How would you secure the meet, Frightened team needs some help Options

[GoldenAri]

and now you're booked at a suspiciously arranged meet at a place you're known to frequent with a complete stranger?

Well, to be fair booking a meeting at our normal meeting place is my fault and was before anyone had died.

I hear the weather in Vladivostok is good this time of year.

And what if we're running from the Vori? Vladivostok is the last place I'd want to run to, but I wont know unless we talk to this informant. I would just like to live to see the sun rise the next day.

[ixombie]

bluff?

It's *supposed* to be a bluff, because you *hope* the enemy doesn't say "yeah right, you're not going to blow yourself up," and shoot you. It's like an ICBM. Deterrent. It's only there so you don't have to use it.

[MaxHunter]

One: I am all for switching to that fake ID you surely have kept unused in a locker together with a spare pistol, a new commlink, some thousand nuyen and a ticket to a place a couple continents away.

But of course, If you are not the runny type, then do it straight. The face adept should go and meet the contact alone. or better, accompanied by another shadowrunner team hired for the occasion. The mage and the hacker have to cover him using every trick available. And I do mean the toughest spirits they could come by. Total control of the premises, drone armies, ready-made news of a corporate heir spotted at the disco, whatever you could get ready that would not ruin your reps.

The idea is not to fight here, but to move the contact (or you) away very quickly. So, spirits with movement, guard, accident and concealment. One or two prepared escape routes, emphasis on speed. Drones with jammers and thermal smoke. News crews ready to spoil any nasty surprises. Just do not forget to pack a quick disguise in your pocket, you do not want to appear on prime time.

My first idea would be to meet at a ultrasecure place, like the lobby of Sea-Tac or a restaurant at the Aztechnology pyramid (unless, of course, the Azzies could be the culprits). In this way, I like JBlades idea. Just don't overdo it, you might get the info killed. Likewise, I do not like Method's idea of a kill zone defense. Though very classy, as i have already implied I think that you still do not stand a fighting chance if that is the case. Ergo, do not fight. Stealth, movement and "borrowed" security are your best friends.

I cannot stress enough the need for well paid legwork, this is the moment one should start burning out all favors to know where the blow might come from. There is no better protection than good intelligence. Of course, I would not discard a lot of armor and good running shoes. Use your time well, someone paid dearly to give you this opportunity.

And I imagine you are not sleeping (welcome to long haul abuse) or at least if you are, you are doing it in a very cheap roach hotel in the barrens with fourty other fugitives or else, in a glitzy suite in a pricey hotel across the local branch of the FBI. And nobody ever gets separated from the group. "I'll go fetch some pizza" make for pathetic last words, neh?

At least this is very exciting, isn't it? Good luck

Cheers!

Max

P.S. Do not, under any circumstances, generate a new character while this one still breathes. That's bad karma, omae.

[Method]

I do not like Method's idea of a kill zone defense. Though very classy...

Do I sense some sarcasim there? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

GoldenAri regardless of what you choose to do, you definitely need to give us an update on the outcome. I'm intrigued.

[djinni]

just as a side note in addition to the other Ideas...

pay the local gang to dress up in non gang clothes and take up the entire occupancy of the bar, so if the guy starts anything you have the entire bar..."got your back."

[bjorn]

GoldenAri regardless of what you choose to do, you definitely need to give us an update on the outcome. I'm intrigued.

I agree, I would like to hear what happens to this story.


On that note however, I have nothing to add. Any idea that I could come up with has been said and then refined by someone else. I would like to wish you luck however.

P.S. The only thing I can actually think of is that the person your meeting hacked one of your contact's comlinks, thats why you or any other team member never got to roll any dice. Just a thought you may want to pass on to your contacts.

[JBlades]

Ya, I totally need to know outcome here, and all the details of what you end up doing. *bounces on edge of seat*

I want to reiterate my point about packing non-lethal to the meet. If the guy is legit and wants to give you info, you need him alive to get the info. If it's the killer, you need him alive to get the info. Sensing a trend? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[GoldenAri]

So I was talking to the tech character's player, telling him about all your suggestions and in particular whole taking a sub-orbital to another country ideas. This eventually led him to joke that we should head to Hong Kong. The joke being that every since our GM got his hands on Runners Havens he's been a big fan of running a game in Hong Kong, but we've been resistant because we don't know anyone there and we don't want to start a new campaign.

I laughed, then I said "What if <our dead sam's player> is in on it?" And that's when all the pieces started falling into place.

So, we're guessing that the informant is his new character and Teulisch is dead on with his assessment of what's going to happen. Still don't know the exact who/what (although we're guess it has something to do with a run we pulled against Wuxing), but I'll bet that the only way to stop whoever is hunting us (and avenger our friend's dead in the process) is to head to Hong Kong.

This leave how do we secure the meet against an assault from the kung fu assassin and make sure that we can protect our new friend?

[JBlades]

Lol, I'm tempted to tell you to try killing the informant now just to watch the look on your buddy's face... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

[Method]

If that happens to be the case, don't you feel a little railroaded?

I think you can factor in those suspicions (albeit a little metagaming), but you still need to be on your toes in case you're wrong. Besides, the best thing you can do when your enemy seems to know your every move is do something totally unpredictable.

[GoldenAri]

Well, if we hadn't figured it out I don't think it would have felt much like railroading. As it is I think that if we play it all metagame like it will spoil some of the fun, but I'm definitely going to factor that in.

Which means "blowing the bar with the informant in it" as a plan is right out.

I'll be sure to keep you all posted in this thread.

[djinni]

Lol, I'm tempted to tell you to try killing the informant now just to watch the look on your buddy's face... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

my gut reaction was load several steel lynx's with gel rounds and have them ALL suppressive fire the bar. until everyone but the supr awesome bad guys are unconsious. after you mow down the whole bar, swoop in coup de grace the "informant" with a grenade style jawbreaker you leave town in a blaze of glory.

[KarmaInferno]

Except the one guy that took out their muscle without dropping his icecream cone
come on killing a player is bad form but killing a player when that player has no chance?

You realize that SeaTac has a massive amount of astral security too, right?

It's the perfect meeting place. Neither side will dare start anything cos there's too much security around.


-karma

[djinni]

You realize that SeaTac has a massive amount of astral security too, right?

It's the perfect meeting place. Neither side will dare start anything cos there's too much security around.


-karma

in a normal campaign yes, but I was directing to "someone getting info on them mysteriously" and the killing of a player who's single and only action before dying a horrible death was a movement action.

[toturi]

I was wondering if the Sam had burnt up all his Edge. But since he was going to change PCs anyway, I supposed it would do.

[masterofm]

Yeah well what got me about the story was when you called the GM on what appeared to be a bluff.

"Hey how did you find out about us?"

GM thinks fast "Um... I had a hacker hack your comlink.... yeah thats it.... comlink."

Why does everyone say drone armies? No they are a bad idea since now the GM has to back up the story with a crazy leety mic leet sauce hacker (if that was his/her intention or not.) Whats wrong with using multiple comlinks? If you bounce the signal like crazy it will take them forever to find your comlink, and if you have one comlink attached to another and run it through say... a mile underground through the sewers, with a spirit and a camera watching one end (broadcast only) then there is pretty much no way you could get splatted. Meeting people face to face for a shady, you have no idea what will happen transaction, and then your sami gets ultra kacked has bad idea idea written all over it. If these guys bring it hard core and trace it back to the comlink on a cable then yeah take the next plane to Hong Kong, but why go to Hong Kong if you rolled a corp that has its power base in China?

Rule 1 of the SR handbook: Never get kacked
Rule 2 of the SR handbook: Never get kacked
Rule 3 of the SR handbook: See rule one and two
Rule 4 of the SR handbook: Always have the upper hand so you can keep on abiding by rule one, two, and three
Rule 5 of the SR handbook: Never under any circumstances show skin or face (see rule three)
Rule 6 of the SR handbook: Always carry a ball of lint, some chewing gum, a paper clip, and half a tin can in your pocket (never know when it will come in handy)

[Stahlseele]

if you had not figured out that it is supposed to happen this way, i probably would have lead the guy who should give you hintfo out some place lonely and on saying the appointed passphrase have a sniper shoot him or something like that . . our GM got so angry when i pulled that once *g*

[GoldenAri]

I was wondering if the Sam had burnt up all his Edge.

Edge use in our game is pretty heavily houseruled. You can't burn edge to ECD unless it's clear that what's killing you is cold dice, so basically it's GM fiat when we can use edge that way. Which if fine by us since we never liked the idea of runner having extra lives equal to their edge pool ("I increase my edge" - 1up sign appears over character's head. That just ain't right)

but why go to Hong Kong if you rolled a corp that has its power base in China?

I've got to assume there will be a logical explanation, if not, then I'll feel railroaded.

[djinni]

Edge use in our game is pretty heavily houseruled. You can't burn edge to ECD unless it's clear that what's killing you is cold dice, so basically it's GM fiat when we can use edge that way. Which if fine by us since we never liked the idea of runner having extra lives equal to their edge pool ("I increase my edge" - 1up sign appears over character's head. That just ain't right)


I've got to assume there will be a logical explanation, if not, then I'll feel railroaded.

well the reason that rule is there is so that you don't have to reroll a toon.
if you really like dying because the GM says so then well okay that's your groups style. but in any group I've stayed in the GM is not god. what he says is only what he says because he's a good GM, if he pulled something like that. he'd no longer be GM unless he explained everything. but then again we don't "play close to the chest" the GM rolls in front of the group tells us the stats of the bad guy, (sometimes we even make up the opposition for him) and the deep dark secrets our characters have are common OOC knowledge. if a player tries to screw the group the other players know about it while he's planning it. so I guess its just two different play styles.
btw you are being railroaded...don't wait for the crossing gate to close behind ya. kill the informant and get out of dodge. if you don't kill him the GM is going to kill you with him, and if you do kill him the GM is giong to tell you that he was your only ticket "out."

[MaxHunter]

I would trust your Gm a little more than Djinni. Yours sounds like a good game, especially after it was implied the street sam could be conspiring with the Gm and getting a creative switch of chars. Btw, Wuxing's HQ are in HK. Send my regards to Wu Lung Wei.


Have fun

Cheers,

Max

[Ryu]

It's *supposed* to be a bluff, because you *hope* the enemy doesn't say "yeah right, you're not going to blow yourself up," and shoot you. It's like an ICBM. Deterrent. It's only there so you don't have to use it.

In that time and age you don´t have to bluff. Nothing says "I trust you" like a biomonitor wired into 10kg of C-4.

[Dashifen]

btw you are being railroaded...don't wait for the crossing gate to close behind ya. kill the informant and get out of dodge. if you don't kill him the GM is going to kill you with him, and if you do kill him the GM is giong to tell you that he was your only ticket "out."

I disagree. I don't think this sounds like a railroad at all. A railroad would imply that the players have no options to handle this new situation other than to march blindly ahead on the tracks until the train goes off a cliff. In this case they've got a variety of options, many of which have been discussed in this very thread. And, perhaps, one which I'm not sure has been mentioned: just don't go to the meet. You're friend just got punked; that's a pretty appropriate reason to pack a bag, move to Denver, and get a new SIN along the way. Sure, it may not be within the GMs plan and if your GM doesn't let you take that action, then you might be on more of a railroad than I can perceive.

[Ryu]

It is not railroading if the GM is open to accept other ways do approach this. It is actually good to know that he has one option to move things along if the players have no idea what to do but flee.

[Clyde]

Has anyone else ever thought about trying to surprise the GM with your plan? I mean, when your team is planning a run you are also telling the GM everything you're going to do. Shadowrun has got to be the easiest game ever to railroad.

The only way I can think to do it is to have two purposes of everything you do and all the gear you take. Like you say: "I bring four thermal smoke grenades to cover our getaway" but you're really thinking "thermal smoke grenades will definitely set off the fire alarm and clear the building."

Of course, do this too many times and your GM is sure to catch on.

Regardless, in Ari's case the Sam's player is in on it. Ari's best bet to avoid this is to directly tell the GM that he doesn't like the direction the campaign is taking. The other players might want to do the same. Unless you have that out of character discussion the only way to avoid things going the way the GM wants them to is to pick up your dice and go somewhere else . . . .

[MaxHunter]

@Clyde: Then again, I am not sure Goldenari is unhappy about his campaign -just do not sense that exactly- Maybe he's worried about his character survival and a tiny bit paranoid of foul play -but wishing not to be right- In other words: A perfect Shadowrun mindset (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Of course, "Goldenboy", you are there so you can clarify on your feelings.

As I said before, to everyone, have fun! IMO this is just a thrilling and creative way for someone to change characters, with some GM help. Relax.

As my players say: "this looks like we are screwed without any chance of survival, we trust you it's not like that. Let's keep playing... we always have time to jump on you later on."

Cheers,

Max