Shadowrun Redux for a homebrew, A "What if..." setting shift Options

[fistandantilus4....]

Currently starting up a new SR game somewhere in the 4th/5th edition time line. We've played on and off for twenty years and have largely stayed within the main setting's continuity. While we haven't had consistent games, we've been doing the game long enough to have older characters that established reps of their own that later characters heard about.

We wanted to try something a little different and redo some of the setting. As in, take a couple of older characters that were played out and change them around. A mage becomes an adept, an elf becomes an ork, etc, and start fresh. Doing the same thing with the setting and making some changes. Basically a Marvel's "What if..." . For example, Kenneth Brackhaven had a change of heart when his true background was revealed in the Super Tuesday series. He went all in, supported MOM and ORC, and eventually had work done to become an ork.

After the Seattle arcology debacle, when it went up for sale, instead of becoming the ACHE, S-K bought it.

Looking for more ideas, generally Seattle based, around the '60-70s timeline for interesting shifts.

For this game is less about the actual runs themselves, more about the role playing, since they've already done plenty of roll playing with these characters.

[Tecumseh]

This is an interesting question.

How big or how little do you want the changes to be? For "what ifs", do you want variations of canon events or do you want completely new events?

6E just had Seattle declare independence from the UCAS. That's a big change. You could accelerate the timeline on that, moving it from 2080 back to the 60s-70s timeline of your game.

Or the Salish-Shidhe Council could get fed up with all the pollution that blows onto their lands from the Seattle Metroplex. They could move in to claim the city, knowing that the UCAS can't really project force across the continent.

On a smaller scale, I once had the Seattle Screamers win the The Super Brawl (the North American championship) and the city went nuts. That was just background noise but it was good fun. Want to make it an even bigger deal? Have the Screamers with the international Urban Brawl World Cup, which is held every two years.

Have Rainier erupt again. Rebury the city in ash and Puyallup in lahars. Chaos ensues as panicking refugees (poor ones) pour into the neighboring districts.

Earthquakes. Earthquakes level the playing field, heh.

[fistandantilus4....]

Good question/ point. Early Seattle break off could be an interesting idea. So Big D will likely still be dead, and I've already established that Lowfyr is still in place at S-K. So leaning towards the kind of events that effect on a "local" scale mostly. Although I do kinda love the idea of re-eruption. Because why not?! Something different.

[Tecumseh]

There are interesting implications of geological events. Namely, "Was that natural or was that magically induced?"

I imagine the Archconservatives immediately start blaming the Salish-Shidhe Council. Perhaps illogically, as the prevailing winds (coming off the ocean, blowing inland) would push most of the ash toward the SSC rather than toward Seattle. (An ashfall map of the Mt. St. Helens eruption shows that most of the impact would be on the SSC and Sioux Nation.)

There's likely a great deal of shadow activity to either 'prove' the SSC (or NAN) did it... or 'prove' that they didn't do it.

Probably random violence against any Native Americans in the city - regardless of their nationality - especially by the displaced from Puyallup. Not sure if that would apply to anyone on the team. Maybe even runners who 'look' wrong, like Azzies.

Gaetronics would take a hit, as some of their power generation comes from geothermal plants on Mt. Rainier. Their wind and solar plants (mostly east of the Cascades) would take a hit from the ashfall too. Since Gaetronics is the primary provider of most electricity in Seattle - except for some of the arcologies that generate their own - there might be rolling blackouts in Seattle, or other complications with the power grid. Gaetronics will need help, or there will be a vulture ready to swoop in to seize the advantage. Aztechnology has been eyeing them hungrily for years.

You could probably run a long way with that one.

[Beta]

How about putting Seattle through mirror at a fundamental level -- it was always part of the Salish-Sidhe nation, but they declared it a free city (no tribal control, its own government to run it). Basically it is the golden goose that generates tax revenue keeping the rest of the SS nations afloat financially, so for the most part they wall it off and let it fester, so long as it pays out enough. So it is Seattle as we know it to a high degree, but the fundamental laws are not those of the UCAS, the top politicians are natives, and the UCAS is limited to an embassy on 'Embassy Island' "