Hunting the Cults

You are on your own. The Army is MIA and our government is gone! There are no communications of any kind. Cities and towns have gone dark, and zombies fill the streets. The dead have risen and it would seem to be the end of the world. Help me, Mommy!

Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones

User avatar
whassupman03
Dungeon Crawler
Posts: 323
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 9:19 pm

Hunting the Cults

Unread post by whassupman03 »

Hello…

NOTE: Some of these concepts, while often controversial in real life, do not reflect the personal views of the author, for these are only proposed to add flavor to the game of Dead Reign. Thank you.

Recently, I have been thinking about something. While there are zombie hunters (Which concentrate on zombies rather than the cults who use, protect, or worship them), would there be an O.C.C. that involves hunting cults of both the Terror and Death varieties specifically (e.g. Cult Hunters)? If so, how would they do their job? Could they engage in passive operations, such as kidnapping cult members and “deprogramming” them to reintegrate them into what’s left of society in an effort to save them from exploitation, subjugation, and even death? Or maybe they would engage in active operations, such as hunting cult leaders down and launching attacks against cult assets (e.g. Food, clothing, weapons, tools, fuel, vehicles, etc.). Perhaps they could raid these assets and leave them as a trust for the rescued cult members, or they could use them for other purposes. :twisted: But one thing is for sure – care should be taken to liberate the endangered members of the cult rather than hunt them down and destroy them, because it would definitely be bad for Public Relations. :wink: Also most prevalent would be to show that you are rescuing them from danger rather than persecuting their religious beliefs. So essentially, I would like to hear your thoughts. :-) Do take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good day everyone.

whassupman03

P.S.: I am planning on ordering the Super-Subscription Offer for The Rifter, so hopefully, I will have more information later. But if anyone knows of such concepts that exist in other Dead Reign-related media, please let me know – I would be more than happy to acquire it in the near future. :-D
Last edited by whassupman03 on Fri Feb 07, 2014 10:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
I don't normally kill zombies, but when I do, I use the...

BOOMSTICK!

Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.
CarCrasher
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 84
Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:21 am
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by CarCrasher »

I really like your idea for the cult hunter. I would definitely like to try that out. Would give a lot of role-playing time as opposed to a slayer game.
User avatar
whassupman03
Dungeon Crawler
Posts: 323
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 9:19 pm

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by whassupman03 »

Hello...

I'm glad you like the idea CarCrasher. :-D My idea was that the Cult Hunters would be composed of a number of small independent organizations rather than one monolithic organization like the Road Reapers.

The plan was that they were inspired by both the Reapers and the Zombie Hunters, but rather than targeting zombies directly they would target the cults that use them. But in regard to the Zombie Hunters, rather than concentrating all of their time on killing zombies and next to none on saving humans, the Cult Hunters would do the opposite. Such characters would save as many humans as they can from the cults. However, a group of Cult Hunters would have to be able to hold its own against a sizable mob of zombies, so they would be well armed.

Perhaps they would be specialists in non-lethal weaponry, such as pepper spray, tasers, tranquilizers, gas grenades, etc. A good idea would be for the organizations to have a core of law enforcement officers who have access to such weapons. To save the innocent cultists, they would have to subdue them without killing them, due to the programming that the cult leaders have applied. Once they are in the helping hands of Cult Hunters, they would be made aware of their situation.

But one thing is for sure - the Cult Hunters are extremely meticulous. In order to launch a raid against a cult large amounts of intelligence has to be gathered. This can usually take place with constant surveillance (This would also be where law enforcement comes in handy. :-)). Cult Hunter rescue teams have to know where the cultists and zombies are, which ones are innocent or guilty, what and where the defenses are, how and when they usually conduct various tasks, and what they have to survive and support their cult. Eventually, this would come down to who is innocent and who is misleading them. As a result, it may even come down to monitoring cult members one at a time.

When the raids take place, they may be carried out either inside or outside the compound. Often, small-scale raids usually take place whenever small groups venture out of their homes, so this would be a good time to take these groups without worrying about the defenses of their compound. Several small-scale raids could whittle down the cult all while gathering intelligence on the compound itself. After the intelligence is gathered, a strike may be launched against the compound when it is weakest. In the end, the compound's resources would be set up as a sort of trust fund, half going to the innocent cultists, and half going to victims outside the jurisdiction of the cult. These resources would include food, weaponry, tools, medical supplies, vehicles, trade goods, etc.

Even so, it can be said that in order to completely liberate a cultist, one must not force them to accept the truth, but to show them the lies that the cult has used against them. This is where the surveillance takes precedence. For example, let's say that a Terror Cult with a large compound has brainwashed its numbers to say that beyond a certain distance the world is a nuclear wasteland where people may not venture without getting sick and dying of horrible poisonous deaths. Cult Hunters could take them outside this said boundary and show them that while zombies do roam these parts and it is hence dangerous, a nuclear war did not happen.

Spoiler:
Another example in the long run would be to persuade a Death Cultist of the lies that the Death Cult of Brulyx has told them. Only after constant surveillance (And a entire bountiful campaign of Dead Reign adventures :wink:), the PCs could ascertain the secrets of the Cult of Brulyx and make it known that the cult is actually using the cultists as food for the zombies. Just this lie may tell many truths to the cultists.
Anyway, those were my ideas for the background of the Cult Hunters. If you have anything to add, feel free to respond. Please take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good day.

whassupman03
I don't normally kill zombies, but when I do, I use the...

BOOMSTICK!

Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.
CarCrasher
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 84
Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:21 am
Location: Winnipeg, MB

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by CarCrasher »

I would think that a certain amount of infiltration might be necessary to ascertain which ones are innocent. Perhaps even being able to join the cattle ranks of the organization for the individual surveillance. In cults usually the highest ranks know the truth about what's being done to the lowest level believers. The "brainwashed" will sometimes be guilty of atrocities committed against other humans that they wouldn't have otherwise done if not for the programming done by the cult leadership. I am not sure I could add to your already well thought out occ description and concept. This is one I would love to play
User avatar
whassupman03
Dungeon Crawler
Posts: 323
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 9:19 pm

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by whassupman03 »

Hello...

CarCrasher wrote:I would think that a certain amount of infiltration might be necessary to ascertain which ones are innocent. Perhaps even being able to join the cattle ranks of the organization for the individual surveillance. In cults usually the highest ranks know the truth about what's being done to the lowest level believers. The "brainwashed" will sometimes be guilty of atrocities committed against other humans that they wouldn't have otherwise done if not for the programming done by the cult leadership. I am not sure I could add to your already well thought out occ description and concept. This is one I would love to play

You're right - undercover operations would be great for this sort of work (And the law enforcement elements of the Cult Hunters would likely be used to operations like this.). Of course, there is a necessary balance between staying in reach to achieve the goal and getting too close for comfort. If this goes wrong, this may result in the Hunter becoming the Prey, whether as a victim or a culprit, so infiltrators may need to err on a side of caution in order to not get carried away. However, if they stay too distant from the goals and motives of the cult, they may expose their nature as undercover operatives. Therefore, undercover operatives have to be careful (Which is where plenty of good role-playing must be applied in an adventure). As to exactly who is guilty and who is not, it may come down to certain levels of guilt. Programmed cultists may be completely innocent victims, or victims forced to commit atrocities. So it may be played out on a case-to-case basis, depending on the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the Cult Hunter group the PCs belong to.

But thank you for your thoughts on my concepts for the Cult Hunters; it is my hope that one day I can grow skilled enough to actually create an actual O.C.C. (Since I am new to the actual game mechanics of Dead Reign and everything else made by Palladium Books... :wink:). Right now all I am is a glorified story writer, so I am currently working on figuring out how the game mechanics in the game work. Anyway, I hope that you take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good night.

whassupman03 8)
I don't normally kill zombies, but when I do, I use the...

BOOMSTICK!

Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.
User avatar
Tor
Palladin
Posts: 6975
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 2:37 pm
Comment: If you have something to say, back it up with thoughts and reasons. Simply posting to agree or disagree tends to be a waste.
Location: Pyramid

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by Tor »

Why would you want to hunt the cults? They're humanity's best hope. Only they have the means of placating the zombie's hunger through non-fatal means. Not only this, but instead of destroying the infect, they co-opt them as easy labour (essentially FREE). They save sentient innocent lives (think Mockers, and partly Thinkers who kinda resemble Land of the Dead black-guy type) and minimize the tragedy, they are the best hope for rebuilding our society if we only follow their ways.
"1st edition? 2nd edition? It doesnt matter! Let's just talk" -Forums of the Megaverse
User avatar
whassupman03
Dungeon Crawler
Posts: 323
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 9:19 pm

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by whassupman03 »

Hello...

Tor wrote:Why would you want to hunt the cults? They're humanity's best hope. Only they have the means of placating the zombie's hunger through non-fatal means. Not only this, but instead of destroying the infect, they co-opt them as easy labour (essentially FREE). They save sentient innocent lives (think Mockers, and partly Thinkers who kinda resemble Land of the Dead black-guy type) and minimize the tragedy, they are the best hope for rebuilding our society if we only follow their ways.


:lol: I would go into engagement against the cults because of the fact that they are dangerous. Both the Death Cult of Brulyx and the various Terror Cults will often subvert, enslave, maim, and kill anyone who gets in their way. In many cases, they would use zombies to do so. The cults are led by tyrants that would not have the interests of people in their hearts, and they would most likely kill, proving my point.

Cult Hunters would know this because they conduct constant research. Whenever they raid the lair of a cult, they would gather various artifacts belonging to the cult for evidence and future study, such as tomes, scrolls, regalia, and other cult items that they would be able to study to prove my point again. Most people would consider these items to be occult readings in pre-Wave modern civilization, but to a Cult Hunter, they would use them to try to learn about the cults as if they were placed in their shoes. So it's kind of like the Hellboy saga, where they create and use occult libraries to study their enemies with the goal of learning how to defeat them.

When considering using zombies - if the controllers slip even a little, it may result in a life-or-death struggle as the controllers become the controlled. Zombies for the time being are too unpredictable. In the meantime, there are alternatives to allowing the cults to survive - zombie researchers can study the zombies to try to find ways to achieve an advantage in any case. They can learn how to survive and kill them, yet the fact that they have to die to become a zombie means that trying to cure them and return them to human form is a fool's bargain, because there is no conceivable way that it can be done. Often zombie researchers will work with Cult Hunters by gaining access to their libraries, in an attempt to figure out how - say - the Death Cult of Brulyx does best: Control zombies. Such a goal is of the utmost importance - if you can control the zombies, you can keep everyone who is not a zombie alive.

Well that is all I have to say on the subject tonight. Please take care; thanks a bunch, and have a good night.

whassupman03
I don't normally kill zombies, but when I do, I use the...

BOOMSTICK!

Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.
User avatar
Semi-Retired Gamer
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 160
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2011 12:58 pm
Location: Talala, OK
Contact:

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by Semi-Retired Gamer »

Interesting idea. I think it could work great.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I blog (mainly) about role-playing interests at The Semi-Retired Gamer.
User avatar
whassupman03
Dungeon Crawler
Posts: 323
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 9:19 pm

Re: Hunting the Cults

Unread post by whassupman03 »

Hello...

Semi-Retired Gamer wrote:Interesting idea. I think it could work great.

I'm glad you think so Semi-Retired Gamer :-) (Along with everyone who has spoken here, welcome to the discussion! :-D).

whassupman03
I don't normally kill zombies, but when I do, I use the...

BOOMSTICK!

Shop Smart. Shop S-Mart.
Post Reply

Return to “Dead Reign™”