PC Fixer Options

[toturi]

I went through the SR4 BBB again briefly. I couldn't find a mention of a group as a contact that was present in the previous edition, namely Shadowland as a contact. That is the only canon group contact that I know of. Perhaps with the new edition, the group contact is no longer balanced as pointed out.

[cetiah]

[Kesslan]

Ultimately really who and/or what is allowable as a contact is purely up to the GM.

I mean if you really wanted to you could say.. have Magera as a contact. Or in SR3 arguably even Dues. Afterall you could well wind uip working for him. Though he's definately the type that if your working for him even as a runner and prove to be 'reliable' you shall soon belong to the ranks of his brainwashed minions.

I remember that actually from one of the scenarios around Deus. You get offered these series of jobs and if by the end you do everything and do a good job.. guess what? SUPRISE! Your gased and turned into a member of the banded. End of the line for the runners as PCs if they dont some how manage to get away.

Overall I see nothing wrong with allows things like 'shadowland' and 'Mageland' etc to be contacts. Though there still some issues in a way. It really I suppose depends on how you handle it.

If it's along the lines of 'Group of friends' who are all 4/4 contacts but only cost you 8 BP? No.. sorry. If it's instead 'Group of Strangers who -might- help' 4/4 showing perhaps how likely you are to find some one who say.. knows info you want and is less likely to screw you that might be ok. Like say..

Shadowland: 4/3

Through shadowland you'd be able to likely find what you want. And -usually- you'll get some one who while they dont much care what happens to you, wont generally screw you over either. Though anyone you ultimately meet through there would start off as a loyalty 1 contact.

I think really thats one thign alot of GMs fail to do. Give players more contacts. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Even if most of those contacts are only loyalty 1 or 2. It's still helps. Afterall say a run comes up short on expertise the players can quickly scan the contact sheets and some one pipes up "Hey.. what about Ulander? He's a demo expert. Seemed ok. Maybe we should give em a ring?"

Sure the NPC might not care for a call out of the blue much but thats all stuff you can RP out and eventually the NPC can with some work turn into a much more useful contact using the same sort of social networking example I've given previously.

So I suppose along those lines I dont have a problem with a 'group' being a contact. So long as it's not abused in teh manner that you just buy one 6/6 'group' contact and suddenly anything and eveyrthing you need and everyone in that group is also rated 6/6 towards you.