Real Life Situations

[Mohoender]

Reading what your were saying all on cooperative writing and the like I decided to put this post on IRL weird experiences that I have witnessed, heard of... These might not seem relevant to T2K but they have often inspired me when designing a game session. Of course, I rely a lot on fiction but true life situation are a good source also. Make you think how that can evolved in a T2K world.

I'll start with Portugal with the area where my mother used to live for 20 years.
- When she arrived there, the poorest family in the next village was living in an open cave, being fed by the other villagers (1986). Situation ended in 1987.
- The old local doctor was visiting his patients on horseback until 1995, with two winchesters on the side. That ended in 1995 when he shot one of his employees: the guy had killed is favored horse. During the trial the doctor defence was the following: I owned that guy, I had the right to make justice. He was still alive in 2004, and turned the prison into his own realm, developping a library and several study program for the convicts.
- I was there on vacation during summer time. Suddenly, someone rushed into my room telling me not to go out. One of the employee's father was shooting at us from the hill top. His daughter was pregnant and he wanted her to have an abortion after a 4 month pregnancy (that would have been done with help from the local catholic church). After, several gun shots and when he got clearly outnumbered (20 men had gone out with guns) the father finally left.
- Another year we saw the custom agents (unarmed) rushing into our place with their car. It had taken about 80 bullets hit when they tried to intercept an illegal wine load. Not fleeing at all, the truck turned around and chased the agents for 10 miles. They left (the truck) when my cousin started to fire at them with a submachinegun. Next, day, about twenty custom agents, fully armed this time were searching the area.
- In the next village, a guy raped a girl; he was found hanged at a tree (not sure about that one but like it).
- During a fight, one of my mum's employee assaulted another guy in a bar and bited off his nose (he was really proud of this).
- One of my step father employee was handicaped. Two guys made fun of him. A few years later, one of the guy showed up again. The handicaped one went to take a gun and shot the other one on the spot.
- A guy there had his villa defended by two Bofors L/60 40mm in working order (I don't konw if it is still the case today).
- Last time I was there (2004) an "IRS agent" was driven out of the local wine business with a handgun put on his head.

I'll continue with France.
- While working in one of the wine area I had to cancel a business meeting. The guy had killed one of his neighbour during a hunting party. I asked if they were friend. In fact they were bitter ennemies. As civilized Europeans (over barbaric Americans) we have little gunfights but quite a few hunting accidents.
- One of the truck driver I was working with arrived one day with gun shots in his windshield. Last year, one of my neighbour complaining too much about hunters had a similar experience.
- A few years ago, two gendarmes investigating a farmer too closely got shot down (again we are civilized, we seldom shoot at tourists).
- Another of my clients was having an affair with his neighbour wife. When his neighbour showed up to complain he shot him. She divorced and married him. That guy's brother was living with three women.
- 1995, I was living (for a year) in the worst quarter of Paris. I witnessed numerous fight between jews and muslims (extremist from both sides). A boy was burnt alive outside of his college. Gangs were fighting among each other on a weekly bases. A guy was bitten to death on the sidewalk and my own street was controlled by a biker gang involved in drug and arm traffics. Jews and muslim issue rose again a few month ago (2008). The authorities answer was that it never happened before; that area had always been quite. lol.
- Recently, one of our famed actor (friend with our president) saw his property invaded by independentist Corsicans. The local chief of police was fired as a result. Since, that actor was invited to leave the island where he is not welcomed anymore. Expect is villa to be blown up soon.

I stop here. These are several real facts that can be used to build up atmosphere in T2K games. Most had happened in the 1990's they would be less realistic (may be) today. But I haven't been working with so many people for the last ten years. I like these as I'm a regular person with fairly quite life.