GM Resources (in other words I need help).

GM Resources (in other words I need help).

Solstice View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 06:18 PM Post #1
Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 870 Joined: 6-January 04 From: Idaho Member No.: 5,960	I'm really not familar with the state of the net as it applies to Shadowrun GMing resources. I know you can find just about anything you need for AD&D from NPCs to maps to whatever. What are some of the places that you guys go when you can't spend 18 hours making up NPCs for a coming run ect, drawing a map, etc etc. Also, which book has monsters? Are the places online to get critter stats..it seems the books we have don't have any in em. well I'll breifly outline the run we are planning just because I am so excited about it. We were contracted to smuggle several thousand BTLs up to Tsimshian. So we have to go through Salish-Shidhe just to get there. We will probably be killed but meh the J is paying over :nuyen: 200,000 each.

Tanka View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 06:22 PM Post #2
Chrome to the Core Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,152 Joined: 14-October 03 From: ::1 Member No.: 5,715	Critters, which comes with the GM Screen, has critter stats. Sprawl Sites (SR1/SR2, AFAIK) has maps and NPCs you'd regularly come across (That Guy That Works at Stuffer Shack™ and such).

BitBasher View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 06:26 PM Post #3
Traumatizing players since 1992 Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,282 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 220	I stopped planning a long time ago. Take notes WHILE you do things to keep things consistent, but 90% of the time without railroading written plans are just a list of things that dont work out like you expected them to. I just run the gamne entirely on the fly. I do use a big whiteboard though.

Kagetenshi View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 06:33 PM Post #4
Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,010 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802	I personally use Vectorworks, though for non-architectural stuff I may switch over to AutoCAD. As for stuff that doesn't make you do the work yourself, well, I can't really help, sorry. ~J

Solstice View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 06:50 PM Post #5
Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 870 Joined: 6-January 04 From: Idaho Member No.: 5,960	you gotta be kidding.... there is no like database full of insta-NPCs for the corp goon squads etc? I find that hard to believe. How do you guys do it? It takes like hours to make a char. I couldn't imagine having to make a bunch of NPCs by hand.

Mal-2 View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 06:57 PM Post #6
Target Group: Members Posts: 93 Joined: 9-December 03 From: Greenville, SC Member No.: 5,889	I don't know about anyone else, but I throw together NPCs using NSRCG in 15 or 20 minutes. I don't do all the detailed work I would on a PC, just basic gear, skills, attributes, magic, and cyber. The program takes care of the number crunching, and I look over the final result to make sure it's in line with the challenge level I was aiming for.

Kagetenshi View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 06:57 PM Post #7
Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,010 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802	The advantage to NPCs is that you don't have to make sure the numbers work out just so. You just slap a bunch of stuff togther and boom, you've got your NPC. It takes a while at first, but once you get some experience under your belt, you can turn them out at a pretty good clip. ~J

Pthgar View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 07:03 PM Post #8
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 619 Joined: 27-May 03 From: Detroit Member No.: 4,642	I take about 4 hrs to make up a medium sized run. You don't have to make NPC's according to the CharGen rules, just write down stats that suit the nature of the NPC. I keep a stable of "Generic Security Guards" of all races and of a couple of difficulty levels. Also, there are the Archetypes and Contacts from the core rule book. For rules help I use the 3rd ed. GM screen and some cheat sheets. Go to McMackie's site and get the "Lost Tables", they help a lot. As to maps, I just pull out the graph paper and freehand some buildings or landscape. Sometimes I just do it on the fly. Bit Basher, I like the white board idea. I use one all the time at work, I can't beleive it didn't occur to me to use it for SR.

Solstice View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 07:34 PM Post #9
Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 870 Joined: 6-January 04 From: Idaho Member No.: 5,960	We use a huge white board and have for several years. It is very very handy. Just make sure the GM is the only one with the markers or pretty soon you have narotic players up there marking the bejesus out of everything on your map and then it escalates... anyway...i just get real life maps if possible because I CANNOT DRAW ANYTHING! :grinbig: i can see freehanding the NPCs I guess I'm not sure what exactly I'm needing to free hand. Border Patrols, guards, I also don't have rigger 3 so I'm a know-nothing on the vehicles. Possibly some High Threat Response teams form Mitsuhama once the border guard discovers us. Just seems so overwhelming when your not familiar with everything.

IcyCool

Jan 12 2004, 07:39 PM

Post #10

Moving Target

Group: Members
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QUOTE (Pthgar)

You don't have to make NPC's according to the CharGen rules, just write down stats that suit the nature of the NPC. I keep a stable of "Generic Security Guards" of all races and of a couple of difficulty levels. Also, there are the Archetypes and Contacts from the core rule book.

QUOTE (Solstice)

there is no like database full of insta-NPCs for the corp goon squads etc?

Using the Archetypes and the contacts is a great way to pick up some generic stats. Also, there is a Database full of handy NPC's and such. I call it the Rectal Database, or RDB for short :grinbig: .

Stats for NPC's are really easy to come up with on the fly. Joe average on the street has human average stats, 3's in everything. He's got no cyber because his 9-5 job doesn't pay enough, and a few skills (probably no combat skills). Bam, NPC, took me what? 5 seconds? From there you scale. The border patrol guards in the Salish-Sihde are possibly militarily trained (though not on the scale of the Tir ghosts). Figure maybe some cyber or bio, decent weaponry (Assault rifle of some type), and stats and skills decent enough to threaten your PCs.

You also might want to check out Blackjack's Shadowrun page, and particularly his NPC file. No stats, but 500 or so single paragraphs each describing an NPC. For this run in particular I'd suggest checking out Skyhunter.

Mal-2

Jan 12 2004, 07:47 PM

Post #11

Target

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Joined: 9-December 03
From: Greenville, SC
Member No.: 5,889

QUOTE (Solstice)

anyway...i just get real life maps if possible because I CANNOT DRAW ANYTHING!

This sounds like a good time to plug my favorite net resource: TopoZone. Free topo maps of the entire US.

For example, in our last run, the players were hitting a train coming into Las Vegas. This is the Union Pacific rail line coming out of Caliente, the last stop before Vegas, and going into Rainbow Canyon. They eventually settled on ambushing the train here, about 10 miles south.

I never could have come up with better terrain information or maps on my own.

Solstice

Jan 12 2004, 07:50 PM

Post #12

Moving Target

Group: Dumpshocked
Posts: 870
Joined: 6-January 04
From: Idaho
Member No.: 5,960

QUOTE (Mal-2)

QUOTE (Solstice)

anyway...i just get real life maps if possible because I CANNOT DRAW ANYTHING!

This sounds like a good time to plug my favorite net resource: TopoZone. Free topo maps of the entire US.

For example, in our last run, the players were hitting a train coming into Las Vegas. This is the Union Pacific rail line coming out of Caliente, the last stop before Vegas, and going into Rainbow Canyon. They eventually settled on ambushing the train here, about 10 miles south.

I never could have come up with better terrain information or maps on my own.

yeah TopoZone was the first thing I thought of since I've been using it at work (USFS) for the past few years.

Kagetenshi View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 07:50 PM Post #13
Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,010 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802	Yeah, I remember early in my SR GMing days desperately trying to figure out what proper stats should be. If you can't draw, CAD. If you can properly obtain a copy (through work or school, as it's too bloody expensive to justify getting for the purpose of SR), spend some time familiarizing yourself and then take off. Start small, though; don't be like me and make your first project a 10-story office building and your second the Renraku Arcology (which I'm going to get started on again as soon as I can). ~J

Pthgar View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 07:56 PM Post #14
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 619 Joined: 27-May 03 From: Detroit Member No.: 4,642	I guess I just take it for granted that everyone can draw maps. I shouldn't though it's just that 90% of the people we play with met in art class in high school and can all draw. If you want to quickly make a portrait of a character check out The Hero Machine.

Sahandrian View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 08:14 PM Post #15
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 475 Joined: 17-June 02 From: Concord University, Athens, WV Member No.: 2,880	Seattle map on Lonely Planet and Yahoo Maps, and even the official map. But this is probably more like what you're looking for.

Solstice View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 09:17 PM Post #16
Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 870 Joined: 6-January 04 From: Idaho Member No.: 5,960	Thanks those sites helped alot. Anyone know where i can get the schematic of a small hydroelectric dam? lol? :eek:

Tiralee View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 11:22 PM Post #17
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 917 Joined: 5-September 03 From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Member No.: 5,585	The ever-usefull Gatorboy Random Shadowrun Generators: http://www.gatorboystudios.com/games/shadowrun/ And the Gang Generator(about 5000+ hits from me and counting) Other than that, well, try not to ask for possibly sensitive physical infrastructure - like "How easy is it to get into a nuclear plant?" It makes good shadowrun material, yes, but can lead to some awkward sistuations with certain government agencies. :twirl: :L

Luke Hardison View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 11:41 PM Post #18
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 334 Joined: 17-November 03 From: Texas Member No.: 5,828	Eh, for floorplans ... go to www.google.com and type in typeofbuilding floorplans ... you'll usually come up with dozens of hits with free blueprints of the type of building you need.

Solstice View Member Profile	Jan 12 2004, 11:49 PM Post #19
Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 870 Joined: 6-January 04 From: Idaho Member No.: 5,960	yeah been trying that. Simple cross sections is all Google has come up with so far.

Siege View Member Profile	Jan 13 2004, 03:29 AM Post #20
Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,065 Joined: 16-January 03 From: Fayetteville, NC Member No.: 3,916	Dumpshock lists several sites that have a multitude of references: Blackjack, Plastic Warriors and several others. Great sites with ideas for the enterprising GM. :grinbig: -Siege

Mal-2 View Member Profile	Jan 13 2004, 04:43 AM Post #21
Target Group: Members Posts: 93 Joined: 9-December 03 From: Greenville, SC Member No.: 5,889	If you're in a foul mood, or need something extra special for a toxic waste dump, turn to the NIOSH/Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards.

Solstice View Member Profile	Jan 13 2004, 05:36 AM Post #22
Moving Target Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 870 Joined: 6-January 04 From: Idaho Member No.: 5,960	Well i actually drew up the dam skematic shudder. the normal border guards/shamans are taken care of. Now...any ideas on fire teams for the Salish Defense Force and Rangers? I'm not sure what they would have in terms of ware but I think I can figure out the weapons/armor.

Diesel View Member Profile	Jan 13 2004, 06:25 AM Post #23
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 608 Joined: 9-July 02 From: California Member No.: 2,955	Not much. See any number of threads on why militaries don't use ware that much. And personally, the only thing I draw out are basic sketches of the buildings were in. Everything else is on the fly. Guards? All fours for stats, maybe an SMG or rifle. Whatever. Just wing it, you'll get good.

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