SR5 New PbP Game Recruitment, Nothing's Free in the Free Zone Options

[Lobo0705]

Hello all,

So, having run one PbP game and participated in 5 or 6 more, I'm ready to launch another game (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I've learned that it is important for all participants to have the same expectations going in, otherwise it simply falls apart.

I've learned that as soon as the "action" stops (whether that is roleplay, or combat, or planning) - the game starts to hiccup like an engine with a bad transmission, and stalls - so the GM has to step in and fix it.

With those two things in mind, here is a little backstory on me and what I'm looking for in a game.

I work at a job where I am in front of a computer 8 hours a day, with a lot of downtime. I will post every day (whether OOC or IC) and be able to post multiple times. I have played Shadowrun since 1e back in 1990 when I was in college, and have never really liked any other role-playing game as much as this one. Having said that, I did not make the change from 3e to 4e - skipping directly from 3e to 5e.

I currently run a 5e PnP game set in Denver, and I find the setting compelling, with lots of potential. The game will take place primarily in the UCAS sector, but players can of course travel to other sectors if needed. Your character should be a resident of the UCAS sector, or if not, have an excellent reason for having to cross back and forth from whatever sector you live in to the UCAS on a regular basis. (Any questions on this, I'm happy to help).

Here is what I'm looking for:

Four players who can post at least once a day. You don't have to post more than once (obviously if you can, that's awesome) but you have to be able to post at least once a day. If you think you can't, please don't join. I totally understand that many people can't do that (or don't want to) - and that is fine, but it only takes one player to start not posting regularly and it just kills the game.

If something comes up, your daughter is sick, your wife is ready to kill you for being on the computer too much, etc, just PM me, and I will help move the scene forward for you. I will try and make sure your character acts and speaks in a way consistent with the way you have been playing him/her - and I won't just get them killed.

My game is not pink mohawk. It doesn't mean you can't make characters who are combat oriented, but don't expect to run around with Panther Assault Cannons in milspec armor and not get arrested pretty quickly.

For power level, I am comfortable if you have a 6 skill in your primary area and 4-5 in your secondary areas. I would prefer characters without dumpstats - i.e. "1"s in a stat - unless you did that to add to roleplay - a 1 strength character is really weak, a 1 intelligence character is really dumb, etc.

My preference for my games is light on magic/technomancy. So, while I'm not saying there can't be a mage, I would prefer not to have 4 magically active characters, and I'm not a fan of technomancers either, so if we could have a decker instead, that would be great.

With all that in mind, if you come and play, I will do my level best to make the game fun for everyone. Each character, regardless of skillset, should have a chance to shine.

Characters should be made with standard 5e rules. When the adventure is over, I will start another, and you can keep the same characters upgrading them with karma or create new ones if you wish.

Any questions, please feel free to ask - look forward to gaming with you.

[Jack VII]

I would be interested in playing in an SR5 PbP, Lobo0705. I have a fairly similar work situation, so I should be able to meet your requested participation level.

Do you want a full character sheet or just a concept at this point? I'm not entirely familiar with Denver other than knowing it has been divided into several districts controlled by different nations. I'm leaning toward playing a decker.

[Lobo0705]

I would be interested in playing in an SR5 PbP, Lobo0705. I have a fairly similar work situation, so I should be able to meet your requested participation level.

Do you want a full character sheet or just a concept at this point? I'm not entirely familiar with Denver other than knowing it has been divided into several districts controlled by different nations. I'm leaning toward playing a decker.

Welcome aboard (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

A character concept for now is fine - but if you want to do the full character, that is fine as well. Once we get the other 3 players, we can coordinate who knows who (if any).

[Lobo0705]

Below you will find a basic overview of the setting:

GEOPOLITICAL OVERVIEW
The Front Range Free Zone (FRFZ), the official name for Denver, is
divided into four sectors, each controlled by a different nation with
its own laws for governing within its sector.  the Council of Denver is
made up of a single representative elected from each sector to serve as
a unified governance council over the city-state. After the arrival of the
great dragon Ghostwalker at the end of 2061, he harassed and attacked
the Aztlan sector, driving them out of the FRFZ.  The CAS was offered
the sector previously controlled by Aztlan.  The absorption of the Ute
Nation into the Pueblo Corporate Council left the PCC with a sector
nearly twice as large as any other. While Ghostwalker always maintains
a presence at the Council through his Voice, the majority of day-to-
day decisions are made by the four representatives.  The great dragon
has made it clear on multiple occasions that the Council of Denver
operates at his will and can be replaced or removed entirely if they act
against his interests.
To provide security for the city without creating a conflict of interest
for any given sector, the Council of Denver established the Zone
Defense Force (ZDF).  The ZDF is composed of an equal number of
troops from each of the constituent nations and answers directly to
Ghostwalker. Its charter is to defend the FRFZ against all threats and is
the only standing army allowed in Denver. Working as a special police
force, the Zone Defense Force guards the Administrative and Council
buildings in Denver, but also investigates cross-sector crime.  The ZDF
also works to curtail smuggling in and out of the Mile High City.
Travel between sectors is difficult due to the large border walls
that cut off most passage. Passing through the checkpoints is very similar
to crossing the borders between nations.  The borders are patrolled
by ZDF forces, though each checkpoint is manned by personnel from
that nation-state. It is recommended for those new to the city to utilize
the public transit system of maglevs and subways to ease the transition
between sectors. Use of the transit systems o ers a seamless veri cation
system and agents can provide necessary forms for completion without
blocking traffic flow for residents.


THE SECTORS
The old Aztlan sector has experienced both a revitalization period and new business developments since 2062. Rebuilding from the destruction
caused by Ghostwalker’s forcible removal of the Aztlaners has allowed for a more modern face to replace the older skyline. Home to
the Old Downtown area of Denver and the Chinatown District, the CAS sector is commonly visited by tourists. The University of Denver sits at the
northern end, and has been completely restored. Many graduates go on to successful careers within local politics or the corporate world.
With the formation of the Hub and ensuing balkanization, property values in the Downtown area dropped rapidly and many businesses were forced to close
due to economic hardship. While Millionaire’s Row is still firmly established with large gated mansions, most of the middle
class population has moved to nearby Englewood.

Clean and organized, the Pueblo Sector is the most corporate and efficient sector. As with other sections of the PCC,
the sector is run as a corporation, with timetables established and project work-flows maintained for all aspects of city
planning.  The sector touts the lowest crime rate throughout the metroplex, stating that it is due to the organization of the city. Following the Crash 2.0, Pueblo rebuilt
the Matrix infrastructure along similar lines as to how the unified grid had been previously managed. In conjunction with the Wireless Matrix Initiative, the network is distributed over all four sectors, though the
processes that manage data flow and network balancing are still located in the Pueblo Sector.

Known for their eco-friendly communities and open parks, the Sioux sector is interspersed with greenery uncommon in most metroplexes.
The majority of the sector is laid out with planned communities, creating a lifestyle conducive to modern society. Many of the houses in the area have smaller than average yards and the communities gather
together in the large parks during the summer months for regular festivals.  The northern area, near Commerce City, is distinctly different
from the rest of the sector. Here, industrial factories work to produce goods. Many of the sector’s blue-collar workers have their jobs here. As of 2070, Lucinda Gray Arrow, the Sioux Council member, has called
for a re-examination of the area. Several corporations are working with the Sioux to clean up the pollution caused by industrialization and
develop sustainable practices.

Initially established as a remote colony, separated from the rest of the UCAS, their Denver sector has grown into a corporate community. Primarily inhabited by corporate employees, the UCAS sector is full
of rolling enclaves and small corporate offices.  These smaller offices serve as community locations for local corporate personnel to avoid
the commute into the Hub and downtown facilities.

The UCAS sector borders along the Rocky Mountain National
Reserve, a national park established under the old United States and
held by the UCAS after the NAN uprising.  The Reserve is home to
natural wildlife which occasionally enters into the nearby community
of Montebello. Because of its national reservation status, citizens are
forbidden to hunt there without special licensing.

SPECIAL LOCATIONS
Located in the UCAS sector, the Aurora Warrens have been slated for
demolition since the original Treaty of Denver was signed.  The area is
home to urban squatters, go-gangs, and syndicate bordellos.  The UCAS
Council member, Iain Lesker made several speeches in from 2069 to
2070 regarding the area and calling for its immediate demolition and
reconstruction. Funding has still not been approved for the task, and
the question remains as to what to do with the population that would
invariably need to be relocated before demolition could begin.

During the balkanization of Denver, the Council did not want
to leave the entire downtown area under Aztlan’s encroaching influence.
With some creative map drawing, the UCAS and Sioux governments
moved quickly to secure sections of the downtown corridor.

Nestled within what eventually became the CAS Sector, the Hub is a sector
within a sector. Divided between the UCAS and the Sioux, the Hub measures
from 28th Avenue to Colfax and from Speer Boulevard to Pearl Street. The
Hub contains the Denver Council Hall, Ghostwalker’s Liason office, and several
autonomous corporate enclaves including Evo, Shiawase, and Mitsuhama.  The
neighborhood is home to some of the nicer restaurants, theaters, and dance
clubs in the FRFZ.  The Draco Foundation maintains a large office here as well, coordinating efforts with branch offices in the CAS, near
Cherry Lake, and in the PCC near Arvada. Access to the Hub is restricted from the CAS sector, with the
majority of visitors coming directly from the Sioux or UCAS sectors to their respective sides of the Hub via air-taxi. Union Station is the
only access checkpoint from the CAS sector into the Hub.

[Chrome Head]

Sounds great, I'd love to join your game. I am also in front of a computer most of the day and will be able to post more than once a (week)day. I might miss one of the two daily posts some weekends. If that's a problem, let me know and I won't join.

I would really enjoy playing a mystic adept if that's okay. I've been itching to try to play one in SR5 since it came out. I almost played one in another PbP game that was starting and "someone else" took the mage spot (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I'm not sure yet what concept I would go for beyond that. When you say you want a magic-light game, do you mean I shouldn't max out magical potential? How do you feel about bound spirits, foci, astral projection (won't happen with mystic adept though), etc.?

[Lobo0705]

Sounds great, I'd love to join your game. I am also in front of a computer most of the day and will be able to post more than once a (week)day. I might miss one of the two daily posts some weekends. If that's a problem, let me know and I won't join.

I would really enjoy playing a mystic adept if that's okay. I've been itching to try to play one in SR5 since it came out. I almost played one in another PbP game that was starting and "someone else" took the mage spot (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

I'm not sure yet what concept I would go for beyond that. When you say you want a magic-light game, do you mean I shouldn't max out magical potential? How do you feel about bound spirits, foci, astral projection (won't happen with mystic adept though), etc.?

How dare "someone" take the mage spot on you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ?

If you are talking about missing one or two posts every other weekend or so, that is ok with me - as long as you are comfortable that I may have to post as you to keep the game moving if necessary.

With magic-light, I just mean that for me, magic is something that exists in Shadowrun, but the vast majority of people you meet are not going to be magically active, and I want a team to reflect that.

A Mystic Adept is fine - given that one of the issues that can slow a game down is Astral Projection, as the mage flies around searching for stuff while the other players are left in limbo.

Spirits are fine, as long as you keep the force relatively low - high force spirits tend to wreck game balance (IMHO). This doesn't mean you can't ever summon a high force spirit, but characters who can routinely summon Force 8 or 9 spirits can wreck a game. (You'll see when I play in the other game, the normal force I will summon my spirits at will be 3 or 4. If they need to be in combat, I might bring it up to a 6 at maximum).

A quick note - I do use the "Hot Patch" Errata that has Mystic Adept PP costing 5 karma per point instead of 2 karma per PP.

Any other questions?

[Jack VII]

Awesome, here's the character concept. I'll work on adapting the character sheet for Denver. Should have it posted this evening.

ETA: I have a file of 5e characters I've put together that I could use in case someone else desperately wants to play a decker. I'm pretty ambivalent about it.

Handle: Wraith Two-Timer
Name: Rachel Davenport
Gender: Female
Race: Elf
Primary Role: Decker
Secondary Role: Terrible Face

[ Spoiler ]

Concept: Disowned, trust-fund celebutante from the Tir. Noted for repeated wild parties and embarrassing incidents with the paparazzi, her family decided enough was enough after she wrecked her third Eurocar Westwind 3000 while at the end of a multi-hour novacoke bender. After being declared persona non grata by Tir high society, her parents sent Rachel to a rehab clinic in Seattle and arranged for her SIN to be stripped from her to avoid any further embarrassment. While in rehab, after hearing the stories of addiction and loss told by some of her fellow group members, Rachel realized how much she had wasted her life up to that point. She had always had a knack for computers, often using those skills to bypass her parent’s security systems to get out of the house, steal cars, and screw with the paparazzi. Further developing those skills has given her a capability sought after by many people and has allowed her to rededicate herself to a higher pursuit. Given the similarities between corporate culture and high society, she decided to live closer to the streets and work in the shadows where respect is mostly earned rather than bought.

Rachel's plans met the same fate as most when they hit the shadows. Hooking up with a particularly unsavory fixer, her first two runs ended in the deaths of the rest of her team, with her as the sole survivor in each case. She suspected the fixer, who hired her for both runs, may have set the two teams up and is using her as a scapegoat. Rumors about Rachel's former novacoke habit suddenly surfaced on the street and she found work hard to come by, particularly anything involving working with a team. Because of that, money got tight and she burned through the remaining funds in her trust. Figuring Seattle was burned for her, she used the last of her favors to hop a cargo flight to Denver, hoping to start fresh in a new city.

[Chrome Head]

A quick note - I do use the "Hot Patch" Errata that has Mystic Adept PP costing 5 karma per point instead of 2 karma per PP.

Any other questions?

I do too!

No I think I got it. I'll be willing to adjust my character sheet however way might help make the game more enjoyable for all.

Edit: Yes that's exactly what I had in mind. I might miss one post during the weekend once in a while, and of course I don't mind that the game then moves along.

[Always Overkill]

I am able to post at least once a day.

I would actually really like to try out a decker, my 3rd ed GM didn't like the decking system so I have never had the opportunity to actual try one out.

I also skipped straight from 3rd to 5th edition SR.

[Jack VII]

I would actually really like to try out a decker, my 3rd ed GM didn't like the decking system so I have never had the opportunity to actual try one out.

@Lobo0705: If Always Overkill wants to run a decker, I've got another runner I can submit. I have no idea how well this guy will work in gameplay, but I am willing to give him a shot. The background is a little cliche, but I think it could make sense given the history of Denver and Ghostwalker's take down of the Azzies.

Handle: Jack Vii
Name: ?
Gender: Male
Race: Ork
Primary Role: Combatant
Secondary Role: <Load Program>

[ Spoiler ]

Concept: The ork known as Jack Vii is a moderately cybered-up soldier suffering from memory loss following a helicopter crash during Ghostwalker's rampage through the Atzlan sector of Denver. Jack's unconscious body was pulled from the wreckage by an old troll scavenger named Nicodemus, who was hoping for a big payday recovering the body. When Jack woke up, he had no recollection of his past. Realizing that any payday was highly unlikely, Nicodemus reluctantly allowed the ork to recover at his chop-shop, hoping to recoup some of his "investment" in labor from the ork. Feeling indebted to the troll, Jack offered to help the elder troll out with his work. As time passed, the ork slowly discovered the nature of the augmentations in his body, quickly coming to the realization that he was apparently designed as some kind of cyber-soldier due to the skillwire system in his body containing a number of military related skillsoft. Using his artificial skills, Jack took to the shadows to survive and piece together his missing past.

Description: Jack is an ork of Latino descent standing 6'3 and weighing approximately 250 pounds. His features are lightly goblinized, although no one would confuse him for anything other than an ork given the jutting and prominent lower canines. His hair is dark brown and falls slightly below his eyes. Jack is dressed fairly stylishly in a khaki three-piece armored business suit, an affectation to which he feels unconsciously attracted. The ork also wears a pair of stylish horn-rim glasses to complete the look of a successful corp saraiman.

If accepted, I have a much more in-depth background including the parts even Jack doesn't know.

[Always Overkill]

Name: Garrett Dramen
Alias: Drave
Archetype: Decker
Race: Elf

Drave was born in 2038 in Berlin to human parents, another example of UGE. His father was a professor of sociology and a leader in the Independant German Socialist Party who
merged with the Anarchist Movement that managed to take control of Berlin in 2039. Drave was raised there in relative peace, studying IT and Matrix Security at the Berlin
Free Academy until 2055, when the Allied German States contracted the Megacorps to retake the city from the Anarchs in 2055. Despite great losses in the opening weeks of the
conflict, the Berlin Anarchist Defense Force regrouped and struck back. Even though they were greatly out-manned and out-gunned;
and massive corp efforts to achieve a hastened victory were attempted regularly, the Anarchs held out against the odds, fighting on for over 5 years in the
war-torn city. When a truce was signed between the AGS/Megacorps and the last stubborn anarchists still holding out, bottled up in the far eastern section
of Berlin, Drave knew his home was gone forever.

He knew he had to get out of the city; being a stubborn hold-out resistance fighter against the Megacorps in a well-publicized conflict puts you on a lot of
hit lists. He went underground, faking his own death alongside many BADF fighters who survived to the end of the Seige in Betrieb Weihnachtsgeschenk Überraschung
(Operation Christmas Present Surprise.) Once he was out of Berlin, he used his connections to leave Europe for North America to help leave a cold trail for any who
might follow. He is now working as a Shadowrunnerin Denver, taking whatever jobs he can find to give some grief to the Megacorps who destroyed his home.


Drave is 5'9" about 150lbs with long black hair and a lithe, agile appearance. He wears dark shades, with the faint green glow visible behind them much like
that of the stone age computers of the 1970-80s, along with a long grey wool trenchcoat, black undershirt, and black leather pants and boots. He has a number
of shiny tech devices; commlinks, scanners, jammers, etc., mounted to a tactical harness he wears under his coat.

[Lobo0705]

Excellent (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

So we have:

Jack as a Samurai
Always as a Decker
Chrome as a Mystic Adept

Still need one more player.

Some roles we may look to to fill:

Rigger
Face
Infiltrator
PI/Detective

Now - clearly Chrome could be one of those and others could be secondary roles. (Or you could not ignore them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )

[Chrome Head]

Now - clearly Chrome could be one of those and others could be secondary roles. (Or you could not ignore them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )

My character should be able to help out a bit for some of those yes, but it's probably nothing to write home about. I've got the sheet mostly done now, and she currently has 9 dice to roll for skills in the Influence group (I could maybe put a few more points in negotiation if no one else has it, for instance, though I'd have to break the skill group and I don't know if that's allowed at chargen). Control Thoughts can also help resolve a number of problems that a Face has to deal with. Infiltration, well she has a few illusion spells that can go a long way, and so do spirits. Otherwise, she should be quite powerful in combat situations as well, since I think this is where Mystic Adepts can really shine.

[DrZaius]

Excellent (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

So we have:

Jack as a Samurai
Always as a Decker
Chrome as a Mystic Adept

Still need one more player.

Some roles we may look to to fill:

Rigger
Face
Infiltrator
PI/Detective

Now - clearly Chrome could be one of those and others could be secondary roles. (Or you could not ignore them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )

I am interested. I am on my phone, so I will post more later. Very excited for a pbp game that moves quickly. I can keep that schedule given my current committments. I will post a character concept very soon.

DrZ

Edit: I've been noodling on a rigger/face for a few weeks. I may write something up for that tomorrow.

[Jack VII]

Here's my character sheet. Like I said, he's pretty unconventional, but hopefully he will work out adequately. He doesn't really have any huge dicepools, but his whole concept is a jack of all trades, master of none.

Handle: Jack VII
Name: Unknown (Javier Ramirez)
Race: Ork/Latino
Gender: Male
Priorities - A: Resources, B: Race, C: Attributes, D: Skills, E: Magic

ATTRIBUTES (16/16)
BOD 6 WIL 3
AGI 3 (5) LOG 3
REA 3 (4) INT 3
STR 5 (7) CHA 3
EDG 5 ESN 1.2
INI 7 + 2D6
Limits (M/P/S) 4/9/4
Monitor (P/S) 11/10

SKILLS (22/22)
Active
Physical: Perception (4)
Social: Con/Fast Talk (3), Etiquette/Corp (3), Negotiation/Contracts (3)
Technical: Computer (2), First Aid (3)
Vehicle: Pilot Ground (1)
Knowledge
Academic: Economics (2)
Professional: Accounting (2), Business (2)
Interest: Music/Goblin Rock (1)
Street: Denver Area Knowledge (2)
Language: English (N), Spanish (2)

QUALITIES (25 – 15 + 6 = 16 Total Bonus Karma)
Positive: Toughness, Will To Live (2)
Negative: Dependent (Nic)

CONTACTS & REP (6 Bonus Karma Spent)
- Nicodemus, Male Troll Scavenger (1/4): A cantankerous old troll who runs "Nic's Knacks" out of his squat in the Aurora Warrens. The troll scavenges weapons, gear, and "slightly used" cyberware from the urban battlefields of the Warrens.
- Honeypot, Female Elf Fence (4/2): A former prostitute, Honeypot learned pretty quickly that is was preferable to sell other things than herself. With equal amounts of charm and sarcasm, the elf has carved out a moderate sized network to move stolen goods.
- CPL Jason Sinclair, Male Human UCAS ZDF Border Guard (2/2): Young and fairly new to the ZDF Border Guard, CPL Sinclair bonded with "Emilio Sanchez" over a shard love of goblin rock, the two having met during an altercation at a local concert. Sinclair is quietly jealous of "Sanchez's" lifestyle and hopes to one day follow in his footsteps.
Current Karma (0), Total Karma (0), Street Cred (0), Notoriety (0), Public Awareness (0)

GEAR (Current Nuyen: 1,600) (10 Bonus Karma Spent)
Streetline Special [APDS] w/2x Spare Clip [Regular]: 226 (W)
HK227 [Regular] w/3x Spare Clips [Regular]: 969 (W)
Flash-Pak: 125 (W)
Actioneer Business Clothes: 1,500
Armor Jacket w/CP (2), FR (2), IS (2), NC (2): 3,000
Helmet w/Flare Comp, Thermo, Trode-Net, Vision Enhancement (1), & Vision Magnification: 1,675 (W)
Horn Rim Glasses w/Flare Comp, Image Link, Vision Enhancement (2): 1,675 (W)
Earbuds w/Audio Enhancement (3): 1,650 (W)
Hermes Ikon (5) w/Subvocal Mic: 3,050
Gecko Tape Gloves: 250 (W)
Bio-monitor: 300 (W)
Medkit (3): 375 (W)
Standard Credstick: 5
Fake SIN (4) [Emilio Sanchez]: 10,000
Fake License (4) [Augmentations, Concealed Carry, Firearms]: 2,400
1xMonth Low Lifestyle w/Dependent: 2,400

Cyberware (438,800)
Internal Air Tank (3) [Alpha]: 16,200 (0.2) (W)
Muscle Replacement (2) [Alpha]: 60,000 (1.6)
Skilljack (4) [Used]: 60,000 (0.5) (W)
Skillwires (4) [Used]: 60,000 (0.5) (W)
Skillsoft: [Automatics (4), Disguise (1), Diving (2), Free-Fall (1), Gymnastics (2), Navigation (2), Pilot Aircraft (1), Pilot Watercraft (1), Pistols (4), Running (3), Sneaking (4), Survival (2), Throwing Weapons (4), Tracking (2), Unarmed Combat (4)]: 185,000
Smartlink [Alpha]: 4,800 (0.16) (W)
Spurs [Alpha]: 6,000 (0.24)
Wired Reflexes (1) [Alpha]: 46,800 (1.6) (W)

Appearance:
Jack is an ork of Latino descent standing 6'3 and weighing approximately 250 pounds. His features are lightly goblinized, although no one would confuse him for anything other than an ork given the jutting and prominent lower canines. His hair is dark brown and falls slightly below his eyes. Jack is dressed fairly stylishly in a khaki three-piece armored business suit, an affectation to which he feels unconsciously attracted. The ork also wears a pair of stylish horn-rim glasses to complete the look of a successful corp saraiman.

Background:

[ Spoiler ]

AZTECHNOLOGY PROPRIETARY INFORMATION//RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION//EYES ONLY
Project: Jack of All Trades, v7.0
Subject: Javier Ramirez
Project Status: Terminated

Executive Summary: Jack of All Trades, v7.0 (JACK VII) is the seventh iteration of the Jack of All Trades Project (JACK). As you know, JACK is Aztechnology’s initiative to develop a cost-effective, mass-producible warfighter through cyber & bio augmentation. One of the key features of the program is leveraging cybernetic skill emulation technology to turn any randomly selected individual into a competent soldier. The previous JACK subjects had met with varying levels of success, although none remain functioning at this time.

Javier Ramirez, our subject for JACK VII, was an Aztechnology employee working in the contracting office of one of our Seattle logistics affiliates. After careful screening, he was selected for the program due to his completely average attributes. He fell within the 40th to 60th percentile in every measurable category for his metatype. As for his metatype, Ramirez was our first Ork subject. While we would have preferred a human subject, Ramirez was the only one available on short notice. It was relatively easy for us to arrange a staged negotiation where Ramirez performed poorly and gave him the option to join JACK to correct his “failed” negotiation.

In any event, Ramirez was actually quite successful as a JACK subject. His performance exceeded all previous test subjects, which we expect resulted from a combination of Ramirez’s metatype and the advances made in the skill emulation technology. Unfortunately, JACK VII was terminated when a transport helicopter in which Ramirez was traveling was lost during Ghostwalker’s rampage through Denver. We still haven’t quite figured out who or what took the helicopter down, but our forensics teams were unable to find any trace of the subject. Based on the number and locations of the badly charred corpses, the forensics team believes JACK VII was lost in the crash with a 95% confidence interval.

Using the research gleaned from JACK VII, work has already begun on Jack of All Trades, v8.0. For information on that project, please direct inquiries to the Aztechnology’s Seattle R&D Branch. Please present proper clearance credentials when initiating contact.

Jack Vii’s first memories were filled with smoke and flame. Well, smoke, flame, and the ugliest troll he had ever seen. When you’re trapped in the burning carcass of a Hughes Stallion helicopter and the next thing you see is a mechanical claw reaching out to pull you free, you may not be off the mark if you think things are getting worse rather than better.

But that was simply Jack’s initial reaction, he now knows he owes Nic his life and he has worked hard to pay the troll back over the past few months. Getting on to the story, Jack was roasting away in a crashed helicopter when an itinerant troll scavenger named Nicodemus showed up to pick through the wreckage before anyone else had the chance.

Nicodemus is a sight to see. You already read about the crazy arm claw, but his most interesting augmentation (and that term is used loosely here) has to be his right leg or (as he puts it) his left leg. As the story goes, Nicodemus ended up on the wrong end of an gang hoop beating and lost the use of his right leg. Unfortunately, the only thing he had managed to scavenge close to his own size was the left leg from an ork street sam who had bought it a year earlier. Making a horribly sour lemonade out of the lemons the gang had given him, Nic installed the smaller left leg where his right leg had been and has been hobbling and lurching around ever since.

Enough about Nic though, you wanted to know about Jack. So Nic pulls this unconscious ork out of the helicopter. The ork is wearing a jumpsuit with the nametag JACK VII sewn over the left breast pocket. Nic pulls Jack Vii off to the side and tries to get him to wake up so he can figure out what’s worthwhile to take. The ork, however, is out cold and not waking up. Nic proceeds to pick through the wreckage as quickly as he can. Grabbing what he could, he dumps everything into his grocery cart along with the unconscious ork. Nic didn’t know how the helicopter had crashed, but he didn’t want to hang around for the owners to show up and hoped that he might be able to make some money off the ork by rescuing him from the fire. As Nic departed, he noticed a few vehicles turning the corner at a nearby intersection and heading to the crash at high speeds.

Returning to his squat/shop, Nic tended to what injuries his limited medical skills could address and took note of the wiz cyber Jack was sporting. After several hours, the ork finally woke with no memory of what had happened to him or of anything before the crash. Grumbling, Nic realized that the dreamed of payday wasn’t in the cards. At the same time, he realized he had a pretty valuable potential helper in front of him and offered to let Jack stay with him while he recovered. Not really having any other idea of what to do, Jack accepted and has been staying with the troll for several months.

Slowly, some of his memories have returned, mostly from his childhood although a few flashes of his adult life have popped up, mostly images of cubicles and meetings. Jack has slowly learned how to access the varied cyberware in his body and recently accessed the trove of skillsoft stored on his skilljack. The revelation of the type of skills downloaded to his skillwire system have made him wonder what the frag is going on, given that the brief flashes of memories from his adult life and his frequent recollections about corporate life don’t seem to jive with the military skillsoft.

Alias: Emilio Sanchez, former Aztlan soldier and sole proprietor of Sanchez Security, is a certified personnel protection specialist and bodyguard. The training and cyberware he received as a member of the Atztan military lend themselves well to his chosen profession. His primary business is providing personnel protection to non-local clients visiting Denver, providing him a diverse client base.

[Chrome Head]

Very interesting use of a skilljack and skillwires! Very interesting concept too.

It's funny that I started a thread this morning on dumpshock about this very topic! I was even asking if anyone has made a starting character sheet with those items. I continue to think it's quite a bit underpowered for the price (305k (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) in your case), but this remains to be seen since your skill selection is quite vast and you can now easily buy more.

[Jack VII]

Yeah, I definitely feel a bit underpowered compared to a typical combat guy that I would build, but I wanted to give it a try. It's a full-on concept character, including having roughly average stats for his metatype (arrived by starting at the minimum value and adding 2 to each stat). Also, his actual learned skills are basically from his past life as a corporate wageslave.

I'm pretty sure you can build a stronger character if you moved resources, skills, and attributes around, but I wanted to give the Skillwire Soldier a field test.

[Chrome Head]

Yeah, I definitely feel a bit underpowered compared to a typical combat guy that I would build, but I wanted to give it a try. It's a full-on concept character, including having roughly average stats for his metatype (arrived by starting at the minimum value and adding 2 to each stat). I'm pretty sure you can build a stronger character if you moved resources, skills, and attributes around, but I wanted to give the Skillwire Soldier a field test.

And I salute you for it. It's a really cool concept. Btw, don't forget that only a subset of your skillwired skills can be slotted at a time; 8 or 12 if running wireless (sounds quite dangerous (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ).

[Jack VII]

Btw, don't forget that only a subset of your skillwired skills can be slotted at a time; 8 or 12 if running wireless (sounds quite dangerous (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ).

Yeah, the skilljack is definitely going to be something I am going to have slaved to my commlink. Having so many skillsoft-based skills sort of frees up my Edge for defensive tests like Full Matrix Defense.

Fortunately, swapping skillsoft out is a free action, so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge to get the package I want together. I also limited the number of rank 4 skillsoft so that I kind of forced myself to keep a fairly broad set of skills going at once.

[Lobo0705]

@Jack

Character approved - I like the "Mr. Average" approach (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Will be interesting to work with the amnesia aspect and flashbacks - especially if you enjoy yourself enough to bring the character back for future adventures.

There are elements of Aztechnology working to try to gain influence back for the Megacorp in Denver despite Ghostwalker's strong disapproval (to put it mildly), so that could explain what you were doing in Denver despite it being some years since Aztech was kicked out.

I would say that given Nic's job and lifestyle choice, you would be living in the Aurora Warrens. Chrome's character also lives there, so you may want to coordinate knowing the same contacts or even each other - I think certainly from what little he has PM'd me about his character I can certainly see him knowing Nic.

The only thing I would like you to flesh out is Emilio Sanchez (and this will go for the other characters as well) - who is he, what does he do, why is he licensed for milspec cyberware, etc. It doesn't have to be more than a couple of sentences - you don't have to do a full background on it.

Also (and again a question for all of the players) do you want to come up with the contacts and then have me assign them motivation and personality, or do you want to give me a description of how you would want them to be played?

Either is fine with me.

[Lobo0705]

I am interested. I am on my phone, so I will post more later. Very excited for a pbp game that moves quickly. I can keep that schedule given my current committments. I will post a character concept very soon.

DrZ

Edit: I've been noodling on a rigger/face for a few weeks. I may write something up for that tomorrow.

Excellent - welcome aboard (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Lobo0705]

Now that we have our 4 players, could each of you please PM me your email address? This way I can link you to a Dropbox Folder for maps, handouts, etc, and you can each load a version of your character sheet to it for easy reference.

Once we have all 4 characters up and approved and who knows who, I'll set up the OOC and IC thread.

[Jack VII]

Character approved - I like the "Mr. Average" approach (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Wiz, thanks!

Will be interesting to work with the amnesia aspect and flashbacks - especially if you enjoy yourself enough to bring the character back for future adventures.

We can play this however you want. We can do away with it altogether and have the crash be a 20 year flashback, with Jack having uncovered most of his past by modern day. I think the only issue here is that Jack and Nic are of metatypes that don't live particularly long on average, although that likely has more to do with the relative poverty/violence levels that the average ork and troll experience than genetics.

There are elements of Aztechnology working to try to gain influence back for the Megacorp in Denver despite Ghostwalker's strong disapproval (to put it mildly), so that could explain what you were doing in Denver despite it being some years since Aztech was kicked out.

As above, I leave it in to you to determine what you think would work best in the game.

I would say that given Nic's job and lifestyle choice, you would be living in the Aurora Warrens. Chrome's character also lives there, so you may want to coordinate knowing the same contacts or even each other - I think certainly from what little he has PM'd me about his character I can certainly see him knowing Nic.

That works for me. I figured that is where we would end up once you posted the Denver information. Once Chrome gets his character fleshed out, we can certainly coordinate contacts.

The only thing I would like you to flesh out is Emilio Sanchez (and this will go for the other characters as well) - who is he, what does he do, why is he licensed for milspec cyberware, etc. It doesn't have to be more than a couple of sentences - you don't have to do a full background on it.

I'll get working on this straight away.

Also (and again a question for all of the players) do you want to come up with the contacts and then have me assign them motivation and personality, or do you want to give me a description of how you would want them to be played?

I think I would actually prefer the former. I think it makes a contact feel a little more realistic.

[Lobo0705]

Name: Garrett Dramen
Alias: Drave
Archetype: Decker
Race: Elf

Drave was born in 2038 in Berlin to human parents, another example of UGE. His father was a professor of sociology and a leader in the Independant German Socialist Party who
merged with the Anarchist Movement that managed to take control of Berlin in 2039. Drave was raised there in relative peace, studying IT and Matrix Security at the Berlin
Free Academy until 2055, when the Allied German States contracted the Megacorps to retake the city from the Anarchs in 2055. Despite great losses in the opening weeks of the
conflict, the Berlin Anarchist Defense Force regrouped and struck back. Even though they were greatly out-manned and out-gunned;
and massive corp efforts to achieve a hastened victory were attempted regularly, the Anarchs held out against the odds, fighting on for over 5 years in the
war-torn city. When a truce was signed between the AGS/Megacorps and the last stubborn anarchists still holding out, bottled up in the far eastern section
of Berlin, Drave knew his home was gone forever.

He knew he had to get out of the city; being a stubborn hold-out resistance fighter against the Megacorps in a well-publicized conflict puts you on a lot of
hit lists. He went underground, faking his own death alongside many BADF fighters who survived to the end of the Seige in Betrieb Weihnachtsgeschenk Überraschung
(Operation Christmas Present Surprise.) Once he was out of Berlin, he used his connections to leave Europe for North America to help leave a cold trail for any who
might follow. He is now working as a Shadowrunnerin Denver, taking whatever jobs he can find to give some grief to the Megacorps who destroyed his home.


Drave is 5'9" about 150lbs with long black hair and a lithe, agile appearance. He wears dark shades, with the faint green glow visible behind them much like
that of the stone age computers of the 1970-80s, along with a long grey wool trenchcoat, black undershirt, and black leather pants and boots. He has a number
of shiny tech devices; commlinks, scanners, jammers, etc., mounted to a tactical harness he wears under his coat.

Interesting backstory - looking forward to seeing the nuts and bolts of the character (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Chrome Head]

About the contacts, I tend to describe them in sufficient detail to give a clear picture of who the contact is. I also leave it open enough so that it's fun play the NPC for the GM and you're not limited by a strict description. I think this fits more the first option as I don't provide specific instruction on "how to play the NPC". I can adjust to what it is you want though.

About my character knowing Jack, I don't see why not and I think it would be fun. Nic would be a friend of a friend, most likely, and my character is a healer that people in the neighborhood might have heard of. I think that's enough to have them meet before our first run.