Shadowrun on Mars Options

[DarthSunshine]

Greetings,

I posted her about a year ago with my world domination scheme and got some helpful hints. Now after 5 years of playing shadowrun, I actually want to try my luck at running a game. But the idea I had in my mind was rather unorthodox, especially for a first time game. I'd like your opinion.

=players of my game do not tread beyond this point=


Man do I love space. I've been thinking of a space centric shadowrun for some time now. Here's the basic outline. (please forgive me and help me out if i'm messing up SR lore.) Ares was pretty shocked when Evo set up Gagarin Base and have been itching to get their own manned mission up there for some time. The next Mars launch window is coming up in 2074 and Ares is ready to even the playing field in deep space. Amid rumors in the shadows that Gagarin Base has mysteriously cut off transmissions, the players (who need to be some pretty stable characters, and not....ahem murderhobos) are contacted for a job in deep space.

The Johnson wants them to to take a job for freelance runners who are specialized for space ops. The job is on the Artemis Base in Mare Tranquillitatis, where and computer virus is wreaking mayhem on the base. They will have to get through spaceport security, and somehow get clearance to the base. Shouldn't be too difficult since they have it open to VIP tours of the Apollo 11 landing site (through teleoperated drones). The Johnson will add at the end that they are to do their best to make a good impression on the Ares Executives.

So after they troubleshoot the problem (and what's behind the problem) and get back to Terra firma safety, the cogs are gonna turn for a few weeks and the Johnson is gonna contact the runners again. Through careful measures taken by interested parties, they have been selected for the Ares Mars Astronaut program. Their job is to get on to the prime crew for Ares's first metahuman Mars Mission. This mission will be the first one to be truly broadcast to the world in the form of a periodical reality trideo series(with heavy editing of course). The Johnson tells them that during the mission they will be getting coded instructions from one of the three mission CAPCOMs (capsule comminucators) and unless these instructions conflict with the mission directives they are to follow the mission as it has been written down. So essentially they will be doing some deep cover espionage.

One of the main challenges they have is that when they arrive in Mars orbit they will receive an special set of instructions. Because of a previous agreement between Evo and Ares, the primary landing site cannot be less than 100 km away from Gagarin Base. The secondary and tertiary landing sites are some distance closer, but when they arrive the conditions will be good enough for a landing at the primary site. The orders are that they somehow have to convince or coerce the commander to land at one of the closer sites, and if he doesn't budge they have to bypass him somehow. They are authorized to space him as a last resort but they must not blow their cover.

Now this is about as far as I have thought about, I have a few more ideas about what happens once they land, but I'm not writing those down until i have them better crystallized. My main issue is that this game is gonna be lacking combat in a major way. I have to somehow keep Shadowrun interesting with little to no combat, which might be a challenge. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Casper]

"Get your ass to Mars!"

[Aaron]

Have you read Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson? It uses a lot of good, hard science. You should be able to pull a lot of nifty ideas from that.

[hermit]

The next Mars launch window is coming up in 2074 and Ares is ready to even the playing field in deep space. Amid rumors in the shadows that Gagarin Base has mysteriously cut off transmissions, the players (who need to be some pretty stable characters, and not....ahem murderhobos) are contacted for a job in deep space.

Why doesn't Ares use it's own people? They know their deep space, having a base in Mercury's orbit since the 2050s (since Target: Wastelands). Why doesn't Ares hire government people? Why Shadowrunners? If you want to play a Mars campaign, why not have the characters start out as Ares wageslaves, or maybe Ares-affiliated subcontractors? Might also cut down on the murder hobo syndrome a bit.

[Raiden]

because doesn't EVO have a mars base? could it be considered an a front to them the other corp if they sent their own paid wage slaves their? meh idk.

[DarthSunshine]

Have you read Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson? It uses a lot of good, hard science. You should be able to pull a lot of nifty ideas from that.

I have actually read some of it. At least the first chapter. I'm terrible at finishing books. There's a whole host of fiction that's inspiring this.
2001 Space Odyssey
2010 Year we Make Contact
From the Earth to the Moon
Apollo 13
The Right Stuff
Mission To Mars
BBC Voyage to the Planets
To name a few

Why doesn't Ares use it's own people? They know their deep space, having a base in Mercury's orbit since the 2050s (since Target: Wastelands). Why doesn't Ares hire government people? Why Shadowrunners? If you want to play a Mars campaign, why not have the characters start out as Ares wageslaves, or maybe Ares-affiliated subcontractors? Might also cut down on the murder hobo syndrome a bit.

Good suggestion, I had actually thought about having the runners start as corporate wageslave astronauts. Of course the Johnson would still be getting them to do espionage like before.

because doesn't EVO have a mars base? could it be considered an a front to them the other corp if they sent their own paid wage slaves their? meh idk.

Evo lost contact with Gargarin Base and are desperate to find out what happened without having to go to Space Rescue Service and get the bad publicity. Who do you think is behind the Johnson in the first place?

[Raiden]

sorry I dont read as much SR lore as I should or as I would like :/ I just remembered they had a base there. on that note why not just have them work for EVO? I like evo better anyway XD

[DarthSunshine]

sorry I dont read as much SR lore as I should or as I would like :/ I just remembered they had a base there. on that note why not just have them work for EVO? I like evo better anyway XD

The players ARE working for EVO, that's who is behind the Johnson.

[Raiden]

I am sorry, the amount of derp I have brought to this thread is at epic levels. please disregard my statements or so help you you shall be infected by toxic mars spirits.

[hermit]

Good suggestion, I had actually thought about having the runners start as corporate wageslave astronauts. Of course the Johnson would still be getting them to do espionage like before.

He'd be a Knight-Errant agent handler then though. And they could not just quit this job quite so easily, adding a fair bit of teension and control, so they don't just hulk it out on everything on Mars. Or the Evo secret service. Wouldn't that be something closely UGB-affiliated (Russian)? Evo has way too many Anglo names on it's roster for having a space programme based on Roskosmos anyway.

[DarthSunshine]

He'd be a Knight-Errant agent handler then though. And they could not just quit this job quite so easily, adding a fair bit of teension and control, so they don't just hulk it out on everything on Mars. Or the Evo secret service. Wouldn't that be something closely UGB-affiliated (Russian)? Evo has way too many Anglo names on it's roster for having a space programme based on Roskosmos anyway.

It would have to be Evo. Although I am thinking of a double agent kinda deal possibly. Any other ideas for what happens when the players get to Mars?

I'm thinking Gagarin Base went out of contact when a nasty experiment went horribly wrong. Also I think Ares will attempt to do some classified and dangerous mana research on the surface.

[hermit]

Well, you can go several ways there. Personally, I'd go less into hard scifi and more into Doom 3. That is, the magical secrets in Dunkelzahn's Will; I'd use them. Maybe a horror has been exiled on Mars, possibly by the dead dragon? Maybe manasphere research or examining the dragonbones triggered it's release.

However, other scenarios are a revolt or madness caused by the environment or out-of-control nanomachines (like in Stanislaw Lem's "The Invincible", where a rampant nanosphere killed an alien civilisation and then attacks explorers); loss of contact through terraforming gone horribly wrong (like in red Planet), or the ultra-cheezy route with Greys, Majestic 12 and Roswell.

[DarthSunshine]

Well, you can go several ways there. Personally, I'd go less into hard scifi and more into Doom 3. That is, the magical secrets in Dunkelzahn's Will; I'd use them. Maybe a horror has been exiled on Mars, possibly by the dead dragon? Maybe manasphere research or examining the dragonbones triggered it's release.

You're reading my mind, i love it. A horror would be a great thing to throw at them. I need things for them to fight so I'm not completely taking combat out of the Shadowrun equation. Maybe they can fight something like this .

However, other scenarios are a revolt or madness caused by the environment or out-of-control nanomachines (like in Stanislaw Lem's "The Invincible", where a rampant nanosphere killed an alien civilisation and then attacks explorers); loss of contact through terraforming gone horribly wrong (like in red Planet), or the ultra-cheezy route with Greys, Majestic 12 and Roswell.

I like the first one, maybe something like that can happen to the Gagarin Base personnel. As far as ET goes i'm not gonna tread that water too much. If anything I will have ET be like Star Gods outta Arthur C. Clarke or something. One extension of this story is that if they survive the Mars mission they can make a trip to Jupiter or Saturn.

Thanks for the advice!

[hermit]

Nice. Dragonbones, animated by pure evil. I'd probably make it more yucky and semiorganic, though. Happy to help!