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> Chicago Game Special Rules?, Or Chicago = Fallout?
SleepIncarnate
post Oct 20 2010, 02:57 PM
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So yes, I'm excited about the new Fallout game that just came out (waiting on my pre-order to arrive here overseas), but that's not really the point. The point is that while at work today, when the internet went down, I started reading through Feral Cities for the first time and as I read over the bits on Chicago, it sounded to me to be a LOT like the Fallout games: post nuclear area where everyone's trying to scrape by, lots of ghouls, hard to find clean water or working power, etc etc. Anyways, the real point of it all is this: if one were to start and run a game taking place solely in Chicago, what kind of special character creation rules would you use?

It's something unique in and of itself, so not really a street level game. You could do standard BP/Karma characters, but they'd need special rules I'm sure, based on how things are there. Maybe reduced availability cap for certain things (such as wares), or increased availability rating for other things to show how much more scarce they would be (like any Ares weapon or armor, or maybe medicine, commlinks, programs, etc). Maybe have to rework the alternate lifestyle rules to make things like essentials cost more maybe. I'm really getting into this idea, but I'm not exactly an experienced GM, I've been an assistant GM for a very shortlived game here, basically just rules checking, and I was also an assistant ST for a World of Darkness chat back in the day, but I've only ever tried running a story once, and after that the group fell apart (also World of Darkness). So whatever help and advice I could get on the basic tweaks with Chicago and stuff while I try to come up with a story would be a lot of help.

So let's hear it folks, what suggestions do you have? (And no, I doubt that the people of Chicago would use caps as the primary form of currency).
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Stingray
post Oct 20 2010, 03:19 PM
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QUOTE (SleepIncarnate @ Oct 20 2010, 05:57 PM) *
So yes, I'm excited about the new Fallout game that just came out (waiting on my pre-order to arrive here overseas), but that's not really the point. The point is that while at work today, when the internet went down, I started reading through Feral Cities for the first time and as I read over the bits on Chicago, it sounded to me to be a LOT like the Fallout games: post nuclear area where everyone's trying to scrape by, lots of ghouls, hard to find clean water or working power, etc etc. Anyways, the real point of it all is this: if one were to start and run a game taking place solely in Chicago, what kind of special character creation rules would you use?

It's something unique in and of itself, so not really a street level game. You could do standard BP/Karma characters, but they'd need special rules I'm sure, based on how things are there. Maybe reduced availability cap for certain things (such as wares), or increased availability rating for other things to show how much more scarce they would be (like any Ares weapon or armor, or maybe medicine, commlinks, programs, etc). Maybe have to rework the alternate lifestyle rules to make things like essentials cost more maybe. I'm really getting into this idea, but I'm not exactly an experienced GM, I've been an assistant GM for a very shortlived game here, basically just rules checking, and I was also an assistant ST for a World of Darkness chat back in the day, but I've only ever tried running a story once, and after that the group fell apart (also World of Darkness). So whatever help and advice I could get on the basic tweaks with Chicago and stuff while I try to come up with a story would be a lot of help.

So let's hear it folks, what suggestions do you have? (And no, I doubt that the people of Chicago would use caps as the primary form of currency).

Every1 must have Survival skill (i would prefer Urban spec. w/ base skill at least 2)
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capt.pantsless
post Oct 20 2010, 04:07 PM
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QUOTE (SleepIncarnate @ Oct 20 2010, 08:57 AM) *
Anyways, the real point of it all is this: if one were to start and run a game taking place solely in Chicago, what kind of special character creation rules would you use?


Character generation would depend greatly on what sort of characters the players wanted to play. Are they UCAS military who crash-landed and are trying to survive? Are they long-time survivors? What sort of story do your players want to play through? Are they trying to escape, or trying to survive? Or even better, are they going into Chicago on purpose to find/destroy/fix something?

For example:
A corporate helicopter with a couple of Mr. Johnsons with some security and technical staff decide to take a shortcut over restricted Chicago airspace, and crash-land in the middle of it. Most of their equipment is destroyed, and only a handful survive. They must now try to make it out alive, fighting off the ghouls and unfriendly inhabitants for basic necessities.

I would definitely suggest working-up some rule for a scavenging skill for anyone who's been living in Chi-town for a while. Lifestyle isn't going to be possible, roleplay out all the eating and sleeping. Have some basic rules in-mind for how many Ghouls might attack per night, i.e. it depends on if they make a fire, or how much noise they make, etc.

The only real restriction I'd put on character generation is that giant piles of equipment are rather verboten. You can have whatever you can carry in a backpack. Cyberware is certainly acceptable, but you're not going to get much maintenance on it, so mechanical failure is a problem.

Also, this is certainly NOT a campaign setting where I'd allow free ammo. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/twirl.gif)
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SleepIncarnate
post Oct 20 2010, 04:13 PM
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I was thinking more along long term residents, a game intended to stay in Chi-town but be long lasting.
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sabs
post Oct 20 2010, 04:17 PM
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Have you read the Feral Cities book?

First off, get rid of all money.
You can't buy /anything/ with money in Chicago.
There's no matrix access for most of it.

It's strictly barter/local economy.

Use the advanced lifestyle rules.. but instead of charging money, come up with a system of adventures for them to upkeep any place they might be crashing. Squatter lifestyle is probably the highest lifestyle available.

Used Standard Cyberware is probably the only thing available. No Gene, no Bioware.
Again, you can't buy it with money, you buy it with trade goods.

Up the availability of everything by a good bit. Every purchase should be roleplayed out.
Make every player keep exact track of all their ammo.

A hacker is still viable, but understand he's working on a local net, with no matrix access.
Assume that any information available on the matrix, isn't.

You're screwing non-awakened.. but then awakened have to worry about the clouds of mana eating stuff floating around. So it's fair really.
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WyldKnight
post Oct 20 2010, 04:20 PM
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QUOTE (capt.pantsless @ Oct 20 2010, 08:07 AM) *
I would definitely suggest working-up some rule for a scavenging skill for anyone who's been living in Chi-town for a while.


Wouldn't the survival skill take up scavenging? However many hits you get determines how warm/safe the place you slept is and what kind of food you could find.
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capt.pantsless
post Oct 20 2010, 04:24 PM
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QUOTE (SleepIncarnate @ Oct 20 2010, 10:13 AM) *
I was thinking more along long term residents, a game intended to stay in Chi-town but be long lasting.


In that case, why are they now struggling to survive? Where's the drama? If they've been surviving for a long-time one is there a new threat that suddenly surfaced? Did the previous shelter get destroyed or compromised somehow and now the group needs to find/build a new one?

As far as character-generation rules, I'd just cap the equipment at 5000:nuyen: or whatever limit you want to set, not counting any cyber/bioware they want to have implanted. I'd also severely limit the amount of ammo you can have at char-gen, something like less than 20 total rounds per character. It would make sense that survivors might have a pistol or two, with a few precious, precious bullets for each. Same thing for any other expendables. Grenades would be like gold.

The big question for the players is: "How did you get here?"
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sabs
post Oct 20 2010, 04:25 PM
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And how the hell are you still alive (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
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capt.pantsless
post Oct 20 2010, 04:30 PM
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QUOTE (WyldKnight @ Oct 20 2010, 10:20 AM) *
Wouldn't the survival skill take up scavenging? However many hits you get determines how warm/safe the place you slept is and what kind of food you could find.



True - either would work. My point is that I'd want to separate 'survival' with finding more bullets. In a sense, the whole campaign is now about survival, and if you can do everything with one skill, that sorta trivializes things.

In my mind, survival is about getting food/water/shelter, scavenging is more like knowing where to looks for improvised parts, non-essencial supplies, etc. I.e. a good scavenging roll when you happen upon a crashed helicopter would negate the 'improvised tools' modifier on firearms build/repair roll.
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sabs
post Oct 20 2010, 04:34 PM
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Armorer, Hardware, Mechanic skills a big deal in such a game.

it's the kind of game where I would stress knowledge skills.
Survival(urban warzone) a key skill
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Makki
post Oct 20 2010, 04:35 PM
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shouldn't one's primary goal be, to just leave the city? instead of stay and survive

Juryrigger is an essential quality
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BRodda
post Oct 20 2010, 04:49 PM
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QUOTE (capt.pantsless @ Oct 20 2010, 11:07 AM) *
I would definitely suggest working-up some rule for a scavenging skill for anyone who's been living in Chi-town for a while. Lifestyle isn't going to be possible, roleplay out all the eating and sleeping. Have some basic rules in-mind for how many Ghouls might attack per night, i.e. it depends on if they make a fire, or how much noise they make, etc.


I made some rules for savaging and some Z-zone weapons. Link is here.

Adding in some weapons that players are not used to and getting rid of some of the "conveniences" of modern life will really help pound in the fact that this setting is different.

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Ascalaphus
post Oct 20 2010, 04:50 PM
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Wouldn't a satellite link take care of your Matrix problems? Sure, there's no local Matrix, but that doesn't mean there's no way to reach the outside...

I like the idea of "start only with what you can carry".
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sabs
post Oct 20 2010, 04:52 PM
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You have to have a satellite link. And with the Mesh rules, every hacker in a 30K radius will be slamming your sat link everytime you turn it on.
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SleepIncarnate
post Oct 20 2010, 05:05 PM
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QUOTE (sabs @ Oct 20 2010, 11:17 AM) *
Have you read the Feral Cities book?

First off, get rid of all money.
You can't buy /anything/ with money in Chicago.
There's no matrix access for most of it.

It's strictly barter/local economy.

Use the advanced lifestyle rules.. but instead of charging money, come up with a system of adventures for them to upkeep any place they might be crashing. Squatter lifestyle is probably the highest lifestyle available.

Used Standard Cyberware is probably the only thing available. No Gene, no Bioware.
Again, you can't buy it with money, you buy it with trade goods.

Up the availability of everything by a good bit. Every purchase should be roleplayed out.
Make every player keep exact track of all their ammo.

A hacker is still viable, but understand he's working on a local net, with no matrix access.
Assume that any information available on the matrix, isn't.

You're screwing non-awakened.. but then awakened have to worry about the clouds of mana eating stuff floating around. So it's fair really.


As I said in the OP, I'm working through the book, but I thought I saw something in there about there still being nuyen exchanged when it came to shadow stuff, because the mafia, cartels, etc don't work on barter. And running a Chicago game isn't just screwing the mundanes, it's screwing everyone, that's the point. A darker, grittier game, something interesting and different. Somewhere between mirrorshades and pink mohawk, but without any of the stuff that most runners take for granted. And this group would likely still be a group of runners, but instead of doing extractions for nuyen and the sort, they're hooding to get canned food for the Orphanage (and themselves), or something like that.
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sabs
post Oct 20 2010, 05:08 PM
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If you get paid in Nuyen, how do you spend it?
Maybe shadowrunners get nuyen sometimes, but it seems highly unlikely. And remember there's a giant wall that's manned 24/7 with drones with big guns and everything.

The mafia in chicago has serious issues talkign to the rest of the Mafia. They're strictly local.
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SleepIncarnate
post Oct 21 2010, 01:21 AM
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Here sabs, let me point out a quote for you from Feral Cities.

QUOTE ('Freal Cities p. 12')
Pawnshops and fixers run ‘exchange bureaus,’ converting almost anything into hard cash or credsticks, the main currency of the black markets. After all, the Mob doesn’t measure its BTL trafficking profits in cans of soup.


Nuyen does exist in Chicago, and not all of Chicago is the CZ. Additionally, this is 4a, the CZ is open to all, but overrun by gang lords, ghouls, etc. And how do you spend that nuyen? Smugglers that come to sell weapons don't take cans of soup either.

QUOTE ('Feral Cities p. 13)
Chicago has more firearm dealers than the Athens Arms Fair. Th e lack of authorities regulating the arms trade and steady local demand has pushed Chicago to the top of the illegal firearms trade. Th roughout the Corridor, you can openly trade handguns, melee weapons, and light protective gear. For anything heavier—submachine guns, rifles, shotguns, and the like—it’s back to the old ‘who you know’ and ‘where to look.’ Smuggler crews that set up their home bases close to the waterfront supply both of these markets. For the local demand, they trade small shipments to merchants traveling the Corridor or vendors running a booth at Standish’s Market Square.
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