Crossover Earth '98
What Can the Exchange Do For You?
As many of you know, I first ran Lady Arachne and the Exchange in Crossover Earth 2, back in the late 1980's. When I heard about Crossover Earth '98, my first thought was to reprise their appearance, and Jay, most graciously, agreed.
Early in the previous game there was a little confusion about what the Exchance was, and how it could be used in the game. It is my hope that this article will help avoid this confusion.
The Exchange is a player designed and controlled organization, which can provide a plausible mechanic for villains (player and non-player) to grow and develop. It counteracts the natural reluctance of most villans (at least as reflected in the source material) to team up and share information and resources. It can be a source for goons, equipment, information, technology, as well as medical and legal assistance for the villains.
What the Exchange is not is an instant, free, plot device. Agents have to be recruited, technology must be developed, information must be researched. This all takes time, money, and (most of all) plotlines. If there's something your villain wants the Exchange for, even if it's a 'routine service', e-mail me, so I can confirm to Jay that the Exchange is doing what you assume it is. More exotic services (such as developing a defense against psychometry) may require the Exchange to set up projects (which heroes may investigate) or to take more direct action (which could inspire Overts).
The Exchange also acts as an 'employment agency', and can provide an easy method for villains to contact each other, and so on. So far, in this game, it has (hopefully) inspired one villainous PC Overt, and taken action which should highlight another PC's hunted's activities. We'll know for sure in the March issue of the Gazette.
The obvious weakness of the Exchange as an enabling device is that it's only useful to about half the player characters. Again, reflecting the source material, the heroes can be expected to ally and share information spontaneously, and usually have legitimate sources of super-technology available to them. I've seen the beginnings of this activity in the game so far (there should be signs in this issue of the Gazette). Even if it doesn't come together by itself, we can always draft Scooter to play Eddy Current...