Mission Statement
The duty of the Special Collection Service (SCS) is to acquire information that can not be had by external hacking, Signal intel (SIGINT), Geo intel (GEOINT), or Human intelligence (HUMINT). They also test system security for companies and government agencies in critical sectors such as, medical, finance and government contracting. These missions often require tapping into or altering of hardware and software associated with data that may be useful to any agency. The SCS can also alter data as required by any agency in their network. Not all information can be hacked. It is often the case that data acquired is a hard copy of data or samples, a product or substance. Not all data is held on a computer or in digital memory.
Trade craft
These operations often involve access to the physical location that the required data is held or processed. Hardware or software is often altered before it arrives in the targets facility or home. Not requiring physical access to the facility is more suitable than clandestine entry. The changes can be as simple as switching a HDMI cable with one with a hidden encrypted radar reflector (radar reflectors reflect information back to a source when “illuminated” with an external signal). They can amplify a signal before reflecting it back if power is available in the cord or device they are hidden in. Many devices are available. Every task force can purchase a device through an NSA manual or through a network of approved devices.
The alternative to altering hardware or software is the black bag operation. The group sneaks into the location the data is held and physically takes it, changes it or copies it. These operations can be used if the information required is not on going and is not accessible by other means.
Target Practice
The Task Force you are attached to has been given a mission to steal information from an air gaped computer. This game is set in modern times. This computer is owned by a researcher who claims to have technical knowledge critical to anti gravity technology. Your group admits this mission is ridiculous and has been informed it is for training purposes only. This researcher is prone to fantasy and has been diagnosed with mental illness prior to this operation. If the operation fails any complaints the target has will be attributed to her mental illness. This covert operation is training for a covert operation that will be performed on another researcher target. The next target will have information on their air gaped computer that has actual research information pertinent to an agency in your network. If the next target has any suspicions they will not be explained away by their mental state, The concerns will be investigated by experts. Without a successful mission on the first target a mission on the next target will be scrapped.
Game Rules
If any member of the task force is caught during an actual operation they must create a new character. Training operations fail after one character is discovered. Once a character is caught the team will not acknowledge that the team was ever anything other than the members it currently has. When a member must reference a replaced member to explain a situation they will reference the person as usual and the other members will say “(Name) Who?”. It is a constant reminder that failure is not an option. The process of the game starts with a training situation that is short and simple followed by a similar situation that requires an entire campaign. The training situation is often carried out with ground rules and safeguards to protect the people working at the training location. The workers being trained on are unaware they are being trained on. They do not realize anything had even happened even after the operation. Sometimes they may only realize any change in their workplace by the safeguards and changes in security procedures after the team analyzes the weaknesses in the system. If the people become aware that a team is operating it is often considered a failure and the group must start again. Anonymity is the key to the success of a mission. Plausible deniability is required to ensure optics of the outside world are kept positive.
After Action Report
At the close of each operation the team has an after action meeting. The meeting goes over what worked, what did not work, areas that require more training and all other aspects of the mission. This is then compiled into a report that is used by the Game Moderator to improve future operations and further the campaign. If the mission failed all players must roll new players as the “team” has likely been split up and sent to non-operational parts of the agencies the team serves. Often the members who fail will also be pawned off on a company that has contracted with the SCS team in the past that is on the “do not contract with them again” list. The rejected company get a trained agent and the agency discards a rejected agent.
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