Street Level Campaign - Pointers? |
Street Level Campaign - Pointers? |
Sep 18 2010, 01:32 AM
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#1
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 3-February 09 Member No.: 16,834 |
So im running a street level Campaign, just starting up and I was hoping to get some advise on what limits would be good to set on the PC's for creation.
Im thinking 250 to 300 BP, we are avoiding hacking (because unless everyone is doing it it makes big gaps where one player is doing stuff whilst the rest twiddle there thumbs) and we are going magic light (no particular reason its just turned out that way). Idea's? |
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Sep 18 2010, 01:55 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 492 Joined: 28-July 09 Member No.: 17,440 |
Best to cap the gear availability a little lower to keep the theme of the game. Try 10 or 9. 8 even if you want.
Matrix hacking can be done in real time with the group, but it takes a little more ingenuity on the part of the hacker, and a willingness to not prepare when you might know you can. Avoid high connection contacts. Are they "runners" or are they from some other part of the shadows, like a gang? Back stories should be appropriate of course. |
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Sep 18 2010, 02:05 AM
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#3
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,679 Joined: 19-September 09 Member No.: 17,652 |
Lets see, this exact thread came up a little while ago.
Some of the advice I gave was: Lower availability (6-8 range should be good) Lower maximum resources (10 BP spent on equipment is reasonable) Lower max skills, something like shifting it down by 1 so that you can only have 1 skill at 5, or two at 4, and everything else has to be at 3 or lower. Limit magic stat (3 should be fine). Possibly limit other stats (only 1 soft maxed and everything else has to be lower, though this is a bit questionable, as exceptional attributes tends to be one of the things that sets the common person apart from the main characters) |
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Sep 18 2010, 05:34 AM
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#4
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 3-February 09 Member No.: 16,834 |
Thanks Guy's this is all useful!
tagz -> they are Ganger's to start, not runners. anything else I should take into account for the game its self do you think? So far Im going with 300BP build no more than 15BP of money's only one skill at 5 or two at 4, rest is 3 or less Availability on gear at 6 |
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Sep 18 2010, 05:50 AM
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#5
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,000 Joined: 30-May 09 From: Germany Member No.: 17,225 |
I too would say that magic/resonance should be limited down. Maybe max 3 or MAYBE 4, as well as maybe Edge. All other attributes can be as high as they want.
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Sep 18 2010, 05:58 AM
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#6
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Dumorimasoddaa Group: Members Posts: 2,687 Joined: 30-March 08 Member No.: 15,830 |
I don't know about 6 alivibilty. A hell of alot is priced with the 12 availibilty cap in mind and often very arbitrarly. I mean you've all read axed the max nuyen so the more pricey gear will be a big chunk of change. I'd stick with twelve as the max and occastionaly say no to the things that slip the net.
A 300bp build is very limited any how max 150 on atributes can be tight. You'll have a hard time hitting 3 in all let alone twinking them. |
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Sep 20 2010, 12:45 PM
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#7
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 3-February 09 Member No.: 16,834 |
A 300bp build is very limited any how max 150 on atributes can be tight. You'll have a hard time hitting 3 in all let alone twinking them. I allowed up to 180BP in attributes, and we are deliberatly avoiding min maxing. first game went fairly well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) |
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Sep 20 2010, 01:08 PM
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#8
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,679 Joined: 19-September 09 Member No.: 17,652 |
I allowed up to 180BP in attributes, and we are deliberatly avoiding min maxing. first game went fairly well (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Always good to hear. Don't know of any advice for in session stuff. I suppose to remember that a large number of people can be nearly as strong as a few high powered ones, which is something you need to be careful about when balancing encounters for a 'gang war' type ordeal. |
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Sep 20 2010, 01:19 PM
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#9
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,210 Joined: 5-September 05 From: Texas Member No.: 7,685 |
The funny thing is that in a street campaign being young and fit is the main advantage most street runners would have over the other runners.
Not experience and not gear or ware. Maybe you should leave the Stats limit at 200. |
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Sep 20 2010, 01:19 PM
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#10
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 3-February 09 Member No.: 16,834 |
yeh the main issue is keeping the bloody idiots alive (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
The three of them are low on social skills and seem to enjoy violence wayyyyyy too much in there every day life. They've only just started and have set up shop in a abandoned warehouse, it was abandoned when they were paid to go mess with the gang that lived there, body count = gang boss, 2 henchmen and 3 innocent* kids...a little later they blew up another gang house and sent the entire thing tumbling into the sea (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) sigh... oh well, im sure there next characters will be a little more reasonable! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) *as innocent as can be given its shadowrun and they are gang kids |
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Sep 20 2010, 02:01 PM
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#11
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Target Group: Members Posts: 15 Joined: 3-February 09 Member No.: 16,834 |
Oh and for those that are interested...
http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/new...g/the-beginning Enjoy! |
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Sep 20 2010, 05:01 PM
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#12
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Target Group: Members Posts: 28 Joined: 27-August 10 Member No.: 18,977 |
We had a street level campaign going for a little while, and it didn't much matter what the PCs started out with, but what was keeping them on the street. For our game it was the available runs and the low pay offs that made it "street level". You could have a totally decked out samurai with awesome ware, but if he has choose between bullets and food, then he is going to feel that low lifestyle.
That being said I think it does help to curtail some of their gear if its out of place. I think that some runners, having fallen from grace, might have a few special pieces of equipment that help them stand out, but they should be things that the runner has kept with them from their more affluent days. The loss of that piece of equipment will be jarring when they realize how much it costs to replace. To counter balance that, I would allow them some leeway in using skills to make the best with what they have got. A weapon specialist will value those build and repair skills if it means they can customize their weapon on a budget. DIY is a very punk aesthetic. |
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Sep 26 2010, 02:15 AM
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#13
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,001 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Michigan Member No.: 1,514 |
I've run a lot of these. There's plenty of good recommendations already out there, so forgive me if i repeat them:
That should get you started homes. |
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Sep 26 2010, 12:00 PM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 956 Joined: 16-June 07 From: Like a coyote, always on the move Member No.: 11,931 |
I've run a lot of these. There's plenty of good recommendations already out there, so forgive me if i repeat them:
That should get you started homes. Basically run it like the starting area for the old SNES Shadowrun game, with enemies not really having armor or good weapons, and dropping 20 nuyen at best..... and the PC's not being much better off. Or come up with ways to keep the PC's from looting their enemies if they start to try and turn this into D&D in the future by looting everything (like some players will) to sell the stuff and make money. Maybe those guns are modded in such a way that no fence will buy them, except for one who will WAY undercut the players. Or the Star (or KE, or Vory, or Ancients, etc etc etc) show up forcing the PC's to run from the scene of the crime. Stuff like that. |
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Sep 26 2010, 12:26 PM
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#15
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,001 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Michigan Member No.: 1,514 |
You can pull some of that, but I'd just stick with having their opposition generally having either equivalent or marginally better equipment-or the fear of law enforcement arriving on scene to cull the finances. Also recall that fences rarely pay top dollar for anything, so even if they do manage to snag something worth selling they're only likely to make 10-20% of it's value-unless it's pretty damned cool, or unique.
To add to your tool box as a GM if you kill Rooco, maybe his cousin Vinnie comes looking for payback. Or maybe now the Wang Chin's think you're the new player in town, so they want to show how bad they are by taking you down. Or maybe the guy working Robbery homicide has had someone drop your name in his ear, and now he's asking Mom's some questions about you. The truth is you can only artificially inhibit their growth for so long, but as long as the Players are willing to ride with it-well it can be fun! |
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Sep 26 2010, 04:28 PM
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#16
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Prime Runner Ascendant Group: Members Posts: 17,568 Joined: 26-March 09 From: Aurora, Colorado Member No.: 17,022 |
The funny thing is that in a street campaign being young and fit is the main advantage most street runners would have over the other runners. Not experience and not gear or ware. Maybe you should leave the Stats limit at 200. That is what we did in ours... 350bp Game, with a Limit of 200 for Attributes... did not really leave a lot of other points for things... I do not have skills above 2, for instance... and minimal gear at that as well (10bp Spent, tha majority to cover the cost of his bitchin' ride)... |
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Oct 1 2010, 03:19 PM
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#17
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,001 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Michigan Member No.: 1,514 |
So what did you end up doing?
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Oct 1 2010, 03:24 PM
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#18
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,883 Joined: 16-December 06 Member No.: 10,386 |
If I had noticed this thread sooner I would have strongly advised against lowering the 200 bp attribute cap much if you're also reducing the gear that's available. Doing both leaves humans in particular with really, really low attributes and a dearth of juicy things to spend their bps on. Such a situation tends to encourage spending on Edge (or Magic), which many people find to be kind of counterproductive in a "street" game.
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Oct 1 2010, 05:00 PM
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#19
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,996 Joined: 1-June 10 Member No.: 18,649 |
Adepts start to look really good in that kind of game.
Unless you limit magic to 3 |
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Oct 1 2010, 05:39 PM
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#20
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,883 Joined: 16-December 06 Member No.: 10,386 |
Which still leaves you with the humans being pansies in an environment where swinging a densiplast pipe really hard is suddenly a pretty relevant skill. Of course, some people view this as a bonus. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
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Oct 1 2010, 08:41 PM
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#21
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Target Group: Members Posts: 92 Joined: 20-March 10 From: Around the Ley Lines on the 'moors. Great Britain. Member No.: 18,323 |
Which still leaves you with the humans being pansies in an environment where swinging a densiplast pipe really hard is suddenly a pretty relevant skill. Of course, some people view this as a bonus. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Ah the joys of smacking people over the head (IMG:style_emoticons/default/talker.gif) |
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Oct 1 2010, 11:04 PM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 956 Joined: 16-June 07 From: Like a coyote, always on the move Member No.: 11,931 |
Don't forget your street level face......
"Wanna come inside for some soy-kaf?" |
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Oct 2 2010, 07:52 AM
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#23
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 165 Joined: 4-August 10 From: West Seattle, WA. Member No.: 18,888 |
I posted this guy on another post, I know he is higher than the BP limit you are looking at, but the gear list could give you an idea of what limited price and availability really can end up looking like.
400 BP build, no magician, adept but latent awakening okay. No sinner negative quality. Surge is okay. Any amount of BP can be put towards the 50 cap on resources but only price range of 300$ & 4R and less is available (and no carry over from generation to play allowed). Extended lifestyle in effect, only 7 points can be spent on the 5 categories. Only contacts of connection 2 or less can be taken. Restrict qualities like restricted gear, Born rich, and black-market pipeline and anything that has that vibe too it. I used 1 BP, you are really limited to what you can find with the dollar amount and availability brought so low. Still have not found a game to run him in, but I still think he would be fun to play. [ Spoiler ]
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