Dogs used as scouts for snipers

ReHerakhte · Post by **ReHerakhte** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 7:13 am

So I'm looking around the net at some sites dealing with military vehicles and I found the following page: -
http://strangevehicles.greyfalcon.us/Krieghund.htm

In it the author describes how the Germans apparently used trained dogs during WW2 to locate and 'point out' the enemy. How true or how widespread the alleged practice was is hard to discover but for DC, it could make for an interesting adversary ploy.

Dark Minions could imlpant some sort of control device in the animal and then use it to scout out the PCs (or anyone else of interest really). It could really serve to increase the paranoia when a PC gets home and then realizes they have been followed home by a 'strange' dog. Then the other PCs say that the same thing has happened to them!
Or the PCs get caught in fight and decide to withdraw and hide until things calm down, only to fond that no matter where they hide, some 'strange' dog seems to be following them all the time.

Now while any animal could be used, I think the dog (or "man's best friend" as they have been called) is particularly apt for a horror game because they are seen by nearly everyone as loyal, faithful companions to their human masters...

I love it when even the most mundane thing can be used to increase the fear

Would they ever trust the family dog again?

Cheers,
Kevin

Linden · Post by **Linden** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:33 pm

I like the idea. Reminds me a bit of that Michael LaBossiere CoC scenario "The Drooler in the Dark" where a mythos creature assumes the shape of a slobbering dog, has himself adopted by a PC and brings nothing but bad luck. One of the good doctor's better works.

I believe the Russians trained explosive dogs to run under German tanks. Once they got between the tracks <Boom>. Bit harsh on the poor old pooch though. Extending the idea to DC you could have the PCs stalked by a dog that's had a bomb surgically implanted. Once it's ingratiated itself with the PCs, and transmitted back to base, the minions set it off. Nasty.

Zvezda · Post by **Zvezda** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:02 am

The Russians did. Some of the dogs however where trained to drop the mines under the tanks and return. How do I prevent my players from shooting the dog at sight? I mean they will go like: Ohh a dog, it has been send by our enemies to kill us. Let's kill it first....

ReHerakhte · Post by **ReHerakhte** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:41 am

Zvezda wrote:...How do I prevent my players from shooting the dog at sight? I mean they will go like: Ohh a dog, it has been send by our enemies to kill us. Let's kill it first....

Let them kill the dog, then have a child come up to them some time later asking them if they have seen their pet dog. Have the child describe the dog and it is the dog that the Player's killed. The child is very upset and asks the Players to help them find the pet.

Some time after that, have another dog come near the Players. If they kill it, the owner, an older man, comes up to the Players and asks if they know who killed his pet dog (he didn't actually see it happen so he doesn't know that the Players did it). He is very upset and threatens to call ther police, the government, his brother in the army... he'll call anyone who can help him find and punish the "killers".
Then after all of that, forget about dogs for a while. Have the game go on for weeks or months if necessary. Then one day another dog shows up. Let the Players do whatever they will do but don't have any owner show up, it was just a stray dog.

Let that event pass untill a few weeks later, another dog shows up, this time it is sent by the Dark Minions.

Linden · Post by **Linden** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 11:14 am

One thing that occurred to me is that the explosive dog, while undoubtedly nasty, isn't perhaps horrific enough. How about a dog that carries an empathic virus, or changes shape into its true Amoeban form at a highly inconvenient moment?

ReHerakhte · Post by **ReHerakhte** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:47 pm

Good point Linden.
How about having the explosives somewhat noticeable if you actually look for them and the explosive carrying dogs target NPCs but the PCs are around to see it happen? They aren't specifically the target but they always seem to be in an area where somebody else is the target. Get them worried for their safety (conventional fear of personal injury rather than anything horrifying).

Let the public fear of explosive dogs convince the police to shoot any stray animals on sight and call in the bomb squad to dispose of the beasts, or carry around explosives detectors to check animals. Dog owners are afraid to walk their pets for fear of some paranoid citizen attacking them or trying to kill the dog. After the PCs have begun checking animals themselves for any explosive devices for a few weeks, they find that none of the dogs they check are rigged to explode.

The public starts to relax a little as the news reports that it was all the work of some terrorist group and those responsible have been captured or dispersed. The police cautiously agree and the government confidently claims that the threat is over and everyone can start walking their canine companions in safety again.

The PCs relax, the news has stopped reporting incidents of 'dog bombs' and the PCs haven't been witness to anything of the sort for a while. They stop worrying about their safety whenever they see a dog and the police have stopped shooting stray dogs in the streets.

Then one day a friendly stray is hanging around some place the PCs go to. The next time they go there the dog is still there, this time it ambles up to the PCs, tail wagging, tongue hanging out, looking as though it wants to be fed. Then its eyes glow, its skin rips apart, splitting down its back and sides and some robotic creature unfolds from the dogform. It leaps at the PCs intent on shredding them with its inches long razor-sharp claws.

Lull them into a false sense of security I always say...
Cheers,
Kevin

Zvezda · Post by **Zvezda** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 3:43 pm

I remember one particular party they became so paranoied they would probably have shoot the child too...

The diseased dog is an even better idea. But the times article on the original page is great as a player hand out. The mysterious dogs have been around since WWII and obviously did side with the nazis.

ReHerakhte · Post by **ReHerakhte** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 7:49 am

That's a great idea Zvezda!
The dogs have been around for a very long time and the more the characters research the dogs, the more information they find to indicate that the dogs have been on the planet for thousands of years and they always seem to be found in places were people are suffering. But worse than that, the dogs seem to be guides or scouts for other creatures (or humans) who want to cause suffering, whenever a dog shows up somewhere, something worse soon follows. The dogs are leading the creatures to the prey (in this case, humans).

You could easily link that into some of the legends about phantom dogs or any of the cursed hounds or death hounds such as those listed on the following site: -
http://www.deardeath.com/death_hounds.htm

Cheers,
Kevin

Linden · Post by **Linden** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:14 am

There's always the Barghest of course...which I think is in the DC rulebook as one of the fey folk?

Zvezda · Post by **Zvezda** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:58 pm

Yeah! Thank's for the link. I will use the damn dogs in the next adventure that's for sure. I have never heard of the death hounds before but they seem to work well. I have never used the Barghest because it was so popular in Shadow Run...it always reminded me of that game.