New campaign idea, comments, critique, cheese? Options

[EuroShadow]

So, just watched Terminator Salvation and with memories of earlier films, i got this campaign idea. Tell me if this is too cheesy or fair enough (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Runners are approached by strange person from the future with a mission and a million nuyen for them if they protect one person for a, let's say 2 weeks. And this person is also being hunted by destroyer cyborg from the future. And these two weeks may turn out quite long, as they have to run and hide, run and hide, and at the end, they have to infiltrate somewhere and this target person have to stop coming apocalypse.

And then there are some technicalities to consider in order to smooth it in through the SR game and mechanics:
Target person: I imagine that it could be technomancer, with some unique capabilities (CF/echo) that allow him to dethread AI.
Apocalypse bringer: Could be one of more powerful AI, but can you help me - who is most evil/powerful/malevolent AI out there?
Apocalypse itself: either classical (AI controls the world) or horrors (Aztechnollogy will hire AI in exchange for ubercomputingpower that would allow AI to hack and detonate world's nuclear weapons, which would break the barrier and bring horrors right in...
Terminator: this i can easily do, build ubercyborg with omega hardware ignoring most limitations on ratings, so that it can be destroyed by few imaginative means, but so that conventional weapons (up to rocket launchers/gauss guns) doesn't much harm it.

hmm?

[Blade]

What if, for a change, the person they have to protect was, unknown to them, the apocalypse bringer himself?

[Smokeskin]

So, you have 1 guy who can save the future by destroying a gizmo, and 1 thing hunting him down to stop him from destroying that gizmo before it goes apocalyptic.

I so wouldn't do time travel to tell that story. If you want knowledge of the future to play a part, use some uberpowerful divining magic instead.

Nuclear spirit finds some sort of mana warp that allows it to look into the future. Your protagonist, stalking the spirit, also sees his future life as he tries to kill it, but he is forced to flee, and seeks help from the runners.

The nuclear spirit has brougt a nanoforge and is using future insights to build better nanoforges that builds better nanoforges etc. and eventually churn out an AI that can hack the world's nuclear weapons. The area around the warp is brimming with strange machines as the spirit works to construct the support systems needed to bootstrap its technology a century ahead before the warp closes.

The spirit needs to stay in place and keep the warp going, and straining the timespace continuum by letting the future have impact outside the warp will also close it - though it can manage to build and release one destroyer robot...

[Saint Sithney]

Nice play, Smoke.

Seems like a good variation on that theme.

[Biffles]

So, you have 1 guy who can save the future by destroying a gizmo, and 1 thing hunting him down to stop him from destroying that gizmo before it goes apocalyptic.

I so wouldn't do time travel to tell that story. If you want knowledge of the future to play a part, use some uberpowerful divining magic instead.

I agree with this. You had lost me at "from the future".

[Laodicea]

I don't know about you guys, but I find that I have serious trouble getting my players to actually run from much of anything if they're ever directly confronted with it. They'll run from the threat of something big and bad, but once they see the big bad they're more likely to fight or die.

[IcyCool]

Runners are approached by strange person from the future with a mission and a million nuyen for them if they protect one person for a, let's say 2 weeks. And this person is also being hunted by destroyer cyborg from the future. And these two weeks may turn out quite long, as they have to run and hide, run and hide, and at the end, they have to infiltrate somewhere and this target person have to stop coming apocalypse.

I can see that conversation:

The Johnson: "Sarah Conner must be protected! She is in great danger, and only she can prevent the far future apocalypse!"

The Sam: "So wait just one minute. You want me to put my hoop on the line for this person, and the thing hunting her is stupidly powerful and from the future? Sounds like my kind of job! What's the pay?"

The Johnson: "Well..."

The Mage: "Who cares? Don't you realize that if we help her, and she succeeds, then this conversation will never have taken place, and temporal paradox will screw us out of any promised payday!"

The Johnson: "Well I never really thought about ..."

The Sam: "So wait. That means we get put in danger for two weeks, for nothing?"

The Mage: "Yep. In fact, we are probably already in danger just by having this conversation. What's worse is that if we take the job, try to help, and get killed, that doesn't change anything, and we are still dead. So really, this job is nothing but a big downside, with no upside except that at some point in the far future there won't be an apocalypse. But by that point, we'll probably be dead anyway."

The Sam: "Drek! Why the hell would you think we'd be interested in this job Mr. J? Huh? You want us dead?"

The Johnson: "..."

The Mage: "Nah, he wouldn't be stupid enough to show up to the meet in person if he did. What you are looking for, Mr. J, are heroes. You know, those fairybook, fancypants knights who will charge into the face of certain death for free? Yeah, we aren't those guys. We expect to be paid, and paid well for what we do. The hero business doesn't pay well, and the health plan sucks. I think we'll pass on this job, good day to you."

[EuroShadow]

Thank you IcyCool.

Indeed, my plan would fail. I may choose Smokescreen's ideas (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Lansdren]

I can see that conversation:

The Johnson: "Sarah Conner must be protected! She is in great danger, and only she can prevent the far future apocalypse!"

The Sam: "So wait just one minute. You want me to put my hoop on the line for this person, and the thing hunting her is stupidly powerful and from the future? Sounds like my kind of job! What's the pay?"

The Johnson: "Well..."

The Mage: "Who cares? Don't you realize that if we help her, and she succeeds, then this conversation will never have taken place, and temporal paradox will screw us out of any promised payday!"

The Johnson: "Well I never really thought about ..."

The Sam: "So wait. That means we get put in danger for two weeks, for nothing?"

The Mage: "Yep. In fact, we are probably already in danger just by having this conversation. What's worse is that if we take the job, try to help, and get killed, that doesn't change anything, and we are still dead. So really, this job is nothing but a big downside, with no upside except that at some point in the far future there won't be an apocalypse. But by that point, we'll probably be dead anyway."

The Sam: "Drek! Why the hell would you think we'd be interested in this job Mr. J? Huh? You want us dead?"

The Johnson: "..."

The Mage: "Nah, he wouldn't be stupid enough to show up to the meet in person if he did. What you are looking for, Mr. J, are heroes. You know, those fairybook, fancypants knights who will charge into the face of certain death for free? Yeah, we aren't those guys. We expect to be paid, and paid well for what we do. The hero business doesn't pay well, and the health plan sucks. I think we'll pass on this job, good day to you."

That was very cool, Ice cool indeed

[Smed]

So, you have 1 guy who can save the future by destroying a gizmo, and 1 thing hunting him down to stop him from destroying that gizmo before it goes apocalyptic.

I so wouldn't do time travel to tell that story. If you want knowledge of the future to play a part, use some uberpowerful divining magic instead.

Nuclear spirit finds some sort of mana warp that allows it to look into the future. Your protagonist, stalking the spirit, also sees his future life as he tries to kill it, but he is forced to flee, and seeks help from the runners.

The nuclear spirit has brougt a nanoforge and is using future insights to build better nanoforges that builds better nanoforges etc. and eventually churn out an AI that can hack the world's nuclear weapons. The area around the warp is brimming with strange machines as the spirit works to construct the support systems needed to bootstrap its technology a century ahead before the warp closes.

The spirit needs to stay in place and keep the warp going, and straining the timespace continuum by letting the future have impact outside the warp will also close it - though it can manage to build and release one destroyer robot...

Nice, I like this. Keeps the flavor but doesn't introduce time travel to the setting.

[IcyCool]

Thank you IcyCool.

Indeed, my plan would fail. I may choose Smokescreen's ideas (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Just to make sure I'm clear, I wasn't trying to be a jerk. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

Smoke's idea seems like a good one. You get all of your bits in there, crazy powerful terminator, escort/protection mission, and saving the future of humanity. And if your runners are the amoral, just-for-profit types, you can make sure they get paid for their work.

All that said, this seems like a really short campaign. What else did you have in mind to keep the campaign going beyond these two weeks?

[Mesh]

I can see that conversation:

The Johnson: "Sarah Conner must be protected! She is in great danger, and only she can prevent the far future apocalypse!"

The Sam: "So wait just one minute. You want me to put my hoop on the line for this person, and the thing hunting her is stupidly powerful and from the future? Sounds like my kind of job! What's the pay?"

The Johnson: "Well..."

The Mage: "Who cares? Don't you realize that if we help her, and she succeeds, then this conversation will never have taken place, and temporal paradox will screw us out of any promised payday!"

The Johnson: "Well I never really thought about ..."

The Sam: "So wait. That means we get put in danger for two weeks, for nothing?"

The Mage: "Yep. In fact, we are probably already in danger just by having this conversation. What's worse is that if we take the job, try to help, and get killed, that doesn't change anything, and we are still dead. So really, this job is nothing but a big downside, with no upside except that at some point in the far future there won't be an apocalypse. But by that point, we'll probably be dead anyway."

The Sam: "Drek! Why the hell would you think we'd be interested in this job Mr. J? Huh? You want us dead?"

The Johnson: "..."

The Mage: "Nah, he wouldn't be stupid enough to show up to the meet in person if he did. What you are looking for, Mr. J, are heroes. You know, those fairybook, fancypants knights who will charge into the face of certain death for free? Yeah, we aren't those guys. We expect to be paid, and paid well for what we do. The hero business doesn't pay well, and the health plan sucks. I think we'll pass on this job, good day to you."

Hilarious and clever (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Mesh