Underground Auction Items, Some good themes for Illegal Auctions Options

[Serial_Peacemake...]

Hi there. Runners being people that are not all the terribly concerned with legality I have had my runners have a couple meets at several illegal auctions. So far they have been at an Organ Auction, a Magic Oddities Auction, and so on. I just though I would see if anyone has any particularly devious ideas for things that could be bid on that in the Sixth world. I'm thinking Paracritters is not a bad idea, and a Bunraku doll auction would be interesting, and have the added twist you could be selling both p-fixes and bodies.

[Fuchs]

Used cyberware, drugs, art, military gear. Maybe contracts/debts as well.

[Ancient History]

Paydata, especially blackmail material. Underworld markers ("Jimmy the Fish, four thousand yen. Bidding starts at two thousand.") Contacts ("This is Senator Jeffries from Indiana. He's feeling a little lonely tonight, so who wants to start me off with a thousand nuyen...")

[Aaron]

What they said, plus items with a high Availability.

[MaxHunter]

Paracritters and meat puppets (think of historical slave auctions)
Those are the two options posted I consider more interesting. (the two came to my mind when I read the topic title)

Others could be: weapons of mass destruction? stolen art pieces? atlantean relics?

I wonder why those people meet at places who I would consider dangerous and an extra liability to the meet. Anyway, different groups, different tastes. I sounds like it could be fun somehow.

Cheers!

Max

edited: "found" instead of "fun" and others like it. What was I thinking?

[bibliophile20]

Rare artifacts.

Stuff stolen from a dragon's horde that the thieves want to unload quickly.
--Subset: Draconic memory jewels.

Bioweapons

Advanced chemical warfare weapons

The gear to handle, transport and utilize the above two safely.

A "liberated" CCU (without brain) and drone shell

And so forth

[Serial_Peacemake...]

Well partly the in game justification was that no one would be able to say they were there, without revealing they were there as well. Also the security of the auction itself was fairly high so if it would dissuade the general riff raff from killing you. Which for an organ legging auction is a mite uncomfortable. Also it let me introduce several ghoul NPCs, and a few of the more Blood Magic heavy Triad players for later.Plus I actually set it up as a auction that more or less specializes in illegal/dangerous items. Actually the brains in jars idea is a good one. The major thing is I am a bit on the Chrome side of the game when I run.

[Little Storm]

How about modified vehicles and drones?
Of course the illegal stuff.

[kzt]

Software exploits. Kind of like http://www.wslabi.com/wabisabilabi/faq.do?

SINs & credit, like http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1684.html

[kindalas]

How about the selling of debt.

The illegal and large variety.

That way the players if they wanted could buy say a 500,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) debt and try and turn it into cash or favours or etc.

[paws2sky]

Weapons custom built by famous manufacturers/weaponsmiths.
"Next up: Auction item #116, a katana forged by the legendary swordsmith, Hanzo. This weapon would be ideal for enchanting puposes. The bidding wil start at..."

Limited production firearms, such as the sample custom gun described in the SR3 Canon Companion (a full auto shotgun designed for trolls).

Unmodified Full-X "snuff" sim tracks.
For added yuck factor:
1) make them from famous people.
2) have the person flatline, then revived, possibly several times.

A dead fixer's "little black book" and/or commlink.

I'll also second the Bunraku/slavery idea, especially if your game is ultra-distopian.

Containers of experimental nanites, possibly military ones designed for use as weapons.

The research notes from scientist who worked for a shadowy R&D facility that was experimenting on technomancers.

The uncompiled source code for a cutting edge Agent.

A data chip containing unaltered copies of FBI or CIA files on a number of historical events: JFK's assassination, the real reason for invading (country of choice), etc.

A transcript and/or eye witness accounts of a major "mystery event" in the Shasowrun canon. Something like Big D's assassination, the events following the WInternight incident, etc.

Several briefcases full of paper script; highly desirable in foreign markets.

The skeleton of a "spike baby" dating back to the early 1900's.

A Sasquatch performer, possibly p-fixed to be docile.

[Snow_Fox]

a set of correct and undamaged sec uniforms for the (name AAA corp of your choice.)

[Kanada Ten]

Large encrypted data files, filled with unknown and unsorted information salvaged from ogranlegging donors.

Sealed containers of unknown contents in various sizes and strange outer markings (perhaps a PC recognizes the symbol or falls into a bidding war, coming away with the item when the other decides it would be cheaper to steal it from them later).

In addition to paracritters, puppets, and slaves: spirit true names, metahuman "thoroughbred" fighters, mysterious eggs.

Sunglasses.

[Method]

- Children with burgeoning magical talent.
- Modified cyberware that gives certain specific abilities.
- Access to exclusive clubs, restaurants or other high profile locations.
- Surveillance footage of a KE or LS contracted location of their choice.
- A "get out of jail free" card.
- A fully functional LS cruiser.
- A wageslave-level job at a megacorp of their choice.
- Commcodes of the rich and famous.
- Airtight false SINs (possibly from freshly dead organ "donors").
- Legitimate access codes to a corporate PLTG (SR3 or adapt for SR4).
- Maps of expensive housing developments.
- Maps of smuggling routes around your setting city.
- A private charter jet out of their city, no questions asked.
- Passage on a cargo ship out of the city, no questions asked.
- Magical drugs (any of the weird shit from the Mohave desert, for example).
- The passkey module to a certain secured system.
- Anything from Dunkelzahn's will.
- Drugs.
- Medical services (from a provider other than the organleggers/ghouls)
- Safehouse locations.
- Gang / Syndicate / Corporate / Governmental protection.
- A passkey module for a certain secured network.
- Anything from Dunkelzahn's will.

[MaxHunter]

all of the above! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I have to second the "fixer's black book" option. I had that happen in one of my games, and there was a low level street war to get the contacts list. Finally they settled it in a truce. A famous shadowrunner got the list and split it even among many fixers to mantain the power level balanced. The whole story arc was quite fun.

Cheers!

Max