How to ease players into a runner's mindset?, GM help request Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Outline Switch to: Standard Switch to: Linear+

[Lionhearted]

Been a very long time since I last came here, but you never truly leave the shadows do you?

So here's the rundown.
I play biweekly in a mostly D&D centric group but lately they've showed an increased interest in giving SR another shot.
Most of us are quite enamoured in the universe but thus far every attempt at starting a campaign have devolved into BTL fuelled killing sprees, Players constantly trying to backstab eachother, Pimping schemes trying to sell other PCs and the like.

Personally I think these breakdowns are caused by giving to much creative freedom to a group conditioned by linear dungeon crawling.
That and an unfamiliarity with the rules which inherently limits the group.

So Im currently trying to come up with ideas on how to step-by-step introduce my players to the system without completely overloading them.

Here's the current idea Im working with, Im open to any and all suggestions on how to improve and elaborate on it.

Im thinking of starting them off with very basic characters with little combat capability and mostly mundane abilities
- Little to no chrome or magic
- Most likely greatly inflated karma gain. Partly to get used to the system, partly to let people grow into their characters rather then start out with toys they don't know how to use.
- Would appreciate feedback on how to do this in a sensible manner

Structure the first few runs around introducing the players
to specific concepts like hacking, legwork, negotiations and the like... Im fairly confident they already get the jist of wetwork
- Hacking in particular is something we handwaved alot in the past, but its a major part of the game and one of the biggest steps in moving away from D&D with guns.
- again with the intentionally low combat capacity to force them to think their way out of the situation
- Possibly a run that introduces magic and the option to become awakened.
- Any ideas welcome! I have very little experience making my own missions and tend to improvise alot rather then keeping alot of notes.

So... how can you make clearly unsuitable runners like these plausible?

My thinking is that the characters grew up on one of the orbital/extraterrestial colonies, that don't exist... This alleviate alot of the inconsistentencies with the characters, like why they know so little about the world (outside of corp propaganda), why they have no combat training, chrome or magical experience (I hear the background count of deep space is quite hindering), why they're effectively SINless (Officially they don't exist).
But most of all it gives a way better justification for fish out of the water elements then group amnesia...
Only thing that stumps me is how and why they left the cosy comfort of the colony, and how they ended up in the sprawls of wherever.

Finally as a small towner from Sweden I usually have a hard time picturing the structure or layout of a metroplex like Seattle... any tips on how to deal with that?

Sorry for the wall of text, atleast tried to section it.