Random Characters + Random Personalities!, DO look at this, Boomer1985 & -A-! Options

[TeaTime]

The PC's hired a group of six core-book archetypes to make a run on MACROscale Logistics. After playing out the Johnsoning, the players set their PCs aside for an evening, and played the alts they just hired instead.
The archetypes were randomly selected (A Street Sam, Covert Ops Specialist, Face, Bounty Hunter and Street Shaman (Hacker was NPCed), then personalities were pulled to match. Here are the personalities:

• No doubt about it, your PC is a jerk. You’ll run the mission, but he’s only interested in one thing- himself. Encourage others to do the work. They don’t care about you, let them take the bullets. They’re stupid anyway.
  
  
• No doubt about it, your PC is thoughtless. No filter. Hyperactive. You’ll run the mission, but if you’ve got a idea, just do it- don’t think! Act! Consequences are for weak, pathetic people, and if it causes a problem, let someone else sort it out! YOU’RE the awesome one! YOU! You should be the center of attention! Hey, why are you even reading this, man! It’s DULLSville! ACT!
  
  
• No doubt about it, your PC is cruel. You’ll run the mission, but you’re brutish. Downright mean-hearted. Some would say sadistic towards PCs and NPCs alike. And they’d be correct. You’re aggressive. Let’s be honest. This is a bad person.
  
  
• No doubt about it, your PC is bossy and arrogant. You’ve got the plan- obviously the only one that will work. You’ll run the mission, but you’re blunt, overconfident, and tactless. Tell it like it is.
  
  
• No doubt about it, your PC is dishonest. You’ll run the mission, but you’ll earnestly agree to anything, and then do whatever you want. Steal from or kill PCs? No problem. If it is a better opportunity, it would be immoral for you NOT to take it.

Players stayed on task surprising well, and seemed to enjoy a nice change of pace cutting loose while playing CEs without consequences. Next, back to player's primary PCs.

Yep.

Good times with bad people.

[Midas]

ShadowRun meets Paranoia! Sounds like it was a fun session!

[Manunancy]

Either the Johnson didn't do much homework on his recruits, or he hired for a redshirt diversion. with personalities like that packed together, it's going to quickly degenrate into a fight, mission be damned.

[Shortstraw]

If this was my group 5 would devolve into a serial killer in the first hour of planning killing 1 then 3 then 4 then 2 take their stuff and not bother with the run.

[Boomer1985]

I'm one of the players involved w/ this and yeah from reading this we should have dissolved really fast but we worked well together but i thihk thats because we work together out of game really well. if we had gotten out alive we may have degenerated to common warfare

[Yerameyahu]

Why does 'personality' equal 'massive character flaw'? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Saint Sithney]

Because people who shoot guys in the face for money generally have bad home lives?

[Yerameyahu]

I don't disagree, I just think it's funny the way the choice is framed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[CanRay]

Because people who shoot guys in the face for money generally have bad home lives?

"I shoot people in the face because Dad never hugged me enough. Mostly because I never knew who he was. I was also born in poverty and this pays the bills. Mom was also a chip abuser. And a drunk. And a..." "That's enough Trogdor, we met your family, remember? Decent folks." "Oh, right."

[TeaTime]

Either the Johnson didn't do much homework on his recruits, or he hired for a redshirt diversion. with personalities like that packed together, it's going to quickly degenrate into a fight, mission be damned.

You nailed it! The corp needed a team for a situation would dissolve into chaos.

Actually, it was kinda tough to pull off.
It was time for a break from the norm, and as GM, I wanted to give the PCs permission to let loose, kill party members, and generally have fun playing irredeemable characters for a change without the burden of penalties or pesky consequences.

However, the story DID fit into the larger campaign story, so it was important they ran the mission and not immediately start killing each other on sight. Some of this was structured during the mission initial set up, and many of the PCs featured the reoccurring phrase "You’ll run the mission".

But the real credit goes to the players who did a very good job of balancing playing selfish thugs with executing and completing the mission.