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#1
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Dragon ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019 ![]() |
I was thinking of what players would do as side jobs during downtime. How would an assassin make money on his own to match the hacker and the enchanting magician?
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#2
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Runner ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 2,526 Joined: 9-April 06 From: McGuire AFB, NJ Member No.: 8,445 ![]() |
Tournaments that befit your current skills. Payouts if you do great on your skill rolls.
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#3
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jacked in ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Admin Posts: 8,519 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 463 ![]() |
Well, you didn't get all the bio on your fake SIN for nothing...
Bye Thanee |
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#4
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Dragon ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019 ![]() |
Huh
Thanee ? |
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#5
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Shadow Cartographer ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 3,737 Joined: 2-June 06 From: Secret Tunnels under the UK (South West) Member No.: 8,636 ![]() |
I assume he means that one avenue for creating fake SINs is getting hold of someone else's biometric data - hands, eyes, that sort of thing. Of course he could just mean identity theft the more direct way. "After little Peter's parents were killed in that freakishly suspicious accident, the nice people from that charity organisation came to look after him and took him away. So sad he didn't have any other close family." Meanwhile, "little Peter" is running some interesting payments through his accounts and there was that odd purchase of a AK-97 Assault Rifle. |
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#6
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 351 Joined: 17-February 06 From: San Francisco Member No.: 8,275 ![]() |
As the Hacker I've been looking for more "paydata". Seems the shadowtalkers have it coming out their asses, but my character couldn't blackmail a kindergartner.
Last run we extracted some guy from a Bioware firm, and we thought to steal a bunch of deltaware and associated specs on our way out. We got a little extra cash for the specs from Mr. J, and our GM asked us if we had any method of storing the deltaware until we could sell it (you have to roll the same availability to sell as to buy). That didn't work out as well. Most of us come up with strange little personal runs to do on our downtime. Our cram-addicted Mage flipped a few (fluid?) ounces of cram for extra nuyen. The Troll gunbunny killed some guys and had me (the Hacker) crack their SINs and steal their money. The GM gave us 1000 nuyen for that. All of our "downtime" runs have been a single combat session perhaps with a single role-playing scene. The players typically get around 1000 nuyen each or a specific item that they were trying to get. |
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#7
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Dragon ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019 ![]() |
All they had was 1000 nuyen? Your GM's cheap as hell.
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#8
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 351 Joined: 17-February 06 From: San Francisco Member No.: 8,275 ![]() |
Don't get me started. |
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#9
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Dragon ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 4,589 Joined: 28-November 05 Member No.: 8,019 ![]() |
You should run for me. 20000 :nuyen: on the first run.
I mean, seriously, you showed a deep understanding of the game world, and he rewards you with drek. If you stole a credit card # for 1/4th the effort in RL, you could buy a car. |
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#10
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 351 Joined: 17-February 06 From: San Francisco Member No.: 8,275 ![]() |
Yeah, I'm the reigning rules Nazi, so he listens to me and I might try to finagle some runs with better payoffs. To his credit, it's not like the book gives much in the way of compensation guidelines. I've seen more than a few threads on the boards trying to figure out how much a team should be paid.
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#11
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 199 Joined: 16-September 03 From: Massachusetts Member No.: 5,625 ![]() |
Gun guys and sammies could do some bodyguard or security work - just set the pay level and assume nothing much happens; or work it into an adventure if you want something interesting to happen (or meet with the GM early to play it out or do it through email between sessions, etc.) |
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#12
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jacked in ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Admin Posts: 8,519 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 463 ![]() |
Why, you could just have a fairly 'normal' job (one that allows for some flexible work hours; freelancing is always good for that)... running doesn't take that much time of the month usually, so there's plenty of downtime left. ;) For example, my (PnP) character has a job as security in a night club, whose owner is one of her best connections (best in terms of loyalty rating). This way her lifestyle costs are covered and running gives 'extra income'. With 'bio' I meant the data about the person's life, that is put on the fake SIN... Bye Thanee |
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#13
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ghostrider ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,196 Joined: 16-May 04 Member No.: 6,333 ![]() |
Well, to answer the post title question, I usually just run them.
If, for example, the hacker wants to take a job on during downtime, I'll come up with a little data steal or the like, and start running that. Then, I'll try to come up with stuff for the other team members to be doing. Generally, once one side-job gets started, the other players will want to be doing something, whether its story development or a money-making side job. As any GM knows, the best way to come up with stuff to run is to listen to, or flat out ask, the players. "Well, you know you've got three days before that next run, but you're already done with the planning, so is there anything your characters would want to do in the meantime?" Then, all that's left to do is track "time" so that they don't miss the run. (Unless, of course, they miss it through their own actions, which is just more story development.) Mmm. I need to start running again, and soon. I'm suffering withdrawal. |
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#14
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 633 Joined: 30-May 06 From: Leesburg, Florida Member No.: 8,623 ![]() |
As mentioned above, every character sort of falls into a niche as far as their role. Rigger can be a cab driver, sammie body guard or club security, etc. As a long time player of (now called) Hackers I've never had an out of work bit-cruncher. Yes, mostly my own self started side jobs but hey, to through a little reality into our fantasy game. Someone who sits around waiting for the next 'big score' shadowrun probly lives in a rat infested dump, drinking cheap soy-beer in a stained wife beater. Holy shit, my next PC concept lol.
As a fellow player and as a GM I find that what the PC does between jobs helps broaden the character. Sitting around waiting can mark you as lazy, while sitting around drinking all day in a one room rathole, checking messages or calling your fixer from the bar's pay-comm makes you seem a bit of a burnout or just bad luck has hit. Yet another perspective is the guy who blows his ;big score' in Vegas or a resort. I can go on a tirade (wait I have already) but, your down time really reflects what you come off as, maybe not on a oneshot game but, a campaign it shows. |
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#15
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 745 Joined: 12-August 06 Member No.: 9,097 ![]() |
You can always take a side job as a cop. ;)
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#16
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Runner ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 2,526 Joined: 9-April 06 From: McGuire AFB, NJ Member No.: 8,445 ![]() |
Bounty hunter. 8) :cyber:
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#17
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 750 Joined: 9-August 06 Member No.: 9,059 ![]() |
Just do a Data Search for 'esc-- Oh. Sidejobs.
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#18
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 324 Joined: 18-July 06 From: Charleston, SC Member No.: 8,911 ![]() |
Well, side jobs can help develop character, but they're criminal shadowrunners for a reason. The big payoff.
If they wanted to work as a wage slave for the corp or some other mundane side job, they'd probably wouldn't be runners. Some SINs might require a little side work to keep up the front at least and anyone can buy/sell whatever in downtime. But when you say sidejobs I tend to think of non-risky mundane money making tasks, and I don't really want to roleplay Harold the janitors nightly mop up. If you mean sidejobs like drug deals, data steals, a little con or fraud..well I think those are what lead to and comprise runs. I mean even something simple as slinging a bag of deepweed could get messy and you might want backup. Say the edgy hougan punk you were dealing it to tried giving you a manaball for payment, until you ungently reminded him why he shouldn't point at people. And it just so happens that he has an overly protective mother. When the game is on and everyone is at the table the only side-job we think of is the one we have to go back to come monday. |
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#19
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Great Dragon ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 7,089 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,813 ![]() |
i'd be annoyed as hell if my GM turned every attempt to buy or sell something into a quest, personally. i mean, it's fine every now and then, but unless i live in the barrens and it's the middle of a gang war and i'm in disputed turf, then generally speaking i shouldn't have to wage war just to make some deals. if a player wants their character to be a drug dealer on the side, or matrix overwatch on stuffer shack robberies, or whatever, it should at most be simplified down to a couple of rolls IMO, and a general description of how the run went should be the entirety of the event. IOW, you don't need a shadowrunning team to sell drugs on the street. if it happens every now and again that something goes wrong and you need your friend's help, that's fine... but in general, it should be in the background, IMO. and personally, just to keep it generally in the background (rather than being an important mechanical part) i'd probably just have it reduce lifestyle costs or something (or allow higher lifestyles), unless i had enough time to actually organize something for each individual runner. |
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#20
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Running Target ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 1,379 Joined: 16-April 02 From: the LI shadows Member No.: 2,607 ![]() |
Back when I played SR3, my character had a 'day job' as a Contract Courier. I should find my original template, convert/update it to SR4 & post it.
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#21
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Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,546 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 ![]() |
The assassin in my character works at the local mcDojo. |
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#22
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 732 Joined: 21-July 05 From: Seattle Member No.: 7,508 ![]() |
I thought downtime was for spending money & karma... We call it 'housekeeping' and just say, "hey, I'm gonna spend all my money on new shoes and can I use some Karma to learn how to scuba dive?"
Sideruns, in our game, are for when we want to earn money or repay favors or meet new contacts and direct our own runs (as opposed to GM planned runs). We roleplay them to the hilt - they are fun and lucrative. Like this weekend's game, when our team was waiting for new orders from our employer. We decided we needed to meet a new fence in our new home town. So we researched and found a fence in our field (artifacts), then we planned a theft of some nice items, then once we had the stuff, we called an old contact for a 'letter of introduction', met the new fence, sold the stuff, and voila! we have a new fence. This took our entire session... we do this every couple of sessions. But not roleplaying it would have been extremely sad... plus I doubt our GM would have let us earn 780,000 :nuyen: if we just rolled some dice for downtime activity. ;) |
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#23
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Moving Target ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 308 Joined: 1-June 06 From: Nova Scotia, Canada Member No.: 8,631 ![]() |
The Fencing Rules existed in SR for a way to sell stuff that you got on a run that you don't want. It's where looting the bodies and taking everything that's not nailed down (and some things that are) pays off.
Consider, as an example of the standard sort of Shadowruns I've seen. The lobby scene in the Matrix. People slaughtering guards like they were targets at a shooting range. Now, pick up their guns, perhaps organleg them for any good cyberware or organs if you have a storage system, take their phones, badges, etc and sell them as smaller items. They would be clean since their user is dead, after all. No worrying about it reported stolen. Now, as for side jobs, people have covered a lot of them, and in a tt group, you could either have runs on non-standard TT days for some of the side jobs, or take a break and run some on the standard days. As for jobs, well, anything that's of your skills. And don't think just the 'class' type, but things for the skills your character has. Perhaps your rigger has been watching CSI and getting into forensics and such; they could hire out as a PI. Or maybe your samurai has been picking up survival skills and such, with a high athletics, he could become a skydiving trainer or mountain climbing instructor in his downtime. Yes, you could sell drugs, jack cars, roll people for their credsticks and hack them and most of those are good for any character type. And maybe your sammy works as a bodyguard or your decker as a SIN creator. But don't forget about your other skills as an option for adventures if you like RP versus being full time killers and thieves. |
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#24
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Great, I'm a Dragon... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Retired Admins Posts: 6,699 Joined: 8-October 03 From: North Germany Member No.: 5,698 ![]() |
That's quite frequent in my campaign, also working as "freelancer" for a crime syndicate or do some small-scale DIY-crime like car stealing. |
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#25
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Running Target ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 1,000 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Halifax, Canada Member No.: 7,975 ![]() |
Downtime things my runners do:
My bodyguard is a bouncer for a bar, works out at a gym regularly, and does occasionaly contract bodyguard work. My adept, thanks to a few profitable runs, owns her own martial arts dojo, where she teaches street kids the art of self defence. My hacker runs a small electronics shop and underground hacker shop. Outside of that he's an avid gamer and spends a lot of time in online games. |
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Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 29th May 2023 - 03:46 PM |
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