Charm City [OOC] Options

[Thanee]

So, with many "downtown" areas being pretty bad, there is not a lot of driving around happening and people mostly stay closer to their home (than they might usually do)?

I guess, there is an unusually high amount of supply drones flying around, then. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

I would assume, that larger deliveries, that are made by truck, have armed escorts then? Or they will get robbed... a lot, if their route takes them through not-so-nice neighborhoods.

Bye
Thanee

[sunnyside]

So long as you stay in the "L" things aren't that bad on the ground. You'll see visitors and tourists walking around, especially around the inner harbor or in the arts district, but in between too. But the streets don't have barricades and bad might not be very many blocks away. A Go Gang might come tearing through, and the tourists won't be out late at night most places. You never know when a crazy might be on your stoop.

Uptown structures provide a layer of almost antiseptic protection from the streets, since you can't barge into an elevator the way you can a lobby or emergency exit. Cars stored in the automated parking systems from the car elevators are more secure than a dark underground parking garage. Though you can't necessarily just jump in your car and peel out at a moments notice.

The places Brewster is linking have apartments in the middle class or high lifestyle price ranges. It seems even their penthouses aren't really pushing into Shadowrun's luxury ranges, though they don't seem overly spacious either. You could lay out something about what you're looking for if nothing catches your eye.

[Thanee]

That 414 Light Street building is very cool. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

There is a website with floor plans of all the apartments in the building also.

https://414lightstreet.com/floorplans/

This one here would be really nice, I think.

https://images1.apartments.com/i2/6Voa024pW...oorplan.jpg?p=1

That is a 2-bedroom apartment in the upper area (the somewhat smaller top of the building; they are on seven floors, 35th - 41st; the two top floors are reserved for the penthouses) on the south-east corner. I really like that one that has a terrace (only the 35th floor one has that). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

It's missing an extra room (usually called "Den" here), which would be useful for the Magical Lodge (but that can also go into Selina's bedroom), and a guest bathroom (you can only get to one through one of the bedrooms), but otherwise pretty perfect.

Compared to what Runner's Companion lists for High Necessities (like a 300 m² condo; but that always seemed a little absurd to me, anyways; that is crazy huge for an apartment), they are actually quite small (about 1/3 of that), but realistically that is a pretty good size. And, of course, the location also marks the price up considerably.

Bye
Thanee

[pbangarth]

I edited the last IC post for Willie ( Post #161) to reflect the new info. Thanks for that 'heads up'.

[sunnyside]

That 414 Light Street building is very cool. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

There is a website with floor plans of all the apartments in the building also.

https://414lightstreet.com/floorplans/

This one here would be really nice, I think.

https://images1.apartments.com/i2/6Voa024pW...oorplan.jpg?p=1

That is a 2-bedroom apartment in the upper area (the somewhat smaller top of the building; they are on seven floors, 35th - 41st; the two top floors are reserved for the penthouses) on the south-east corner. I really like that one that has a terrace (only the 35th floor one has that). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

It's missing an extra room (usually called "Den" here), which would be useful for the Magical Lodge (but that can also go into Selina's bedroom), and a guest bathroom (you can only get to one through one of the bedrooms), but otherwise pretty perfect.

Compared to what Runner's Companion lists for High Necessities (like a 300 m² condo; but that always seemed a little absurd to me, anyways; that is crazy huge for an apartment), they are actually quite small (about 1/3 of that), but realistically that is a pretty good size. And, of course, the location also marks the price up considerably.

Bye
Thanee

Now you've got me looking at the building in more detail. The virtual tour is a nice feature, and now I'm tempted to hit up one of the restaurants there to see what might stop me from going on a little self guided tour.

Interesting you found that room. It's the only one like it in the building! The layout is a bit odd. Their other 2 bedroom plans are more normal, with a den and more public bathroom. Maybe the terrace situation complicated the layout? Anyway there are reasons a spot like that might be less popular in the sixth world. Let's say it's open. It would represent a "high" lifestyle.

The building is right inside the edge of where Japanacorp security and organized/unorganized crime groups start their territory. Selina already speaks some Japanese though, so she may regularly get some use out of that. Mostly she just needs to appear to belong to avoid harassment. On the plus side they tend to keep other nefarious elements away, but they can't do all that much. Tourists flock around the inner harbor, plenty of traffic needs to go back and forth, and the Baltimore Police Union still holds jurisdiction. The Japanese security can't really stop anybody. This area doesn't even have that many Japanese people living in it. It's just if criminals get up to anything down in the peninsula this is the direction they'd have the best chance of escaping, and this is the choke point.

One someone gets past Conway street, the Japanacorps tend to have to rely on the BPU trying to catch criminals that may have done their crimes in externational Japanese facilities. The BPU success rate in these situations in not known to be high.

(Mostly that's a recap of some of the earlier Baltimore info, but Selina could find people talking about it at that fuzzy level of detail in matrix queries about the place.)

[sunnyside]

Oh, and I'm going on travel for a few days. Only phone replies at most. Also I reaaallly should be going to sleep instead of all this posting, but oh well, I tend to sleep well on planes.

[Thanee]

I had Selina's lifestyle written down like this:

High Lifestyle (Comforts 4, Entertainment 4, Necessities 4, Neighborhood 4, Security 4; Friendly Neighbors, No Privacy: Physical 1; +10% Shared Lifestyle)

So, basically just regular High with the two small qualities (better be on good terms with your neighbors, especially who lives in "Basil" on 35th, the south-west corner apartment and they have the western half of the terrace; and with all those common amenities in the building, I assume that there is a bit of a building-community there, so you can always meet some of the other residents that way; and with the big windows all around the side, No Privacy: Physical (just level 1) also makes sense), and then the extra cost for a roommate (Dawn).

Would that work?

Bye
Thanee

P.S.

The layout is a bit odd.

They want that large, open living space, which is cool, of course. I just don't know why you wouldn't want to have at least one (smaller) bathroom that is directly accessible, so you do not have to have every guest walk through your bedroom. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

No idea, why they didn't do this (maybe structural reasons), but there seems to be enough free space right on top of the entrance, just make the walk-in closet there a bit deeper and narrower, and you could fit a small bathroom in there right below it (left-hand wall, if you enter the apartment). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Thanee]

As for the IDs... I was thinking about the "legal way". Selina has no legal SIN, so that is not an option for her (that is what she meant in the text to Brewster).
She has to use a Fake SIN. That is why the upgrade seems like a good idea.

I would just upgrade all four of her SINs.

If we take Brewster's offer for two of them for 2.5k, and then 10% off the rest, that would be...

2,500¥ (2x R4 -> R6)
1,800¥ + 180¥ (R4 + R4 license -> R6)
1,800¥ + 180¥ (R4 + R4 license -> R6)

One thing, I just realized... with the Magical Lodge and some magical security in the building for sure, does she need a license for being awakened on the SIN she is using there (which would be Kim, the Fashion Designer)? Then I would need to add that one at R6 (540¥ with a 10% discount) as well.

Bye
Thanee

[sunnyside]

I suppose in the dystopian future it might be more realistic to have a whole slew of licenses for everything.

However in practice I consider a basic drivers license to be part of a fake SIN and haven't charge for it, and then a single license for concealing and possessing ® weapons and then a single license for ® spellcasting equipment. Perhaps just consider for the price you're actually getting a bundle of related licenses.

The lodge materials aren't restricted though. 414 Light doesn't charge extra for that. There might be particular concerns, for example setting off a fire alarm with smoke.


As a note on rooms, during the pandemic, when my co-workers suddenly needed home offices in houses that didn't have them, or didn't have enough of them, some turned to setting up room dividers. The Japanese have long used them, but now there are a lot of designs and styles.

[Thanee]

Yeah, I generally assume that "normal" licenses (stuff that an everyday person has, like drivers license and such) are just part of the SIN.

The licenses you can buy are only for restricted stuff and something unusual, I think.

The part where I am not quite sure is, whether being awakened needs to be registered (probably does). And while a lodge itself is legal, it also means that there is someone using it. So, if your SIN does not say you are awakened, but you have that big Magical Lodge in your place... that might raise some questions. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Bye
Thanee

[sunnyside]

It would be a very good idea to have a license. Even if the materials and lodge aren't restricted, most anything you'd actually do with it would require a license. It might be hard to convince anybody that it's just for meditating and putting up wards.

[Thanee]

Yep, that was what I was wondering, since that stuff is all quite vague in the rules, it is mostly relevant how you see it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I will update my sheet then, accordingly.

2,500¥ (2x R4 -> R6)
540¥ additional R6 license
1,800¥ + 180¥ (R4 + R4 license -> R6)
1,800¥ + 180¥ (R4 + R4 license -> R6)

So, in total, 7,000¥ for the SIN upgrades.

Looking at them all, I am thinking about adding another license to one of the other SINs (which already has a magician license), making her an occult investigator (i.e. private investigator license).

Bye
Thanee

[pbangarth]

Looking at them all, I am thinking about adding another license to one of the other SINs (which already has a magician license), making her an occult investigator (i.e. private investigator license).

Bye
Thanee

I'm playing in another game on DS in which a teammate is a private investigator. It has come in handy several times in only 8 days of game time.

[sunnyside]

Just for giggles I checked if the core books occult investigator pregen has any such license. Of course they don't.

However PIs do need licensure across the US even today. But that's to legally perform the work. It doesn't give you additional rights or privileges like being a police office does. So it might make you seem more official in certain settings, which would help talk through issues, or allow entirely legal jobs outside of a fixer. If you're looking for more than that you should discuss your expectations, or if you know some rules somewhere.

[Thanee]

Just for giggles I checked if the core books occult investigator pregen has any such license. Of course they don't.

Yeah, those are not exactly the best example characters. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

However PIs do need licensure across the US even today. But that's to legally perform the work. It doesn't give you additional rights or privileges like being a police office does. So it might make you seem more official in certain settings, which would help talk through issues, or allow entirely legal jobs outside of a fixer.

Wouldn't that be covered by adding the appropriate license to the SIN?

If you're looking for more than that you should discuss your expectations, or if you know some rules somewhere.

Don't need a second day job. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

It's just to help open some doors, which might be handy here and there.

Bye
Thanee

[pbangarth]

For obvious reasons, I looked into Willie's equipment list for stim patches. He has a couple! I'm a little confused by what I wrote in his character sheet.

Stim patches cost Rating X 25 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) . He has 2 stim patches, rating (2), which should cost 100 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) , but he has paid 175 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) for them. I would like to rationalize this error. There are three options:

1) Suck it up, loser. You made the mistake. Pay for it. I would be happy to accept this option.

2) You have the two patches at Rating (2), and an extra 75 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) . I would be happier with this option.

3) You spent the money, so have a stim patch at rating (4), and one at rating (3). I would be happiest with this option.

Waddaya think, nice GM person? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[sunnyside]

How about a rating 6 and 25 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) back?

As a GM it's a pain to track the time until the effect wears off and you take an extra box of stun. Not only is there the bookkeeping, but also having to deal with players who are potentially hypersensitive about exactly how long things take.

[pbangarth]

Option 4 it is!

[Thanee]

In terms of money, I think you ought to be able to generally transfer over a pre-paid lifestyle. Hmm. Oddly, I don't think they have rules for transferring the location of a lifestyle.

The lifestyle payment during character generation is meant for Baltimore, already. The previous iteration of the character had the lifestyle in Seattle, of course, but that is just background now.

and any karma related endeavors

Not entirely sure what to do with that, just yet. There is, of course, plenty to spend Karma on.
One thing, that might be nice would be finding a Magical Group to join (which will help keep the cost for further initiations down).

Bye
Thanee

[sunnyside]

The lifestyle payment during character generation is meant for Baltimore, already. The previous iteration of the character had the lifestyle in Seattle, of course, but that is just background now.

I'm willing to lax on the transfer, and that might be a thing for the others too. Well, Paul already has a place.

Not entirely sure what to do with that, just yet. There is, of course, plenty to spend Karma on.
One thing, that might be nice would be finding a Magical Group to join (which will help keep the cost for further initiations down).

Bye
Thanee

There's some stuff on that in one of my replies to pbangarth.



On that note something I thought was standard, but might just have come from the Sega Genesis Shadowrun game, is being able to "buy" access to new contacts. That is getting the first contact vouch for both sides and connect them for a fee. In any case I treat it as part of the culture.

Beyond that I'm not quite sure what sort of a response you're expecting to your last post. I guess Brewster could send another reply. But people don't generally say goodbye in text conversations.

[Thanee]

Don't think he really needs to reply. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Bye
Thanee

[pbangarth]

Bongo can pick up the requisite 'instruments' relatively surreptitiously with his Nimble Fingers and Palming. He'll have 9 dice, so that could buy 2 hits. I'll roll if you want.

[sunnyside]

Bongo can pick up the requisite 'instruments' relatively surreptitiously with his Nimble Fingers and Palming. He'll have 9 dice, so that could buy 2 hits. I'll roll if you want.

I'll consider that plenty so long as you aren't trying to swipe anybody's food.

[pbangarth]

Is Lenny's AR waypoint in the location of that circle of trees down the path?

###

And, holy shit. 38 dice and only 3 hits. Bongo, Bongo, Bongo. Hang your head in shame.

[pbangarth]

Hey, I got some work that needs to be done at my place. Can Paul come over after he's finished the union job? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)