 Security Firms, Other than Lone Star |
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 Dec 9 2003, 11:18 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 354 Joined: 1-April 03 From: Long Island, NY Member No.: 4,364  |
I've only been playing Shadowrun for about two years, and in all the campaigns I've been in, I've only heard about Lone Star. Now that I'm on the forums, I see names like Winter Systems and Knight Errant, but I don't know anything about them. Why is Lone Star the big bad security system that everyone seems to use? What about these others, and others I've probably never heard of?
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Dec 9 2003, 11:20 PM
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#2
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Immortal Elf Group: Validating Posts: 7,999 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,890 |
Lone Star is the company that has been contracted by Seattle for it's law enforcement, beating out other companies such as Knight Errant. Unless you run in another city where Knight Errant or one of the other companies is contracted (or break into a facility that has independantly contracted one of them), chances are that's why you haven't ran into anyone beyond Lone Star. :)
I tend to prefer using Knight Errant in my games mostly because I'm superficial and petty; I can't stand the name "Lone Star." :D |
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Dec 9 2003, 11:20 PM
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#3
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,047 Joined: 12-November 03 From: Perilously close to the Sioux Nation. Member No.: 5,818 |
Lone Star is the "baseline" corp. They are hired out to the most groups and tend to do the low level work.
Groups like Hard Corps, Winter Systems and Knight Errant tend to do higher value/more difficult work. |
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Dec 10 2003, 12:23 AM
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#4
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
I somewhat disagree with this. As far as I knew, Hard Corps was a semi-low level bunch of thugs. Winter Systems is a Lone Star equivalent (maybe on a slightly smaller scale) with the police contract for New York (among others). Knight Errant is capable of handling both police contracts and individual site security on a scale probably a bit better than Lone Star. |
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Dec 10 2003, 12:54 AM
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#5
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 608 Joined: 9-July 02 From: California Member No.: 2,955 |
I thought Hard Corps were thugs too, but someone said they were the Elite of of KE. Now I'm confused.
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Dec 10 2003, 01:18 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 117 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 654 |
I think that its more that Hard Corps and KE are both owned by Ares.
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Dec 10 2003, 01:35 AM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 608 Joined: 9-July 02 From: California Member No.: 2,955 |
So HC is goons and thugs, KE is kickass?
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Dec 10 2003, 02:37 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 511 Joined: 30-May 03 From: Tulsa, OK Member No.: 4,652 |
Hard Corps are the thugs of the Ares security firms. Then you have Knight Errant and their regular bad asses, and the Knight Errant Firewatch teams which make up their elite units.
I too prefer using KE and actually my group gave the Seattle contract to them. Which caused Seattle policing to become a bit more difficult to get around. It was a fun way to up the ante. As such, Lone Star has kind of fallen by the wayside in our games. |
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Dec 10 2003, 03:59 AM
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#9
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,213 Joined: 10-March 02 From: Back from the abyss. Member No.: 2,316 |
Also some municipal police departments have incorporated. New Orleans did, in one book they call them New Orleans Police Inc, the hoods call them NOCOPS, because they are so corrupt. But in another book they say KE has the contract. I think New Yorks police incorporated, calling themselves Big Apple Security. I forget who they belong to but you also have Nightengale security, I know it is one of the Japanacorps, I am thinking Yatetsu. Renraku has the Red Samuria. Their is also a security company in the Sioux called Lone Eagle secuity. Some places still have municipal security. I can not find the book right now but I know there is a big lsit of security firms in SR, but just to point out SR is filled with security companies, all the big 10 will have their own maybe supplemented by LS or KE.
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Dec 10 2003, 05:35 AM
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#10
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King of the Hobos Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,117 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 127 |
The NYPD became NYPD Inc. They share the duty with Winter Systems and Knight Errant. And on New Orleans, I'd go with Target: Smugglers Havens and say that NOPS was the provider, and with Knight Errant really wishing they were, since that's the main New Orleans sourcebook. :)
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Dec 10 2003, 05:45 AM
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#11
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,047 Joined: 12-November 03 From: Perilously close to the Sioux Nation. Member No.: 5,818 |
Remember all of the contests for the contracts in NY due to the clause in their contract. The one that says proof of misdoings (or somesuch) = losing your contract.
(SoNA) |
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Dec 10 2003, 06:38 PM
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#12
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,213 Joined: 10-March 02 From: Back from the abyss. Member No.: 2,316 |
That is what our group does, when we go to the Big Easy for some R&R. I just seem to remember a newer 3rd edition book saying KE had the contract, I'll look it up I am most likely wrong. |
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Dec 10 2003, 10:24 PM
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#13
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Target Group: Members Posts: 50 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Pueblo Corporate Council Member No.: 2,020 |
For the most part, everyone's hit it on the head.
The Big Two security firms are Knight Errant (Ares) and LoneStar (independent). LoneStar is the most 'common' beacuse in canon they own the municipal contracts for a majority of UCAS cities (Seattle in particular). LoneStar also takes corporate security contracts, and in that capacity, is not trying to enforce municipal law, rather to protect corporate interests. KnightErrant has a subsidiary, called HardCorps that does more mercenary work than security work. Firewatch Teams are the elite of HardCorps and they figure prominently in "Burning Bright", the novel where they nuke Chicago (Cernak Blast). Winter Security, NYPD Inc, NOPS, Atlantic Security, California Rangers, Lone Eagle, and your local organized crime group are all 'small-time' security groups that don't have Megacorporate Status (A or above), but still control large sections of a municipality/state security-wise. (LoneStar is a AA, and KE is a subsidary of an AAA, so it counts) Renraku Red Samurai, Diaska Security, and other similar corporate security firms provide services only to their company. This is so they don't have to trust a compeditor with the security of their projects, but then again, they only do that for the really 'secure' operations. Also, the corporate groups have less of an enforcement duty and a protective duty: meaning they're more apt to shoot first, rather than try to apprehend. Also, with extraterratoriality (for the AAAs), they're enforcing corporate law, rather than national/municipal law, so they're free to shoot at will. However, also with extraterratorial matters, they'll be less likely to pursue you off corporate grounds (but they'll call the cops and let them know where they can shoot some big, bad, shadowrunners :)) Hope this wasn't too redundant! |
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Dec 10 2003, 11:42 PM
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#14
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,759 Joined: 11-December 02 From: France Member No.: 3,723 |
No matter what Burning Bright may say, as it's a novel it worth nothing if it's contradicted in a regular sourcebook. In this case Corporate Shadowfiles and Corporate Download says Hard Corps is a subsidiary of Ares-UCAS division. Knight Errant have no direct control over Hard Corps, both only share the same boss, Ares Macrotechnology. It even leads to internal competition and exchange of runs between the two companies. Firewatch teams belongs to KE. As for Hard Corps doing merc work, don't remember reading it anywhere (while KE is doing low-intensity warfare ops). There's also Atlantic Security of Miami (one of the last remaining subsidiary of the Gunderson Corporation), Najima Securities (Renraku America), Desert Storm Security (Shiawase), Minuteman Security (Novatech), Warren Security (who had the contract in NY before Winter, but lost it because it used to 'clean' squatted building belonging to their parent company Warren Habitats), and for the independants Wolverine Security, Archon Enforcement in Australia, Long Arms in the Algonkin-Manitou Council, UCAS Protective Services in one of Washington FDC airports... |
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Dec 10 2003, 11:45 PM
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#15
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,035 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Anahiem, CA Member No.: 100 |
Brainscan has a run where you go to the big easy. In that book the police are listed as NOPS. |
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| Guest_Crimsondude 2.0_* |
Dec 11 2003, 04:46 AM
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#16
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Guests |
KE police the harbor. T:SH (I'm too lazy to get the page ref, but I just saw it an hour ago). |
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Dec 11 2003, 10:08 PM
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#17
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,759 Joined: 11-December 02 From: France Member No.: 3,723 |
[BBC] Another kind of activity for a private security firm...
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Dec 12 2003, 07:31 PM
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#18
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 212 Joined: 1-July 02 From: Santa Maria, CA Member No.: 2,921 |
I'm just going to point out that the Bug City sourcebook directly references Burning Bright, and specfically says that the events in the sourcebook take place after the novel. This makes Burning Bright totally canonical. In addition, I'm pretty sure that sourcebooks have contradicted each other before. No, I'm not going to give examples. I have better uses for my time. :P |
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Dec 12 2003, 08:08 PM
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#19
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,759 Joined: 11-December 02 From: France Member No.: 3,723 |
You said it. Sourcebooks are also "totally canonical" when released and yet sometimes they contradict each other. And as I said when such thing happens between "totally canonical" material, myself and I believe a lot of people give priority to sourcebooks over novels. As far as I know there is at the moment no google™ engine used to rate totally canonical material according to the number of reference they got. But you can chose the one you like (actually Im still not even sure that reference to Hard Corps is in Burning Bright in the first place). And vampire can have cyberware :P |
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Dec 12 2003, 08:27 PM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 134 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Denver CO, USA Member No.: 112 |
Don't forget that a few jurisdictions still have government run law enforcement.
The Federal Capital Police (AKA FedPols) in FDC are the best known of these. But if I recall correctly, according to the Harliquin adventures (the first ones) Columbia MO still has a municipal police force. In UCAS the federal law enforcement is still government run (excepting the DED of Lone Star which appears to have taken over the DEA's jobs). The FBI still exists, I don't know about the ATF, Boarder Patrol, Marshall's or other federal agencies. Also the Lone Star SB states that LS does not have a highway patrol division. Presumably this is still handled directly by the states. Ute Nation has a national police force. And don't forget the California Rangers. Plus, I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting that are in Canon sources. |
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| Guest_Crimsondude 2.0_* |
Dec 12 2003, 08:47 PM
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#21
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Guests |
BATF (actually BATF&E now) is the BATTF.
the Marshals Service is still around. Customs is still around in some form as well. I don't know about BP, but I'd assume so. Firewatch has always been part of Knight Errant. It was KE in Burning Bright; in Bug City; and in Corporate Download. |
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