Weekly Shadowrun Screamsheet, mining google news for run ideas Options

[JonathanC]

I recently had the idea of providing my players with a weekly (well, every game week) rundown of popular news stories, as a way of increasing game world immersion, but also as a way of 'hinting' at directions they could start pursuing for runs. So for example, if they hear in the news that a celebrity is coming to town, they could visit their fixer(s) and inquire about any runs related to the situation.

With that in mind, I made a list of 10 news stories, based loosely on stories that piqued my interest from Google news, then a brief idea of a run that could go with them.

1. Horizon's stock has plummeted in the past two days due to investor skittishness about unexpected losses in the past quarter.

Suggested run: To salvage their PR image, a Johnson from Horizon's marketing dept. hires runners to create a more interesting news story, preferably one that would adversely affect the stock price of their closest competitor in the short run. Delivering a new virus/worm that targets, say, Mitsuhama products specifically might do the trick.

2. Mitsuhama introduced a trendy new commlink this week. It requires DNI to use. It takes the form of a stylish body piercing, allowing customers to have their commlink always on-hand, without having to opt for surgery to get an implanted version...thus making it much easier to upgrade.

Suggested run: Demand for the new product is surging, and anyone who can get their hands on a shipment of them could make a killing. Perhaps a retailer, or even the players, if they're larcenous in nature, could boost a truck of them for resale?

3. Portland defeats Seattle in a controversial Urban Brawl match.

Suggested run: Can you say "riot"? Travel around the city becomes difficult due to diverted traffic, police cordons, and rioters just going nuts and smashing things. This could be a background issue the players have to deal with during another run, or a company like LoneStar could start offering cash for volunteers to swell their ranks temporarily to deal with the problem. Likewise, a rival, like Knight Errant, could hire the runners to sabotage LoneStar's attempts to quell the riots.

4. Sim Star Heath Hurley is announced to be the star of a new, high-profile project. [insert film here] is a project that has been on the tip of everyone's tongue for the past month, but the cast has been hush-hush.

Suggested run: Rival studio wishes some form of non-permanent (hey, they might want to hire him someday) damage to be done to Mr. Hurley, in the hopes of sinking the production. Runners could be saboteurs, or hired to intercept them.

5. Reports of new HMVV outbreak in Vancouver. Everybody panic.

Suggested run: Ghoul hunting is the most obvious, but lacks panache. With Vancouver under quarantine, there are ripe opportunities for smuggling goods into the city, or desperate refugees out.

6. Japan's Reserve Bank increases interest rates by 1/4%.

Suggested run: Search me. I just thought this sounded like a good item to have on a news list.

7. Seattle Metro Transit workers preparing to strike in two weeks.

Suggested run: Union breaking, of course. Or being hired by the union to deal with scabs.

8. First-generation commlinks to be charged extra fee for matrix connectivity.

Suggested run: Demand for new commlinks shoots skyward, making theft of consumer electronics a rather viable business venture. Also, there's a slight chance of poorer people rioting in protest (chipheads of Seattle unite!)

9. Renraku's new OS more popular than expected; marketshare rises sharply.

Suggesteed run: Runners are hired to steal sourcecode related to this new OS for corporate espionage purposes.

10. Evo announces new progress in metahuman longevity research.

Suggested run: Evo's labs basically have a giant bullseye painted on them now. And what does that do for the players? Well, if it were me, I'd have them hired by Evo to help fend off the moutain of other Shadowrunners looking to ransack Evo's labs for paydata. Kind of a nice reversal on the usual Shadowrun...I'm picturing an experienced Runner group shaking their heads in disbelief as every old trick in the book they wrote gets tossed at them at once.