Living in the Shadows: Recruitment, Interested in Signing up? Options

[WinterRat1]

If you were ever curious about playing in the Living in the Shadows (LitS) campaign, this is the thread in which to ask how to go about doing it. It’s not entirely accurately to call this a recruitment thread though: because we’re not really looking for anyone to post character details or even character concept within this thread. After all, in a fully interactive setting, much of that information is supposed to be private between player and GM. "Rather, think of this thread as a place where you can test the waters, ask questions about our guidelines, see what LitS is all about and whether it’s right for you."(Read the Guidelines and the LitS threads first!)

This isn’t your typical recruitment thread in another major way: we are not looking for anyone to jump into this thread with completed legal character sheet and 20 Questions ready to e-mail and expect immediately to play. Because LitS is an intensely player-driven campaign-style thread and not just an isolated run, it is absolutely essential that you take the time to fully flesh out the one character you really want and are eager to play for months and maybe years to come. We’ll gladly work with you for as long as it takes to help you develop that ideal starting PC. Having a character that you would absolutely love to play, whose story you want to see unfold, will provide a much more rewarding experience for all of us.

Finally, although we will be raising this thread at regular intervals, recruitment to LitS will never be closed, because life in the shadows is ongoing. We are always willing to consider applications from new LitS participants.

You can reach me, the LitS Universe Coordinator, at alexwong945@yahoo.com

[Whizbang]

Hmm....decisions, decisions...I have several possibilities...is it allowable to submit several chars, and pick which one to use on the particular run?

[Sedna]

Sorry, no. This is an actual campaign with embedded runs, not a series of isolated runs, so you would pick one character to which you are willing to commit for the long-term.

[Lindt]

Im soon starting in a game, but Im interested in just posting in Shadowlands as somewhat NPC-ish. Possible?

[Jaruen]

I would be interested, but I have a couple of questions. How do you handle death of a character? Will you try to get me back in the game with a new character? Or will I have to wait until the end of the current mini-mission? I ask because I once had to sit out for about 4 weeks in a game because the DM (yeah, I am talking about D&D, not SR. Sue me :P ) decided that a new character would not be feasible. Also, do you have an experience requirement for the players? I have played for a while, but just joined this post board yesterday. Lastly, when and where do you want backgrounds and character sheets?

[HeySparky]

Like Lindt, I'm starting in a new game here too... my second. Three is a bit more than I can really pull off, but I'm definitely interested in something like Lindt suggested, something NPC-ish. Or, as it seems the game is somewhat amorphous, maybe I'll just keep an eye on it until I have the bandwidth in my gaming life to play in another game and see if there's room.

I've enjoyed what I've read so far, hats off to GM and Players.

[Sedna]

Good question, Lindt ... but I can't give you an answer yet. Honestly, I hadn't expected that one :) Can WinterRat get back to you on that?

Jaruen:

No on-board experience requirement, but all new players have a minimum one month period during which you can only interact with your GM within the LitS and Shadowland threads. In other words, you can't apply for runs until you've established your character within the LitS basic thread, AND demonstrated to your GM that you are comfortable with the posting environment. I'll tell you right now that the system is very character-driven; the amount of fun you will have will depend directly on how much you are willing to get involved, on your own initiative, with events and with other PCs/NPCs.

If your character should die, you can immediately start to create a new character (and we go through the whole character tweaking process again!). As soon as the new character is approved, you can start posting again on the LitS and Shadowland threads. If the previous character happened to die on a run, obviously the new character -- being a different person -- isn't going to be able to continue on that run ;)

Before you send anything out though, make sure to read through the Player Information and Player Interaction parts of the Guidelines for more details: Character Death was one of the headings; and Character Creation is another. It will also tell you where to send character information, if you decide you want to commit to this -- and make no mistake, it is a commitment! (It's a continuing environment, so "when" is never an issue.)

[WinterRat1]

Lindt- You know, we hadn't really thought about that. It might be doable, especially if that "NPC-ish" reflects a character you want to get into LitS after your run is complete -- but let me get back to you? And would you mind giving me a bit more detail as to what you were thinking? Thanks!

[Jaruen]

Alright, sorry I didn't read the whole thing before opening my big mouth, one of my personal character flaws. I read the guidelines section and some of the LitS thread, will continue to peruse it later. So now, let me ask more pointed questions. It seemed like you wanted a basic general description, basically an archtype, which you would approve. Only after you approve concept do I actually start actual character generation. Then a yet-to-be-determined GM will work with me to round out full history and complete creation. Is this correct? If so, then here is my most basic character concept. I have already put numbers together on him, using Sum-of-10.

[Jaruen]

Oh yeah, one last question. That first month of no runs. Is that just in LitS, or board wide? Because my friend Bastard is thinking about starting a run and wants me to be a part of it.

[Fortune]

What part of this statement is not clear?

[Sedna]

Oops -- is that how it comes across? Not what we had intended.

No: what we're looking for -- at the time of first character submission -- is everything that's listed under Character Creation. (That's why we're not looking for character concept or details in this thread.) Then WinterRat works with you to solidify the character and to identify any holes: stats, skills, equipment, 'ware, magic, backstory. (We really do want a solid backstory and a solid character personality. That's why we ask for the timeline and have our own version of the 20 Questions.) Once he's got the sense of what you want to do with your character, he'll pull one of us Player GMs into the loop, who he knows will work well with your interests.

Maybe it will help if I say that we don't pre-vet character concepts because we're not looking to exclude characters; we're looking for how we can include them. So it's nothing like applying for runs, as they are commonly structured on Dumpshock. We want you to come up with your "perfect" character, the one you really want to play. We want you to flesh that character out in detail. Eventually, we want you to be able to play that character on LitS -- and for you to want to play that character for a long time to come.

One more thing. LitS is self-contained ... so any character created for LitS really shouldn't be doing out-of-LitS runs -- which shouldn't stop you from doing out-of-LitS runs ... just not with that character. After all, LitS and all the other, non-LitS runs are technically separate Shadowrun universes, and they shouldn't intersect.

[Lindt]

No problem at all. Ill put a PC tougther for when I DO get around to playing (if/when my current game starts/ends), but Im mostly planning on just having someone that no one knows post responces, comments, prehaps even things that he took part in. If/when I do pull him into a game, its even more entertaining that some of the other PCs might have heard of him before via the Shadowland board.
So No worries, no rush. I know its kinda strange =)

[Jaruen]

Hey Fortune, hope I don't sound like a prick or anything, but you have that nice quote you printed, but you also have the quote from the guidelines that I was told to read and follow before doing anything else.

[WinterRat1]

Whoops, it is easy to see how there's some confusion here. Fortune, Jauren, you are both correct. Please allow me to explain. In its original incarnation, LITS did not clearly convey its message to people, stating only that it was open to allow players to play whatever they wanted, with the intention of allowing 'experimental' concepts.

That quickly got out of hand, which is why the original guidelines stated that we wanted a brief run through of a character concept so we didn't end up with stuff like, "Transvestite great dragon who has an elf S&M fetish" or something like that. That is where Jauren's quote come from, the idea being to have a brief screening of an idea so it's not completely out there and we aren't flooded with ideas that are totally unworkable (due to the original 'experimental' idea).

Fortune is correct in that since this is a long term campaign, we don't want to give away any character secrets, or even character type, here in the game. There are plenty of characters already who are more than meets the eye, and certainly an integral part of many characters is secrecy and having a few 'aces' up their sleeves. That quote is from the more 'updated' version of the guidelines, to reflect the idea that the characters you don't know are people, and beyond that, you can't say for sure what they are or are not, what they do or do not have, so to speak.

So you are both right, and really, the mistake is that none of the LITS staff caught that contradiction. Thanks Fortune, for helping us clarify the fact that it is not necessary or desired to post a character concept or stats here, and thank you Jauren for pointing out that mistake on our part so we can fix it.

For future reference, since we're not allowing 'experimental' concepts of the previous incarnation's extreme, you may clear your basic idea with me via PM, unless you are confident your idea falls strictly within the Guidelines, in which case you may simply contact me directly with the required information as per the Guidelines thread. Make sense?

Thanks again to both of you, and on behalf of the LITS staff I apologize for the contradiction which caused this mixup. I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing both of you in LITS soon! :)

[Sedna]

Youch, that's a huge self-contradiction -- and all of us completely missed it. That's a carryover from something we thought we'd dropped completely. (Must have read those guidelines one too many times.) Thanks for catching it, Jaruen; and Fortune, thanks also, and ditto all of what WinterRat said. For now, go with what WinterRat said: until we can come up with some better wording.

Anyone else finds something like that, speak up! :)

[Aku]

i was just wondering which books the gm team consisders "required" for play? currently i only have SR3, but i think i might be "handicapped" without 3 other books for what i'm considering doing.

Also, how newbie friendly do you feel your game is? I've played dnd, and a shadowrun mud, but i have yet to play in any tabletop or play by post version...

[Sedna]

You'll be working one-on-one with your GM in a fully interactive environment, so that's about as newbie-friendly as I think it's possible to get! :)

As to books:

It partly depends on what kind of character you want to play. I know we'll be able to walk you through the chargen and initial character development using only the SR3; and many perfectly viable characters I have played in the past have been created using nothing else.

Depending on your character concept, however, you might find that you really want personal access to one or more of Man and Machine (for the cyber/bio types); Cannon Companion (for the intensely equipment-focused); Rigger 3 (for riggers); or Magic in the Shadows (for magicians and physads). I personally have found each of these immensely useful. You may also wish to give your character edges and flaws (found in the Shadowrun Companion). For solely chargen purposes, we'll help you a bit with the specialty rules in any of these if we think you really need them within your character concept -- but in game play, easily 99% of game mechanics is SR3 all the way.

Just one general warning, not to you as such, Aku, but to anyone coming to this campaign from a d20 perspective:

In Shadowrun, it's a lot easier to die. In the Seattle-verse, it's wise not to pick unnecessary fights, even to avoid fights whenever possible. In this campaign, the cops are intelligent.

After all, we want you to be able to keep playing your character!

[Aku]

ok, one last question, before the backstory begins to unfold, but at what sort of "life level" is expected/common in this game? are we all expected to be squatters, eacking out a better life for us? or is it ok to be a bit higher up on the ladder, not doing this for the money (atleast not as a main priority) but maybe just as a thrill, or some "greater cuase"?

[Sedna]

Since any kind of life level you can imagine exists somewhere in Shadowrun Seattle, any and all life levels are acceptable in LitS. Whether you want to work your way up from the Barrens or be a rich playboy with a High (or even Luxury) lifestyle and a secret identity, it's fine with us.

Much more important than the starting lifestyle is that regardless of the concept you choose, your character has a major reason for what he or she does, some kind of personal goal that they are working toward. Without that kind of self-motivation, you'll quickly find that you'll just be drifting -- and the fun level tends to deteriorate rapidly.

[WinterRat1]

Aku- Whatever your heart desires (within the confines of the Guidelines and the rules of course). :D

We've got all types, with all kinds of motivations. Love, revenge, money, making the world a better place, redemption, hate, the thrill, and those are just a few of the ones floating around out there now. ;) So basically, LITS is like real life. Everyone has different motivations, and the motivations are as varied and diverse as the people themselves.

As long as there's no 'tangible benefit' from your backstory (that goes beyond what's allowable in the character creation rules) whatever story you like is acceptable, but like I said, check it with me if you have any specific questions, and I'll let you know on a case-to-case basis.

[Aku]

did i mention newbie?? well, if ya didnt beleive me... here's some proof...

What does the team consider "significant" cyber/bio ware? everything that isnt commonly seen on the streets? (aka datajack and... maybe a few communication things?)

anything over XYZ :nuyen: ?
anything over a.bc essence?

[Nightcrawler472]

Well, this sounds like fun...

I'd like to do a combat decker thinking about it...though I've not done one before so I'm not 100% sure on the Matrix rules, so I'd probably need help sorting out his cyberdeck.

Still, if there's space I'd like to join.

[Sedna]

Nightcrawler472: go for it! Just read the guidelines (including character creation details), then send off a PM or e-mail to WinterRat and he'll tell you where to go from there :)

Aku:

Well, what's considered "significant" varies from game to game in any case, so that's not a newbie question at all. Although I think -- hope! -- we avoided the word itself, precisely for that reason :) so I'm not entirely sure how you mean this. Still, I'll try. [Edit: sorry -- this turned out to be longer than I'd expected.]

This is a living in the shadows campaign, so for the most part the emphasis is on your character being able to live their life and pursue their interests without everyone instantly pointing at them and saying: "That there's a shadowrunner" (because that kind of identification can lead to a very short lifespan). Thus, anything highly visible that's not also common can put a serious crimp in your style. Note that we're not saying that there aren't shadowrun teams even in this version of the Seattle-verse with Kid Stealth legs: just that trying to run such a character through everyday life might not lead to an optimal gaming experience. Datajacks and chipjacks are common, as well as various types of ("decorative") skin/hair/eye modifications: so those won't count against your character socially (see also below).

A second effect of cyberware suggested in the Shadowrun Companion (and possibly the BBB?) was that "excessive" cyberware has a socially distancing effect. (It's a matter of Dumpshock debate whether the effect comes from the runner's pov or from that of those interacting with them.) Minor personal effects would be, for example, that images coming through cybereyes have a different quality than what your own eyes would perceive ... possibly even somehow "unreal"; or that a skillwired skill might be observably non-adaptive in its responses to the character's environment. Others might react socially to visible chrome (probably not just the datajack though, unless they're real back-to-nature types). At relatively high levels of essence, you can play with these in your characterisation (and we'll encourage you!), but it won't generally go against you in game mechanics terms.

At Essence < 3, the cumulative effects will be sufficient that your character will start to run into social problems, especially in new social environments and/or where the 'ware is relatively new. In game mechanics terms, this is the threshold where social penalties due to cyberware may start to be applied to your character, at the GM's discretion. Because this threshold is a generalisation, somewhat subject to a case-by-case basis (these effects could even start kicking in at even higher Essence), the general parameters which follow are equally generalisations, if useful guidelines.

At Essence < 2, the character starts encountering such a high degree of social difficulty that anything (social) outside the routine has the potential to bring about serious interaction problems.

Essence 1 is the threshold where any kind of "normal" social interaction is possible, although a constant level of detachment/outsidership is virtually certain except when dealing with others very familiar with the character. (For example, the character may be extremely tight with the rest of their team, but find it almost impossible to maintain a normal social relationship outside the shadowrunning environment.) Evolving (and sometimes keeping) emotional bonds can be next to impossible. Even at this point however, specific and detailed information about the target of the interaction can create a semblance of normalcy, and even completely negate social TN penalties. At least one current character is at this "possible" socialisation brink, where it's extremely difficult to ever really connect with the "normal" world. It's a difficult position to be in.

Below Essence 1, and I'm thinking normal socialisation really wouldn't be possible.

Hope that helped? -- and bear in mind, all this is subject to how you bring across your character, first to your GM, and second in the process of playing that character.

[Aku]

yes, it does, i'm working on creating both the sheet, and the background simultaneously, trying to think of what i need, and how i would write it into a background, and i THOUGHT that i saw that in the timeline, when i got all "significant" cyberware, so i thought i'd ask here first.

Right now my BIGGEST essence eatter is my VCR, at 4 essence, infect, everything else individually is <.5 essence (obviously, having a cap of 6), now, wether or not a vcr 3 is needed or not, might be discussable once i get everything else ironed out

also, one last thing, is there any negatives to buying used cyber?