Omega Point (Mage the Ascension)

"Monsters lurk in the night.

Countless vampires prey on the innocent, primitive shapeshifters indulge freely in their rage and dark  spirits possess and control the living from beyond the grave. No human is entirely safe from these Horrors.

Some creatures are even more dangerous - they drastically alter reality itself to fulfill their own desires. They do not share the reality of the Masses, but instead place themselves above and beyond it, pursuing their own dangerous dreams. Through their power, any madness can be made manifest. Any dream, any nightmare, any lust or desire can be realized. Any base urge can be fulfilled through sheer force of will.

Call the Reality Deviants whatever you like — willworkers, magi, mystics, shamans - but know that they are the Ultimate Enemy. Divided, they isolate themselves from humanity, working secretly within their Chantries and sanctums as reality unravels. While forces of order work to restore the world, a thousand dangerous magical visions tear it apart.

The force of chaos is strong, but there has to be some force of order to oppose it. If the world cannot protect itself, someone must bring order to the world. Humans can uphold their own mundane laws, but a few heroic souls must fight the evils that average society can't detect or recognize. Someone must work to drive back the darkness. Of all the hidden societies in this dark, forbidding world, only one upholds order and reason and hope.

We call it the Technocracy."

Omega Point

Description

The campaign follows the agents of Amalgam 127-21, who risk their lives and sanity on the Deviant infested streets of Los Angeles while trying to make the world a better place for the Masses.

The world of Omega Point is based on the Mage the Ascension revised edition. There will also be familiar elements and themes from the X-Files and the Delta Green, but this time players have the unmarked black helicopters and black suits.

"The enemy is clear - it is everything that does not belong to this reality and is a clear and present danger to the Masses. The only one you can trust is another member of the Technocratic Union... Or can you? The Union has its own secrets, each Convention has its own vision of the future and of the reality, each Symposium has its own agenda and each amalgam has its own mission. Maybe someone else wants the operative resources you have, or aims at the same promotion that you aim at. Maybe you have undermined a member of another amalgam, or embarrased someone on the higher ranks. Maybe you know too much...

The enemy is clear, but a little paranoia has never hurt anyone."

Theme and setting

TBA

Changes from the original game

The Magic of Technocracy

Super science is technology that's likely to be possible within the next few decades. Contact lens displays for viewing electronic data, autonomously piloted drone robots the size of house flies, quantum computers that can easily crack any current encryption, room temperature superconductors, electronic devices that can understand most ordinary speech, autonomous security robots, gene therapy that can cure many diseases and enhance physical performance, and similar wonders are all super science.

Any device that someone on the street could reasonably believe was under development is super science. So, a wireless taser, body armor that looks like denim or some other thick fabric, or a car that can drive itself under most conditions are all super science, while anti-gravity or nanotechnological weapons that can eat holes in concrete walls are not.

Much super science is Coincidental Magic, and super science is what the Technocratic Union excels at. Except in extreme or desperate circumstances, Union operatives are expected to limit the use of their Enlightened Science to Super science. Iteration X's more basic implants fall into this category, as do most of the Progenitor's less extreme drugs and treatments.

Because of the limitations of their paradigm, the PCs will not have "classic sphere-based magic" at their disposal, but instead the magic they use is handled individually. Each PC will have a list of procedures, and each list is based on the character profile (paradigm).

The Umbra/Deep Umbra

TBA

The Void Engineers

TBA

Player characters

The following character profiles are available for character creation:

• ITX cyborg (cybernetic special operations officer)
• ITX mechanic (nextech device engineer and technician)
• NWO field officer (agent commanding and controlling TIER III units in the field)
• NWO intel officer (psy-ops agent)
• Syndicate infiltrator (undercover operations specialist)
• Syndicate tracker (resource controller)
• Progenitor creator (biochemical designer and analyst)
• Progenitor biotechnician (medical aid and biomodifications specialist)
• Void Engineer scout (special operations officer)
• Void Engineer technician (paranormal event investigator)

List of important characters

Central City Construct, Los Angeles (North American Symposium)

Supervisor Cynthia Vincent (The Syndicate)

Pan Pacific Construct, Los Angeles (North American Symposium)

Supervisor Leonardo Kerr (New World Order)

Coordinator Carissa Oliviera (New World Order)

Amalgam 127-21 (Pan Pacific)

Jones, Robert (NWO) Hadley, Alexandra (Syndicate)

Helix Group (Void Engineers)

Commander Lava Gunnarsson (Void Engineers)

The Third Union

TBA

Weltanschauung Foundation

Director Sylvester Kozlowski

Cult of Harmony

Nolan Maxwell Augeri

Broadhill Society

Frederic Genaro

Blake Weissenbraun

Independent or unknown

Louis Reader

Pham Van Nam

Ignacy Maciejewski

Selam Massawa

Peng Hsiung

Liane Welsch

Estell Bankos

Ivena Hockett

Jeremiah Philhower

Thomas Kostek

Jiang Li Liu

The Technocratic Union

Who are we?

"The Technocratic Union does not want to run humanity or to control it. We are far too few, with far too much work to do, to relegate ourselves to the task. We want humanity to run humanity, by empowering it with the tools and resources to do so. Think of what technology has brought us? The computer, the car, the cure for smallpox, a level of food production, comfort and global wealth that has never been seen before. That's us.

Once humanity accepts the gift of technology, the Technocratic Union can then help the Masses reach the next level of Enlightenment with Inspired Science. Consider the hierarchy of needs; you cannot ponder the depths of your own Genius when you worry about food, shelter, clothing, health, and safety. That is what the Union works to provide. Iteration X gives us the tools we need to advance our condition, and the security to protect us from what wants to destroy us. The New World Order provides us with insight on our past and present, while ensuring that the lies of those who want to derail the empowerment of mankind are met with fact and reason. The Progenitors want to elevate the human condition medically, to end disease and the failings of our own mortality so we can achieve mastery of ourselves, both body and mind. The Syndicate wants to end the disparage of wealth and ensure fair value for all work. Once that is achieved, we can have a true cashless society, where the earnings of our work is protected and able to be used for the benefit of everyone. The Void Engineers work hard to defend humanity from it's enemies beyond our world, to define and explore the world around us and thus fuel the human drive to know more, to touch the universe on all fronts and fuel Enlightenment.

You see, it is not about "control" or dystopia or oppression. It is about self-control, utopia, and freedom to expand the human condition through the use of reliable Science and not petty, vengeful superstitions. Sadly, our enemies do not see it that way. Werecreatures and vampires treat humans like cattle, not sapient, wonderful beings. Ghosts and faeries leech off us, feeding on our psychic energies, draining us and weakening us. And the Deviants? They want a world on par with the Dark Ages, where the Masses cringe in terror before their "magic", convinced only "mages" can save them against the darkness. Under a reign of bigotry, ignorance, and fear they would rule the Masses like they did in ages past, before our predecessors, the Order of Reason, gave the Masses the tools they needed to elevate themselves, to free themselves of their fear, doubt, and ignorance.

That is the Technocratic Union, my friends: A place where the Enlightened minds of the world gather to as the question of how can we better humanity. Sadly, there are those in our Union who look at the Masses with contempt, who see a world they can control and not empower. This, however, is to be expected from any major group. To judge a group of people based on the actions of a bad few is narrow-minded, and unbecoming of a rational person. If one doctor is bad, does that invalidate the dozens that are good and save lives? If one cop is bad, does that invalidate the work of dozens who ensure that the guilty are caught and the innocent protected? If one soldier is bad, does that mean that those thousands who serve out of a love for their nation are evil and twisted? The answer is, of course, no. And thus it is with our Union. We are a united front against the darkness. We are the shepherds, guiding humanity toward empowerment and Enlightenment. We are the makers of the world in which you live, not because we want to own it, but because we want YOU to.

We are the Technocracy. We're here to help."

The Precepts of Damian

1. Bring order to the world. Order facilitates Unity, from Unity arises Utopia.
2. Convince the Masses of the benevolence of science, commerce and politics, and of the power of rationality. Conflict and suffering will be eliminated in our Utopia.
3. Preserve the Horizon. Chaotic individuals who open gateways with impunity threaten the stability of our world. Uncontrolled portals allow outside forces access to our world. This is unacceptable.
4. Study and define the nature of the universe. Only through constant refinement of knowledge can the means to achiving Utopia be devised.
5. Depredations by the supernatural against mankind are unacceptable. If these creatures will not listen to reason then they must be purged.
6. Shepherd the Masses; protect them from themselves and from others.

The State of the Union

(Summary of the structure and hierarchy of the Union)

The Conventions

Void Engineers

Seekers and explorers, the Void Engineers have turned away from the space exploration they mastered, and instead explore within. The new frontier for the Engineers is mathematics and all things virtual.

Iteration X

Iteration X are perhaps best known for their skill in cybernetics, computing and robotics, but their overarching goal is the creation of better tools to aid humanity. The Clockwork Convention claim that they strive to emulate the men who first discovered fire and the wheel, elevating man to new heights.

Progenitors

The Progenitors dominate the field of modern - and post-modern - medicine. They employ the tools of genetic manipulation, hyper-advanced surgical techniques and sophisticated drugs to constantly push the envelope of medicine. Along with the Iterators they also provide the Union with a great many foot soldiers - genetically engineered clones designed to replace civilians.

New World Order

The largest and most influential of the conventions, The New World Order is the section of the Technocracy that handles all information and communication. Their approach to this information centers around data and statistics, and they believe that it is their job to manage this data for the good of the Technocracy as well as the good of humanity. For the most part, this goal becomes practice in the N.W.O.'s agendas of developing bureaucracy and using that influence in the sleeper world to control the flow of news, media, and data. The ultimate vision of the New World Order is a world of clearly regulated information-flow, education and social conditioning, guided by a unified paradigm, to facilitate a global society where everyone knows their place and fulfills their function according to their best potential.

As an organisation, the New World Order is a combination of academic think tanks, psychologists, investigators and spies. The Convention's influence extends throughout the Technocratic Union, and New World Order personnel can be encountered as part of virtually every Technocracy operation. Because of this apparent ubiquity within the Union, the New World Order has become synomymous with the Technocracy as a whole for most outsiders.

Syndicate

"The game is not about owning resources, because what you own can be taken from you. The game is about perceiving and identifying the resources, about knowing where the resources are coming from and about predicting where they will end and what their effect will be in that point. The game is all about control... That is the Market.

Only the Market can bring Technology into the home. Through observation of the Market, we can see what the masses need and demand. The competition of the Market brings vigour to the lives of the masses, and gives a safe outlet to the strife without which life has no meaning. The Market provides a simple measure of power the masses can understand: money. Whether the rest of the Technocracy acknowledges it or not, the Market now controls the world. Ignore it at your peril."

The Syndicate began its path among the Order of Reason as the “High Guild” knew that money is what drives not only progress and invention but all of society. They were reformed from the Invisible Exchequer during the first reformation and eventually evolved into the Syndicate during the final evolution of the Technocratic Order. Though the name has changed through time, their mission remains the same: “Pecunia on potentia”; Money is Power.

As Economics is a predictable science, there is great power as one man can decide what is profitable, or what is not; if something is not profitable there is no use in having it. The Market has become the sole standard of which everything is measured with, and the Syndicate is then able to decide a course of action for Mankind and their eventual Ascension.

Unlike other Technocratic Conventions, the Syndicate feels that a certain amount of randomness in the paradigm is essential. Only through competition can individual achieve their true potential. People will only give their finest when they are rewarded for their work. This attitude has put them in increasing conflict with the NWO over the years. Many Syndicate mages feel the NWO has outlived its usefulness, and should step aside to allow new and vigorous leadership.

The Paradigm

The Market. The Market encompasses everything, even things others regard as outside economics. The laws of nature are built upon the transactions between different forces and the flows of capital (energy) between processes. Everything that exists exists because it is economical in some sense for it to do, and anything which is not efficient enough will sooner or later be out-competed from reality. In this way the Market stabilises itself and moves towards perfection. It is our duty to guide the economic forces to avoid sudden changes or undesirable developments, eventually to move the economy towards optimality.

The Business. By understanding the rules of the Market and with a keen feeling of its behaviour, it is possible for us to use it for our own profit, or to subtly manipulate it to become more optimal. The rules are fairly loose, but they can be very unforgiving if you mess things up. In general the Market works best when nobody interferes at all, but sometimes changes may be necessary.

Organisation

Because of their attitudes towards competition, the Syndicate encourages a great deal of autonomy in its members. A certain amount of scheming and back-door dealing is admired. The Syndicate plays for keeps though, and a anyone who crosses the line can have his career cut short.

The Syndicate has permanent headquarters in London, New York City, Singapore, Tokyo, Johannesburg and São Paulo.

Methodologies

TBA

Views on the Union

Iteration-X: "These guys give us the best things to sell, but they have no sense of presentation. Nearly everything they invent would never make it into the paradigm without our advertising."

New World Order: "Out-dated bureaucrats. They need to step aside for some people with real drive."

Progenitors: "We welcome their help in the drug markets, so longs as they remember that distribution and marketing is 99% of the work."

Void Engineers: "These poor sods didn't seem to realize that unless is space is profitable, the sleepers will never go for it. And now, after they shot themselves in the foot, they are all but useless."

Other governing bodies

Inner Circle of the Union

TBA

The Control

TBA

The Ivory Tower

TBA

Local Issues

During the last few years North American Symposium (NAS) has been unsatisfied with the efficiency of the Central City Construct (CCC) in dealing with Deviant activity. CCC has defended it's position by stating that the lack of human resources made it difficult for the CCC to "go after every small anomaly". CCC made requests for more personnel and other resources, but the NAS denied them.

Instead the NAS created a new construct, Pan Pacific Construct (PPC), to deal with the problems in West Coast region. The creation of a new construct that shares its area of operations with another existing construct was unprecedented, and has been a subject of critique from the CCC.

The Episode Guide

SEASON 1 - “TO PROTECT AND TO COVER”

1. HIGH ON HOLLYWOOD (CASE CLOSED)
2. PLOMO O PLATA (CASE CLOSED)
3. VISIONS REFRACTED
4. NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
5. THE EXCHANGE
6. LET THE DEVIL DIE
7. PARAGON IN THE MIRROR
8. LINES IN CHALK
9. NECESSITIES IN EXTREME
10. SECOND DEGREE OF TRUTH