I got a character I am working on (600 bp redo of my current tm) and one of the things I am sticking to is nothing she can't carry with her.

Doesn't need much, but follows the rules of the one guy from Heat "be ready to walk away from it"

But with her it's more she's never had anything, and really doesn't worry about things that don't matter for survial right now (long story, but short version is most of her life in a lab with no personal ownership of anything... so never really developed the connection to material goods most have)

So your question is how many people follow this "rule"?

I don't think I've ever seen a character at my table that would qualify.

It seems to me like it would be difficult to spend 600 BP and not buy some gear or equipment she can't carry...

The rule from Heat wasn't to only "own what you can carry". Several members of that crew there owned homes, large assets, etc.

The rule was never to get so attached to anything, that you couldn't walk away from it.




-karma

You'll be surprised.

5000 nuyen on gear

Most items are small and survial oriented (backpack, flashlight, lined coat, light pistol, walkign staff, medkit, etc) with a commlink (cheap one but still a good chunk of that 5k)

That's amazing. I guess she can make her own fake SINs or something?

I always allocate 2 BP for 2x fake SIN (rating 4) + 2 or 4 fake licenses (also rating 4).

Don't always need a fake SIN, if you have Sinner or stick to the barrens. (which she is doing at squatter lifestyle and does have Sinner)

Fake SINs take no space at all so uh? I understand you're disputing the 5k spent on gear but it still doesn't defeat his "carry everything I own" build.

It's easily doable since most things players buy, they bring with them on runs. But the things you're ignoring are all the fun fluff things like your lifestyle, workshops, vehicles, etc. I can see the appeal of the wandering drifter though, the roaming gunslinger or ronin who shambles into town and joins a shadowrunner team. But I'd still like a place to call my own (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

In her case it's a coffin hotel cell each night, but her aim is going to be spoofing up to a motel. Part of it is the cash for karma rules (TMs are karma sinks) and her prefering the digital to the physical world.

But the main thing is when you break ti all down, most characters only need a few items.. nothing fancy early on and maybe a few items later on (that can easily fit in a pack or locker)

If you want to play this type of character, sure. My players don't happen to enjoy playing homeless wanderers. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Reminds me of the conversation from Pulp Fiction, heh.

Vincent: What'cha mean, "walk the earth"?
Jules: You know, like Caine in Kung Fu, walk from place to place, meet people, get into adventures.
Vincent: And how long do you intend to walk the earth?
Jules: Until God puts me where he wants me to be.
Vincent: And what if he don't do that?
Jules: If it takes forever, then I'll walk forever.
Vincent: So you decided to be a bum?

I'm actually playing a TM right now that can carry (most) everything she owns, not counting her lifestyle stuff. I think her equipment list contains... maybe a dozen items. Shes actually one item away from being able to carry everything she owns without pockets or a bag.

I had a character that started out like that. At the end she had a semi with the maintenance facility for the team tbird that she kept parked in the abandoned geothermal plant on the lava plain....

I find most of this sort of thought a bit boorish because it lacks the weaknesses humans can't seem to get away from. It makes for dull characters who's only claim to fame is being able to tell the DM: "you can't hurt me indirectly and since I'm so (most likely but not always)min/maxed you can't hurt me directly either so I win SR!". Mostly it seems a bit pointless. If its a game that only involves the tactics of running and no intrigue or background RP then why bother having a description of where the runners stay when not at a run. If its a game that does involve background and such then yer not even playing half the game. Or if you are then its probably as a couchsurfer staying at one of the other player's high lifestyle pads.

Heheheh... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smokin.gif)
Isn't that always the case?

Wow. You assume alot.

My TM is actually fairly easy to hurt by shooting her (4 armor, 2 body, a defense DP of something like 6) or punching her (0 armor, 2 body, a defense DP of something like 6-(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif) . She doesn't stay closeted in her medium lifestyle apartment, and has a love interest that could easily be used to hurt her as she isn't particular secretive about it. So yeah, just because she doesn't own a ton of stuff (and takes even less with her on missions) doesn't mean shes some min/maxed storyless character.

Lets break down the character for ya:
1 - born to an unwed mother that died in childbirth so straight to Orphanage (no father on record)
2 - demonstrated TM ability early on, was sold by headmaster to a lab
3 - spent most of her life so far in said lab

Character has skills in two areas : matrix, interaction (face). Matrix was a given, face is from her training to interact with others while in the lab. Her knowledge skills also reflect a sheltered existance.

She has never had much of anything of her own, so never developed a need or desire to own a lot of things (unlike many that have a desire to own everything)

Each bit of gear has a logical use for her, she sees no need for fluff bits (except to blend in in regards to things like VR games and ARE software on her commlink, which is camoflauge for her TM ability)

Yes it means the GM can't hurt her economically like say a rigger losing all his toys, but that doesn't mean she isn't going to have other ways to be hurt. She just lives simply with as low of a profile as she can, but the money she makes is going to go towards things she feels deserve it (she has a strong rooting for the underdog mentality...and truely likes others regardless of what she has been through. She forgives but does not forget)

If a GM has to have a way to take away toys or otherwise harm the character, bye bye GM

It's not all about how can I screw up the character's lives, and thus no need for them all to be toy lovers with a horde of friends and family that can be taken away or abused just to screw with them.

I like the idea but there would be consequence. As far as carring multi-sins there would be questions should you get arrested "obviously" and your more than likely to get mugged at least once. Just my 2 cents.

My spirit/critter hunter mstic adept can carry everythink she owns, as long as she's allowed to drive her motorcycle instead of trying to carry it on her back (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)
Her lifestyle will most likely be a custom one stailored to represend staying at hotels, instead of a pemanent home.

Nothing wrong with that at all... I have actually used this option a time or two myself. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smokin.gif)

We had a rigger who lived out of a converted camper but that's the closest we've come

I like a mix. There's a layer of stuff that my characters tend to be able to drop and run from if necessary, but at their core they like to also have something tangible that they'll be less inclined to just abandon.

We have several "I can carry what I need" characters, but none of the "only own what they carry" variant.

What about "Live from the Land - only use gear taken from your opposition"? If the whole group did it you could play a "Grand Theft" campaign.

Used to have a broke-down soldier turned urban super-predator style character who lived on the streets and carried everything he owned. He was the kind of guy who would case out a joint by hanging around and waiting for someone to mug.

Maybe it was our GMs, but we never got through a campaign without the runner's Lifestyle being violated in one way or another. So, we all got used to being as mobile as possible.

Only owning what you can carry shows a lack of foresight.

You should ideally have at least a half dozen alternate identities each with their own fallback safehouses, resource drops, and intellegence networks. All isolated and compartmentalized from each other. That way you can drop everything in your current persona at a moment's notice - you do it because you've planned for it, not because you're just reacting to events.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Besides, one of my characters is 15 inches tall with a Strength of 1. Just one box of her vintage comic book collection weighs more than she does. She can't leave that behind!

The other character is, of course, Batman.



-karma