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Posted by: Troyminator Mar 23 2011, 04:26 AM

I am trying to create a run for my players and I get so overwhelmed when I sit down to do it. An early 4th edition book had a random generator (roll d6 on various tables). I did that, but don't really know what to do to put a run together after that.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Posted by: Epicedion Mar 23 2011, 05:51 AM

This is a pretty big question, so don't expect a simple answer. Plus, everyone's going to have their own style.

If you want the bare basics, the "what do I do to put together a simple run?" style, you just have to identify the core components of a simple run and build them up.

1. The Target -- What is it? Where is it? Who has it? Who wants it? How much is it worth?

For basic runs, the target can just be a MacGuffin. One unit of plot stuffed into a plot-sized bag. This can be anything like an experimental military-grade laser emitter, or a prototype commlink memory unit, or a fancy piece of biotech, or the collected mystical writings of the Great Ork'et Metaphilosopher Shum'bug'no. It doesn't matter. Just pick something practically useless to the party so that you don't have to worry about them stealing it for themselves. That's the advanced course.

Then put together a minor write-up on who has it and who wants it. Use one of the Big 10, or make up a smaller company that's independent or a subsidiary of one of the Big 10. They have it. Some other company wants it.

Your write-up should look something like this: "Compuwerx, an independent software development company, has created a new optimized program to run the Seattle traffic grid and is poised to win the next multi-year contract to implement that program and provide service. Trafficom, a direct competitor, wants to hire a team of shadowrunners to steal all of the development notes for the project and then sabotage the Compuwerx system by loading an agent on it."

2. Contact -- How does Mr. Johnson contact the team? Where do they meet? How much does he offer? How much higher will he go? How much will he offer up front? What information and special equipment can/will he provide? How long does the team have to complete the mission? Are there any bonus objectives?

3. Legwork -- What kind of information can the team acquire through research, contacts, and physical/matrix/astral surveillance?

and

4. The Site -- What is the layout? Where is it? What kind of physical security does the site have (door locks, guard posts, cameras, fences, drones, etc)? What kind of Matrix security does the site have (nodes and their stats, security hackers, agents)? What kind of Astral security does the site have (combat mages and astral overwatch, wards, spirits, biofilm)? Where on the site is the target?

Legwork and The Site need to be considered at the same time. It's easiest to mostly design the site first, and then write down a list of basic facts about it. Things like "there are X guards, they change shift every Y hours," and "two mages keep constant astral overwatch, alternating every hour so that one is always on shift," and "the main office is only accessible via elevator with the right keycard, but none of the interior doors have anything other than basic privacy locks."

These are the tidbits that characters can learn via legwork. How creative they are with what they do is going to determine what they can find out, so the best way to go is play it by ear. They might learn the guard schedule by setting up cameras and monitoring them for a week. They might learn it by hacking the security network from the coffee shop down the street. They might learn by bribing a What they learn and how they learn it is going to depend a lot on what they want to know.

5. The Ending/Twist -- How exactly does Mr. Johnson plan on screwing the team at the end of the day? Does a third party offer them extra cash for a double-cross? Has the team pissed off someone with the resources to spend on tracking them down? Did Mr. Johnson lie about the target, and does the team find out about it in the middle of the run? What are the repercussions of the run?

-------------

These are just basic elements of a basic run. Once you've got these things figured out, you can then keep building to make this thing as complicated as you like.

Posted by: ggodo Mar 23 2011, 05:57 AM

My method is to plan in 'acts' that may not need to occur in any order. I'm a big fan of the nodal method of GMing with setting up a few things to do, then letting the PCs decide the course of action. I jot down some keywords for NPC personalities and motivations, and play act the rest. Always keep some mooks of assorted flavors on hand in case a fight starts, and figure out how ood your players are at the game when designing security for them to crack. Some players don't take security systems into account.

Posted by: phlapjack77 Mar 23 2011, 06:06 AM

Adding on to this, I tended to get tripped up as a GM when the players would go off the rails, and ask for specifics about things I hadn't prepared for, like where the bartender lived so they could follow him home, break into his apt, etc.

I think it's worth it to build up a "library" of standard mooks, complete with descriptions such as carried gear, where they live, etc. Same for many types of buildings, like apartments, bars, offices, etc.

Posted by: ggodo Mar 23 2011, 07:22 AM

Yeah, when I get bored in class I write backgrounds for background type characters. I'm slowly accumulating a veritable city of NPCs just so I can have some onhand when asked. iI this sounds like daunting work, know that you can totally rip off the sample chjaracters in the book for stats and gear. Mix it up a bit for the backstories and go for it.

Posted by: Epicedion Mar 23 2011, 07:40 AM

Yeah, an important rule is: never throw anything away.

Posted by: Critias Mar 23 2011, 07:52 AM

I tend to picture an awesome scene, and then work backwards. If I think a firefight on top of a moving truck would be cool, I figure out a mission that would make it likely to happen, and build back from there. I think about what could be on the truck and how it could link to another adventure, I figure out who the PCs are fighting to get the truck and how that could link to a prior session, I think about who hired them to steal the truck and how that could lead to a prior session...etc, etc. Work out a cool place for a Meet, think of a how to handle a few other ways they could try to steal the truck, and then I get ready to wing it -- because, invariable, Shadowrun PCs will figure out something you didn't think of, so it pays to keep some generic NPC stats on hand for when they blindside you.

Be ready to roll with the punches, and concentrate on telling a good story and making sure the PCs have fun, more than you worry about the niggling details and train-track specifics of a certain 'run. Be ready to modify it on the go, go into the game understanding they'll think of something you didn't, and just have fun.

Posted by: Epicedion Mar 23 2011, 08:09 AM

Oh, and if your players ever start following a better plotline than you initially wrote, there's nothing wrong with going with theirs and not telling them how wrong things went.

Also, sometimes you'll present a scenario and, going on nothing other that luck and intuition, one player will totally nail your projected plotline. This can happen no matter how crazy and weird your plot is. One SOB is going to say, "If this run ends up being us recovering Lofwyr's smoking jacket from a Renraku corporate geisha's carry-on luggage on the 6:37 flight to Boston, I'm just gonna start shooting everyone." And it'll be absolutely true. Try not to look surprised, and just roll with it.

Posted by: phlapjack77 Mar 23 2011, 08:18 AM

This. Totally don't be afraid to take credit for a plot-twist that you hadn't originally planned

Posted by: bluedao Mar 23 2011, 09:58 AM

I'm fairly new to running too. But I'll put in my 2 . First mission I ran went well from the players stand point but horribly wrong from mine. 2/3's of my plot had to get ignored since they went in a couple different directions then I thought of. Which taught me the valuable lesson of don't over think it. Like others have suggested, create a story, have the npcs and places to populate it but your players will drive you nuts if you try to plan it out to detailed. Also as others have stated, steal from your players, they'll never know (lets hope mine don't read this thread). Steal from dumpshock. Personalize it, I've got one pc who has a personal hate on the azzies so their now a chief player. I've got another who is a thrill seeking close combat specialist so now my pit fight below the bar has some background and future story to it. My last pc is in for a few personal surprises too but I'm still flushing them out. And one more thing, do NOT fall into the trap of raising the stakes constantly. It's really tempting to have the characters take on awesome tasks that save millions, or maybe kill millions, but then your stuck Either every mission impacts the world, and suspension of disbelief breaks, or you're players go from hot stuff to doing milk runs again which has its own problems.

Posted by: Blade Mar 23 2011, 10:13 AM

I do it like Critias.

Something else to take into account is your players and PC. If you know they play Shadowrun mostly to shoot things in the face, make an adventure with plenty of shooting in the face. If they prefer complex corporate intrigues, insert complex corporate intrigues...

Posted by: nezumi Mar 23 2011, 01:22 PM

I start with the players first. What gaming style do they enjoy? Lots of planning? Shoot-outs and explosions? I base my plot around that.

Next I focus on the characters. What roles are they heavy in? What are they light in? That determines the nature of the challenges in the mission.

After that, I have two ways of making a mission, from the bottom up, or from the top down.

Bottom-up involves doing as Critias described - I think of one or more 'cool scenes' and contrive to pull them together, always bearing in mind the notes above.

Top-down involves figuring out broadly what sort of a mission I want (Smash 'n grab, extraction, etc.), then creating characters and background, then focusing on scenes and props.

I think almost more important though is what NOT to do when planning an adventure:

Don't stick to a hard timeline for events. Events happen when it's awesome for them to happen.

Don't overplan - most of the material won't be used. Don't underplan unless you like improvising.

Expect the players to always rush forward when you expect them to retreat, retreat when you expect them to press on, lag when you think the path is obvious, and turn left on roads with no turns.

Posted by: Troyminator Mar 23 2011, 01:42 PM

This SOOOOOOO describes my group.

Thank you all for the hints. I appreciate them. Keep them coming

Posted by: Wesley Street Mar 23 2011, 01:45 PM

You want to know what would be really easy? Take an existing SR adventure from 1st or 2nd ed., file off the serial numbers, and change the stats to match SR4. The funny thing with RPGs is that you can throw the exact same situation at a group of players but if you re-skin it, it feels new. Once you've done that a couple of times you'll start to understand the basic SR story adventure structure and be able to plot your own to meet your group's needs.

Posted by: Blade Mar 23 2011, 02:04 PM

I don't completely agree: having the Lone Star SWAT raid the mafia's drug factory just when the players decide to go there might be awesome. But it's quite unlikely. Having it happen once is okay, but if it happens too many times, everything might feel a little staged (which might be the case, but then it's not a problem).

Plus, sometimes you can have awesomer scenes happens because the SWAT have already attacked the place by the time the PC get there, or have the SWAT attack just after the PC left or have the PC blow up the place before the SWAT can get there, or have the SWAT get ready to act just as everything is blowing up...
Deciding that the SWAT will arrive at 2'o'clock on the second day of the run can lead to any of these situations depending on how the players act. It can also be a way to make it harder for the players if they took too long doing things or on the contrary, give them a hand if they lag behind and you want them to get back on track so that you can get to a more interesting part of the adventure.

Let's say you decide this:
- Day 1 - 10:00PM: The runners are hired to get the list of undercover Lone Star agents. M. Johnson, officially from the Mafia, is actually one of the Lone Star agent. He was ordered by the mafia to hire runner to get the list so he has to do it, but at the same time, he tries to warn everyone.
- Day 1 - 11:30PM: M. Johnson is in a safe place so he calls the undercover agent in the mafia's drug factory. That agent reports back to his boss and asks to get out of here FAST.
- Day 2 - 01:00AM: The Lone Star boss has got the authorization to raid the drug factory. The undercover agent is to "get arrested" with the people working there.
- Day 2 - 01:45AM: The SWAT is deployed and waits for go signal.
- Day 2 - 02:00AM: The SWAT agents get the go signal.

If you decided that the SWAT would attack just as the PC got there, it would have been strange if that turned out to be the first place the PC investigated or if they only went there 5 days after the beginning of the investigation. Or you'd have players tell you: "How come we didn't notice them?" because you'd have forgotten to take into account the time it takes to deploy. Of course, you could always come up with explanations, but then you'd have to make sure they don't break anything else that has happened before. Sticking to the timeline (as long as the PC don't blow it up to pieces) is easier and can lead to fun situation you'd never have thought about.

Posted by: jaellot Mar 23 2011, 02:32 PM

It might just be my group, but for me a session of any game generally involves me introducing a plot idea, in a natural way, and watch the entire world implode as the group begin to ponder out consequences I could never have imagined in a million years. Or they go in a completely different direction, or even don't go for the plot hook.

An off-genre example; In a 7th Sea session I planned on a sea serpent attack. Big, nasty, and it was going to eat people all over the place. Instead, at the very start of the session, a love triangle went KABOOM. Duels left and right, honor sullied, honor repaired, stabbings and bets from the crew flew wild. One of the best sessions I have ever ran. And I honestly had nothing to do with it.

I guess the moral of this story is a repeat of something that's already been said; you can't prepare when the party goes horribly off track. Just roll with it, and keep your cool. If what they propose seems doable, let them try for it. If it's absolutely off the wall, let them know that, too. And if you need a minute to get your shit together, tell them. You are but one person, running an entire world.

It does come down to knowing your players, too. My group has made it clear they won't do wetwork. Fine. I don't waste my time, and eventually theirs, working up a Run based on sniping some dude. But I might work up a Run where they are to protect a target, or track down the hitmen before they do the job, for example.

Posted by: James McMurray Mar 23 2011, 03:10 PM

Depending on how much time I have, I either do http://www.thealexandrian.net/creations/misc/node-design/node-design.html or toss together a quick http://www.roleplayingtips.com/readissue.php?number=156. The former is great for getting a meshed web of information and scenery for the players to move around in until they finally reach their goal. The second is much more straightforward and tends to have some railroading aspects, but it gets the job done and easily fits a run into a single evening. In any case, I try to keep the following in mind:

• Only stat up the bare minimum: system ratings, NPCs, payout, etc. There's no telling where the players will eventually go, and the less you can get away with the better off you are.
• Know what the PCs are capable of. If the three combat gurus have 20+ dice pools, end-game NPCs need to be able to withstand that. And vice versa, if the group is maxed out at Pistols 12, don't send them up against cyberzombies with the expectation that they'll win. I keep http://shadowrun.colugo.org/tools/challenges.xls so I know what an NPC just below them, even with them, and just above them looks like. Having that info on hand also means I can quickly make up opponents should they do the unthinkable and run off to Africa with Paris Hilton (which they did once, albeit not in a Shadowrun campaign).
• Make sure they have spots to shine. I forgot this on our last run and every fight involved at least one prime runner that was superior to the PCs. It bit me on the butt with an unhappy player, so I'm keeping in at the forefront of my planning for the next run.

Posted by: nezumi Mar 23 2011, 03:41 PM

Indeed, creating and sticking to a hard timeline does make the world feel more real. The trade-off is, it takes a lot of work, and almost always ends up being irrelevant. In your situation, my PCs would either wrap up the whole mission by 2pm on Day 1 (so the SWAT team is no longer even relevant, and never adds to the story at all), or get caught up in the Don's four mistresses and is tracking down geneologies in Venezuela, so they only get to the warehouse by Day 5 when all other leads have been explored, and now the warehouse is empty (so the SWAT team is only relevant in sofar that it tells them the princess is in another castle).

If you are thinking 'it would be awesome to have a shoot-out in a factory', it's almost guaranteed NOT to happen with a static timeline like this. Just between 10am and 2am there are 16 hours for the PCs to hit the warehouse or otherwise get themselves stupid. If you want the SWAT/PC shoot-out, you either need the PCs to trigger the SWAT team coming, or to 'happen' to run into them (whether it's at 2am or 10am).

I wouldn't even use that setup for the fun of 'your target WAS at the warehouse, but now is in LS jail'. For that, you're still doing setup work, writing out the jail and all that, but I would give better than even odds that, whatever you anticipate, the PCs do the opposite.

The only way I'd go through all that fuss of a timeline like that is if I want the warehouse to get destroyed, but don't care when, or if I want a shoot-out in the jail and they can reach it EITHER by following Warehouse Agent (who is arrested) or Agent B (who is arrested at another locale).


jaellot is right when the players are proactive. Even when they aren't, I generally roll with it. I don't believe in red herrings. If the PCs believe the agent is the Don's mistress from Venezuela, I either tell them straight out they're wrong, so don't waste the game time, or I rearrange the plot so the mistress is an agent.

Players are weird.

Posted by: Belvidere Mar 23 2011, 04:02 PM

Know this: A GM will plan out four ways for a mission to go. Players will always pick the fifth.

I've learned that improv is the utter key to SR GMing. That and bookeeping. Players get a little upset when a mook had a 12 dice pool last week and 14 the next week.

Posted by: ggodo Mar 23 2011, 04:12 PM

I don't give Red Herrings, my players create their own. It's really amazing how paranoid they can get even when you explicitly state whether something is true or false.

Posted by: Method Mar 23 2011, 06:48 PM

You might find http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=26743&view=findpost&p=811473 useful. There was a more polished version in the first issue of Dumpshock Datahaven <single tear> but all the key points are there and some good discussion.

I'll try to elaborate on my method form actually designing an adventure later if I have more time.

Posted by: Warlordtheft Mar 23 2011, 06:50 PM

If they do that, wing it! This is were the descriptions of the skill rating and attribute level comes in handy. I tend to take that and run with it.

Posted by: phlapjack77 Mar 24 2011, 12:29 AM

But winging it is hard!

For me, it was the fine, nitty-gritty details that the players wanted. It got difficult to wing every NPC's equipment (needed lots of detail, here), the layouts and security and matrix of every single location, etc. So having a library of mooks, locations and objects helped me provide the details they wanted.

Posted by: kzt Mar 24 2011, 03:38 AM

PCs can have fun or not, but if the players don't enjoy the game it won't be a very fun game to GM.

Posted by: kzt Mar 24 2011, 03:41 AM

Dig into the 1st or 2nd set of missions. Make what changes you feel makes sense, or run them as is. http://www.shadowrun4.com/missions/downloads-season-1/

Posted by: Abstruse Mar 24 2011, 05:12 AM

My method (and that's all pretty much anyone is saying here, their methods...take what works for you and leave the rest) is to come up with motives for all the key players.

Johnson: I need to accomplish goal A. In order to do so, I will hire a team and tell them I need them to do X (where X can be straightforward or just one step in the plan for A). Once they accomplish X, I will do Y (which can be anything from paying them and waving bye to double-crossing them to anything in between). If they don't accomplish X, I will do Z.

Target (extraction): I work for or are being held by Corp A. I want to or don't want to go to Corp B instead. I will do X to encourage/prevent that.

Target (execution): I don't wanna die!!!!

Target (exec of target corp): I know or don't know A is happening. I will perform acts B, C, D, E, and/or F to prevent it.

After I have that down, I then go about planning out the location. I'll draw up a general blueprint of the area and a specific floorplan of important places (where fights are likely to break out, where the prototype/extraction target/MacGuffin is located, etc.) I'll plan out what security is where for what reason.

I'll tell them exactly what they know starting out, then let them do whatever legwork they need to do. Then I let them do the run as they want to with the information they have. I'll adjust as necessary for the PCs doing weird/stupid things like tipping off the other company or trying to sell the MacGuffin to another corp or whatever.

This strategy works well for me because I'm good at improving on the table. For others, it may not work. However, I really feel this is the best method for Shadowrun because there are so many ways that your PCs can completely screw up your plans. Like someone said, they will ALWAYS turn left when you expect them to turn right, turn right when you expect them to turn left, retreat when they should attack, attack when they should retreat, etc. etc. They say "No good plan survives contact with the enemy", and while this is good advice for your players, it's ten times more important for you as GM.

Posted by: CanRay Mar 24 2011, 05:23 AM

I just steal from movies, TV, books, and bad dreams... Then add more violence until I feel the group will be challenged.

Well, except for the bad dreams, those I dial back. If what I say scares some people on the board, my Nightmares would have you banning me.

Posted by: eyeBliss Mar 24 2011, 03:07 PM

A bit of a tangent here, but has anyone started some sort of NPC depository?

Posted by: redwulf25 Mar 24 2011, 09:00 PM

That would be awesome. If there isn't one already I would strongly encourage creating one.

Posted by: Epicedion Mar 24 2011, 09:12 PM

I keep my NPCs on google docs, organized in collected files by affiliation. For example, I have a Knight Errant Threats document that contains stat blocks for regular KE intsec, KE security hackers and riggers, KE security mages, and KE armed response teams.

That Knight Errant Threats file is also good for fudging random security if I don't have another applicable file. Mostly I build these things up as I need them, and the number of options I have keeps growing.

Highly interactive NPCs (like team contacts or prime runners) get their own NPC -- <Name> -- <Role> document. Something like:

NPC -- Art Vandelay -- Smuggler

or

NPC -- Drekhed -- Ganger

Posted by: CanRay Mar 24 2011, 10:01 PM

People should feel free to use my http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=34367&hl=Accountant+From+Hell as an NPC. He'd be great as a Money Launderer Contact. Always useful.

Posted by: James McMurray Mar 24 2011, 11:00 PM

You know, one of the great things about google docs is the ability to make a file publicly viewable but not editable... Just sayin'.

Posted by: Tiralee Mar 25 2011, 01:23 AM

As mentioned above: Be Flexible.

If you give your players something simple to do, like protect a mom-and-pop store from a bunch of gangers, let the players figure out what's going to happen.

1: They defend the store, collect the cash and go home. (Uninspired players, by-the-book mission, use mooks of known quantity - you should do better than this.)

2: They recognise that ganger's don't have that sort of gear and/or their clothing/colours/signs are whak - something's not right here, develop, legwork, roleplay, guard. (Players have Good perception rolls, use of background skills, etc. Let the players figure out that additional skills, logic, smarts, etc, pay off in spades.)

3: Why on earth would a crap-hole like this hire your nova-hot runners? Oh...it's a front for Mafia/Yak/Triad/X Corp/Tribal Interest group/Insect Spirits...Make it seem like a simple discovery, then let their imaginations paint a horrible future for them... (More experienced players, they know some of the lore, well...enough to expect the worst)

4: Have them hit by not 1 gang, but 6, with bullets, spells and vehicles flying about. (Pink Mohawk Rock and Roll, Forever!)

5: Have them survive the run, then find their employer ritually slain with a hardcopy flimsy of the team with their eyes cut out and "you're next" written on the ground next to the pic with a piece of the victim's liver. ("Survival" players, let them work out who want them dead, past betrayals, etc. All for a good time:))

Frankly, if you're light on your feet, your players will drive the adventure, unless they want to sit there and be entertained. Then it's break out the x-box and play call of duty.

-Tir.

Posted by: Troyminator Mar 25 2011, 05:20 AM

You guys Rock. Thanks so much for all of the ideas!

Posted by: CanRay Mar 25 2011, 02:35 PM

Just wait until you get our bill.

Posted by: Eratosthenes Mar 25 2011, 02:42 PM

As others have said, the ability to improv is important. Players will almost always surprise you with how they figure out something. Or in how they can screw things up.

I tend to start with a germ of an idea. Like I want the run to center around a new vehicle prototype. Or the secret dealings of B-list simstar. Or deal-making in the Urban Brawl scene.

Then I figure out what parties would be interested, or would have an angle.

Then I figure out how they could use a runner team to further their interest, be it a smash-n-grab, data steal, bodysnatch, etc.

I try to focus on the motives, and big pictures, and stat up key NPCs and sites (like the office building they'll need to infiltrate).

After the bones are laid out, I work out twists, fun details, and/or complications.

An Example:

I want to work out a simple sabotage mission for new runners. Break into place X, burn it down, and leave. So I need some players.

Crime syndicates are great for this, but simple corporate sabotage works too. So I pick Company A. They're a small local manufacturer of commodity X (in this case, let's say they're shoes; this is a relatively minor detail that can be fun). The new spring line is out soon, and Company B wants to delay the shipments from Company A so they can get their own line out before them. Standard stuff, in the Shadowrun universe. So Company B's going to be hiring some runners to break into the warehouse and destroy the goods.

Complications? Maybe the goods are distributed from several warehouses, meaning the runners have to hit several sites simultaneously. Maybe there was a last minute change, and the goods are already en route. All decent. But I'd prolly go with the actual commodity being vapor-ware: Company A had other problems, and couldn't get the product finished in time, or were doing it to force Company B's hand. So no product actually exists to destroy. This could be good, or bad, for the runners. Maybe they get paid to do nothing. But odds are they'll be in a panic, thinking they screwed up somehow, and need to track down the real product. The runner's reactions are hard to predict here, so some tentative possibilities would need to be sketched out.

Only thing left is to ensure everyone in the group has something to do: the hacker has something to hack, the sam has someone to shoot, the magic has some magical threat to deal with (even if it's a simple ward/watcher/spirit).

And that'd be a simple, straightforward run. And it could lead to more complicated ones: Company B now wants the plans for A's product. Or B wants to extract A's lead designer. Etc.

Posted by: Warlordtheft Mar 25 2011, 02:52 PM

To me, one of the biggest adjustments players and GM's from the game that causes cancer have is that Shadow run is not encounter 1 got to 2 go to 3 ect. It is more of a sanbox type game.

Things often go off course or that uber secrete plan-that you thought was so clever, a bright player might figure out. If the PC's do something that make the adventure go from pucker factor 10 to pucker factor 1, let it go. They are just as likely at somepoint to make that pucker factor 1 run go to ten. Also--keep in mind the relationships PC's have with their contacts. That loyalty one contact will be a 3 or higher if you save his life. And don't be afraid to ask for all the PC's contacts and use those as adventure hooks.

Posted by: squee_nabob Mar 25 2011, 02:53 PM

Don't do this too often. Characters may become disenchanted with shadow running if they never get paid for it. Money is a poor sole motivation, but if they don’t want to get paid they’d probably just become terrorists/activists/not shadow runners. Also players tend to be proactive about this. I know my group would immediately start with the Spirit searching, data searches, Sleuth Sprites, and Submergence Realm trips to get the drop on who wants them dead. That’s not a reason to not do it, it’s a reason to prepare that information ahead of time.

Posted by: CynthiaCM Mar 26 2011, 06:24 AM

This tip may or may not be of much help to you, but I'd recommend taking an episode of the Rockford Files (another similar show should work too) and reimagining it for the Shadowrun setting. Some of my best runs have been crafted this way. It sounds silly, but that show is a gold mine for Shadowrun GMs. Aside from having the core of a great plot already created for you, you also have the benefit of a story structure. This means that there are two less things you have to worry about.

Posted by: CanRay Mar 26 2011, 02:14 PM

The TV show "Leverage" is great for stealing "Hooding" 'Runs.

Posted by: ravensmuse Mar 28 2011, 02:52 AM

"There are three possibly outcomes to any Shadowrunning scenario: the two the GM comes up with, and the third the players execute."

Winging it is bar none the skill to learn and hone, for any roleplaying game scenario. Your players will come up with the most oddball ideas, and sometimes, they'll be so awesome you can't help but utilize them. Run with it, and you'll never know where you'll end up.

Posted by: CanRay Mar 28 2011, 02:58 AM

Four, actually... The three you mentioned, and what really happens in the end.

We really didn't expect things to blow up over the tainted SoyCaff.

Posted by: Troyminator Mar 28 2011, 04:55 AM

I Love the show Leverage. From the first episode I thought it was Shadowrun, just with a Utopian outlook.

but I'd recommend taking an episode of the Rockford Files

Another show I loved. I rememer (vaguely) watching the originals on TV. (Yes, I'm that old).

Be well!

ps I can't figure out how to use multi-quote

Posted by: CanRay Mar 28 2011, 05:00 AM

Manually, as far as I've been able to figure out.

Posted by: phlapjack77 Mar 28 2011, 05:09 AM

For each post you want to quote, click the "Multiquote" button, then when you're ready to post, click "Add Reply".

Posted by: redwulf25 Mar 28 2011, 05:09 AM

The first episode my reaction was "Oh my god, they just got screwed over by the Johnson!"

Posted by: CanRay Mar 28 2011, 05:11 AM

Mine was, "'Run's over, the Johnson screwed them."

Posted by: redwulf25 Mar 28 2011, 05:11 AM

That explains why I wasn't able to get it to work earlier. Most places I've used it you click multiquote on all but the last one and then hit quote on the final one you want to quote.

Posted by: Method Mar 28 2011, 06:14 AM

Many people seem to be reiterating that improvisation is essential to creating runs. Maybe we should provide some tips to that end. Here are a few off the top of my head:

-- Know he rules. If there are parts of the rules that you struggle with or don't make sense (ahem... Matrix <cough>) use a limited rule set to start and add things in gradually. An easy way to do this is to stick to the BBB until you have a good handle on the system.
-- Use cheat sheets, GM screens or compiled tables to quickly sort out weird situations as they arise.
-- Create databases of contacts, NPCs, mooks, Matrix systems, locations, maps, ect. Go lurk in the Welcome to the Shadows section for ideas.
-- Steal from your players: sometimes the crazy shit they come up with is better than what you had planned. Just go with it. Also, familiarize yourself with their characters. Know what gear they have, what thier capabilities are, their contacts. Sometimes when things are veering off course you can use a PCs to give you direction.
-- Create a mini-sandbox. You can never predict what your players will do, but if you spend some time fleshing out the immediate setting for the adventure (the corp facility, Stuffer Shack, enemy gang hideout, art museum, etc) you will find that the players can do whatever they want and you will have a quick response. This works best if the area is intrinsically contained (underwater habitat) or otherwise limited in scope.

Anybody have other ideas?

Posted by: Abstruse Mar 28 2011, 06:34 AM

I just got into the show, so mine was "THIS IS A DAMN SHADOWRUN GAME!! Make Elliot a troll, Parker and Sophie elves, and find some way to shoehorn Fiona from Burn Notice in there to pink mohawk the place up a bit, and it's every friggin' Shadowrun team I've ever played with!!" My second reaction was similar. I've never seen a show that left me cackling as much as Leverage since Burn Notice. Not surprising, I've never seen a show that reminded me as much of Shadowrun since Burn Notice...

Back on topic...ummm...watch a bunch of Leverage and Burn Notice. If you don't get a dozen ideas after a little weekend-long marathon...well, find someone else to GM the game?

Posted by: phlapjack77 Mar 28 2011, 06:42 AM

Elliot is OBVIOUSLY an orc

Posted by: ggodo Mar 28 2011, 08:21 AM

If all else fails, send them to steal pizzas. I'm currently getting my PCs involved in a shadow war between two pizza corps. cuz I saw someone joke about it here.

Yup, an ork trained by every military in the world, and fought against the rest of them.

Posted by: CanRay Mar 28 2011, 02:45 PM

Red Vs. Blue: The Cola Wars.

Posted by: ggodo Mar 28 2011, 02:49 PM

It's Dominion Pizza versus a decent play off of Pizza Hut that I swear I will think of before the players get there. The important thing is I'm calling this campaign The Dominion War.

Posted by: James McMurray Mar 28 2011, 03:11 PM

Corollary: don't be afraid to not know the rules. Each player should be responsible for knowing, at a bare minimum, the rules for how his character works. So if you don't know offhand what drones use for shooting but want to add some drones in on the fly, ask the group's rigger.



http://www.colugo.org/jmcmurra/generators/index.php?pageId=11&pageType=2



And never, ever throw anything away. Change a guy's armor, gun, and dice pool just a little and suddenly your lone star patrol cop just became a crazed ganger hopped up on kamikaze.



Great advice. Some of our greatest games have come from running with a player's wacky idea.



Read a lot. There are some pretty good GMing blogs and newsletters out there. Though it's unlikely you'll agree with everything they have to say, strip mining them for ideas is kinda why they were written in the first place. http://www.roleplayingtips.com/ and http://thealexandrian.net/ are good places to start.

Posted by: Method Mar 29 2011, 01:18 AM

I was going to plug you myself, but I find posting links to be a pain in the ass on an iPhone.

Posted by: ravensmuse Mar 29 2011, 03:00 AM

Don't be afraid to play exactly to your player's expectations as well.

For instance, one of my players is absolutely convinced that a local fixer is out to get them and is behind every shadow that jumps at them.

Who am I to disagree?

(It's leading to this great running gag where the fixer keeps getting these threatening phone calls from the player to the tune of, "I KNOW WHERE YOU SLEEP!")

Fake edit:

Okay, so now we're talking blogs. Anyone got good, totally devoted to SR blogs out there to recommend? I looked around a few weeks ago but only found half-hearted mentions here and there.

Posted by: Red-ROM Mar 29 2011, 03:01 AM

Here's what you need to know. 3 is average, 6 is awesome, 2 is crap. If you have to make someone or some thing up, thats all you have to know. mook is strong, and he used to box= unarmed attack roll: 8d6 / the node is good, security is high= device rating 3 or 4.
thresholds are a little different, average 2/ extremely hard is 5+. Can your player jump the gate? seems hard, threshod=3

You have to get comfortable with improvising(except on Dumpshock, where you have time to look everything up )

Posted by: Tiralee Mar 29 2011, 12:40 PM

Squee_Nabob - Had to reply:)

I didn't say they team didn't get paid, just that their contact's dead. After all, not many runners would be squeamish about removing a credstick or 5 from their Johnson's cooling body, as long as nothing could be traced back to them.?

I digress.

Paying the players is best if they're the ones footing the bill.

I'll explain: Nothing's as boring as a no-frills payday after a drek-hot run, Johnson betrayal and subsequent WINNING effort by the players.
I did this once with my players and they buried the credsticks in a lead suitcase down by the docks until they could figure out what evil tracer/detonator they were rigged with...After that, it was easier letting them "find" stuff for sale/fast looting. Makes them go out and look for jobs as well, a nice touch.

So, you could have them "shake the hand of the new Johnson while his underling counts off untracable script/credsticks." Or...


Find "an armoured masonite suitcase, tags removed and set to passive" in the smoking ruins of the warehouse where you almost died.

Perception: "You've kicked the Johnson's bullet-ridden corpse over on to his face to piss on his now-ruined 2k suit when you find a strange gleaming pendant now hanging freely. Your mage makes gasping noises as she recognises orichalum..."

Stealthcheck: You've pickpocketed the Johnson's keys & Credstick. "It might be fate, karma, whatever, but as the Johnson goes to his tricked-out Westwind, nothing's as sweet as watching his sudden realisation that his car's security system is still active. Walking over his unconcious and twitching form, you run the number of a local chopshop through your comlink and wonder how long a man with no ride can run in the barrens...

Unusual rewards promote roleplaying, add to the player's etiquette/negotiation skills and create an interactive team dynamic, ie: sell the foci or let the mage pay the difference? Let the face enjoy their new wheels, or refit the rigger and their ammo expenses?
Make the players work for their reward, them let them dispose of their ill-gotten gains, makes them feel all gangster and badass:)

Note: Mature personalities tend to be needed or it's a diceshower-fest as the ADDition to the team is bored and wants their gratification nownownownow.

-Tir

Posted by: Kevin Adams Apr 25 2011, 03:11 PM

LOL....thats a good one. I've been playing with a group of folks for approx 15+ years. One thing that i've noticed is that no matter what we are playing we NEVER retreat. I dont care if its DND, Shadowrun, or whatever, retreat has never seemed like a group option.

Im kind of new to the GMing scene with Shadowrun myself. Though i have books going back to the first edition of SR this is only the second time i've run SR as the DM. Only ever played as a player once.

I've been running my group through the Denver Missions and getting a few ideas of my own ready. If they dont know alot about SR then I think the missions are a great start. I have to second the person that said, never throw anything away. Maps and characters especially. Also being able to roll with whatever direction your players head. Believe me, when they make a departure from your reality, they are going to depart big. If the choices are left, right, up down, forward or back, be prepared for your players to dream up a totally new direction that doesnt even seem physically possibly

K

Posted by: Troyminator Apr 27 2011, 03:06 AM

Thanks for all the advice. Keep it coming!

Posted by: James McMurray Apr 27 2011, 02:29 PM

One thing I've been trying to do more of lately is to have things that aren't part of the run. Typically runs happen once a month, and I've been doing short scenes prior to the run happening that involve the PCs (separately) during downtime. For example the Face's apartment's majordomo (household node) got hacked and a local cyber-vandal ruined her SoyPro lasagna and infected her commlink. She tracked him down and he's now gone on a run with them.

The gun-toting physad in the group stuck a gun in the Johnson's face (when they had a good suspicion that the Johnson was the Assistant Governor of Seattle) and now he's been targetted by a shadowy figure named Puck who people hire to make someone's life hell. For those times when killing's too good for them.

For me at least it's added to the realism of the game and kept it from being a series of unconnected crimes. I also plan on connecting some crimes in the future to things they've done in the past, to see how that plays out.

Posted by: MikeKozar Apr 27 2011, 10:02 PM

As far as coming up with the basic story, I find it useful to start from the party's skillset and work backwards. Imagine that the Johnson is looking through available teams, sees the PCs, and thinks "These guys are perfect for this job!" Then I just have to figure out what that job would be.

My players probably don't realize that's how I build these (paranoia is healthy, after all), but for me it makes a ton of sense. The PCs are far from the only mercs working the Shadows, and there's no reason to hire a bunch of high-class infiltrators and femme fatales to go shoot up a rival street gang, just like you wouldn't bring in the chromed trogs to sneak into a corp exec's cocktail party.

Try and build the scenario so that there are challenges specifically for each team member. If somebody has a melee specialist, then there should be some close-quarters fighting. If somebody is good at bypassing particular types of security, make sure there is a way for them to use that skill. If nobody has conjuring, then sending a Force-6 fire elemental after them is basically "rocks fall, everyone dies", and that's not really fun for anybody.

I always make sure there is at least one good way through the map; an ideal approach that results in a win. The players have pretty much never gone that way, so I have learned to be modular. Rather then spending a lot of time on one guard post, I design a layered security system with light, serious, and heavy responders, and I'm ready to hit them with the response they earned. Point is, don't overcommit to one story line; your players will derail it sooner or later, so work in broad strokes and be ready to use the NPC you have written for the front gate as the Sublevel 8 Front Desk Guard instead.

On the subject of player derailing, take a moment and consider what parts of the story are critical and be prepared to cheat. Anything that isn't entirely critical, let the players go crazy, it will be more fun. Example: I had a fairly epic story prepared where the players went from Island 1, to a pirate Aircraft Carrier, which got shot out from under them with an orbital strike, stranding them on Island 2 sans gear for a quick zombie mission, and then back to Island 1 to finish the mission in the middle of a civil war. The players skipped Island 1, which wrecked my entire plan, and to buy time to finish writing up the carrier I decided to dump them on Island 2 with the zombies. They managed to land the plane and not lose their gear, which meant that zombies would not be an interesting challenge as planned, so I changed it to a Shedim infestation. This scenario was universally despised - it took forever to whittle down the possessed locals, and the players had little personal interest in taking out the Shedim. Basically a catastrophe.

What I learned from that was that it is appropriate for me to enforce the basic parameters of the mission, where doing so makes the game more fun. I also learned to allow for players to do the mission backwards, sideways, and in a clown suit. Big, epic arcs are very hard to pull off when your characters have free will, so I save them for special occasions and make sure I'm ready to cheat outrageously to keep the players in line.

However, when it doesn't involve rewriting the entire campaign, letting the players come up with their own approach is more fun for everybody. The bottom line is this: everybody needs to be having fun, or something needs to change.

Posted by: James McMurray Apr 27 2011, 10:42 PM

I'd even say that it doesn't matter how critical something is to your story. You're telling a cooperative story and not letting the players do what they want changes it from a roleplaying game to a storytelling session where the listeners are allowed to ad-lib some of the parts. It sucks to see a lot of effort go to waste, but it's never truly wasted since stats and locations can easily be recycled later. It does take more familiarity with the players and the system though, so you may want to ask the players to please stick closer to the rails until you're comfortable with the sort of improvisation it takes to go without rails at all.

A campaign with an impenetrable forest keeping you on the trail is much less fun than the exact same campaign where the players have just decided that, for whatever reason, their characters just don't feel like going into that forest today.

Posted by: capt.pantsless Apr 28 2011, 02:03 PM

One simple way is the 'million whys' method.

Start with a 'hook' - something to get the players initially interested - a job offer from a Mr. J is the classic example, but there's tons of others: Maybe they hear about a fellow shadowrunner getting geeked, or a trusted fixer is suddenly unreachable, or something interesting, like a commlink, literally drops at their feet.

Then start asking 'why', creating explanations and backstory for the events in reverse-order until you have enough story-depth to be interesting.

So, starting with that last example, a commlink drops at the PC's feet. Why?
Because the original owner (a young elf woman named Courtney) got shot in the back in front of the PC's. Why?
Because Courtney stole some data from her employer and that employer put a hit on her. Why?
Because Courtney found some REALLY BAD STUFF going on and wanted to publicize it. Why?
Because Courtney is actually a nice person who wants to make the world better (this does actually exist in SR. Sometimes)

This keeps on going - Why did Courtney's employer go so far as to put a hit on her? What data did she get? Who's her employer? Who actually fired the gun? Who owns her employer? Keep asking these sorts of questions, and keep fleshing-out the situation until you've got something good.


FYI: The example I've used above is something I ran for my group. It ended-up taking a full 5 sessions and there's still some loose plot-points that I can use in other sessions.

Posted by: James McMurray Apr 29 2011, 12:49 AM

To further expand on the five room/scene model, I tend to use http://shadowrun.colugo.org/adventures/template/template_five_room.htm for short runs and rearrange the pieces some. The template itself explains each piece and gives examples, but a uick rundown is:

Scene -1: What has gone before. Here I describe why the run is happening, preferably without a lot of stuff that the PCs can't possibly learn.

Scene 0: The meet. Where it is, who its with, and what info is provided. I put the legwork charts here, since that's usually where our group goes next.

Scene 1: The first defense. This is why the Johnson has to hire people to get what he wants instead of just taking it himself.

Scene 2: Puzzle or roleplay. A problem the PCs have to solve or talk their way past.

Scene 3: Combat. No big scary bosses or anything, but some grunts to let the blood fly.

Scene 4: The climax. This could be the actual heist, a boss fight, or whatever it is that the prior scenes have been leading up to.

Scene 5: The twist. They say "the run isn't over until the Johnson screws you," but this could be something else entirely. Even just "The Johnson pays you and thanks you for your time."

Except for -1 and 0 the scenes can be rearranged however you want. Maybe a twist comes in the middle or the roleplay has to happen before they even learn that the puzzle exists. Even scene 0 doesn't have to happen, if the PCs have started their own run or their past actions already set things in motion.

Posted by: longbowrocks Apr 29 2011, 01:25 AM

In answer to your question:
Experienced GM's do it with their dice in the box.