Plot Arcs that Time Forgot, Stuff that's never been resolved. Options

[Adarael]

So I just started a brand-new game, with two players that are old hands at Shadowrun, one player that played some 2nd edition games in the 90s and then played in my last (Ghost Cartels + Other Stuff) game, and the last player has never played a tabletop game in her life, but is a huge nerd. I'm thinking that I'd like to cover a lot of ground I haven't really tread before, and dig up a lot of stuff that'd be great easter eggs for old players and "ooh, ahh, shiny!" for the less-familiar two. There's a lot of awesome stuff in Shadowrun that I recall being perpetually set in the "plot hook that's been in limbo forever" category - stuff that was never explained or whatnot. For instance, in the Tir Tairngire book, there was all that talk about how the Tir military closed off Crater Lake and people reported seeing floating cubes over it, but... that plot hook never went anywhere. Or perhaps more accurately, it was never explained.

So I was wondering what kinds of things people can think of that were cool plot hooks that were just 'left hanging', so to speak. I'm discounting stuff in Portfolio of a Dragon, due to AH's collation of all that data.

[ggodo]

My campaign involves the fact that SK has been building their Seattle Headquarters for a bajillion years and it's still just a hole in the ground. Well, at least it is to my knowledge still unbuilt.

[Vegetaman]

There are enough plot hooks of random trails from Dunkelzahn's Will that were never ever resolved that make coming up with games amazingly simple. Looking at you, Mr. Lars J. Matthews.

[ravensmuse]

I'm actually ignoring the re-negotiating of Denver (and all of the current crap coming out of CGL) and having my group help Ghostwalker establish himself. They're having a pretty good time of it.

[CanRay]

There are enough plot hooks of random trails from Dunkelzahn's Will that were never ever resolved that make coming up with games amazingly simple. Looking at you, Mr. Lars J. Matthews.

The first "official" game I ran involved Jiffy Pop. I still have the prop from that game.

[ggodo]

The first "official" game I ran involved Jiffy Pop. I still have the prop from that game.

Can I ask what in the heck that is?

[Kyoto Kid]

...for me it was the sweeping under the rug of Pendragon/LPO/People's Party plotline in the UK (SoE) when the timeline was advanced to 2070. True, this was a latecomer as SR plotlines go but it had a lot of potential for intrigue, particularly as running in the UK and London faces unique challenges due to the law of the land regarding the use of both weapons and magic, as well as the overly bureaucratic UK Matrix.

Coinciding with the the Pendragon was the appearance of the mysterious isle of Lyonesse in the Channel and a new major Ley line. This also shaped up to be a very interesting hook but again with the advancement of the timeline, it was pretty much handwaved into oblivion.

[CanRay]

Can I ask what in the heck that is?

Jiffy Pop is a type of popcorn in a package designed to be used over a campfire or stove, pre-dating microwave popcorn (1958, according to the website.). It's still sold for campers and such, and it keeps practically forever, just being dried corn. It's part of my emergency stash of food for when the electricity is knocked out for a length of time.

Dunkie's will has him comment about hating microwave popcorn, constantly burning it, and figuring that the old style of package would be more effective for Dragons, who can generate their own flame.

[ggodo]

Jiffy Pop is a type of popcorn in a package designed to be used over a campfire or stove, pre-dating microwave popcorn (1958, according to the website.). It's still sold for campers and such, and it keeps practically forever, just being dried corn. It's part of my emergency stash of food for when the electricity is knocked out for a length of time.

Dunkie's will has him comment about hating microwave popcorn, constantly burning it, and figuring that the old style of package would be more effective for Dragons, who can generate their own flame.

Ok, how did camping snacks get involved in a run? this sounds like a real popcorn session.

[Fortinbras]

For instance, in the Tir Tairngire book, there was all that talk about how the Tir military closed off Crater Lake and people reported seeing floating cubes over it, but... that plot hook never went anywhere. Or perhaps more accurately, it was never explained.

So I was wondering what kinds of things people can think of that were cool plot hooks that were just 'left hanging', so to speak. I'm discounting stuff in Portfolio of a Dragon, due to AH's collation of all that data.

The happenings at Crater Lake are explained more fully in the novel Worlds Without End. Some consider this the worst of the novels, while others think it's the bees' knees.

Essentially the Immortal elves Aina and Harlequin banished a Horror named Ysrthgrathe there, creating a mana spike through which other baddies could come through. So they closed it off and a bunch of Immortals built their houses there to keep an eye on things. Also, it's a pretty lake.

I don't know what happened to it after the revolution, though.

[Grinder]

So I was wondering what kinds of things people can think of that were cool plot hooks that were just 'left hanging', so to speak. I'm discounting stuff in Portfolio of a Dragon, due to AH's collation of all that data.

To make Critias cry: Tir Taingire.

[ravensmuse]

...for me it was the sweeping under the rug of Pendragon/LPO/People's Party plotline in the UK (SoE) when the timeline was advanced to 2070. True, this was a latecomer as SR plotlines go but it had a lot of potential for intrigue, particularly as running in the UK and London faces unique challenges due to the law of the land regarding the use of both weapons and magic, as well as the overly bureaucratic UK Matrix.

Coinciding with the the Pendragon was the appearance of the mysterious isle of Lyonesse in the Channel and a new major Ley line. This also shaped up to be a very interesting hook but again with the advancement of the timeline, it was pretty much handwaved into oblivion.

It gets mentioned sort of in the Sixth World Almanac - though of course, they just kind of list it and don't go into specifics.

[Blade]

As far as Europe is concerned, 6WA just copied parts from SoE and added a few mistakes and typos.

[Wesley Street]

As far as Europe is concerned, 6WA just copied parts from SoE and added a few mistakes and typos.

Feh! If only it was that good.

Back to the OP... I'm plotting out a campaign for my players that begins at the end of 2070 and kicks off with the Tlaloc crisis. The pod that Sojourner shot into the Redmond Barrens landed in the remains of the Hope Relief Camp from Double Exposure.

My suggestion is to trawl the self-contained adventures published for 1st and 2nd ed. like Elven Fire or Dreamchipper. There are plenty of plot gems that could be polished into new story points and easter eggs for experienced players.

[Adarael]

To make Critias cry: Tir Taingire.

That's actually already covered, hence why I was thinking about Crater Lake. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Not that there aren't ten bajillion other things left in limbo for that country...

Whatever the "Worlds Without End" connection may be, I don't personally count the novels as canon, and I have a special level of loathing reserved for Worlds Without End. So that's certainly not the explanation I want. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

My suggestion is to trawl the self-contained adventures published for 1st and 2nd ed. like Elven Fire or Dreamchipper. There are plenty of plot gems that could be polished into new story points and easter eggs for experienced players.

Alas, I think I've already mined out most of those over the years, due to repeat business in particular areas of the world. The only one I can think of offhand that I haven't gone back to - that I definitely AM going to address in this game - is "What the hell is going on in Hawaii?" Maybe I'm wierd, but I really liked Paradise Lost.

Some of the other specific ones I've marked down are:
1) The current state of Tir Na Nog, especially since the Veil went on the fritz back in 64, and shit.
2) Pendragon and LPO (Thanks for the tip, KK!), since god that HAS to have boiled over into something serious by 72.
3) I kinda wanna do something with New Dawn Environics as a call-back to Double Exposure, especially since that adventure *never explains who they're a subsidiary of*. I mean, they're explicitly not part of the Renraku backing, and Aztechnology is out, because there's that Aztech agent in the camps.

[CanRay]

Ok, how did camping snacks get involved in a run?

After much research and hundreds of bags of burned Nuke-and-Pop, I leave 20 million nuyen to the holder of the patent for the twentieth-century process that produced popcorn capable of being popped over an open flame (this dragon’s method of choice). I believe it was called Speedy Pop, or Quick Pop, or something similar. The patent holder must use this money to renew the patent and resume production.

That's how camping snacks get involved in a run. 20,000,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) worth of Shadowrun!

[Grinder]

To make Critias cry: Tir Taingire.

That's actually already covered, hence why I was thinking about Crater Lake. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Not that there aren't ten bajillion other things left in limbo for that country...

Oh yeah, it got great coverage in the transition from 3rd to 4th edition. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

[sabs]

I'm not sure being liberally bathed in poo, counts as 'coverage'

[Fatum]

Off to the east a bit: Sagan Zaba rebellion. 6WA mentions it, but the questions from SoA remain unanswered.

[ravensmuse]

...The only one I can think of offhand that I haven't gone back to - that I definitely AM going to address in this game - is "What the hell is going on in Hawaii?" Maybe I'm wierd, but I really liked Paradise Lost.

You're not. If my players hadn't decided that they were happy in Denver, thanks, we'd have made a brief stop in the Kingdom. They probably still will, at some point.

[CanRay]

With my group now stating that they hate LA with the passion of ten-thousand suns, they might suggest Hawai'i next. *Headdesk*

[Fatum]

You're not. If my players hadn't decided that they were happy in Denver, thanks, we'd have made a brief stop in the Kingdom. They probably still will, at some point.

On that notion: I want to GM a smuggler campaign some time so much :3

[CanRay]

On that notion: I want to GM a smuggler campaign some time so much :3

You ever get local to me, I'm in.

[Fatum]

You ever get local to me, I'm in.

Haha, not in this edition's lifetime, no.
You could play with us over IRC, if I decide to try myself at GMing in English again, though.

[scarius]

i am running a plot at the moment from something that i stole from big D's will and then changed a bit for the feel of my game...

the idea i stole was the excalibur bit (cant find it at the moment), but i changed it to hottari hanzo's sword that he used back in the early 1500/1600 period of fedual japan, back when he was a shogun assassin. i then had it randomly pop up through out history, mentioned a few big players using it, then it dissapered into the shadows of history not to be seen for a long time. resently a yakuza boss found it and decided that it should be shown off to some people (the major players in seattle) to show his true strength, my group are still only "up and comers" so they we offered the job of grabbing it for someone else (another running team using them as meat shields)

i have loads more infomation on this run, if you want me to put it up i will