Getting Shadowrunners involved... Options

[Ravor]

Ok, I figure that its time to introduce some weirdness into my not-quite-Shadowrun campaign by running an Alternity adventure I have dealing with cross-dimensional travel gone wrong (Ala "Sliders"), but the problem is that I'm not sure why a mega would hire a group of Runners to handle the situation instead of sending in one of their own corp teams given the extra sensitive nature of the operation...

I suppose if nothing else I could pull the old double-agent angle, where the Runners were hired by Mr J and inserted into the corp to find out what was going on and steal/sabotage the project, but that sounds kind-of forced to my ears so I'm hoping for a better idea.

[cristomeyers]

Corp team dies, there's reports, it leaks out, family members want to know what happened, etc

runners die...no one cares

[deek]

Yeah, I would say that you could have the corp use the runners, even with the sensitive nature of the issue and then plan to dispose of them afterwards. I've sprinkled that concept into my campaign a bit, having a sensitive job and then attempted to kill the runners afterwards.

Maybe even give them their payment after completion, allow them to forget about the job for a few days and then hire a hit on the team.

You could also do something along the lines of having a corp team already having gone in (as someone already mentioned) and they never came back out, so now the corp doesn't want to risk more of its own men...

There seems to be a few good reasons for corps to hire an outside team and the sensitive nature can be handled in several ways after the run...

[Jaid]

if it's a first trial run or something, which do you send through?

expendable assets, which cost, say, 10,000 :nuyen: each (or however much) but bring their own gear, training, etc... or do you send a corporate team, which you spent 50,000 :nuyen: or more training per person, plus cyberware cost for sammys, plus commlink/program costs for hackers/riggers, plus drone/drone armaments/etc cost for riggers...

in other words, if something bad happens to your team (which is all too likely in a first trial run with humans... not that you tell the SR team that) would you rather lose 10,000 :nuyen: per person, or 200,000 per person? (let's not forget that you also had to pay them wages while they were being trained, plus the fact that they probably had a few years experience under their belt, plus you have to pay benefits if they die, and so on, and so forth. Ares Fireteams don't just come out of nowhere, nor can you just pretend they didn't die and you're not responsible).

[Moon-Hawk]

[knasser]

Internal politics? There's no reason why a corp would be one big united front. Let's say that the plug on the project is being pulled (for whatever reason), and the project leader or head scientist, is desparate to prove its worth and privately hires his own team. You can bolt conspiracy reasons for why the project plug was being pulled later, for extra topping.

I can think of a dozen internal politics reasons for bringing in runners.

[Hida Tsuzua]

What if the Johnson hired them for something at the same site but completely different? For example, they're hired to test the security on site. Then the event happens and the shadowrunners are rehired to this mission since they're right there and the SWAT team/mook army/whatever has either been taken out or can't get closer due to all the messed up portals.

What happens afterwards is your call.

[Leehouse]

Or how about using the runners as test dummies. Namely they get hired to "test the security" and part of this involves wearing special devices which record the data of the run for the corp in question. As soon as they make it to the room hell breaks loose and portals start opening. They get expendable assets as test dumbies.

[Mistwalker]

A variant on corps politics.

No authorization to even try the idea, as it was dismissed years ago. Corp Scientist has kept it running out of his budget. Now that it may work, he willl need help to test the machinery.
And then, maybe help getting it out of the corp facility.

or

Turf war. Scientist hates the special assets/security guy, so will not allow him to even know something is being tested.

[Moon-Hawk]

Just tell the runners that there will be punch and pie. They'll show up. ;-)

[X-Kalibur]

[Kyoto Kid]

[Synner667]

You chaps never heard of Penal legions [Blake's 7, Escape from New York, WarHammer 40K, etc] ??

Run some sessions and get the PCs caught..
..Fit them with remote detonation collars/headware/virus/etc and use them as the 1st line of exploration.

PCs, almost by definition, are people who stay alive in hostile situations and are ideal for pathfinder work.


Considering that much Cyberpunk has people doing things for themselves, for friends, for honour, because they're bored..
..There's lots of reasons for characters to become involved in things.


Just my thruppence worth..

[apollo124]

Going on the internal politics angle.

Dr. Smith is getting ready to introduce his surprise breakthrough, but Mr. J wants to claim credit for it himself. J hires the team to break into the lab, acquire the machine and any data lying around, take it to the rendezvous. During the process the machine gets activated and hilarity ensues.

[Synner667]

Blimey

You chaps seem to be completely incapable of coming up with plot that does not involve 'hire players to break into somewhere and steal something' ??


Very few Cyberpunk novels start the characters off this way. I think only SR novels do, which I think is because that's the easy option. And it feeds into the whole chromed to the max, guns ablazing, violent society that SR loves to portray.


But there are other options - honour, curiosity, no choice at all, friendship, family/friend involvement, etc.


Unless, of course, you chaps really are incapable of thinking of, and then playing, anything that does not involve a pseudo-military combat raid ??


Just my thruppence..

[Protector152]

how about someone working on the site go's missing, their friend puts out some feelers and finds nothing(not even a SIN to go with the name) and hires the runners to find out what happened. the runners eventually investigate the site and... go for an unexpected ride

[hyzmarca]

Okay, lets start with an important NPC, whom we'll call Beta.

Beta is SINless, homeless, and luckless. Finding a rat in a trashcan is a good day for Beta. Fresh protein. When some guys in dirty overcoats tell Beta that they know of a place where Beta can get clean food, warm clothes, and a roof that doesn't leak, Beta thinks that he has hit the jackpot.
Unfortunately, the men in black suits and white labcoats at BEta's new home are not very nice. They do things to Beta. Bad things. They throw Beta into an interdimensional portal.

But, Beta has friends. Beta's friends don't have money, but they know people. There are individuals in the shadow community who find it useful to have a network of homeless informants as their eyes and ears; after all no one would notice a missing homeless man, but no one would notice a homeless man who wasn't missing. They're more invisible than they could be with any spell.

So, this shadowman, a Fixer or an mafioso or a detective (Baker Street irregulars), he wants to know who is doing what with his not-very-well-paid people. Beta, and others who have been taken off the street, could be made to flip on him. They wouldn't stand up in court, but a bullet doesn't care about burden of proof and he has some ruthless enemies. So he hires the runners to learn the truth.

They learn it the hard way.

Of course, you don't have to use the shadowman, but it is a quick way to point the players in the right direction. Likewise, you could make the kidnapped individual a close friend of a PC.

[Moon-Hawk]

[adamu]

Here is my little thought -

All these ideas are good, but most of them are EXCUSES predicated on the assumption that, factors of secrecy or cost control notwithstanding, the corp team is actually the better choice.

So we bend over backwards to come up with reasons NOT to use the corp team.

But what if some manager/Johnson actually felt that Runners had a higher probability of success than the in-house team.

Granted, the Jag Guards or Seraphim or Firewatch elites will have better training, better gear, better logistical support, and they are a known, loyal quantity.

But there are some people out there that will recognize the intangibles that a runner team brings. Organizational psychology will show time and again that, while culturally diverse groups perform poorly during the initial stages of working together, once they have time to get to know each other they generally outperform culturally homogenous groups.

Not preaching multiculturalism or anything - this is not political. I just think there are high-level management wonks with a very acute awareness of intangibles like this. They would recognize that teams of desperate runners will in many cases best the finest corp teams. They think out of the box better, not being constrained by corporate/military culture. They are hardened by a life lived constantly on the edge that no milspec training program can ever totally replicate - the very fact that the training is taking place lets the operative know he has a support network - that provides a mental relief few successful runners dare afford themselves.

Translating into game terms - runners will often have higher Edge (or in SR3 karma pool) scores than the corp guys. In character, the Johnson may not call it that, but whatever he calls it, he's not blind to it.

Taking the realities of the SR universe as a given, Harlequin doesn't hire a top-ranked squad of veteran Red Samurai to stop the Horrors, he recruits runners. Dunkelzahn doesn't surround himself with an elite cadre of company men, he has (I mean had) a coterie of prime runners. Corps don't only use them for secrecy - they use them because the good teams are more versatile and more savvy than a punch of highly trained spec-ops guys.
May not be true in real world - I'd but a Delta Team against some crew of high speed criminals any day - but this is not real world - we are dealing with the SR vision of reality.

An experienced, cohesive team of runners are not second-stringers - they are the first team, the one corps wish they could (and try to) keep on a leash. But the smart managers accept the fact that in doing so, the runners would no longer be what they are.

Just my little thought.

[laughingowl]

Corp X has device.


Corp Y, wants to no details.

Highers runs to infiltrate and actuvate device and record readings. (perhaps misleading slightly into effect. I induces a transphase engergy field on those that pass through, we belive as some kind of shield.. (as you travel through the worm hole).



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Corp X is developing Dr. Brightpants's latest invention.

Dr. Brightpants however, belives that Corp X. is going to use it for purposes he can not go along with. Dr. Brightpants highers runs to infiltrate lab, pass through machinery and make sure it works. If sucessfull hold the room, while Dr. Brightpants goes through (to escape) and then have equipment destroyed (likely with Dr. Brightpants rigging some self-destructs.


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Mr. Johnson is a former Merc. his long time buddy and friend was a ace corporate security for Corp X. Mr. Johnson got an email from his buddy saying he was going to be retiring soon; however, after that all signs of his buddy vanished.

Mr. Johnson did some prelimnary work and discovered that Corp X, appears to have developed some kind of travel technology. He gets a few fragmented reports making it clear that his buddy had gone through it more then once and reported back. Some rumors to one more trip and then nothing.

To old to go in the field, Mr. Johnson still has contacts though and isnt going to abandon his buddy. He hires the runners to infiltrate the facitily and go through the portal and find his buddy (or proof of his demise). He has a second team that will be able to secure the facility for 48 hours, (though first tema will need to do the intial infiltration. his team is more Merc style overt action, and not suited for the intial capture of facility).

Mr. Johnson is willing to pay reasonably well and is up front on the risk. He does state he knows it is two way as he has reports of his buddy going through (and then coming back); however, he does mention the risk if they cant get it done in the 48 hours, he isnt sure what would happen.

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Corp X: isnt quite willing to risk its loyal and well trained assists on a possible one-way mission.

They higher independent operators to make the run through the portal. They are given harnesses to attune / stablize the field they are to travel through and told they are needed. (with backing gobblity goop).

What Corp X, fails to mention is they plan on doing long term studies on the players to see what possible side effects the travel has. The harnesses have a built in nerutoxin injector, and electro tasers..

If not detected when the party comes back, they are triggered and the subbdued runers are taken off to be studied. (with obviously some lax sercuirty somewher to give them a chance (or perhaps friends stage a rescue)).

If detected, the players can get a good idea it might be a double cross when they come back and can make a fight out.