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Posted by: Gerzel Jul 6 2011, 11:38 PM

Ok. I as a GM are in the planning stages working out the next run my Players will go on.

WHO: Large group of six PCs plus one GMPC mage. 450 BP, low karma. The mage is the only awakened character in the group.

WHAT: The idea for the run is that the Johnson asks the PCs to disrupt the operations of a security corp as a cover for a jail break run he is planning to bust out someone important in a relatively short time frame. I'm setting the pay for the run at 200k nuyen (total for the group).

WHERE: Denver, UCAS sector, in a facility near the Aurora Warrens. The PC's job is to pull Wolverine Assets away from the facility. The facility houses a jail, but isn't meant for long term incarceration. The break target is just there until they are transferred onward through the system. The place houses a crowd and riot response unit, a SWAT unit, and some other heavy units (not fully decided) and is one of Wolverine's staging grounds for the area.

WHEN: I'm planning on giving the PCs less than a week of prep time. I want to give them some prep but not too much.

WHY: Longer term plans are percolating, but some of my players read this board.

HOW: Is what I'm asking you!

I am looking through the source material now and am making plans but I also am interested in what people might think on what could be done to pull Wolverine security from one of their staging areas and how Wolverine might respond to various threats both real and perceived.

Also any relevant info and listings from the books would be helpful. Read through their section in VICE and SPY Games.

Posted by: Mayhem_2006 Jul 7 2011, 05:50 AM

Bomb threats are always good for sucking up manpower.

Plant 5 bombs.

After the first goes up, call the security corp and tell them you planted 10, and give them a list of buildings.

Make sure the real bombs are in the buildings they will get to soonest.

For the fake bombs, choose targets that have lots of civilians as crowd control will also eat up manpower.

Having a couple of remote-controlled sniper rifles covering the doors to said buildings from the roof opposite will also slow things down. You don't even have to hit anybody...

Ditto ambushing the bomb squad vehicles with spike-strips, just to slow them down.

Posted by: CanRay Jul 7 2011, 05:54 AM

They don't even need to be bombs. Marzipan and kittens work just as well.

Posted by: Mayhem_2006 Jul 7 2011, 05:57 AM

You want them to find something for the first four, so that they believe in the other 6

Posted by: CanRay Jul 7 2011, 06:01 AM

True, but don't forget that a bunch of lite-brites shut down a major city without even trying.

Posted by: LurkerOutThere Jul 7 2011, 07:14 AM

I actually presume SR cops are a little smarter then the ones in that episode, or at least more jaded and have access to better drones.

Posted by: CanRay Jul 7 2011, 07:24 AM

Smarter? They're less trained or supported than RL cops are, seeing as they're running under an even tighter budget. Drones will help them a bit, especially with demo-sniffers, but that's easy to work around as well.

Fertilizer has Nitrates after all.

Posted by: LurkerOutThere Jul 7 2011, 07:52 AM

Honestly most of a city's bombsquad could be replaced with one mage with the ability to summon spirits of man and the "detect bomb" spell, and a drone rigger to do followup.

Posted by: TheOOB Jul 7 2011, 08:58 AM

Shadowrunners generally don't want to get on the polices most wanted list. Fake bomb threats are fine if you don't do it too often, real ones and you get an FBI task force dedicated to capturing this new terrorist group.

Posted by: LurkerOutThere Jul 7 2011, 09:42 AM

One of the best ways might be making contact with some of the locals. Paying a gang to cause a disturbance or rash of muggings at a local mall is helpfull, at the same time pay a local polliclub of choice to hold a rally or demonstration (or just underwrite the costs of same) doing both and diverts police and is less alert causing then bomb threats. Bomb threats might get outside forces called in, (un)happy coincidences don't.

As a GM you might prepare a brief overview of some groups (and profiles on their NPC) leaders that the runners might talk to an enlist. SOme might do such a service just for cold hard cash which cuts into the runners bottom line but may be a really good solution for them. Others might require a favor for a favor payment.

Posted by: Ascalaphus Jul 7 2011, 09:49 AM

I'd leave it to the PCs to come up with the actual plan. It's fun for the players to use their creativity. Just give them the objective (draw attention), timeframe and available resources, and let them figure it out.

What the players are going to need is intel on the responsibilities of Wolverine. What kind of issues are they (contractually) bound to react to/investigate? What are their typical responses? The PCs don't want to draw too little attention (mission fails), or too much (drawing Federal/Ghostwalker backup responses).

This they can find out through legwork; give the PCs the basic means, let them come up with a plan, and sit back and enjoy the fireworks

Posted by: suoq Jul 7 2011, 09:54 AM

Too many units to take out at once.
No problem with the wild goose chases and diversions (above).
Taking out the motor pool and armory, preferably with something that will keep them busy for awhile seems reasonable.
On the face side, I love a good inspection.
On the hacking side set off the alarms for the jail, repeatedly, until the jail has cried wolf too many times.
On the stealth/hacking side, go in disguised as their own, shoot up the place, get out, and have the hackers screw with the tacnets until friendly fire has done the job.
Take out central dispatch.
Do an ineffective job, let the other team do the jailbreak, and while they're getting pounded by SWAT, etc., hit the armory for all the gear that the teams off rotation have stored there. Alas, I can see my team gravitating towards that solution....
Attack the jail first and tell the real team to come in as medics.
How many HERF guns are they willing to supply? I'm picturing the Three Amigos scene where everyone is dressed up as an Amigo except they all have HERF guns, which probably means I'm capable of going back to sleep.

Posted by: CanRay Jul 7 2011, 04:46 PM

Real bombs make the cops look like heroes.

Fake bombs, well, remember how bad Boston looked after they freaked out over a bunch of lite-brites.

Posted by: Rubic Jul 7 2011, 07:32 PM

Controlling dispatch would be convenient at first, but if you don't take out all of the units (including the "retired" runners that may or may not be associated/contracted) then you'll be stuck in a standoff with an enemy who knows the building better than you. Magical resources should be easy to run thin, as they're supposed to be very rare in the SR world. A GM who makes mages a dime a dozen should only do so to mirror the players, but you have the opportunity to reuse NPC mages who work as contractors for these security firms, and just happen to show up wherever the players are by coincidence (and if they survive, learn how to better deal with their opponents).

Depending on how NOT-upstanding the police force is, sufficient money might be enough to drain their manpower for a frivolous night of hookers and ice cream (because you LOVE the work they do for the community)!

Posted by: CanRay Jul 8 2011, 01:15 AM

...

I want hookers and ice cream... *Pouts*

Posted by: Faelan Jul 8 2011, 01:15 AM

Have a talk with the Warden after you have kidnapped his wife and kids. Send him little reminders about why he wants to simply release prisoner X. Give him his loved ones and a little bonus for being so cooperative. Not being cooperative? Frame him for some family, errrmmm crimes, yea that's it. Kidnap the Warden have your Face replace him.

Posted by: LurkerOutThere Jul 8 2011, 01:43 AM

I think people are failing their reading comprehension.

Posted by: CanRay Jul 8 2011, 01:46 AM

I never learned how to read.

Posted by: LurkerOutThere Jul 8 2011, 02:04 AM

It's overrated what I meant is the runners job isn't to get the guy out it's to run interference for the team whose it is. As such any plan that potentially draws attention to the building is very very bad.

Posted by: suoq Jul 8 2011, 02:58 AM

Wait. The OP wanted GOOD plans? I wish I had known that BEFORE I posted.

Posted by: Gerzel Jul 8 2011, 04:52 AM

Oh I just want to try and figure out what my players might decide to do with the scenario and different ways I could suggest or push them.

Also looking for any pertinent information on Wolverine.

Posted by: Mayhem_2006 Jul 8 2011, 05:26 AM

Well, I wasn't suggesting they sign them or anything...

Posted by: Dahrken Jul 8 2011, 06:10 AM

If the "staging ground" function include food service, they may consider creating some kind of food poisoning or flu or something epidemic. Nothing lethal, but every rent-a-cop taking a few days off to recover is one less they have to draw away.

Posted by: TheOOB Jul 8 2011, 08:11 AM

If you have the time, one tactic that works is to trigger false positives in their alarm system over a period of time, shoot out cameras, send bogus emails, make fake police calls. First that lets you know how they respond to such times, and it also desensitizes them to an alarm. This only works if you have a week or two to go, and only if it's not super-max security.

Posted by: hobgoblin Jul 8 2011, 09:16 AM

That assumes that they have enough mages on staff that they can divert one from dealing with magical issues.