I've had this idea scratching at the back of my skull for awhile and its mostly been inspired by movies like Watchmen, Kick-Ass, The Punisher, and even Batman. What do these all have in common? Vigilantes without superpowers. The idea has even been poked at, if I recall correctly, in the old Cybertechnology sourcebook for 2e (some guy posting with the username Kent who was talking about how wired reflexes, hydraulic jacks, and muscle replacement made him "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound"). So why shouldn't some people be trying to be superheroes? Hell, the corps could even market cybersuites that gave you themed 'superpowers'. Its not like being a vigilante is any more dangerous than being a shadowrunner (and ironically involves many of the same skills).

Has anybody else played with this idea? If so, to what end?

I'm sure there are a few, but let's face it - anyone out to enforce Truth, Justice, and the UCASian way is going to quickly be snapped up for a reality show by the corps or gunned down in the street. You might find a few local vigilantes, but they too would be offed by the local security corp for making them look bad.

Just make a Shadowrunner with the Global Fame quality. Hey presto! Instant superhero! At that level, your people (to quote someone else, I forget who) spin your atrocities into good press, because there is no way in hell you're an effective runner. Those 50 kids you raped and murdered? Terrorist (technomancer, pre-emergence, possibly deep green group instead) sympathisers. That old folks home you shot up and detonated a canister of Warp in? Manufacturing rugs with slave labour (the elderly, who for unspecified reasons deserved to die) and taking away money from good, honest, hardworking drones (The newest Renraku model).

There totally are those. For example Mages/Mystic Adepts/ Adepts following a weird totem or way (I myself have played a character -now a NPC in my campaign- who follows a "Revenge" Kami. Runs around trying to make the world better by punishing the wicked and hold the "monsters" off)

I believe there would be many "Punisher" types. (Or Big Daddy, if you prefer). Trying to take organized crime down, out of revenge - or boredom, or psychological problems.

Hell, i could even think about a "real cosmic power" character. Say a great dragon, or a free spirit to see itself as a superhero.

But overall this isn't the "tone" of the game. "Superheroes" have the tendency to die a horrible and messy death and should be seen either as harmless romantics or mentally ill.

"Hooding" is alive and well in each edition of Shadowrun, it's just that almost nobody gives a shit about Clark Kent because by 2070 the character is 132 years old. Plus, if you want to feel like an invincible bad ass you can seriously just pop in a tailored hot-sim BTL and get your adrenaline rush that way without cramming a quarter million nuyen worth of metal into your frame. There's tons of people aspiring to be local legends, it's just that they're usually gangers and their heroes don't look like our heroes.

The Superman example was just that, an example. But I'd be willing to bet that the superhero tradition lived through the awakening, providing a whole new slew of superheroes. Writers just have to get a bit more creative with their characters.



The idea behind a vigilante, though, is that he's not just doing it for an adrenaline rush, but for justice or revenge or some such.

There was a shadowrun supplemental about this...

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=ca...98nlbrv1i6oaVqA

Considering the origin of Cyberpunk (And thus Shadowrun)... This seems pertinent.

Totally agree, it doesn't really fit the usual tone, but there's nothing that says you can't go with a different game tone.

Hell, as a plot hook, someone trying to be a superhero is a pretty decent one.

Mr. Johnson wants to become a superhero and needs some help from the PCs
-or-
A superhero is causing problems and someone hires the PC's to 'take care of the problem'. An interesting moral choice presents itself, off the naive super-person, or let them go and loose the cash.

There's a bunch of ways to spin the superhero idea into a gaming session, if not a whole theme of a campaign.

Right, but most people handle these urges by fantasizing about revenge/justice or at the extreme end they rough up or kill the most obvious offenders with little ceremony. Joining the Crimson Crush and breaking the legs of anyone who hassles your neighbors is one thing but actually getting a costume and making the shtick your identity, well, now we're often getting into big ol' self-destructive ego territory. Mind you, I do think really driven people exist in the Sixth World, I just tend to think they identify as hard line neo-anarchists, eco-radicals or whatever. Ideologues, in other words, not superheroes. The typical hooding runner probably just think of themselves as well, a runner.

My group at one point actually played a "heroes" type game in the SR universe. Was actually rather fun. We didn't get a real chance to delve far into it before we lost the chance to play it. Hopefully we'll get back to it.

In a world that's so gritty, the chance for heroes becomes even greater. Always fun to just give them some anonymous backer who will keep them supplied and reasonably hidden.

Someone dressing up in blue spandex and a cape and calling themselves the Cobalt Cougar is probably going to die horribly in a spray of automatic weapon fire in Shadowrun. Yes, gear or awakened powers can do some amazing things, but its still a fairly deadly world. Brains, planning, and teamwork count as much as anything, and someone who leads with his chin as a costumed super is likely going to get dead, fast.

Having said that, not everyone is a stone cold bastard just out for themselves. As Whipstich mentioned, Hooding is alive and well, and some runner teams may do charity work on the side. Also, there are "neighborhood watch" groups in some poorer but still not totally feral areas. I think the old cyberpunk 2020 game used the term "guardian gang" for such groups. Also, while some less noble gangs are simply in it for the money, they may have come to the business decision that they actually need to provide services for all those "security" payments they take. Keeping the other criminals out of the neighborhood keeps them in power, keeps income sources from things like vice and gambling coming in, and makes sure no one gets a crazy idea like trying to get Knight Errant involved. Unless gangers are complete crazies like the Halloweeners or some such, they are probably quite protective of the areas that they live in. Its good for business, provides a veneer of civic responsibility, and some groups probably do genuinely care about their "home" neighborhood.

In such groups exceptional individual will emerge and come to leadership positions. The retired military grunt with his share of cyberware who trains the local neighborhood watch and leads their patrols, the near unkillable troll who hangs out down at the Bar and Grill and keeps the riff-raff away, the semi-retired runner who does free medical clinics for the neighborhood kids and makes sure that if anyone messes with them guy just goes missing one night, those are the superheroes of the Shadowrun world.

Some of the problem is, barring a dying alien leaving them a peace of supremely powerful otherwordly tech any "superheroes" who gain their power through mundane means are going to be going up against similarly powerful opposition, but a lot more of it. Afterall, crime does pay. That's not to say you couldn't make some sort of a career out of it, hell it's practicly the premise of the Wolf and Raven novel(s).

On the other hand if you have the firepower and the standing for hooding it is very satisfying to come home from a hard days running and firebomb and beat the krill out of the spikes gangers who've moved in down the street from you and won't stop hassling the neighbor kids to run novacoke for them.

Shadowrunners already have the equivalent of superpowers, with augmentations and magic making them more than human. But they would be more in the X-men or Punisher modes - either people who try to do some good in a world that hates and fears them, or ideologically-driven vigilantes.

The key is that they can only strike with impunity if they retain the ability to fade back into the shadows afterwards. This is not dissimilar to how superheroes have secret identities - the difference is that shadowrunners don't draw attention to themselves when they are "righting wrongs", either. Usually. They might make a show of force to demonstrate their resolve to an encroaching gang, or blow up the warehouse where Ares is testing their new neurotoxins.

But they know that the mainstream media and the wheels of justice have both been subverted by the powers that be. If they make a public spectacle of themselves, they know they will, in the end, either be subverted or destroyed. That's the big difference between superheroes, and shadowrunners who have some ideals. In Shadowrun, the bad guys are not posturing twits in spandex with elaborate plots to rule the world. They are the power players who already rule the world. The only way to fight the good fight... is from the shadows.

Batman. Can be done.
Ironman. Can be done.
Cyborg. Can be done.
Wolverine. Can be done.
Punisher. Can be done.
Ghostrider. Can be done.
Hulk. Can be done. Kinda.
There is LITTLE that can't be done in the SR-System . .
And less that HASN'T been done yet . .

Just got to remember that there are thousands of Lex Luthers out there now. A lot of cash thrown around to keep things the way they like it.

There are Millions of Jokers . . And Bane. And Red Mask.

Here, why don't I just provide a link to The Good Fight directly from the source, since I wrote the thing?

Thanks for thinking of it, though.

Ran a campaign for some time in SR3 with this theme. Of course, I don't like game worlds without any hope; there's no shadows without some light. I prefer to play in the light. Someone else already linked to my TSS article, so that's out there.

Looking back, I don't think I went anywhere near far enough with that article, and might revisit it one of these days if my frustration with the game doesn't make me walk away. Again.

Nice O.o

Okay, I think I'm starting to figure this multi-quote thing out. Some sort of visual cue that it's working would be great, but that's a separate issue.


There are places where the corps don't go. Someone, anyone, willing to keep the gangs at bay in their neighborhood wouldn't have such a tough time of it. Trying to do the Batman thing in downtown Seattle? Not a good idea; KE has more toys than you do, in all likelihood, and it will end much as you describe, I'm sure.

In Puyallup? That's a different kettle of fish entirely.

You clearly don't get it. This is talking about superheroes, not shadowrunners. Global fame and spin doesn't change an atrocity.

The notion here is for someone to be doing something positive instead of negative, not for fame, not for glory, but because it needs to be done.


Then it's my contention you're not doing something right. Yeah, a lot of folks in SR who would take on the role of vigilante (with or without costume, and as Frank Miller said once, there ain't a lot of difference between a trenchcoat and a cape) might have some mental issues, I dare you to show me someone in the game world that doesn't.


Not all of them do it for the adrenaline, but some of them do.


Don't know about the change for them being greater, but the need for them sure as hell is.

I can't tell, Stahlseele: Are you being sarcastic? (Real question; it's been one of those days.)

Me? Nooo . . never . .
Not about something like this . .

yes, i like being an ass and staying cryptic like this.
no, i am not being sarcastic about free stuff for us.

I can't believe nobody's mentioned LA (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

My group did have to rescue Adam West-Batman from San Diego ComiCon once...

Well, I'm glad you like it.

Having said somewhere that I might revisit this...is there an actual interest in such a thing?