Hobbies..., Ain't just 'bout the Shadows... Options

[CanRay]

Everyone has a Hobby. In fact, I'm insisting that every character in my group have a "Hobby Skill" of one sort or another.

What are your character's hobbies?

[Zak]

Hm, insisting on it might be harsh.

Anyway,
my troll hermetic likes to golf,
my elven shaman is into racing motorbikes
and my orc face is busy building a community of anarchists (not really a hobby, but all he does besides runs)

[Nightwalker450]

My technomancer plays guitar, and when running from apartments its probably the largest thing he has to get out with. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Since picking up an Emoti-toy (which is used for surveilance mostly, not social craziness), he's taken to modifying toys not just hardware but skinning them and creating a different customized look to them. So now I've got a toy hobbiest going.

Some others in our group, our dwarf throwing adept is a hoverboard enthusiast and spends alot of his money on upgrading his boards (he has 4 now I believe), or detailing them.

Our face is a culinary enthusiast, and spends out a large amount of money on real food. As well he has at least a couple contacts that just help him get access to the good stuff.

Our elven medic mage, is trying to gather supplies and (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) to start his own clinic, to help in the barrens.

I have previously run a rigger, who did street races. (Unfortunatly before Arsenal, and price changes in BBB) so lots of (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) towards tuning cars, and buying more cars. Last I played him he had a Eurocar, Limo (before 120,000 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) erratta), Dunebuggy, and a Sedan (used as Taxicab). Actually made a decent amount of money on the side betting on races, and participating.

[CanRay]

Hm, insisting on it might be harsh.

It *HAD* been a strong suggestion until someone gave his hobby as "Killing People".

Then I put forward the "One Bad Apple" rule, and demand it now.

I suggested Taxidermy to him, and he's honestly thinking of that.

I'm already starting to plan out what happens if/when the Star/Corporate Security/Phone Police need to raid his place.

[ornot]

I had a mage whose hobby was clothes shopping, and a technomancer whose hobby was shooting up bliss. One cybermonster i never got to play would have had the hobby of staring at wallpaper patterns (he was not right in the head) but that campaign never took off, so he got shelved.

I have a player whose hobby is scuba diving, and another one who is a sucker for new and wiz gadgets; let us call him the ultimate early adopter.

[ArkonC]

It *HAD* been a strong suggestion until someone gave his hobby as "Killing People".

Then I put forward the "One Bad Apple" rule, and demand it now.

I suggested Taxidermy to him, and he's honestly thinking of that.

I'm already starting to plan out what happens if/when the Star/Corporate Security/Phone Police need to raid his place.

I don't see why that isn't a good hobby, it's not like being a complete psycho excludes you from being a shadowrunner...
I used to have a covert ops/assassin who took up serial killing as a hobby, "to keep my skills high, I need to challenge them."
"Skinning Kittens Alive" There's another good one...
Of course, most of my characters have more normal hobbies, archery, cooking, gaming, getting high and staring at lava lamps...

[paws2sky]

My SR1 decker liked to spend his free time (which wasn't much, what with the program coding and deck modding) people watching at busy places like monorail stations.

My SR2 shark shaman had a thing for antiques. That hobby became a focal point of the magical group he helped found later in his career (they collected and stored/hid nasty magical objects). It also caused me to turn down several large cash payments for the chance to snag some rare items.

My other long-time character taught capoeria to troubled street kids at a youth center in, I think, Tacoma.

And I briefly had an Elf Face/Techie who was working on turning a section of the Barrens into her own personal militaried compound (I was permanently buying up Low and Squatter lifestyles with my spare cash). Free housing to any squatters that wanted to live there, get clean, and turn it into a proper community.

[CanRay]

I'd have accepted "Skinning Kittens Alive" as a hobby.

But "Killing People" was his job. And, while there is something to be said about doing what you like, I'm trying to get characters that are more than just 2D Cliches, yaknow?

[IQ Zero]

Well not all my characters had hobbies, but two do stand out.

Dancer - human (un)razor guy built during SR 1, no magic, no cyberware, just attributes and skills, and his two Browning Hi-Powers. His dirty little secret was that he was a SINner, his dayjob? Ballet Dancer.

Bambi - Troll Razor/Heavy Weapons Guy. His hobby was collecting Barbie dolls, even broke his professionalism once on a run on Vashon Island to steal 8 from the room of the little girl who's daddy we were supposed to ... "extract".

[hermit]

My ancient main character (drone rigger/face) is into shopping for clothes, clubbing, and street racing (the latter about balances out the expenses of the former two, more or less), as well as a bit into playing the guitar.

My vigilante streetsam is into bowling, as well as his militia, whom he spends most of his down time with. He also has a family.

My series of throwaway poser streetsams always is into whoring, drinking, and hanging around runner-themed bars pretending to be a pro.

My prison ork is into cage fighting.

My amnesiac guy finally is into wearing aluminium foil hats and conspiracy theorist trix sites.

[ArkonC]

I'd have accepted "Skinning Kittens Alive" as a hobby.

But "Killing People" was his job. And, while there is something to be said about doing what you like, I'm trying to get characters that are more than just 2D Cliches, yaknow?

Yes, I get that, but you can't enforce character depth, only request it, I mean, if I really didn't care about a hobby, but I had to have one, it would probably be "watching TV"...
That being said, I once had a troll in the party who collected butterflies, it created some memorable scenes...
But so did an other guy who called his guns Vera and Simone...

[Mäx]

My Sasha keeps a kind of a youth center in her "penthouse", the neighborhoods kids get a place to hang around and she gets someone watching her house while she on a run.(she has high security locks in her study/bedroom).

Got inspired by the Crashpad lifestyle flaw in Sprawl Survival Guide.

Or at least thats in her background, now if i actually get to play one day, i would really have to play that one up.

[Nightwalker450]

Anyone take trolling Dumpshock as a hobby? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Blogging, and Forum trolling could be big ones any character. Sammy hits the gun blogs, Mage hits the paranormal sites, hacker hits everything... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[CanRay]

Anyone take trolling Dumpshock as a hobby? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Blogging, and Forum trolling could be big ones any character. Sammy hits the gun blogs, Mage hits the paranormal sites, hacker hits everything... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

See! That's perfect!

One of the Character's in my group is going to have playing the Shadowrun MMORPG as being his Hobby.

And even has a "Contact" in his Shadowrun Guild!

[Balcon13]

I always ask my players to get at least one skill that is not directly uable by shadowrunners to show they have / had a life other then being a shadowrunner. My character has mixology (Bartender) and Architecture, my wife has cooking and dancing, some others have fishing, hunting small game, gambling, accounting and stock trading.

[Ryusukanku]

And let us not forget Parkour!

It's more than a hobby, it's a way of life!

And quite possibly the coolest way to get around the city while avoiding traffic and pedestrians. ...well most pedestrians anyways.

[stevebugge]

Some of my characters have hobbies, others go a bit further in to the realms of causes and activism. I certainly agree with the goal of trying to make characters rather than collections of stats, attributes, and gear.

I have a character who spends a lot of time and money trying to drum up support for a Policlub called Sons of the Alamo. Another is a former IRA Terrorist (spike baby elf) who still trys to free Eire, only now from the Elves not the British. I have a Troll who does French Cooking, a Hacker who is a videogame fiend, a combat type who spends a fair amount of his free (and working time) whacked out on various drugs, A rigger who likes fishing (and more important telling fishing stories at the bar).

[Spike]

I start looking hard at a GM that 'insists' I make my character a certain way. I've had too many bad expirences with shit like that to look comfortably at that sort of meddling. Beyond an overview of the campaign and some basic open ended stuff (give me a background/don't give me a background... all characters must be from a Redmond street gang.... that sort of thing)... I don't want the GM making my character.

Never mind that most of my characters are pretty well developed and rounded anyway, and MOST of the recent ones I've made have been barrens street rats grown up, more interested in their next meal than any 'time waster'.

Of course, a certain level of professional is probably pretty into his job, his hobbies are in fact career skills and vice versa. Look at the spec ops guys who take up skydiving as a hobby (as most of them jump from planes, at least some of the time, for their 'work') or shooting. A HUGE number of soldiers hunt and sport shoot as hobbies, and any visit to a ISPC (sp?) event will find a huge percentage of the attendees are off duty cops, there for the fun of shooting.


In other words, if I feel a character needs a hobby to round the out, I'll give them one on my own. The GM forcing me to have one will get me to start looking around for a new GM. And because this post isn't long enough to meet union minimums: I view this much as I'd vew a GM strongly suggesting that a Colt Manhunter is not the right pistol for my Shadowrunner, and I'd be better off with a Predator. Its none o' his damn business.

[CanRay]

I did this solely for the purpose of having at least *ONE* skill that's non-combat related with some characters, as I've had bad experiences where that was *ALL* the PC was good for, and nothing else.

And, again, it started out as a "Suggestion" until someone stated "Killing People" as a hobby. Again, I instituted the "One Bad Apple" rule due to that.

Anyhow, there's free Knowledge Skills. Not like I'm demanding a waste of Points or anything.

Throw it into "Gang Tag Recognition", and there you go. You watch Gang Wars and see who has what turf for a hobby. Maybe even have a miniature city in Trid with all the gang territories laid out, and update it as you drive along, getting shot at by the Star!

[stevebugge]

I start looking hard at a GM that 'insists' I make my character a certain way. I've had too many bad expirences with shit like that to look comfortably at that sort of meddling. Beyond an overview of the campaign and some basic open ended stuff (give me a background/don't give me a background... all characters must be from a Redmond street gang.... that sort of thing)... I don't want the GM making my character.

Never mind that most of my characters are pretty well developed and rounded anyway, and MOST of the recent ones I've made have been barrens street rats grown up, more interested in their next meal than any 'time waster'.

Of course, a certain level of professional is probably pretty into his job, his hobbies are in fact career skills and vice versa. Look at the spec ops guys who take up skydiving as a hobby (as most of them jump from planes, at least some of the time, for their 'work') or shooting. A HUGE number of soldiers hunt and sport shoot as hobbies, and any visit to a ISPC (sp?) event will find a huge percentage of the attendees are off duty cops, there for the fun of shooting.


In other words, if I feel a character needs a hobby to round the out, I'll give them one on my own. The GM forcing me to have one will get me to start looking around for a new GM. And because this post isn't long enough to meet union minimums: I view this much as I'd vew a GM strongly suggesting that a Colt Manhunter is not the right pistol for my Shadowrunner, and I'd be better off with a Predator. Its none o' his damn business.

Sounds like you've had some control freak GM's, or GM's who get off on screwing the players over constantly.

[ElFenrir]

What do I have...

My martial artist/cyber/escaped company guy likes to play piano, has a working relationship with his magical scientist contact(she's his age and they ended up getting together. They are in their mid 20s, and why would some folks that age around each other who actually LIKE each other not date? Are shadowrunners allergic to it?), and loves any old fighting games. He plays them often and scrounges around antique stores for them. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Half-body replaced elf(two legs and a torso), likes clubbing still(the way we play Dantes Inferno, there's an industrial-type level he fits in perfectly), and actually has a bit of a taste for S&M(we play R rated games, nothing described, but implied), but i don't think that would be a hobby. He was into body piercing before his torso was replaced, it's kind of hard to do now. Come to think of it, that character is more into figuring out how to further customize his cyberlimbs. That might be a hobby in and of itself. His friends have been trying to get him to broaden his horizons. I guess music is a hobby for him too; it's sort of prevalent in alot of my characters.

[CanRay]

Aside from the few, "Why are you demanding anything from your Players" comments, seems like a good collection of Hobbies for 'Runners.

Honestly, I didn't think asking for some minor restriction would be such a big deal. OK, yes, Barrens kid doesn't have "Hobbies" as we think of them today, but he's gotta have something to pass the time, even if it's just Trainspotting.

For my "characters" from my stories (Which proves that I enforce my own rules on myself!), Jon "Money" Johnson is an avid hunter (Large and Awakened Game), listens to Classical Music (Loves The Rolling Stones), and studies Firearms. You pull a gun in his face, he'll tell you everything about it that there is to know (Especially if you do something stupid like leave the manual safety on.). I could argue that his stock portfolio is also a hobby, but that's how he started as a "Character", so that's "Work" to him. Actually, technically, I could say "Being a Johnson" could be his hobby. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Nas the Elven Wheelman is a Racer to the core, and knows and watches everything racing. He is also a huge Combat Cycle fan. Were he a common joe, he'd have his basement den decked out in the colours of his favourite team, and the High-Def Trid down there to watch every game.

All the above either explain combat skills, or are knowledge skills that round out a character, give me something to inturrupt with a CommCall, or incorporate some hidden bit of knowledge that somehow helps the group out, and embarrasses the hell out of the character!

"Damn it, now we need to find someone that knows the history of Lace Doilies from the Louis XIV era." "Uh, no, we, er, don't..." "You can't know about..." "Yeah... HEY! I had to fill out a course schedual at MIT&T, and that's all that was available!"

[Lionhearted]

Right now im planning a character that has a thing for gambling, especially cardgames.. with poker as his favourite, however he lost his left arm due to a gambling debt (be careful with who you owe money) but it's still a work in progress

[CanRay]

(be careful with who you owe money)

Gambling with a Ghoul?

[Lionhearted]

Gambling with a Ghoul?

Nah the mob, first time he missed a payment they took his index finger.. the next time his entire lower left arm, with threat that the next time take his jewels.. he didn't miss another payment