Private Dicks, Instead of outright runners, how would a semi-legal campaign work. Options

[BnF95]

Some of my players are asking for an alternate campaign (to be played when more than 3 other players are absent i.e. 60% attendance.)

The type of characters they were thinking of playing would all start out as SINners, some ex-LS, others ex-KE, one ex-Hard Corp. Who are all retired and have started their own Private Investigation firm (including body-guarding gigs). So they are working on legit characters (at least to start with) that may occasionally stray to the other side of the law.

Does anyone have a campaign like this that I can crib notes from?

Also what sort of licensing fees/accreditations would they need to become a PI firm?

[Starmage21]

Some of my players are asking for an alternate campaign (to be played when more than 3 other players are absent i.e. 60% attendance.)

The type of characters they were thinking of playing would all start out as SINners, some ex-LS, others ex-KE, one ex-Hard Corp. Who are all retired and have started their own Private Investigation firm (including body-guarding gigs). So they are working on legit characters (at least to start with) that may occasionally stray to the other side of the law.

Does anyone have a campaign like this that I can crib notes from?

Also what sort of licensing fees/accreditations would they need to become a PI firm?

Handwave it. Just make sure your players are never actually in-charge of the firm itself and you dont have to worry about that kind of stuff.

On the other hand though, the boss telling you that the assault weapons are off limits thanks to a permit hang-up would be hilarious...for awhile (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Method]

I too would handwave the majority of the permits. Make them buy permits for gear and weapons they intend to carry regularly and roll the rest into their lifestyle costs.

[BnF95]

LOL, the firm itself will be owned/operated entirely by the PCs, the only "major" NPC will be their secretary, a female Ork patterned after Joan Cusack's character in Grosse Pointe Blank.

It'll be hard to hand-wave the costs of operations, the rentals can be done by the lifestyle cost of their offices/residence, the weapons permits are 10% of the costs of the weapons to own and 10% to carry. Any suggestions on PI permits?

[kzt]

We did that once.

We "just had" all the permits we needed. We were considered a corporate security contractor, so if we wanted machine guns we submitted a PO to Ares. (If we had the money...) Permits and such are just annoying trivia that should be ignored unless the nitty-gritty of running a security company is the actual game. In other words, unless the game is about the players making collection calls to clients, negotiating with the building inspector/landlord, and balancing the ledgers instead of investigating you should ignore that boring crap that comes with running a small business.

[Karoline]

Yeah, I don't see much reason to apply the cost of PI permits in a PI game where everyone is required to have it in order to play.

Just figure that it is absorbed by lifestyle kind of like entertainment and travel and food costs. Could have them get a separate lifestyle to represent the firm itself. You know, that small office where they meet clients and sit around when they don't have work. That or if someone has a high lifestyle or maybe just the 'extra space' quality or a high necessities they might have the spare room in their house for an office (Or the spare room in their office for a house, depending)

[Ascalaphus]

The actual bureaucratic details aren't interesting; just say they have the license. However, it CAN be revoked.. not for bureaucratic reasons, but because someone is leaning on whoever is in charge of licenses. A pissed-off client, someone trying to stop their investigation, KE when they go too far, that sort of thing. In those cases it's a legitimate plot element, and no amount of bureaucratic skill will matter - resolving the plot is the way out.

[Snow_Fox]

Right, assume they start with the licences and since they all have SIN's maybe carry permits for handguns and magic use. Anything heavier-well that could be problematic.

For planning use the Harry Dresden series or the Spenser detective stories.(though Dresden doesn't have a carry permit) People in there that are legal for hand guns still have access to bigger toys when the going gets tough. The trick is not to be showing it when the authorities show up.

In the Spenser novel Potshot the team has not only hand guns but several full auto guns including a BAR! Dresden's police side kick Murphy for a while had a fully auto PS-90. I have the semi-auto version, even Dresden asks her, "Is that thing even legal for a cop?" "Nope."

The other way to go is be the semi-legal side kick of the PI. Famously spenser's friend "Hawk" who is a professional free lance assassin and similarly Vinnie Morris a Boston mob enforcer and one of the two best shots Spenser's ever seen. Or Teddy Sap another legal type, ex paratrooper and now a bouncer and gay rights activist.

Similarly in the Dresden serries, besides Murphy, a police detective who has put her friendship for Dresden over her career, he has Thomas , his borther who is a vampire, Michael Carpenter and Sonya- knights of the cross sworn to battle evil (best Paladin's I've ever seen in fiction) Carlos Ramierez, another wizard, Billy, leader of a local pack of werewolves that protects their neighborhood and John Marcone- God father of Chicago.

[kzt]

Harry has a PI license with a tan card iirc. Not that he could really get one in IL, as the retired police detectives who make up the PI license board only give PI licenses to ex-cops.....

[Eugene]

The broad outlines of the game would work mostly the game, I'd think, except who your Johnson was, and the constraints your players would have in doing jobs (i.e. not shooting people, limited B/E, etc.). Plus runs should be designed so that they generally ARE doable within the confines of the law.

[Method]

...limited B/E, etc...

You just need the "loose cannon" PC like Brad Pitt in Se7en:

BP: "Blah blah blah probable cause..."
MF: "We need a reason to knock on this door."
BP: "You're right..." kicks in door "but there's no point in arguing unless you can fix that..."
MF: "You stupid son-of-a..."

[Wounded Ronin]

I wonder if real private eyes in the 1940s ever opened up and dumped the drum with a Thompson.

[Snow_Fox]

Harry has a PI license with a tan card iirc. Not that he could really get one in IL, as the retired police detectives who make up the PI license board only give PI licenses to ex-cops.....

Dresden is a licenced PI, my guess is that because we works with active police caes and is known to back up cops in a tiht spot the board would look favorably on him, but I was presenting that series as an example of a semi legal adventure, the early (pre-slut) Anita blake series works the same way, maybe the first 5-6 books in the series.

[kzt]

The first few ABVH books, before the total absence of world building skills by the author became obvious, were great. And offer an interesting approach to a monster hunter SR game.

[hahnsoo]

The first few ABVH books, before the total absence of world building skills by the author became obvious, were great. And offer an interesting approach to a monster hunter SR game.

Like, this kind of Monster Hunter? *cheesy grin* The most popular game in Japan... IN THE SIXTH WORLD!!!

[MikeKozar]

Lot of good plot hooks in this premise. As the GM, abuse the heck out of "the Law" to make the scenario more interesting. During the pre-game session, sit the players down and explain that they'll be operating in three legal territories: Greater Seattle, MCT, and EVO. The investigator status they have allows SMGs in Seattle, but limits them to semi-auto firearms in the other two. EVO has strict anti-chem rules, and will suspend your license on their territory if you are directly or indirectly responsible for a death on their premises; MCT has a similar threat involving the destruction of more then 20,000 nuyen of MCT property or possessing illegal software over grade 3. Introduce them to the security/law enforcement contacts they officially report to in each territory - make sure at least one of them is crooked as hell. Then, spin your main plot - a ransom, for instance. The PCs might have to investigate an EVO apartment to find out who might have had access, and wind up in a car chase through greater Seattle that crashes through a security fence into an MCT shipping yard, where they watch the last lead they have on the victim's whereabouts about to get torn to pieces by the MCT goons...

At each stage of the game, there are two goals - "win" the scenario, and do it legally (as far as they know). If the PC 'crosses the line', he might still get some karma and nuyen on the job, but he might not be able to work in that territory again, or he may be forced into retirement entirely (lose him, or we shut your office down). At that point, he becomes an NPC in the main campaign, or an alternate Shadowrunner character. Either way, time to roll up a new Private Eye.

Another bonus of running these side missions from the other side of the law is a chance to do some world-building for your players. When the 9th Precinct KE responders come out, the players will already know that they're crooked, or decent, or packing unauthorized levels of force...because their alter-egos played poker with these guys last week.

[Backgammon]

I'm running a private eye campaign, net in New York. The level of reality you want to dump into it is entirely up to your group. We don't do any of that accountant stuff. The PCs have a building they operate out of in Queens. I don't both with business permits or any of that stuff. Lifestyle costs are fine. If you want to play up the technical hoops required to stay afloat, then do so. If you want to focus on the investigating, ignore the rest. Doesn't matter,

If you want private dicks with assault weapons, playing in New York is actually a good idea, because in Manhattan you can get permits for just about anything, including private use of fully automatic weapons. Ostensibly this is reserved for those in MDC favour, but you can make it work for your group. A few good connections and you're set.

[Snow_Fox]

Why Queens of all places? Cripes bedroom community central.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Dresden is a licenced PI, my guess is that because we works with active police caes and is known to back up cops in a tiht spot the board would look favorably on him, but I was presenting that series as an example of a semi legal adventure, the early (pre-slut) Anita blake series works the same way, maybe the first 5-6 books in the series.

You Might try the Books By Kim Harrison... Much Better than Anita Blake and the Writer actually has a lot of skill (in my opinion at least)... The first on is called "Dead Witch Walking" and she is a Runner by Trade...

Keep the Faith

[Snow_Fox]

Yup, I know the series well but didn't want to get too bogged down. I also prefered the examples I gave as Rachel is kind of limited in her contacts- her partners- a pixie and a vampire and occassional help from the FIB. She's gotten better but it's never clear what her profession is as she is called a 'runner.' They burned away a lot of useless plot threads in White Witch Black Curse but I don't like how the same big players (Al and trent Kalamack) make appearances all the time. Thankfully in WWBC they were really just tokens.

[Tymeaus Jalynsfe...]

Yup, I know the series well but didn't want to get too bogged down. I also prefered the examples I gave as Rachel is kind of limited in her contacts- her partners- a pixie and a vampire and occassional help from the FIB. She's gotten better but it's never clear what her profession is as she is called a 'runner.' They burned away a lot of useless plot threads in White Witch Black Curse but I don't like how the same big players (Al and trent Kalamack) make appearances all the time. Thankfully in WWBC they were really just tokens.

Yeah, it is an interesting series... and I have enjoyed it a great deal more than the Anita Blake Novels (the last few were badly disguised porn almost, though the first 6 or so were really good)... it will be interesting where she (Kim Harrison) takes the series... as for calling her a 'Runner, I always connected that to her Bounty Hunting escapades at its Core for the most part (she is basically hired to either bring someone in or protect someone)... the cast has changed a bit over the last few books, but the books are really about the trials and tribulations of Rachael and Ivy and those around them... a very good read all the way around though...

Looks like Al is going to figure prominently in the next one though...

Keep the Faith