DOMINION

INTRODUCTION

Dominion (a.k.a. Dominion Tank Police) is a sporadic manga series from the fertile (and sometimes twisted) mind of Masamune Shirow. The premise behind the strip is pretty simple (and more than a little silly); in the future, crime has reached a point where the police are equipped with full-sized tanks in order to combat criminals. Naturally, using main battle tanks in a city to fight crime is bound to cause problems, not to mention the questionable stability (and crime-fighting ethics) of the Tank Police themselves. And of course, the criminals they pursue are equally nasty...

For GMs running cyberpunk genre games, Dominion (especially the original Dominion anime) is loaded with all sorts of great ideas. There is a virtually psychotic police force, gun-crazy androids, rogue replicants, strange genetic experiments, potentially toxic air-pollution, corporations with hidden agenda's, stop-at-nothing mercenaries (in cool suits of powered armor), the list goes on and on.

This introduction (and associated character sheets) are drawn for four different sources. These sources are: Dominion (manga), Dominion Tank Police Acts 1-4 (anime), Crusher Police Dominion (anime) and Dominion: Conflict 1 (manga). Of course, there is no real continuity between these different series (with Shirow himself stating he's treating his original Dominion series and the Conflict 1 series as two different worlds). So, I decided to sort of blend everything together while writing this introduction and the character sheets.

WORLD DATA

Shirow never goes into great detail as to what state the world is in (in fact, he never clearly states what year it is, I go with "early 21st Century"). In the original Dominion (as well as the Dominion Tank Police anime) the world is covered by a thick cloud of bacteria. This cloud can get thick enough to blot out the sun, clog unscreened engines, and kill anyone without a filter mask. In Crusher Police Dominion and Dominion: Conflict 1 the cloud is gone (either eliminated or ignored).

The Bacterial Cloud

This cloud is best represented by a NND that affects the character per a desired interval on the Time Chart. The NND will be STUN only until they pass out, at which point they will take both NND STUN and BODY damage until they die. Depending on the severity of the cloud, this damage can range from 1/2d6 to 2d6 (or more) of damage each interval. The interval's are variable, and could range from once every 5 hours (for a light cloud) to once every minute (for a thick cloud) to once every Phase (for an instantly lethal cloud).

This damage can be averted if the character in question is wearing a toxin filter mask. This is a white, cone-shaped mask that fits over the user's nose and mouth. This mask is bought as follows:

Life Support (Expanded Breathing) (5 Active Points); OIF (-1/2). Total Cost: 3 points.

An atmosphere such as this is not a recommended environment for exerting oneself. Anyone performing any sort of strenuous activity should pay anywhere to x1 1/2 to x2 END when using anything costing Endurance.

Japan

As mentioned before, Shirow doesn't have much to say about Japan (at least, in the original manga). As it stands, Japan looks to be much the same as it is now, although in Dominion: Conflict 1 it seems the JDF (Japanese Defense Force) has been disbanded and and ex-JDF officers have been incorporated into the police. Shirow has mentioned the possibility the Dominion: Conflict 1 and Ghost In The Shell universe are one and the same... (not to mention that a Ghost In The Shell fuchikoma shows up in Crusher Police Dominion and the Puma Sisters show up in Ghost In The Shell).

Newport City

According to Shirow, Newport City is located in the Shinhama ward of the Tokushima Prefecture. The city actually extends out over the bay, since most of the available land area is already been built up. Most buildings in Newport city have a very "organic" look to them, almost as if they were grown in place (or poured). As a side note, one can make a case the Newport City found in the original Dominion series might not even be in Japan.

Sand Sea

In the original Dominion anime and manga, the seas are made from sand. Ships have been made that can travel both on and under the Sand Seas, shipping both cargo and people. Some of these sandships can get quite large, although they seem to be limited to diving to a depth of no more than 5 meters or so before the pressure becomes enough to rupture the hull.

CHARACTERS

Dominion features a wide variety of characters. I have written full character sheets for 5 of them; Newport Tank Police Officer Leona Ozaki, her mini-tank Bonaparte, the infamous Puma Sisters Anna and Uni, and the artificial lifeform known as Greenpeace Crolis.

• Al Cu Ad Solte: Al is a Tank Police officer. He's sweet on Leona, but hasn't been able to make his feelings known. He's about Leona's height (maybe a little taller) with a thick mop of blond hair. Al's a much more responsible cop than Leona, but has been known to go a little overboard from time to time. Normally, he drives Bonaparte. He should have pretty typical stats and skills for a police officer, along with Combat Driving (Tank), Mechanics (Tank) and WF: Tank Guns.
• Buaku: Buaku is a rather odd individual. For starters he's a synthetic human, with an cybernetic right arm and little love for the law. Shirow never really gives him an origin story, although a possible origin is presented in Dominion Tank Police. Here, he is one of a large number of artificial humans created with the express purpose of studying the development of the human brain, as well as emotions and intelligence. The project is shutdown (rather violently) and Buaku ends up out on the streets. When we finally see him again, he is the leader of a ruthless (and violent) gang of criminals who perform all sorts of dirty work for certain corrupt elements in the government.
• Buaku should have above average STR, INT, EGO, and PRE. His BODY stat should be quite high, although his COM is only an 8. His artificial arm doesn't grant him any special abilities (although it is armored). His skills can be pretty much anything the GM wants, although suggested skills would be: Oratory, Streetwise, Survival (street), Streetwise, Tactics, and WF: Small Arms.
• Chaplain: Chaplain is a Tank Police officer. He's rather average looking, with a brown hair and mustache. Chaplain transferred to the Tank Police from the normal police after a crook he left go shot and killed his partner. His stats and skills are standard for a police officer, although he should have KS: The Bible and often quotes from it (or at least uses it as a source of inspiration).
• Charles Brenten: Brenten is the commander of the Tank Police. He's a tough-as-nails type who seems to have a lifetime subscription to How To Kill magazine. Brenten is big and broad, standing over 6' tall with black hair, a thick mustache, and sunglasses. Apparently, these sunglasses are permanently attached to his face, and he is never with out a cigar. Brenten should have a STR of 18 to 20, a good CON and BODY, and skills like Combat Driving (Tank), Oratory, Tactics and WF: Tank Guns. He normally carries a .44 magnum revolver in a shoulder harness. Brenten is married (her name is Sumaiza) and has a brother named Brady (who is a 300+ pound pro-wrestler). Brenten's name is derived from the English automatic pistol, the Bren Ten (which fires 10 mm rounds).
• Chief: This poor guy has the unhappy job of overseeing the Tank Police. In everything but Crusher Police Dominion, he constantly complains of ulcers, upset stomach, headaches and general illness (and considering the number of complaint forms the Tank Police generate, can you blame him?). He's an older man, portly, with thick white hair and a mustache.
• James E. Lovelock: Lovelock is the brains of the outfit. He is very smart, and easily recognizable with his blond hair and glasses. He has a good understanding of the sciences, and one wonders why he's with the Tank Police to begin with (since his true desire is to get a position with the Critical Science Development Agency). Lovelock should have an above average INT (say 15+), and a number of 8- Sciences (like biology, ecology, chemistry, and so on.). In Crusher Police Dominion, his name is Yon.

Other Characters

Crusher Police Dominion introduces a whole host of new characters (and removes a few, like Al). Some of the new people are....

• Asada: A member of Leona's Tank squad. She's of above average height with long blond hair.
• Assistant Inspector Masakuni: She's in Section 4 and handles the Yakuza. Masakuni looks a bit like a short-haired Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost In The Shell, dresses in really casual clothing and smokes. She really looks like she belongs in an American crime show.
• Charlie Nam: Charlie doesn't show up in Conflict 1, he's actually from the original series and Crusher Police. Charlie is Brenten's gunner, and has a few amusing comments on what the M-16 is really good for (digging for mines, drying clothing, and so on.).
• Deputy Chief I Chongul: He's an assistant to the Chief and seems to have inherited all the Chief's stomach troubles.
• Habana: A member of Leona's Tank squad. He suffered an accident at some point and is restricted to a wheel chair. The chair is motorized and breaks down to fit into the driver's compartment of a tank.
• Makina Deusu: Female traffic cop.
• Rerika Ito: Female traffic cop. She's also a bit of an airhead.
• Shimizu: A member of Leona's Tank squad. He's in an commander training program that should push him up through the ranks in no time. He's also a bit of a twit.
• Shinozaki: A member of Leona's Tank squad. He's huge, standing well over 6' tall and very broad. Shinozaki tries to be a good cop and is very dedicated to doing everything the "right" way.
• Superintendent Sakura: He's tall, handsome and lusted after by more female traffic cops than you can shake a stick at. He's also a replicant of some sort.
• Suzuna Suzushiro: Female traffic cop.
• Takashi Namba: He works in data processing and is trying to start a serious relationship with Leona.
• Toku: Toku works in Forensics. He's short, squat, and reclusive. He also falls in lust with the Puma Sisters the moment he sees them.

TANK POLICE EQUIPMENT

Original Dominion Series

Armored Jacket: This is long sleeved tanker's jacket set with ballistic plates on the shoulders and torso. It is bought as follows:

Berretta Model 92 Pistol: The issue sidearm is never specified in the series. I'm using the Mod 92 since it is a pretty generic 9 mm and is a common police sidearm. In Dominion Tank Police, the issue sidearm is obviously the Berretta Model 93R.

Ingram MAC-10: The issue SMG for the Tank Police looks to be the Ingram MAC-10. One could also substitute the Uzi.

Dominion Conflict 1

Armored Jacket: Armored Jacket: This is long sleeved tanker's jacket set with ballistic plates on the shoulders and torso. There is also an armored plate on the elbow and the knees. It is bought as follows:

A variant of this adds an armored plate along the forearm and back of the hand.

Seburo MN-23 Subrifle: This is a multipurpose, non-lethal police rifle. It fires rubber "stun" rounds, gas shells, anesthetic rounds, and tracker shells. This weapon is the size of a large submachine gun, and probably fires a 5.56 mm round. Attacks for the rifle should center around 5 Damage Classes. Rubber rounds would be bought as a normal EB, anesthetic rounds are STUN-only attacks, and gas rounds would be a NND attack. The MN-23 is capable of full autofire, and looks to have a 30 round magazine. It has a built in flashlight, knife, and a long elastic cord to attach the weapon to the officer's belt.

Billy Club: The billy club is a three-sectional duraluminum shaft. It extends from 35 to 85 cm in length (14" to 34").

Cufftapers: this is a small, hand-held dispenser that is used to create plastic-tape restraints. The cufftaper holds about 8 meters of tape (26 feet). The tape cannot be cut by most knifes, instead it must be melted off with a special laser.

Other equipment: Newport Police officers also carry a small folding knife (like a Swiss Army knife), a repoboard (computerized report board), notebook, and a small communicator card.

Tank Police Tanks

In the original Dominion series, the police use full-sized tanks for patrol purposes. These tanks are blue, and instead of using treads have large, spherical drive wheels. In the anime Dominion Tank Police, the tanks are called bio-tanks and are said to be made out of plastic. The tanks are pretty well armored, but are no where near as tough as modern main battle tanks. A DEF of 14 to 15 would be best. For armament, the tanks have what looks to be a long barreled 75 mm main gun, a coaxial "stun" gun (firing some sort of "rubber" round), and 6 smoke projectors.

In Conflict 1, the Newport Tank Police use an assortment of mini-tanks and APCs (other departments do use full size tanks, however). Most of the mini-tanks are based off the Bonaparte model, and have interchangeable turrets (including a derrick and winch version, rocket launcher, firefighting model, and so on). The APCs are low, flat, 6 wheeled models and don't look to have any form of armament.

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