventual
>>
>> deaths of the Good Guys to pass for an accident? How are they going to manage that?
>>>
>>>
>>> What's to keep their victims from recording a video testimonial implicating
>>
>> the Bad Guys? Or if they don't have working electronics, scratching their
>> testimony about what actually happened into the hood of the grav car? Or simply
>> laying out rocks in the form of "WE WERE MURDERED BY XYZ?"
>>
>> That's a good point and thank you for pointing it out so I didn't have to think
>> too quickly on my feet. :-)
>>
>> But a) it's not a well frequented patch of desert, bad guys not expecting PCs to
>> be found
>> b) bad guys were much more careful about not being seen by PCs  (drugged? Ať
>> night and shipped out/left while unconscious so they can't be identified)
>> and c) could presumably check later on 'remains' to ensure nothing was left if
>> they needed
>>
>> Right,  what have I missed now?! :-)
>>
>> Thanks again.  Good spot.
>> (You can see why I write under the 'newbie' banner... and as i said, first
>> ongoing game and first where the deliberate plan with colleagues was was to be
>> making it up as I went!)
>>
>         The two questions I would have about the bad guys are
>
> 1) How much do they know about the PC's? Are they assuming the PCs are just random shucks with no real (planet side) survival skills? Or do they have complete dossier on the PCs and know what they capabilities are?

Foruntately the former.  One of the PCs has Survival 3 (from char gen with no particular goal in mind save to create an archaeologist).  The whole point of the desert bit was to let her feel a bit more useful as the two beefy PCs she's tagging around with have the brawn to deal with some of what they encountered so far.  (Although in their bar fight, or bar pillow fight, it turned out the 'muscle' had glass jaws and she proved so handy with a knife she quickly dropped it realizing it was a bit *too* deadly.  And I did give her a moment of glory when I said some computer file clues they obtained could give up its info with  omputers or Admin and she slowly twigged she had Admin and let out a most unacademic whoop!).  So as the PCs are new in town I don't think it's unreasonable the nasties, perhaps in their haste, don't know their full skill sets.

> 2) What are the consequences of having N bodies show up with lots of physical evidence pointing at them?

Well, see previous post about a vicious sandstorm moving in that might well remove a lot 9f evidence.  But they've probably got the contacts to cover things up if need be.

> If the Bad Guy(tm) are also in a position of power, it may not matter much how the PCs die. But if there are some serious consequences that might well be avoided if the evidence is circumstantial and Bad Guy + minions have alibis, the risk of death by exposure may be worth it.
>

That was my initial thought.

But great questions, thank you.  I shall save them as well for future baddies.

cheers
tc