I'm looking for any info there might be about Miracle Shooter. Two of the players in the group have decided they want to be the best there is at it, and I'm curious what that would entail.

The info in the books consists of a couple of brief mentions with no real mechanical detail.

In other words, really nothing. It's background fluff.

If it was to appear anywhere, it should have been in Attitude, but nope.




-k

It's an FPS you play IRL. Does any more need to be said?

OK, fine: Laser Tag you play with invisible lasers against random people in the street.

Yes, they look like dorks. But they're having fun while doing it!

Don't forget the people playing it look like totally geared out whatevers to each other. Make them scared (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I would say it is mostly there to try and bring a bit of the wageslave side of the SR world into the runners point of view.

In addition, Ares puts it out. It's a good way to train their citizens in "Shoot/No Shoot" situations and urban combat in case they ever need to draft up a military fast, and make money while doing it. Take some basic AR software designed for their security/military forces, put in civilian lockouts, remove some of the more offensive code, and call it a day. Cheap, clean, effective, and marketable.

Also, I bet it wouldn't take much to drop some Psycotropic IC into someone's chip and have a completely deniable assassin handy. All trained up and completely explainable, especially after the Technomancer/AI Scare that gives them a perfect scapegoat to pin the "Digital Assault on the Assassin" on.

Heh, a AR version of Americas army?

In addition to the actual game play mechanics, remember that the denizens of persistent online (in this case AR) universes tend to organize into guilds/clans. Your knowledge skills should probably reflect your deep knowledge of gearing, spec and tactics associated with the game. Miracle shooter may have AR rewards that are of use in game or just for show, but I would assume that there is the ability to augment/modify you avatar in some way or it wouldn't have the elements in place to keep people playing/addicted (random but regular reward/reinforcement...like gambling). You also may want to have a working understanding of stats/math. In addition, if you're one of the better players in the world, you're probably a guild/clan leader or officer which entails all sorts of time consuming interactions with other people (training, recruiting and what have you.) It wouldn't be unreasonable to take the 10/15 point day job quality (with or without any income) or a mid to high media junkie quality to reflect the time needed to game at the highest level. On the plus side, you probably have dozens of contacts that, while they wouldn't take a bullet for you, might let you crash at their place or provide information. At the top level you'd most likely be able to reap some benefits, such as sponsorships, invites to tournaments, etc. but that could also warrant the distinctive style quality. All of this I know from personal experience as I was an officer in a top 250 world of warcraft guild for five years.

Sounds like Dependent, Day job and indeed Distinctive style.

It kinda sounds like the most boring game, too. We have VR! Play something fun, instead of the 2070 version of Wii Sports.

Expect lots of Tacticool gear.





-k

TactiCool, Custom Avatars... Probably shop at Weapon's World to get "Ares-Line Civilian Commando" outfits in order to look cool when not in AR.

You know: Douche bags. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Why try to hack the server when you can just hack the other team, upload fakeMSicons.exe and give them more things to shoot at than they can handle, then take them out while they're overwhelmed. Expect the best players to partially be that way because they've got the best firewalls and IC.

I'm also picturing some of the richer players rigging walker drones. Matrix speeds let you keep up with or even bypass the razorguys and adepts.

Not to mention all the bundling that must occur...

"Get a random unique weapon upgrade with your purchase of any Ares-Line Civilian Commando clothing item or accessory!"

"Earn double points all this week at Pike Place market!"

"Eat at Stuffershack today and get 5 extra lives!"

"Buy NERPS, get grenades!"

Plus the mandatory in game advertising, such as AR pieces of cover plastered with ads, respawn points being set to places to eat/buy, and branding all over your AR avatar...

"All I got for getting to Level 30 was this lousy T-Shirt and a First-Generation Ares Predator!"

Hey now, that gun is a collectors item!

Well, then you should be able to sell it for a hefty sum on squeeBay... And earn a new custom skin for your primary weapon!

Also, don't forget Wednesday is free trial day down at the Pike Street Metro Station!

Makes one wonder what the outcome would be of a truly armed society (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif)

Ask the Swedish or Swiss.

I thought the canadians were pretty loaded up too, or don't?

Not so much. Despite the persistent (usually unsourced) quote about Canadians having more guns per capita than Americans, it doesn't really contribute to a citizenry that's very "loaded up". The only people I can think of that I know on a personal basis that have guns, out of a group of hundreds, are an uncle and a cousin...both of whom are police officers. And only have their service firearms, not collections in addition to them.

Obviously, there are plenty of Canadians that have guns, but the overwhelming number tend to be rural, the guns tend to be long-arms, and they don't tend to go about with them in public in any capacity (thus, the odds of someone you piss off in traffic pulling a handgun from their glovebox tends to be a bit less likely). There are outliers that break those trends, but they tend to be rather rare due to gun-control laws in this country, even setting aside the long-arm registry.

The Swiss tend to keep their rifles at home under lock and key, so while they are, in theory, armed, it's rather unlikely for many Swiss people on the street to suddenly whip out "their piece".

Now, an Ares citizen? Somehow, they do seem very likely to be armed as often as possible and with a handgun they keep in the built-in concealed holster that's part of their suit. That's just part of being a responsible citizen, never know when a corporate spy or bug or commie might pop out of the woodwork in a board meeting.

Reminds me a friend who keeps a round chambered in his pistol beneath his pillow while he sleeps.

Don't. I. Wish.

The Swiss and Swedish folk have this thing where every male of able body and mind is either in the active military or on reserve (Not sure if they got women in that yet or not. I'm going off of old info of a Swedish family friend that kept his citizenship and went back to serve his military time.). They are required, by law, to keep their military weapon available as well as a cache of ammo, and to practice with it. So every household, practically, has a military rifle or SMG in the dwelling, BY LAW!

Needless to say, their home invasion rates are fairly low.

In Canada, as stated above, firearms ownership is mostly rural, and almost completely longarm, typically bolt-action. The "Firearms Registry", however, is seen by a lot of Rural Canadians as the first step towards the draconian Firearms Laws now passed in England and Australia, luckily, in typical Canadian fashion, it's a total and complete frag up. (These are the same families that kept the "Dry Years Of Prohibition" in North America as wet as possible. I'll let you do the math.).

While most Corporate Citizens are probably content with their security forces protecting them from the evils of the world (Terrorists, Shadowrunners, Other Corporations), I do bet that Ares citizens are fully happy with a Soyturkey in every fridge and a pistol to go with every outfit.

"Honey, does my pistol make my hoop look big in this dress?"

I used to do that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Well, for me, not under my pillow, but next to my bed where I could get at it easy. Under the pillow is asking for an accident.

But then I moved to NY.

Getting gun licenses in NY is a horrific nightmare. So I sold them off before I moved from Texas.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)



-k