Looking to play...or GM... Options

[Penta]

Okay, so.

The last time I was here, about two years ago, I tried running a game.

Then, just as I was starting it, RL intervened, in the form of my GF breaking up with me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif) and I'll admit, that sorta...sucked the enjoyment out of everything for me. My apologies to those who were playing. Totally uncool of me to just walk off like that.

Annnnyway, two years+ later, I've gone from employed then to unemployed to, now, in school.

A punishing schedule, and I need something...anything...to blow off steam with.

So, I'm going to set this out in two sections: One, specs I'm looking for games to play in...Two, thoughts re games I'd be willing to GM.

---
So far as play goes:

My system knowledge used to be good, but has now declined to just sort of passable.

Hence, I'm avoiding playing hackers, technomancers, or magic-users...Just straight physical-types for me, right now.

SR4 only...4 or 4a, I care not which.

I prefer 400 bp-ish campaigns.

---
As far as GMing goes:

I can do a variety of scenarios. Simple shadowrunners are okay - I'd also be willing to do a mercenary or cyberpirates campaign.

Because of my current weakness re system knowledge, expect any campaign I run to be high on plot, low on crunch - possibly changing as I become more confident, but I'm not sure. I like it a bit better that way anyway - over the last few years, my roleplaying has come almost exclusively through MUSHes, MOOs, and PBEM groups. I'm adapted to that.

I'd work out the details of any campaign with those playing, of course.
---

So, um, yeah.

Thus is where I stand.

[Whizbang]

Hmmm...mercenary or cyberpirates could be interesting. I've been itching to get back into online games since getting back from Dragon*Con.

[milk ducks]

I'm pretty new to this site, and to SR4e in general, but I'd love to get involved with ... well, anything, really. I've just put up a character on the Cast of Shadows thread; check it out and see if you might be interested in working with me. I'm mostly interested in forum RP over, say, IRC or something where I'd have to be online for a certain period of time every few nights. My wife and I just had our first child, so I'm really super-busy. I've still got plenty of time to sit down and write a few forum bits each day, but anything more regular is probably out.

-milk.

[budoka05]

I'm up to joining a game! Honestly, over the forum posts would work best with my schedule, but I can see about fitting about a chat or Skype game.

[Penta]

This would definitely be a forum game - perhaps even email if people want that.

I don't have Skype, and I'm not sure I type fast enough for a chat game.

[budoka05]

Cool, I'd be very down for a forum game.

[milk ducks]

Sounds like there's a fair amount of interest in a forum game, how soon could we pull something together? And is there anything potential players could do to help?

-milk.

[CollateralDynamo]

I'd be very much interested in playing a forum game. Pretty much any topic would do. I need something fun to do to kill the morning hours before I gotta get my butt in to work. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I've played SR4 quite a bit, even ran it. I'm kind of new to forum game type things, but I'm pretty sure I could gel well. If who ever is running wants help with rules and stuff, I would gladly lend a hand, but honestly I really want to play.

Pretty much any character is fine with me, whatever the team needs. I know I haven't played a mage in a good long while...

[Marwynn]

If you can use another player I'm up for this, though if there's limited room I'll bow out for someone who isn't in a game already.

I've been meaning to play a mundane character, honestly. It'd be interesting to see how such a team would work without magic/hacker support, though perhaps we may need some minor hacking.

[Penta]

You guys next need to pick a theme. I'll then pick (or draw up) the starting location...

Themes:

Mercs. You'd be a squad-sized unit at first, though I could see money being invested to expand to platoon or company size.
Cyberpirates - this campaign would likely have espionage/investigatory elements to it, not just shooty. Not pirates so much as privateers.
Straight shadowrunners - is what it says on the box.

Regardless of theme: I'm not a fan of Pink Mohawk style play, I personally didn't like the 80s, but neither am I the type to necessarily overworry on the details. Regardless of theme, expect me to be ruthlessly realistic on the sociopolitical and economic (setting stuff) where it makes sense, but to be somewhat cinematic otherwise.

Majority vote wins. If there's a tie, the lowest vote getter drops out and we move to a runoff.

I can take any number of people, up to 10. After you pick theme and I present the first draft of the setting, I'll lay out expectations for characters.

I'm looking for an SR4A-compliant character generator, btw. Can't seem to find one....And too clueless to figure out how to mod an existing one to be compliant.

Expect this to be a game with a weekly-ish pace. I'll try to post more often, but I'm going back to school at the moment, too, to become a paralegal. That being said - weekly means weekly or better. Activity matters in online RP, and I will likely be ruthless on that score, both to myself and to you all.

Does anybody know where I could find a copy of the old 20 (or 50) questions thing? I'm a big fan of detailed characters, even detailed NPCs when I can help it.

[CollateralDynamo]

Can't be of much help on an SR4a Char Generator or a way to track down the questions, but my money is on a Privateer campaign.

A large pack of shadowrunning smugglers sounds like it could be tons of fun. I'm definitely not a Pink Mohawk kind of player, last Gen Con I got through almost 30 hours of Shadowrun without emptying a clip. Planning first, the doing the job, THEN crazy wacky plans to escape. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[MusicMan]

Is it too late to jump in?

[Marwynn]

I'm up for whatever, but I wouldn't mind some straight 'running.

There's an updated Excel Character Generator that works really well.

[milk ducks]

I'm on my way out the door for work right now, but I wanted to post to let you know again that I'm interested, and to say that when I get home tonight I'll post my 2c on what I'd like from the setting as well. And thanks again for putting something together for us, man. I know I appreciate it.

- milk.

[Penta]

Is it too late to jump in?

Not at all.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

As I connect from school (damn bus slotted me to get here almost 2 hours BEFORE my class, and my laptop's battery doesn't run nearly so long), some quick thoughts:

We have...4? 5? right now...Good size. I can handle up to 10 before I go "Ahhh my poor brain". It's really "the more the merrier". If by chance we go *beyond* 10? Then I grab someone to help GM. Until that point, I'll be the only GM.

If we wind up with a 3-way tie, I'm going to pick a theme at random to knock out. By random, I mean I'm going to close my eyes, point at the screen, and do 'eeny meeny miny moe'. No, I'm not kidding. We'll then do a run-off vote between the two remaining. If we get a situation where we have a plurality (nobody gets 50%+1), the lowest vote-getter goes byebye and we vote again.

Once we have a theme, I'll figure out a name and set up the OOC thread for character-building. Figure it will take me 2-3 days to write up setting stuff, decide on chargen requirements, and post it all up.

For now, I'm going to set a deadline on the voting at Wednesday night, 2359 US Eastern Daylight Time.

[milk ducks]

Sign me up for sure.

I've been into the Shadowrun setting for quite a while (played the Sega game when I was a kid, and really got me hooked), but I've got very little experience actually playing the RPG. Having said that, I'd personally prefer more of a straight-up Shadowrunner type game, you know? But I'm really not picky; I'll be happy just to play, no matter what theme we decide on. Standard character creation rules, right? 400bp? I've got a character I'm slowly fleshing out over on the Cast of Shadows thread that may work, depending on where you want to place your story, but I've got a few other guys swimming around in my head at the moment -- any of them would be cool to play.

Let me know if there's any way I can help or contribute in the meantime.

-milk.

[Marwynn]

Are you alright with a mage Penta? I can go with a mundane if you're not comfortable, have several characters I'm developing on the side.

Like milk ducks I too have an ex-military guy (mage healer/scout) that I've been trying to flesh out, and I'd be interested in playing him. If you want to go with a straight up experience I'm good with that too.

[Penta]

I'm fine with mages - don't expect much in the way of crunchiness, but I can handle whatever you guys throw at me.

Guys - hold off on developing characters till a theme is picked.

Turns out the first class of real estate law was even more dreadfully boring than I thought it could be (shame it's a required course), so I had time to think.

I will almost certainly have certain skill and/or contact requirements in mind as I write setting consistent with whatever theme is picked.

With that said:

Please please please -pick- a theme. If you're okay with anything? Great! But just saying "I'll play whatever" doesn't help me figure out which of the three themes I set out above (mercs, normal shadowrunners, cyberpirates) you want to go with - or which one to work on.

I need some guidance.(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[budoka05]

I prefer cyberpirates or normal shadowrunners.

[Knight Saber]

I'd definitely like to play in a cyberpirates/cyberprivateers game.

[Marwynn]

Straight runners or cyberpirates/privateers sounds good to me.

Not a lot of combat eh? No worries there.

[milk ducks]

Straight shadowrunning is easily my first choice for a theme, followed by Cyber-privateering (though to be honest, I'm not 100% sure I understand exactly what that entails -- but I'm sure it's nothing I can't wrap my head around). The merc company idea is a good one, but it rounds out the bottom of my personal list.

- milk.

[Lok1 :)]

Straight running is my vote.

[Glyph]

Does anybody know where I could find a copy of the old 20 (or 50) questions thing? I'm a big fan of detailed characters, even detailed NPCs when I can help it.

Here's the 20 questions:

[ Spoiler ]

BACKGROUND

1) Where is your character from?

2) Does your character have a family?

3) Does your character have an ethnic background?

APPEARANCE

4) What does your character look like?

5) What does your character dress like?

6) Does your character have physical quirks?

SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES, AND RESOURCES

7) Where did your character learn their Active Skills?

8 ) Where did your character learn their Knowledge Skills?

9) Where did your character get his goodies?

10) Where does your character live?

11) Who are your character's contacts?

12) Who are your character's enemies?

13) How did your character learn magic?

PERSONALITY

14) What are your character's likes and dislikes?

15) What is your character's moral code?

16) Does your character have goals?

17) Does your character have personal beliefs?

18) Does your character have personality quirks?

RUNNING THE SHADOWS

19) Why does your character run the shadows?

20) How does your character view his/her role as a shadowrunner?

Note: For mundane characters, I usually replace question 13) with "What is your character's attitude towards Magic?"

[Knight Saber]

Straight shadowrunning is easily my first choice for a theme, followed by Cyber-privateering (though to be honest, I'm not 100% sure I understand exactly what that entails -- but I'm sure it's nothing I can't wrap my head around). The merc company idea is a good one, but it rounds out the bottom of my personal list.

- milk.

A privateer is an authorized pirate, in essence... they have a letter of marque from a government (or in 2072, a corporation). Say the new government of the Philipines doesn't like a particular corp... they'd give letters of marque to people with armed ships and say "Go attack (other government or corporation's) shipping and take their stuff."