 Running for Dummies, tips for players |
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 Jan 31 2007, 03:30 AM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 393 Joined: 20-June 06 Member No.: 8,754  |
I'm going to put this on my campaign website to help out my players, but I wanted to get some feedback from you guys first. If you have any comments or things to add, please reply :)
1. Always do your legwork. Know who your Johnson is and know who your target is. Do recon in the astral, the matrix, and the physical. 2. Never go into danger without an escape plan. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Don’t get cocky just because you haven’t died yet. 3. The weakest link in any security system is always the metahuman element. Build your plans around exploiting that link. 4. Paranoia will keep you alive. Always check and double check for RFIDs. Use a quality commlink full of necessary programs even if you’re not a hacker. Only trust yourself, your team, and your mother. Expect your Johnson to betray you, and expect contacts to sell you out to Star. Be extra careful not to leave a data trail or leave evidence at a crime. 5. Make an effort to build trust and camaraderie in your team. Not only do they help you make more nuyen, they’ll save your life. 6. Be an expert in one field and contribute your expertise to the team. Be proactive with your contribution and don’t wait to be asked. Everyone should be the leader of the team in their field. 7. Be well rounded. You don’t want to be a liability in combat or negotiations, and the odd skill can come in handy when no one in your team is an expert in that field, or the expert is unable to help. 8. Don’t be afraid to look outside the team for help. If your team is missing a skill set needed for a mission, hire another runner to fill the gap. You can even hire entire groups of runners for distractions. 9. Network with everyone you can. You never know when a new contact can come in handy. The face isn’t the only person who should do this. 10. Enter negotiations with a game plan. Legwork should start before the mission. With enough legwork, sometimes you can even know what the mission is before the Johnson tells you; exploit this to negotiate for more nuyen. Some factors that can increase payment: - Level of danger (Danger to yourself, your reputation, and your possessions) - Time constraints (How long do you need to work and how quickly does it need to be done?) - Team experience and reputation (Have you done work for this Johnson in the past? What does your team have to offer that other runners don’t?) - Amount of legwork needed (Paying contacts and bribing people can be expensive) - Stealth requirements (Leaving no trace, no or limited killing) - Assets needed (IE drones, explosives, bullets, drugs, and contacts) 11. Remember that you’re a professional, and act like it. Don’t be an ass to the Johnson, keep your cool at all times, and protect your reputation at almost any cost. Survival should be the only thing that takes priority over professionalism. 12. If you’re making plenty of nuyen from the Johnson, don’t squeeze out more by looting the ganger’s Streetline Special and Meta Link commlink. Your contacts don't want to waste their time with used junk. But also don’t overlook expensive paydata and gear that can substantially increase your income. 13. If you’re not being paid to kill someone, you’re usually better off not doing it if you can avoid it. You never know when a death can spur on a vendetta from a loved one, and you never know if that ganger is the runaway daughter of a megacorp exec. At the same time, be careful not to leave crucial witnesses. |
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Jan 31 2007, 03:47 AM
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#2
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Target Group: Members Posts: 98 Joined: 26-July 05 Member No.: 7,517 |
I'll add one. Don't get cocky just because you're "king of the barrens." Don't think that because gangers run in fear of you that you can toss your weight around wherever. No matter how good your team is, someone out there has a bigger gun. Even the Star outnumbers you two-hundred to one, and most any military team with a little support will likely make mincemeat of you.
Take a lesson from my friend (who was on painkillers at the time.) You cannot walk into a public establishment in broad daylight while surrounded by hackers and attempt to kidnap someone by shoving your TMP in their face and telling them to come with you or die. :) That character died in a massive shootout as the star surrounded his gang's house, then killed 16 of the 21 gangers inside, including the character. Another good one: The best way to win a shootout is not to be there. OSUMacbeth |
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Jan 31 2007, 04:42 AM
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#3
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 548 Joined: 21-December 06 Member No.: 10,416 |
I'll add one too. Safehouses. Each team member could have one or they could chip in to split the costs. Have it some place out of the way and unobstrusive. Make the payment trail as hard as possible to to link back to you or any of the other runners. If the smelly stuff hits the fan, you've got a place to run to and (hopefully) hide for a while. As you move up in the shadows, you could even set up retreats farther afield from your usual running grounds liek in CalFree or CAS if you mostly run in Seattle.
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Jan 31 2007, 04:50 AM
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#4
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Horror Group: Members Posts: 5,322 Joined: 15-June 05 From: BumFuck, New Jersey Member No.: 7,445 |
Make friends in the Barrens. At least avoid making enemies. The Star, the Corps, will not go into the Barrens to get you, unless you REALLY pissed them off. By which I mean, "costs in the millions of :nuyen: "
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Jan 31 2007, 04:55 AM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
I have a question for you. How do you reinforce these rules? I mean what kind of consequences are you actually going to use on them if they don't.
I am sure we all have run into the problem that we know that the plan they have sucks and they are acting like idiots. You don't want to kill them out right because the dead don't learn and it will just piss them off. They want to be the bad ass heroes or at least the focus of the story but they do things that you think are dumb. If you sit there and berate them then they get pissy and leave. You would be metagaming at most points to have an NPC do it too much. So how do you reinforce common sense? I find that players don't learn what they need to survive in the setting. They learn what they can get away with a certain GM. If they have to learn too much they leave. People always tell me that they wouldn't do this or that in their games but then I watch them get walked all over by their players. This happened to me several times as well. I had one guy who had no attention span and wanted a new system after each adventure. I felt like a video game machine. We have some idea of what we want as GMs but then they have some notion of the setting that they believe is the way and the truth because of some novel they read. You try to run what makes sense to you and they tell you no, no, no, no! because it isn't like some stupid movie with a similar plot or some other GM's game where they built their characters around that GM letting them get away with anything. So how do we enforce common sense (the rarest sense)!?!?! |
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Jan 31 2007, 05:16 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 745 Joined: 2-January 07 From: Los Angeles, CA Member No.: 10,510 |
This is why I felt I needed "Identity" rules with a "heat" attribute... so that there would be actual game consequences to doing stupid stuff, or just generally not paying attention. Players may argue about who should or should not occur based on the dynamics of any given situation, but when they have real numbers to work with, most players are more than happy to adjust. Also, reward mechanics are useful for encouraging behavior... well, that you want to encourage. I think the Karma system is kind of limited, but there are other rewards, too. Just be sure the players know what they are getting rewarded for and be consistent. Still, as nice as carrots are, sometimes sticks are damn handy... j/k |
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Jan 31 2007, 05:19 AM
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#7
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Horror Group: Members Posts: 5,322 Joined: 15-June 05 From: BumFuck, New Jersey Member No.: 7,445 |
Oooooh. An "Identities and Heat" system sounds really, REALLY good. I mean, it's something we've been tinkering with forever, as a roleplayed thing - no reason not to make it a mechanic, so players know exactly how much heat any given identity has on it.....
I may start to tinker on something like that. |
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Jan 31 2007, 05:25 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
OKay, Good. I like the Heat thing too. What else?
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Jan 31 2007, 05:25 AM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 393 Joined: 20-June 06 Member No.: 8,754 |
These aren't rules Garrowolf, they're tips.
My GM style is to run the world as logically and organically as possible. If the players mess up, the world reacts appropriately. If they act unprofessionally, they make less money and get easier jobs until they prove themselves. If they leave evidence that leads Lonestar to their location, they'll get a rude visit (which happened to two of the PCs, and they very narrowly escaped). If they don't do their legwork and don't have an escape plan, there are likely going to be some PC deaths (which also happened, as you're aware of if you read my thread about the force 12 lightning ball). Likewise, if they play it smart, they're rewarded by the world. NPCs don't always follow these rules either, because like I said, I run the world logically. |
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Jan 31 2007, 05:29 AM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 458 Joined: 28-March 05 From: NA/UCAS/IN/ Member No.: 7,246 |
Something else to add..
Unless you have absolutely NO other choice, don't kill the cops! Whether it's the Star, KE, or whomever else, nothing says "chase them down, hurt them bad and kill them" like knocking off a cop. Narcoject , stun rounds and flash/bang grenades are reasonably priced and much better than a death warrant from everything in a badge. |
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Jan 31 2007, 05:30 AM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 393 Joined: 20-June 06 Member No.: 8,754 |
Err I don't get it. Can you elaborate a bit? Was this discussed in another thread somewhere?
I agree. I use notoriety, street cred, and public awareness a lot for this reason. I also like to point out what they earn each point of karma for. |
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Jan 31 2007, 05:36 AM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 238 Joined: 24-January 07 Member No.: 10,756 |
/agree with apollo
The only thing that mobilizes the Star faster than anti-tank weapons is a cop killer. |
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Jan 31 2007, 05:48 AM
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#13
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
okay fair enough
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Jan 31 2007, 05:53 AM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 458 Joined: 28-March 05 From: NA/UCAS/IN/ Member No.: 7,246 |
Thanks, Crakkerjakk. Also something else just came to mind.
Do your best to have the right tool for the right job on hand. Sure, you will sometimes have to try to pick the lock with an Ares Predator, but if you have a lockpicking skillsoft and tool kit on hand, things will go a lot smoother. This goes for everyone on the team. To do your job at your best, know the right spells, skills, combat abilities, tech know-how, etc... and have the gear and spirits necessary at the time, when you can. And building off of Crakkerjakk's comment.. Be aware of the security level of the areas you are going to and traveling through, and make sure what you take won't make you stand out of the crowd. Example...Don't take the assault cannon and heavy machine gun to rob the Stuffer Shack inside the Aztechnology pyramid. |
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Jan 31 2007, 07:01 AM
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#15
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
Right now I am dealing with a couple of characters who tend to be very antagonistic towards the Johnsons who are hiring them. They look to squeeze the poor bloke with their over maxxed social skills (further augmented by spells and 'ware) until his head pops off like a pinata and a bunch of :nuyen: pours out on the table. It has come to the point I feel need to make every "J" a social adept initiate just to give him or her a fighting chance in a negotiation test. I would also like to add a "point a." to this: Also never be an ass to the other NPCs you meet. You never know who they may know. Reputation is power and word gets around if you come off like a total jerk to everyone you meet. You may find it tough to get that next job because the young woman you just insulted was the daughter of an important figure who happens to have a lot of connections both in and outside of the shadows. |
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Jan 31 2007, 07:17 AM
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#16
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Horror Group: Members Posts: 5,322 Joined: 15-June 05 From: BumFuck, New Jersey Member No.: 7,445 |
KK: Every Johnson has an upper limit of money he's willing (or able!) to spend. If they go beyond that, then he either says "X, and not a :nuyen: more!" where X is the most he'll spend, or the deal's off. Generally, a Johnson has three figures: What he'd like to pay the Runners, what he accepts he's likely to pay the Runners, and the vey most the job is worth to him (or the maximum amount he actually can pay, whichever is lower.) The expected amount is the middle, it's generally 100% of what he budgeted for. His starting offer will be about 75% of that - this is what he'd like to pay them. If they're stupid enough to say yes, the deal is golden. Everyone expects the Runners to bargain up - it's a ritual of the Sprawl. The expectation is that they'll bargain up 1/3rd of what he quotes them - or 25%, to meet the full 100% quota. If they're very canny, he'll reluctantly go up to an extra 25%, or two-thirds more of his original quote. Chances are he simply cannot pay for them, and will say "Look. I know you guys are good stuff, and you obviously believe you're worth more, but that's as high as I'm going. Either you'll have to take the job for that, or I need a new set of assets." Generally, when their savvy Social skills have forced a Johnson to level with them, most runners will say "Okay. That's fine." BEWARE THE JOHNSON who agrees to any amount above this! The customary up-front is between 10% for a simple job to 50% for a ridiculously complicated job. If he agrees to any more than two-thirds more than his original quote, he is, 7 for 10, SETTING YOU UP and planning to geek you when the job's done. On the other hand, depending on relations with this J, including how desperate he is to get the job done, he may be able to throw in some "Goodies". Such as "Look, I just can't go above that. But I might be able to throw in some extras, make them fall off the truck, you know?" Of course, never, ever, ever trust the J - go over the goodie with a fine-toothed comb to pick out all the RFIDs and microbugs and go over it's programming with a microscope, a Hacker, a Technomancer, and a priest. Generally, you shoulden't push a J this hard. On the other hand, connected Johnsons may be receptive to "You know, this job sounds hard... How about some extra, but I'm not thinking money. A little quid pro quo? I scratch your back, you slap something nice into mine?" This works best if you don't haggle up the J's asking price. Depending on the availability of what you're asking, and how much he likes you, it may be a "No sweat" to "No @^@%ing way!" IE: You're asking an Ares man for a crate of Predators. Even a Crate of Preds won't sell for much, and if the money he was expecting to give you was worth more than their wholesale value, he'll probably consent. If all you want is a few guns, he'll toss them in and call his starts lucky. Asking a NeoNET man for programs is almost a sure thing - all that costs him is the cost of the datachip. And so forth and so on. |
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Jan 31 2007, 07:23 AM
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#17
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
One way to deal with the runners who manipulate the johnson too much is to have the johnson panic afterwards because he was so intimidated. He decides to change tactics and runs. They only have so much with them so that is the max that the runners get. They stop being shaodwrunners and become thugs. When they do this to to many johnsons and they all run away then they will get the idea. A few runs with no pay will work I think.
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Jan 31 2007, 07:32 AM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 393 Joined: 20-June 06 Member No.: 8,754 |
It seems kind of silly to me for the GM to penalize players for making their characters effective. It sends the wrong message. All you need to do is set an upper limit like my brother with the same name suggested ;) I think the BBB even suggests this. |
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Jan 31 2007, 07:34 AM
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#19
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...I've tried these approaches, but when the characters decide to walk, because they didn't get what they wanted, it is kind of a burn. I usually do not have a backup scenario planned due to the fact I have a real life (plus day job) and other interests outside SR.
We only meet every two weeks at best and I usually have to travel across town (by transit) to run/play since my place is too small for hosting a gaming session. A lot of trouble to go through to just pack everything in after say 20-30 min and go home. |
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Jan 31 2007, 07:56 AM
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#20
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Target Group: Members Posts: 80 Joined: 4-January 07 Member No.: 10,539 |
Give them the price they want, then start double crossing(or leaving out vital points of information) them every run. They push the johnson around the Johnson isn't going to like it and is going to do something about it, in all likelihood that something will involve lots of ammo, or some other form of punishment
Leaving out information could be that the Johnson can afford to pay them that ammount but due to his budget is unable to get all, or any, information. Then make them work their butts off for that information. |
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Jan 31 2007, 08:09 AM
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#21
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
..actually, I have one thing I am doing in the scenario I am currently running which relates to my "point a." Boy will they be surprised by the outcome.
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Jan 31 2007, 10:26 AM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 295 Joined: 10-July 05 Member No.: 7,492 |
That's an easy one to fix. If you have a run all planned out and they walk on that johnson, depending on the amount of pre-meet legwork they did, the next johnson could have the exact same mission (you know, the one you spent a week planning), just with a different facade. Remember, it's only railroading if they players feel they don't have a choice. Also, this is why I like having modular mission sections for whatever game I'm running. Indoor Security, Outdoor Security, Matrix Security, Objective, Layout. Mix and match. Having 3 of each catagory gives you have 243 unique combinations. It makes sense that security would be relativly standardized because they would use what works, and by mixing and matching, you get alot of variety without alot of work. Plus, to make longer runs, just have multiple linked objectives either in different facilities (with different layouts and security) and there ya go. |
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Jan 31 2007, 01:35 PM
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#23
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Information is very important. If you have it, you can do something about it. If you do not, something will be done to you. And in this case, it is literally better to give than to receive.
There are many ways to gather information. Networking with contacts and searching the Matrix are only 2 ways. Astral and physical Perception are other ways of gathering info, these may be better since the information is immediate and fresh. The GM has little to no wiggle room for changing something a PC has seen just a second ago. |
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Jan 31 2007, 03:35 PM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 870 Joined: 2-October 06 From: Athens Ga Member No.: 9,517 |
slump, I am very interested in this model of yours. Please tell us more or even better send files of notes. That is a great idea!
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Jan 31 2007, 04:04 PM
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#25
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Bushido Cowgirl Group: Members Posts: 5,782 Joined: 8-July 05 From: On the Double K Ranch a half day's ride out of Phlogiston Flats Member No.: 7,490 |
...and then have them meet up with the team the original johnson hired after they turned it down. Nice Idea.
'In the past I would pull out one of the runs from the old "Missions" sourcebook and send the players on a food run smoke break to skim over the adventure. However, I have pretty much exhausted this resource. My runs, particularly in a long campaign, are split up into various sections. If the runners skip by one part, the flow of action still takes place just without their participation. a lot of the time it ends up making their mission even harder, for they missed important clues, didn't make useful NPC contact, or, as in one instance, the NPC they were supposed to be watching was abducted when they bullied their way to on board one another NPCs helicopter to check out a situation in London that was none of their business. |
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