Contested Ground Studios

[fsultana]

Hi,

I have a couple of nagging "fluff" questions regarding the RPA.

Firstly how is the RPA seen by normal citizens? What is it's cover story, is it seen as a legitimate police department? Do citizens recognize agents as members of the RPA or "government officials"?

The artwork in the books hints at an RPA badge and possible a uniform - is this the intention? Do the RPA wear a kind of uniform or are they more "men in black"? Do the flash their badges to clear a murder scene?

Would RPA members retain any military rank while acting as an RPA agent? This could lead to potential access to some serious hardware.

Their HQ at the Kammergericht is kept a secret to the general public and guarded by the US military police. Do the BASC who share the building with them know of the RPA's existence or is the HQ totally clandestine. How do RPA members come and go undetected, if this is the case?

Sorry if these are a bit detailed - but I like to know ALL the facts.

Thanks
Frank

[Paul]

Hi Frank

Firstly, welcome to the forums!

As for your questions, here goes...

The RPA, as a whole, stay away from the public eye. Their work is extremely secret (it would be rather unfortunate if the nature of what they did ever became common knowledge!). If a member of the general public ever saw an RPA agent he/she would probably be perceived as a run-of-the-mill Military Policeman or Officer.

The RPA do not have a uniform of sorts preferring a more 'undercover' approach. Other agencies are aware of the RPA but are suspicious of them due to the secretive nature of the RPA's work.

As for the RPA badge, I'd imagine agents would use that to identify each other rather than to quieten some mouthy Miltary Policeman with ideas above his station!

Rank is not really a factor when personnel are selected to join the RPA, but once a member of the agency, they do retain any rank they have. As for using rank to gain access to equipment, that's entirely up to you and your Cold City game. If you can pull rank to get your hands on some particularly nasty hardware, go for it. Just think up a suitable excuse as to why you need it!

The RPA offices and rooms in the Kammergericht are deliberately far away from the BASC offices. As the building is mostly abandoned, people don't general go 'wandering'; rumours of ghost and poor lighting puts pay to that sort of thing. On the whole, BASC personnel don't know that the RPA are there. They may see a few RPA agents coming and going but think nothing of it.

Hopefully this answers your questions Frank.

Cheers

Paul