Future missions/events: city officials

[Techwright]

Reading another forum's post, I just learned after all these years that Paragon City's Chief of Police is Conrad Bochco and, via Homecoming wiki, its current mayor is Mayor Morales. Apparently we don't even have a first name for the mayor. (Or gender, I think.) Based on what I see in the Homecoming wiki, we apparently don't have more than a passing reference to them. 

 

May I suggest that this be corrected, and possibly any other prominent political types (Water Commissioner?), by one or all of the following selections:

 

• A physical presence within the city.  The mayor, for example, would be a natural in or around city hall. The police chief could have an office at the police HQ in Kings Row.  If out in the open, it would make sense to have them escorted by several heroes or power-armored PPD NPC types.
• Use of them as mission givers.  Both of them make perfect sense in this capacity.
• Use of them as event characters.  This is already done with Fire Chief Hopkins over in Steel Canyon.  See one possibility below.
• Use of them in future task forces/strike forces.
• Adding the characters as useable characters in the Mission Architect.
• Adding the characters as NPC's for base design.

 

Event suggestion:  I saw talk the other day as to best and worse events.  If the idea of new events is being batted around, may I suggest the following:

 

Police Chief - random, but only in any zone with a police station.   Hero rescue.  Word has leaked of Police Chief Bochco's itinerary, and as he moves into the zone to go to the police station for a "surprise" inspection, the Chief and his armored PPD escort has come under heavy fire from one or more gangs eager to put him down.  The call goes out, and heroes must join the fight to protect the Chief to the police station or to a designated extraction point.  If the Chief's PPD escort completely falls, he will be highly vulnerable.  If he's defeated, emergency medical teleporters remove him and the event fails.  One or more archvillains appearing, and/or a "mcguffin" to keep the chief from teleporting away make the challenge more interesting.

 

While I like the idea of the Chief moving to the police station, an extraction point may be more practical, due to cases like Faultline, where the police station is close to the entrances and little more than a trailer.  That said, though it is more work, having a slight variation depending on zone might keep it interesting.  Faultline, for example, might have the Chief appear from a distant building or even the sewer network as his origin point and move towards the police station, where additional NPC PPD await to secure the Chief upon arrival.

 

Mayor - Any Paragon zone not in ruins.  similar to Police Chief event scenario, but the Mayor makes a stationary appearance (with defensive escort) to interact with NPC citizens at a rally or special event (like the opening of a new store).  The event channel announces the rally, starting a short counter towards an attack, allowing Heroes in other zones time to move to the zone in question.  The mayor must be moved to an extraction point without suffering the loss of his/her full NPC escort, which will leave the Mayor extremely vulnerable.  Failure if the mayor must have an emergency medical teleport.

 

Other possibilities for this event scenario include either having multiple villain groups attack the target (so we're not just repeating a Nemesis invasion, for example) or having the multiple villain groups be pulled from the groups present in the zone. For example in Talos Island, you could have Warriors, Tsoo, Circle of Thorns, etc.

[Vanden]

Mayor Morales has lost sight of what this city and its people need! The citizens and heroes of Paragon City need to see less of him, not more! It’s time for a candidate with a lifetime of public service and serving the needs of all of Paragon’s citizens, not just its wealthiest. Michael White for mayor!

 

 

[biostem]

How directly involved in day to day activities would the major or police chief actually be, though?  It would be interesting, though, if the major was something like a hero with duplicating powers, and you'd see a bunch of them all doing different tasks, though - then, maybe, it could explain why they'd be able to make time for us. 

[Techwright]

55 minutes ago, biostem said:

How directly involved in day to day activities would the major or police chief actually be, though?  It would be interesting, though, if the major was something like a hero with duplicating powers, and you'd see a bunch of them all doing different tasks, though - then, maybe, it could explain why they'd be able to make time for us. 

 

I'm not sure I follow that line of thought. I guess the confusion lies in the statements "day to day activities" and "able to make time for us".  I'm not saying let's have the mayor issue us mundane tasks.  This is a city that cannot function on its own without heroes.  While I suppose having a powered mayor might be practical in what is arguably the most dangerous city on the planet, I cannot see either position not being closely involved with the heroes.  Any plans for rebuilding the city, encouraging business to come to the city, etc. are going to need the feedback and cooperation of the heroes in order to succeed. The mayor will be fully briefed on the pulse of the city and larger concerns may require a hero team to address them.  In similar fashion, the police try to function largely without heroes, but they've had to go to powered armor to just stay in the fight.  Blue Shield is their only hero (lore-wise.  I know we've got several players with cop characters.) It makes sense then that when the chief has a situation beyond the armored PPD officers' effectiveness that they'd call on the heroes. 

[biostem]

13 minutes ago, Techwright said:

I'm not sure I follow that line of thought. I guess the confusion lies in the statements "day to day activities" and "able to make time for us".  I'm not saying let's have the mayor issue us mundane tasks.  This is a city that cannot function on its own without heroes.  While I suppose having a powered mayor might be practical in what is arguably the most dangerous city on the planet, I cannot see either position not being closely involved with the heroes.  Any plans for rebuilding the city, encouraging business to come to the city, etc. are going to need the feedback and cooperation of the heroes in order to succeed. The mayor will be fully briefed on the pulse of the city and larger concerns may require a hero team to address them.  In similar fashion, the police try to function largely without heroes, but they've had to go to powered armor to just stay in the fight.  Blue Shield is their only hero (lore-wise.  I know we've got several players with cop characters.) It makes sense then that when the chief has a situation beyond the armored PPD officers' effectiveness that they'd call on the heroes. 

I suppose my concern was that the mayor or police chief would only really get involved in the truly critical issues.  Even kidnapping, arson, or murder, in the scope of Paragon City, pales in comparison to the various alien/extradimensional invasions that happen so frequently.  I wonder if something like you start by dealing with a mayoral aide, then work your way up to speaking with the mayor directly, could be implemented...