Hello. I'm about to start running a game and I've talked a player into maybe taking a free sprite as a contact. However after suggesting it I realize I had no idea what the connection rate would be for a free sprite. After discussing with my player the idea came up about a free spirit as well but I had the same problem. Can someone please give me some advice on how to deal with this.

that depends a great deal on the sprite/spirit in question (for example, buttercup is higher connection rating than a regular free spirit of the same force, which is higher connection rating than a freshly-created force 1 free spirit). there are guidelines for what connection rating means in the main rule book... use those.

it's much like trying to decide the connection rating of a shadowrunner; there really isn't any specific value you can assign.

I am using the guidelines in the main book. In my opinion the connecting rating of a shadowrunner would be a 2, much like a gang member or mob soldier, with the exception being the party face which I can see as a 3. My issue is that I see (which may be wrong) free sprite/spirits as potential powerful solitary allies. I don't see them acting in organizations that much but then again my knowledge of the setting is limited. I am an experience shadowrun player but I've never ran one before and what I know of the setting is bits and pieces I pick up from playing. My group until recently completely ignored matrix stuff so I have a lot to learn.

As a solitary NPC, a 1 is appropriate, however if the free spirit/sprite is a socialite, then a higher value is in order. It really will depend on the personality of the spirit/sprite (just like any other NPC).

-D

again, it all depends on the spirit. buttercup is on the board of directors of a megacorporation. obviously, most free spirits are not.

so, first things first, figure out what kind of spirit you're dealing with... even non-social spirits might have access to powerful magicians that have made a pact with it. a free sprite could have some sort of deal worked out with a technomancer submersion group, or might have hacked access to a lot of places, control a lot of drones, or simply have access to a lot of resources. spirit and sprite powers can allow them to have access to special information, get you places you couldn't normally go (like getting your whole runner team into the metaplanes... do that once or twice for some people, and suddenly some fairly impressive folks owe you a favour). not to mention that at least for free spirits, they could be very old, and could have been bulding a network of minions, allies and friends since the very moment magic came back big time.

and even a young spirit or sprite can do quite a bit.