How do you run time-sensitive jobs in your game?, Due Dates vs Cannonball Runs Options

[Mr. Hollis]

I've been toying around with a few ideas for runs, and one struck me as something that could either be really awesome, or really piss off my players. The basic idea is that they have to grab numerous targets from around Seattle [some specific targets, others ad-hoc based on criteria they're given] - as many targets as possible actually, evade law enforcement while doing so, and have them all locked up tight on a boat at a random dock - all within 3-6 hours of when they speak word 1 to the johnson.

Now, on the upside, I figure this would be a good way to get the players thinking out of the box in some cases - as a group they've come up with some... interesting solutions before [explosive seat cushions for wetwork!], but they've always had time to actually plan things out in relative detail. I mostly want to see how they react to having a strict [and looming] time limit over their heads, to be completely honest.

As for the point of the thread, how do you folks usually run time-sensitive jobs in your games? Do you opt more towards jobs with limited windows of opportunity, or smash-and-grab style sprints for the paydata? As an additional to that - how have your players reacted to having an unusual challenge like that thrown at them?

[Method]

First: Welcome to DS, Mr. Hollis. Enjoy your stay and watch out for the trolls! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Second: Great topic for a thread. I find that my players tend to underestimate time limits because its difficult to conceptualize stuff like travel time, wait time, need for sleep, etc- the kinds of things that make a time crunch so pressing, but are no fun to roleplay. My players have a habit of wanting to "fast forward" or "skip ahead" to the action, which sometimes ruins the tone I'm trying to set for the game. My advice (and this is something I've been trying to do) is even if you are going to "fast forward" spend some time describing the interim such that your players really feel the time crunch. Describe the dreary dullness of waiting around for hours for some event to take place, and the crushing weight of exhaustion from being up for 30 hours straight. Describe how shitty the cross town traffic is, and maybe throw in a random go-gang (nothing kills an itinerary like an unplanned gun fight). Stuff like that. The challenge will be to use these elements to build tension for your players and not boredom.

[edit]: Also, complex tasks that require extended tests are another good way to make the players feel a time crunch...

[evilgoattea]

I usually set some kind of time limit that the job needs to be done in. So say 72 hours. Then everything they do I subtract hours from. It's usually pretty easy to figure out how long something takes, and sometimes is even spelled out in the skill they are using.

My players tent to spend alot of time in planning the run, it usually only takes and hour or 2 to actually do the run lol

[HappyDaze]

(nothing kills an itinerary like an unplanned gun fight)

In SR, most gunfights last <1 minute (20 turns, potentially 80 initiative passes!), so this really won't upset the timetable much if at all. Social scenes as well as pure RP events are really the great time burner.

[Blade]

What's interesting with time limits (especially if they're short) is that they change how the runners will act. The hacker can't spend hours hacking inside the systems, the team can't spend hours of legwork... Such runs often end up being more direct and brutal, which is good for a pink-mohawk game, or just for a change of pace.

I had designed a run with this in mind: M. Johnson was a Yakuza boss whose daughter had an accident in which she lost her left foot. The DocWagon convoy transporting her new foot was attacked by go-gangers who asked for a ransom. For one reason or another M. Johnson can't or doesn't want to wait for a new foot to be grown so he asked the runners to do the deal with the gang (he couldn't ask his own men because he doesn't want them to know he agreed to pay a ransom to gangers). But after the exchange, as the gangers are starting to leave, the runners realize it's not the right left foot. The problem is that the medical procedure has started and they absolutely need the foot in the next 4 hours.
So Johnson explains the new deal to the runners: they can take back the money from the gangers and keep it for themselves but if they don't bring back the foot before the deadline, he'll have them killed (or hurt badly).
The following search for the foot lead the runners to a secretive chinese neighborhood (there's more in the story than a go-gang) where the time limit will force the runners to be more intrusive than they'll normally would (and than they should for their own good).

When I GM this scenario, once the time limit is set I tell the players that we'll be playing "in real time": one minute of play will be one minute in game. Combat will be dealt in a more narrative and less time-consuming way. There shouldn't be many combat scenes anyway and if there are the opposition won't be much of a threat to the runners, except at the end, when the time limit won't matter (either they have enough time left or they don't).

[crazyconscript]

To be honest i'm just not sure if running a game "real-time" can work. Travel takes time for one thing...

Usually when i am running a game i give the runners about 2-3 days to get the job done. Sometimes its just a deadline, others its how long until a window of opportunity will be open (e.g. thats the day that the delivery takes place, the timelocked safe, the scheduled business trip). I then just let the runners figure out how they want to spend the time doing legwork and sort out a plan of action that details when they will act.

However, the last game i actually played in the run was to solve a personal problem of our fixer (who my character is currently trying to quietly get revenge upon...everyone else likes the freaky blind guy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif) ) that we were told "needed fixing as soon as possible". So our dumb-as-a-brick cyber-ork jumps out of his window, into his van and tears off straight for the targets house. In his haste he managed to blow up 2 lone star squad cars with his grenade launcher because they were in his way. In trying to minimize the damages i ended up running over 2 officers and a steel lynx at full speed in my roadmaster. Things got a little bit hectic from there....all thanks to an undefined short time limit. We eventually got where we were going without pursuit and got the job done, after a fashion. If you count the house being undermined by a gas explosion as a solution. But i got me some blackmail info now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

[paws2sky]

The first mission of the Shadowrun Missions: Denver arc is a timed courier run from point A to point B.

[ Spoiler ]

If the PCs high tail it, ignoring as much of the side plot as possible, they can get to point B with plenty of time to spare.

Each of the extra scenes deduct a certain amount of time from the clock. Even fights deduct several minutes because the PCs have to make sure they haven't been spotted by the authorities.

[ Spoiler ]

In my experience, even if the PCs do every side plot they'll get there on time, unless they specifically screw off and ignore the plot.

Seems like a reasonably good way to run it, IMO.

EDIT: Found an old semi-timed adventure called Beer Run, originally by CanRay, updated by Jimson. Its a fave of mine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

-paws

[Blade]

A "Real time" game can work if the adventure is designed for it. For example in my timed adventure the PCs spend most of their time interacting with NPCs. They don't travel much and the travel time they've got makes up for the time spent throwing dice or describing people and places.

[InfinityzeN]

Mr. J desperate? + Money
High Danger Job? ++ Money
Extremely short time limit? +++ Money
No possible prep/research time? ++++ Money
Time limit already started? +++++ Money
Run wit' what ya brung? ++++++ Money

Mr. J better have some damn deep pockets. My players would laugh at him and get up to leave (+ money) after reciving the time limit, laugh and get ready to leave again after the pay offer (+ money), and generally milk him dry. If the total wasn't near what they wanted (and your looking at x5 ~ x10 base here), they would walk. Mr. J pipe up and he gets left tied up nude in an alley while the team sells his car, cloths, watch, and commlink to make up for the insult he gave them.

[Malachi]

As a shameless plug for myself. Check out the link in my signature. It's a run that I GM'd where I gave the players one evening (5pm to 8am) to hit 3 distinct targets, each with their own security and particulars.

I'm working on the summary of the last session now and it should be posted sometime this week.

[InfinityzeN]

You didn't spank TE's bottom yet did you?

[Method]

In SR, most gunfights last <1 minute (20 turns, potentially 80 initiative passes!), so this really won't upset the timetable much if at all. Social scenes as well as pure RP events are really the great time burner.

True, but the actual combat can be like a rock in a pond. What if the go-gangers jack-knife a truck and you need to find another route? What if the teams vehicle is disabled, or even badly damaged? Can't drive around in a shot up van while LS is looking for "terrorists involved in the I-5 gun battle". What if a team member gets badly hurt and you don't have the means to treat or heal them? What if the gangers manage to kidnap a team member or even steal the McGuffin you were hired to deliver ASAP?

See the shitty thing about complications is that they snow-ball... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/devil.gif)

[HappyDaze]

See the shitty thing about complications is that they snow-ball...

Or they can simply derail the entire run. Too many times I've seen a GM pull what they thought would be an interesting complication only to have it wreck things badly once it snowballed beyond what the GM intended. Yeah, players can push suspension of disbelief based consequences too, and often it gets uglier than what is desireable for a fun game.

[WeaverMount]

I was going to make a post just about like what method said. What I like about it is that it forces the runners to do runnerly things, like change there appearance radically, get a new car, etc. Also contacts aren't going to be nearly as eager to talk to someone who was just in a gun fight.

[Method]

Or they can simply derail the entire run.

So be it.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

A.) Its not the GM's job to make sure the runners stay on task. Its his job to keep things fun, interesting and challenging even if that means the run he planned goes by the wayside in favor of a potentially more enjoyable story.
B.) I happen to think that complications (when used appropriately) make the game more interesting and fun. Games where the runners are uber-professionals who never mess up are boring to me. If success is a foregone conclusion, why bother rolling dice? Or stating your character, for that matter?
C.) By the same logic (complications can lead to derailment), so can excess planning, excess legwork, excess whatever. Everything needs to be done in moderation.
D.) The point of the tread is how to make time crunches chunchy in SR. I may be wrong, but I don't think "Everything goes smoothly and you get there with time to spare..." is what the OP is asking for.

[WeaverMount]

Or they can simply derail the entire run. Too many times I've seen a GM pull what they thought would be an interesting complication only to have it wreck things badly once it snowballed beyond what the GM intended. Yeah, players can push suspension of disbelief based consequences too, and often it gets uglier than what is desireable for a fun game.

I have to say that I would actually really like to play with a game where things keep going down hill, but remained playable. Doing an SR:4 Burn notice game could actually be petty cool

[Mr. Hollis]

D.) The point of the tread is how to make time crunches crunchy in SR. I may be wrong, but I don't think "Everything goes smoothly and you get there with time to spare..." is what the OP is asking for.

This is most assuredly accurate - if, despite whatever the GM throws at them, the PC's get to the target with time to spare, more power to them. Getting in under the wire is also good, but it should definitely not go that smoothly - the only time it should is when the whole thing is a setup. Even then, I wouldn't expect things to go off without a hitch. It would be kinda unnerving if they did, to be honest.

The responses are giving me a good number of ideas though - should be fun watching the players worm their way through them.

[HappyDaze]

C.) By the same logic (complications can lead to derailment), so can excess planning, excess legwork, excess whatever. Everything needs to be done in moderation.

Absolutely. Overplanning is the fun killer! As another thread has shown me, I long for the early days style of SR1 when things were quite a bit more loosely run than many GMs prefer these days.

[ElFenrir]

Just recently we had our first without-a-hitch run go off. Well, almost...but said hitch was luckily prevented.

This is NOT a normal occurence. I mean, it's actually kind of cool when once in awhile you actually get something done right. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

As for time crunches, I had a mini module that involved being pretty tight on time. But it was kinda big and wild in the end, and it had a sort of ''24'' feel to it. It turned out pretty fun in the end. I just kept things going, and kept the PCs in the know that they had to get from point A to point B fast, and faster, and faster yet, or else the Big Bad Thing would happen.

[Method]

Absolutely. Overplanning is the fun killer!

That is my current groups M.O. I tried for a long time to keep them moving, but then I realized that the planning phase was an aspect of the game certain players really enjoyed.

Which is cool too... you know, if you're in to that kinda thing... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohplease.gif) j/k

[kzt]

As an additional to that - how have your players reacted to having an unusual challenge like that thrown at them?

We expect a truly huge payment for doing something that crazy. Normally we laugh politely and then ask him what his real deadline is. Then we really laugh and go to a club.

[Malachi]

You didn't spank TE's bottom yet did you?

Not all of the delay was her fault.

[InfinityzeN]

Understandable. More likely though you didn't want to risk getting your arm ripped off and then used to beat you about the head. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/silly.gif)

[ICPiK]

I love time deadlines on runs it is like survival of the fittest at it's finest. It's a chance to shine for the quick witted and proves they deserve the title of runner. If not it shows you where your teammates need to improve or retire...lol