Invisible Enemies

I love crappy movies. I don't care what critics say, what metacritic says, or what other people say- if I can, I like something.

Such is the case with Final Fantasy and The Darkest Hour. I can't offer any reasonable explanation, but I just like them. There's something else they have in common- invisible enemies.

On a basic level, the idea of an invisible enemy is terrifying. It was part of the mystique of ninjas, back in the day- an invisible swordsman. It's even scarier now, with the proliferation of automatic ranged weapons. So, what else is there to do except examine various incarnations of the concept, and then translate it into RPG elements?

I'm also going to be referencing an episode of Samurai Jack. Invisible robots, yaddah yaddah.

The first thing, usually put in for fairness, is a means of detection. Something which is completely invisible, all the time, is just unfair. FF had bio-stuff flares, TDH had lightbulbs and other electronics, and SJ just watched for footprints and threw oil onto them. Depending on how human the enemy is, there may be other indicators- shadows, doors opening and closing, SOUND, and general bad feelings.

The other common feature is a general safe area. FF had domes surrounded by energy fields (and you have to get scanned for infection when you come in), rendered useless by someone making a power-play with the shield generator. Darkest Hour had Faraday cages and any glass enclosure, which has a nice scientific feel to it. Samurai Jack had to defeat all of them with a robotic arm and some serious prayer powers.

"I'm pretty much a bad-ass time traveling warrior/cleric"

One thing which needs to be mentioned is the consequences of losing to the invisible enemy. FF takes the prize on this one. When a phantom 'offs someone... No, I'm not going to spoil it. Go watch the movie, or find a clip of it.

The aliens from Darkest Hour just un-made anything living they touched. Transmute person to ash. It was pretty vicious.

So, ultimately, there's three things that go with any invisible enemy:

• Way to detect it (the sketchier, and easier to get false-positives from the better)
• Some kind of shelter (not armor- what's the point after that?)
• Unique, spectacular executions. Someone getting lifted into the air, then eviscerated, is some extremely powerful imagery, and a good fear tactic.

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Now, a bit of narrative. An invisible enemy is the embodiment of a predator, or a coward, depending on how it's used. Once the mask comes off, that's when the players will make their judgement on what it really is. Was it an alien, or just humans in advanced stealth armor? What were its targets? Was it even trying to attack, or just deliver a message? Can the players reverse-engineer this technology?

The pacing with an invisible enemy is key. If they just show up and kill people, it's nothing special. Draw out the encounter. Make the players sweat. And remember- it most likely knows it can't be seen. This opens up its tactical options tremendously.

The victim side of the encounter is where the action is at. It's race to figure out how to detect it and kill it. Sprinkle sawdust on the floor, then find out the footprint isn't human? Chilling. Shooting at chest-level doesn't hit it? Unnerving. It only moves if you look at it? Terrifying.

Make up some rules for it, then let it loose. Just don't forget there's a fine line between horrifying and irritating.

Man on Wire

I don't plan on making a habit of reviewing movies, books, or games on here- there's plenty of other websites you can go to for that. This one is just too important to merit a casual mention, though.

"Man on Wire," 2008. Currently on Netflix. Go watch it. Like right now. Go to your TV, or computer, and watch it. I'll be here.

If you don't watch it, this post will be harder to understand than usual.















Dude, seriously! Just watch it already! It's a good movie to boot, even if you don't like tabletop games.















Okay, here goes.

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Man on Wire is one of the most exceptional movies I've ever seen. Not only is it a powerful documentary, it is one of the best examples I've ever seen of a real-life adventuring party. I even made a new label for this sort of thing- IRL.

The "quest" was extremely simple, and so very moving- get to the top, build the wire, and have Philippe walk across it in the morning. This has no tactical or strategic purpose, but is rather a demonstration, and a message about the power of man. It was an epic (you won't find me using that word very much) show of precision and ability, and stunned the eyes of millions. Even now, nearly forty years later, it still makes me shake inside to watch it.

You could argue that it was just Philippe having an obsession to fulfill. In fact, it probably was. But, that's not the message most people left with. To anyone on the ground, he was like an angel, or butterfly- whimsical, but captivating. Separated by a quarter mile from the ground, he acted with complete grace and agility. I believe that act is one of the grandest pieces of performance art in the history of society.

I think the cop in the interview said it best- he saw something so unusual, yet so moving, it was probably one of the greatest moments of his life. As a GM, I'm going to be taking pointers from that whole experience.

GM Tip: Let the players bask in some glory. Even for a little while.

From the ground up, the whole experience sounds like an adventure module. Much better written than anything I could come up with.

• Steal the picture from the dentist's office (Coordination/Reflex)
• Plan the escapade with friends (Science)
• Scout out the building (Observation)
• Make connections, bluff your way to the top (Speech)
• Map the rooftop (Observation)
• Recover from a wire-walking accident (Medicine)

The night of:

• Bluff your way inside the building (Speech)
• Optional: Climb the stairs (Terrain)
• Hide from the guard (Stealth)
• Wait out the guard (Concentration)
• Shoot the arrow across (Ranged)
• Find the cable, using your naked body as a wire detector (Observation)
• Set up the intercom (Education)
• Thread the cable across (Strength)
• Optional: Catch the falling cable (Reflex)
• Set up the lines (Players know Philippe)
• Take pictures (Depends how much film they packed)

This is one of the best non-violent missions I've ever read. It's exciting, dangerous, and requires only one weapon- a bow, to get the fishing line across. A riveting story, with all kinds of problems thrown in to make the player's lives difficult. Mainly guards, but also the issue of contacts, and surveillance.

But, more intriguing than the gameplay, would be the story. Not of the GM, but of the players- I've never seen a group of players motivated to do something like this, unless prompted. It would be easy to just tell the players their characters are all highwire enthusiasts, but that's majorly railroadey.

Also, the story of the inter-group politics would be very interesting. I'm not even sure Philippe would be a player character, he's so over-powered. But, say, the circle of friends he has, supporting him through the whole ordeal? That would be a really fun game, if the GM could put the focus on the characters, not Philippe. And, especially if they feel included at the big event.

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Ultimately, it's a movie I think everyone should see. Even if you just want to take it at face-value, it's a dazzling success from start to finish. A little campy, a little low-budget, but it has even more emotional draw than any other movie I can recall.

And, yes, I thought about it- I'd put Philippe's Coordination score at about 13 or 14.