Dicks in Shadowrun, A Noir Detective Idea I'm not equipped to run Options

[Red-ROM]

So I had an interesting Idea, but I lack the Time and brain power to run it, so I'm appealing to any GM's out there to take the lead on this.

I was thinking of a small Detective group (possibly low powered). Have the players really get together and hash out their role in the business.

Then, have a few more players role up villains, or antagonists of some sort. A single murderer trying to get away with a perfect crime. a crooked politician, or a group of crooked cops.

The GM keeps the character stats and actions a secret, and doles out the clues and NPCs to keep things interesting

Its just a rough Idea at the moment, but how cool right? There might be some hashing out about the bad guys and weather or not they should be losing in the end, or how much PVP there is. Anyway, this is just a "gathering interest" post

[Xahn Borealis]

I'd like to contribute a villain, if this happens.

[Red-ROM]

I think it's unlikely to go anywhere. It's not often you get someone to volunteer to GM, and this Idea would take some work/thought.
For instance, a villain character might be more like an assistant GM, coming up with a good portion of the plot.

[Stahlseele]

i was THIS close to reporting this thread as spam, before i actually read the first posting . .

[Red-ROM]

i was THIS close to reporting this thread as spam, before i actually read the first posting . .

I admit, the title is a little crass, but Spam? I don't see it. Obscene maybe, but there has been worse on here i'm sure

[Xahn Borealis]

Didn't the subtitle give it away?

[Belvidere]

If someone does volunteer to run this, I would be ecstatic to play in it. I'd had a number of P.I. type characters rolling around in my head. Damn you Harry Dresden...

[Stahlseele]

Didn't the subtitle give it away?

yeah, but the main overview does not show the subtitle . .

[Red-ROM]

I have an Antagonist, and a bit of a plot to contribute. Not a big character, but it could definately get the game running. I started a Noir detective type game on here, but it died after the initial meet(like so many of these games do...)

[Saint Sithney]

The problem is setting.

The only way I've been able to successfully run a detective style story is in an arcology.

It was a full lockdown, no unlicensed magic kind of thing where if you were caught breaking rules, you were toast, and there were sensors everywhere. Problem is cyberpunk is all about challenging the rules, and finding clever ways of breaking them, while detective stories are about walking gently around the rules so that the rules never knew you were there.


Might be able to run it on the streets if people were committed to the format, but when finding someone is as easy as a Search task from a spirit, it's really not the same.

[Xahn Borealis]

She was one of those corp types. Never went anywhere without her pet security orks, more metal than man. Yet here she was, in the Barrens, rain-soaked, vulnerable. She gave me the full scan in her usual cold, efficient manner, datajack-to-jack. Yet she looked in my eyes with fear as the info streamed into my headware.

Someone had murdered her. Her genes were altered in a transfection tank to rapidly accelerate the signs of aging, like reverse Leonisation. Already she looked something like a 60-year-old human, rather than the 35-year-old elf she was. She probably had a week, two, tops. That same look, that knowing look of superiority, was still in her eyes, though. Just the same, I took the job. At least she didn't ask for a discount, 'for old time's sake'. All I wanted from her was her nuyen.

Spirits know I hate working arcologies. Everyone smells the damn same, tailored pheromones all round. But then, no one looks the same when you can See.

[BlackHat]

I played in a great 3E game IRL once where we played a team of would-be detectives who set up a private eye shop and used it as our base of operations. Everyone was basically built like a runner, but leaned towards the legit side of things, and the GM (whose idea it was) did a good job of keeping a familiar format while turning the tables. Instead of our fixers calling us to meet a Johnson about a job, some leggy dame comes in with a sob story... same difference, really. They tell us what little they know, and it becomes our job to find out more - legwork, just like any other Shadowrun. The difference was, after that legwork, we were usually only required to meet with the client again and tell them what we found out (rather than act on that info directly). The client might hire shadowrunners, or offer to increase our fee if we solve their problem, ourselves... but that stuff wasn't really in our job description. And of course, on at least one occasion, the client went missing, and we basically had to take action to solve their problem to get our paycheck. I guess my point is that on most shadowruns you've got to do some legwork to get information. A detective game just focuses on that part.

IIRC, we had a mage who could use spirits to investigate things, but it didn't really spoil anything any more than it does during the legwork of any other shadowrun. We had a decker who could dig up just about anything on the Matrix, and a face who could convince the most loyal goon to rat out his boss. we even had some muscle for when drek hit the fan. None of these things ruined the detective aspect, though. The fact that the detectives have access to tools to get information that normal people don't is basically why normal people would go to a detective (rather than sending their own spirits, or hacking the node themselves, or schmoosing their way into the social circle, etc).

[Seth]

That sounds like a good game BlackHat. There are many TV series like that, and they are entertaining.

[Red-ROM]

It definately can be done. Spirits can look for people, but if you don't know who you're looking for, your no better off. And I think it will help to have players on both sides of the fence to keep it from beeing too easy.
Now, on the other hand, if you change the setting to mainstream shadowrun. Who are the bad guys? Everybody? Ending in Mortal Kombat! I think it helps to say,"hey, the detectives are the protagonists, and your dirty cop should probably take a dive in the end"

[Xahn Borealis]

Ah, the Judas Quality.... Ready made plot threads, right when you need them.

[ammulder]

I guess the question is, how suitable is this really for group play? It seems more like a solo operation.

[Belvidere]

I guess the question is, how suitable is this really for group play? It seems more like a solo operation.

Well it seems as though this is good for group play, but you'd have only one person play the actual P.I, with all the other players playing characters with other personal plays in the situation. Maybe a beat cop with a chip on his shoulder, or a suspect willing to help to prove his innocence, or maybe to make sure the P.I doesn't find the truth.

If you've read the Dresden Files, that would the only way I could see it playing write with a group.

[Xahn Borealis]

She was one of those corp types. Never went anywhere without her pet security orks, more metal than man. Yet here she was, in the Barrens, rain-soaked, vulnerable. She gave me the full scan in her usual cold, efficient manner, datajack-to-jack. Yet she looked in my eyes with fear as the info streamed into my headware.

Someone had murdered her. Her genes were altered in a transfection tank to rapidly accelerate the signs of aging, like reverse Leonisation. Already she looked something like a 60-year-old human, rather than the 35-year-old elf she was. She probably had a week, two, tops. That same look, that knowing look of superiority, was still in her eyes, though. Just the same, I took the job. At least she didn't ask for a discount, 'for old time's sake'. All I wanted from her was her nuyen.

Spirits know I hate working arcologies. Everyone smells the damn same, tailored pheromones all round. But then, no one looks the same when you can See.

I'm feeling fictitious, anyone want more?

[Red-ROM]

@ Xahn: Go for it, The writing has the right flavor for sure

As far as operating a game like this, I think setup is going to be a challenge. do you start 2 threads, antagonist/ protaganist, and work on an honor system for not reading the other thread? Do the bad guys PM the GM and he or she puts it into a post as it comes up. THat kind of stuff seems tricky.

[Belvidere]

I'd go on honor system really. And just hope that nobody wants to ruin the fun for everyone else.

[Red-ROM]

What about timing? The actions of one side could happen at a way different pace than the other.

[Xahn Borealis]

@ Xahn: Go for it, The writing has the right flavor for sure

Hmmm, what to call it? Any ideas for a title?

[Xahn Borealis]

Hmmm, what to call it? Any ideas for a title?

Never mind, work has begun on the story, called 'Birthright'.