[X] My Assistant

[taeksosin]

I have a player that seems to always go for the most...interesting thing he can come up with. Every game.

DnD: Star Pact cha-lock who started collecting halfling skulls because a) they were just so little and cute and b) he hated them. Getting shanked by what looks like a little kid can do that when you've recently had twin girls though...

First Shadowrun character: A changeling (surge 3) who was dubbed by the engrish speaking dwarf as Fisheye. He was an anthro-fish. Very mild mannered, pacifistic, naive, and has racked up the highest kill count (50 kills, another 100 or so maimings) at once in all of our Shadowrun sessions so far.

Second Shadowrun character: I banned changelings this time, so I ended up with a human, dissonant technomancer clown who suffered from neotany and a cranial bomb that is controlled by the ninja clan that adopted him. Who, since he was the size of a child, impersonated a little girl whenever he was around people and lived in a women's shelter. Did I mention he's a voyeur? He's focused on being a rigger, so he has a humanoid drone (I forget the specific name of it) with the realistic mod (the one that gives them skin and what not) who chauffeurs him around. He has plans to build another one either as a pregnant woman or a morbidly obese man so he can ride around it in a rigger cocoon.

Third Shadowrun character: Changeling (surge 3) satyr who due to SURGE looks like a real life, anthro-hyena from a Japanese anime, including the large eyes and a ridiculously cute male voice. He's from a long line of circus performers, and currently makes a living 10 hrs/week as "a magical plush toy for an heiress' adopted two year old Cambodian orphan".

[almost normal]

Knowledge : Relevant Knowledge (Specialty : Correct Relevant Knowledge)

[Ryusukanku]

thorya Posted Yesterday, 05:06 PM

That sort of shenanigans wouldn't fly in with my group. I had a player once try to take Batman as a contact. I suggested that he might want to also take the group enemy, "Rogues Gallery", because if Batman exists so do the Scarecrow, Joker and Clayface. Suddenly the player was much less interested in Batman as a contact. There's just something about a clown in a purple suit that puts the fear of TPK into players.

Really?

I would have suggested it was a typo and that instead of "Batman", his contact was this fellow....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bateman_(painter)

[thorya]

I think the point was not that I did it and he noticed, but that he didn't notice and realized that he didn't notice. I've always believed that when a player outsmarts a GM, the player wins.

And yes... Big 0's lazer vizor was the "Big Win" against many problems during the course of that show. Big 0's cities would be a great setting for cyberpunk off-shoot campaign, a city that forgot it's past.

I get that when the player thinks of something the GM hasn't they win and I love that part of the game, but it doesn't seem like outsmarting the GM to slip something that completely breaks the normal bounds of the game world and isn't part of the world. It would be like having the birth place "the planet krypton" in a character's background or just playing with loaded dice. If you want to play in a world with access to the Big O, in my group you're inviting the GM to play with that too. A world with Big O also has other Megadeus, some of whom probably want to kill you. But if your GM is cool with random giant robots popping into the game, more power to you. Next time you should spell something out with the first letter of each thing on your character sheet.

Equipment-

Sword
Umbrella
Pitons
Everburning Torch
Rope

Shield
Pike
Entertainer's Outfit
Explorer's Outfit
Dagger

[Neraph]

Really?

I would have suggested it was a typo and that instead of "Batman", his contact was this fellow....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bateman_(painter)

No, his son, Junior.

[almost normal]

If your goal in playing an RPG is to beat the GM, and thus 'win', don't be surprised when he pulls out a much bigger bag of tricks to kill you.

[Neraph]

If your goal in playing an RPG is to beat the GM, and thus 'win', don't be surprised when he pulls out a much bigger bag of tricks to kill you.

Like Consultants. From online boards, such as this.

[almost normal]

*brofist*

[thorya]

Like Consultants. From online boards, such as this.

Hehehe. Dumpshock is a Consultant organization. Nice.

[cryptoknight]

Knowledge: Stuff (Specialty: Lots of Stuff)

[Umidori]

Knowledge: Death (Specialization: Metahumanity)

The upside is you can tell how anything died. The downside is you have to roll a composure check to eat a hamburger.

~Umi

[Draco18s]

Knowledge: Stuff (Specialty: Lots of Stuff)

Reminds me that I did 'Knowledge: Have I seen it on the Matrix?' once.

[Umidori]

Knowledge: Mythbusters

~Umi

[ShadowDragon8685]

Knowledge: Death (Specialization: Metahumanity)

The upside is you can tell how anything died. The downside is you have to roll a composure check to eat a hamburger.

That's not likely to come up much, though, is it? Soyburgers FTW!

[Nikoli]

Knowledge: Mythbusters

~Umi

You forgot
Specialization: Confirmed

[Umidori]

*critical glitch*

"No, dude, it definitely works! The Mythbusters proved it! Now hand me that thermite already, will ya?"

~Umi

[tisoz]

That sort of shenanigans wouldn't fly in with my group. I had a player once try to take Batman as a contact. I suggested that he might want to also take the group enemy, "Rogues Gallery", because if Batman exists so do the Scarecrow, Joker and Clayface. Suddenly the player was much less interested in Batman as a contact. There's just something about a clown in a purple suit that puts the fear of TPK into players.

I'm okay with silliness, but if they open a can of worms, I'm going to have fun with it too.

I'd think about letting it fly, but let the player know it probably wouldn't be long before The Bat was hunting him. I mean don't Shadowrunners typically do "illegal" stuff? Or hurt people while maybe doing not quite illegal stuff?

Having him pick up the group enemy would just be icing on the cake.

[tisoz]

If your goal in playing an RPG is to beat the GM, and thus 'win', don't be surprised when he pulls out a much bigger bag of tricks to kill you.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[tisoz]

I once played in a game (so long ago can't even remember the name) in which one of the PCs had a State the Obvious skill. Every so often he'd cry "state the obvious!", make a roll and then follow it up with something like "there are two doors in this room" or "if her name's Laura she'll be a woman". At first I thought this was just a comedy throw-away 'skill', until the GM had him make a roll and then had him point out something crucial we'd all overlooked. I yoinked it for the troll in my next SR campaign.

I'm surprised everyone is jumping to commandeer this. Wouldn't State the Obvious get a person in trouble when they need to use some discretion? Or if they were trying to pass themselves off as someone else, like a cleaning crew or security guards? State the Obvious: "Yes, I am only pretending to be the delivery guy so I can get past security," said to the security at the front desk.

[Draco18s]

I'm surprised everyone is jumping to commandeer this. Wouldn't State the Obvious get a person in trouble when they need to use some discretion? Or if they were trying to pass themselves off as someone else, like a cleaning crew or security guards? State the Obvious: "Yes, I am only pretending to be the delivery guy so I can get past security," said to the security at the front desk.

That's only stating the obvious if the disguise is bad and they get caught. If they're trying to be subtle then stating the obvious isn't going to change anything: they are currently being subtle and therefore not obvious.

[tisoz]

Aah, so the GM need not point out or let the PC use the skill for anything subtle.

I keep thinking of situations where you would like to hurt or kill someone, but can't for a variety of reasons. And blurting out how much you hate them and want them dead would set things waaay back or have negotiations fall apart. Or Haggling... "500,000 nuyen is my absolute top price." Or, "I only need 1000 nuyen to pay my rent, so I can't do the run for any less than that." Even though the Johnson was willing to pay the team far more than that.

A group of trolls swaggering down the street - "I could smell you from a block away."

I think I could find countless ways to have the player wish he never thought of using the skill, or at least have his teammates kill him, let him be killed, or quit working with him.

[ShadowDragon8685]

I'm surprised everyone is jumping to commandeer this. Wouldn't State the Obvious get a person in trouble when they need to use some discretion? Or if they were trying to pass themselves off as someone else, like a cleaning crew or security guards? State the Obvious: "Yes, I am only pretending to be the delivery guy so I can get past security," said to the security at the front desk.

Security guy: *blink*
[beat]
Security guy: "BWA-HAH-hahahaahahahahahaaaaaaaah! That's a good one, wise guy."
Security guy: *opens the door for them.*


It's called the Sarcastic Confession.

[Yerameyahu]

The TSA are never impressed by this. :/ I'm sure it totally works in the cyber future, though.

[CanRay]

The TSA are never impressed by this. :/ I'm sure it totally works in the cyber future, though.

Don't try it in the airport. The body cavity searchers are trolls with oversized cyberarms.

[Draco18s]

Or Haggling... "500,000 nuyen is my absolute top price."

NM, misread this one.

Or, "I only need 1000 nuyen to pay my rent, so I can't do the run for any less than that."

How "obvious" is your rent, exactly?

A group of trolls swaggering down the street - "I could smell you from a block away."

"Snrk snrk, of course you could. That's the whole point."

I think I could find countless ways to have the player wish he never thought of using the skill, or at least have his teammates kill him, let him be killed, or quit working with him.

Remember, it's only obvious knowledge if the people you're telling it to could have figured it out on their own or already know.

Good example: "Centipedes, despite their name, don't actually have 100 legs. And in fact, never could, due to the 'odd number of pairs' rule."
1) Most people know that centipedes don't have 100 legs.
2) Most people could figure out that centipedes have a "odd number pair" rule, if they really cared (by sitting down and counting).
3) Given #1 and #2, most people could figure out that 100 is an impossible value.

Bad example: "My rent is $1000/month, so I can't do the run for any less than that."
1) Who would know besides you and your landlord?
2) This isn't the only job you're doing this month, in all likelyhood.