 Hi all (new), Intro |
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 Jul 20 2004, 03:56 AM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 104 Joined: 20-July 04 From: Oregon Member No.: 6,498  |
Hi all. I;m new to this forum, and well I'm getting back into the scene of running some SR. However Im playing with some people that have never played SR before. They are exped gamers on such as D and D, and some rifts, so kinda nervous on gettting them into the game.
I was wondering if any of you guys gots some tips on a good first Run. I was personally thinking of doing a milk run, but with their some what knowledge of RPing I was wondering if it would be to easy for them. Any Tips? all welcomed if so. |
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Jul 20 2004, 04:01 AM
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#2
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Food Fight is a classic.
Welcome! Good on ye' for making it on-topic, as the proper place for pure introductions with no game-related material is gone. ~J |
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Jul 20 2004, 04:53 AM
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#3
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Target Group: Members Posts: 48 Joined: 3-July 03 Member No.: 4,877 |
Something a friend of mine suggested that I think would be a good idea. You have them all use book archetypes so they aren't to attached to the characters and explain the basic rules. Then send them on a basic run. Stealing some data from a corp facility would be a good basic. Then after they are all dead you go back through and explain all the mistakes they made that shadowrunners wouldn't. This is a good transition from DnD as it shows how deadly the shadowrun world can get and prevents temper tantrums because you kill somebody's character.
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Jul 20 2004, 05:15 AM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 104 Joined: 20-July 04 From: Oregon Member No.: 6,498 |
Thanks for the info, sounds reall good, especially yers Otaku. I will do that. hehe cant wait to see the auto's open fire and mow em down. lol, cause I know thats how its gonna happen.
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Jul 20 2004, 05:32 AM
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#5
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Target Group: Members Posts: 67 Joined: 15-June 04 From: Richmond, BC Member No.: 6,405 |
I've no real advice for running the game, but seeing as they are experienced DnD players, you may want to encourage them not to twink out their characters so much when they make them; a common ailment for the average DnD player, myself included (though I've gotten over it)
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Jul 20 2004, 06:01 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 104 Joined: 20-July 04 From: Oregon Member No.: 6,498 |
Well I told them all out front that they well only be starting out with minimal Cybergear, a little money, and the number and name of a contact. Thats it. I wanted to make them work a little for what they get, and they wont be able to get the best stuff out there right off the bat.
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Jul 20 2004, 06:02 AM
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#7
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,049 Joined: 24-March 03 Member No.: 4,323 |
Welcome to the board Sesix.
The only problem I see with Otaku's advice is that you run the risk of having the players say "this game is teh suxxor, i want my 18th level ranger fighter druid deepwoodsniper with his bow of elemental doom +5 so i can do 1d8 +6d6 +20 damage with a 30 percent chance of a crit from a mile away with no penalty to my attack roll" Now, if you know your players better than that, and theyre the type of people who wouldnt get pissy at dying on their first run, then cool. otherwise i advise sending them on a very simple datasteal run. a sort of "my sources tell me that scientist x left his computer in his lab when he left for work. my employer wants the information on that computer" deal. Let the players learn about stealth rolls, perception rolls, electronics/electronics B/R to bypass maglocks. hell, if youre feeling sassy, some matrix overwatch might be appropriate (but only if youre feeling sassy). Then have them encounter some sec guards on the way out to learn combat.... and youre done. You dont need to kill their characters to teach them the lethality of the game... letting them spend a few weeks healing the serious wounds they get from the sec guard encounter when they dont immediately run for cover will do that in large part for you. |
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Jul 20 2004, 08:42 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 608 Joined: 9-July 02 From: California Member No.: 2,955 |
Show them some movies (the list is floating around here somewhere, good ones include Robocop, Heat, Escape from NY, Blade Runner, and Reservoir Dogs), have everyone read over the rulebook, go easy on the rules but make sure they're all aware of both the mechanics and the story. After a few sessions'll everyone will have the play figured out and probably be ready to voice their opinion on what sort of game they want to play. If they want to do hack and slash with submachine-guns, and you're comfortable GMing it, go for it. If you can push them into high-class espionage, thank the old ones, you're set.
Anyway, welcome to the boards and good luck! -Diesel |
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Jul 20 2004, 10:07 AM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 403 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Kill Em All Member No.: 2,018 |
Reservoir Dogs :: drool :: |
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Jul 20 2004, 10:53 AM
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#10
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Canon Companion Group: Members Posts: 8,021 Joined: 2-March 03 From: The Morgue, Singapore LTG Member No.: 4,187 |
Tell them that twinkage WILL get them killed. It will happen whether you actually actively try to get them killed or somehow along the way you just decide to enforce some of the other rules. The combat system in SR favours the big battalions, so it is really possible that 1000 orcs can kill Drizzt.
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Jul 20 2004, 11:28 AM
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#11
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
More than possible, it's pathetically trivial.
Edit: as it should be. ~J |
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Jul 20 2004, 12:29 PM
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#12
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Chicago Survivor Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,079 Joined: 28-January 04 From: Canton, GA Member No.: 6,033 |
Oceans 11 and the Italian Job are also good movie resources for professional, larger than life criminals.
Also, if you can lay hands on a copy, The Warriors is a great flick for setting up the gangs of Shadowrun. |
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Jul 20 2004, 01:53 PM
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#13
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Target Group: Members Posts: 61 Joined: 8-December 03 Member No.: 5,887 |
Play a milkrun first, but make sure they know its just for learning the rules so they dont get dissapointed. Instead of using templates, have them make their own characters, but limited to the core rulebook so theres not too much to choose from. Then have them all read "Sprawl Survival Guide" and then make new characters if they want to.
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Jul 21 2004, 12:01 AM
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#14
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UMS O.G. Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 444 Joined: 18-May 04 Member No.: 6,335 |
Yeah, cause the yankees make such a cool gang. And roller skaters, and mimes. I love that flick but damn some of those gangs were silly. |
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Jul 21 2004, 01:24 AM
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#15
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 511 Joined: 30-May 03 From: Tulsa, OK Member No.: 4,652 |
And just how are the Halloweeners or some of the other SR gangs any different? Other than having a more sadistic twist maybe... Although evil mimes are pretty sadistic :-P
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Jul 21 2004, 01:28 AM
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#16
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Target Group: Members Posts: 53 Joined: 18-January 04 From: bethlehem, pennsylvania. not israel. we're not busy bulldozing any palestinian homesteads here. yet. Member No.: 5,989 |
Ahh, but NT those all stood out.. so it obviously worked out. Be honest, the Baseball Furies were a frightening looking crew. When I was a kid and the movie wasn't quite so dated, those guys stuck out in my mind as creepy. But overall, ther's something to be said.. I mean, the Turnbull ACs, the Rogues, and lots of the others just looked like gangs. And I don't care what anyone says about the purple jumpsuits, the Gramercy Riffs were badass. "Can u dig it? CAN U DIG IT!!?" "Riffs? Yeah, right!" The rollerskaters weren't so scary, I mean they're all wearing stripey shirts and overalls, but still, there's something to be said for it.. They're not frightening persay, but then neither was Prayer of the Rollerboys. :) BTW, "Necrotech" a Warmachine Prime reference? Just bought into the system.. |
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Jul 21 2004, 01:33 AM
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#17
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 173 Joined: 16-July 04 Member No.: 6,488 |
Personally I like using The Fifth Element as a good cinematic example of what Shadowrun is like. It includes all the basic elements, even if set in a more futuristic space-faring setting. They have metahuman races; the Diva had the presence of an elf, the Mangalores oozed the ork vibe, and the Monodshawn... okay, I don't know what they compared to. The movie also featured a hermetic style of magic combined with shamanistic trappings, Zorg's evil overlord reeked of the Horrors/Enemy, and Leeloo was essentially an immortal elf who's life was dedicated to destroying them in order to save metahumanity (ala Harlequinn).
On top of that it had a team consisting of a Mercenary/Rigger (Korbin), a Rocker/Face (Ruby Rhod), an Adept (Leeloo), and a Street Mage (Cornelius). New York was also a decent representation of what the Seattle Megaplex is like; a combination of shittyness, corporate presence, and high-tech. It was more on the epic scale of things, but considering many of the modules FASA and FanPro have put out, that's pretty accurate, too. Other than semantics, it's a pretty good example of the kind of mood and style I go for when I'm GMing. But then I'm not a fan of cyberpunk, either. Life is depressing enough. |
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Jul 21 2004, 01:45 AM
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#18
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,066 Joined: 5-February 03 Member No.: 4,017 |
Immortal Dwarves! They are definately smaller than human since they fit in those funky outfits, they are amazingly stubborn, and since they were all around since 1st edition, they have some nasty allergies for being metahuman. It almost works. |
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Jul 21 2004, 05:03 AM
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#19
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UMS O.G. Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 444 Joined: 18-May 04 Member No.: 6,335 |
Nope, my deckers Icon. It comes from the fact that he has been resurected in the shadow community after and 8 year "vacation" in Cal Free. |
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Jul 21 2004, 05:14 AM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 125 Joined: 1-March 04 From: Gulf Coast Member No.: 6,111 |
This is the way that I have always felt that a run should go. If there are bullets then something is wrong. Throw in Entrapment and you're good. - theartthief |
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Jul 21 2004, 07:24 AM
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#21
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 7,116 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,449 |
Well, you know your players, but that doesn't seem the best way to introduce people to a new game. They come from a game where they can play tough, powerful characters, and you're having them start out as little more than street punks? They might get bored of the game long before they get anywhere. Actually, your approach is very D&D. See, the nice, fun part about character creation in Shadowrun is that you start out as someone who is a polished professional criminal - there are no "first level characters" in this game. Also, the Priority and build point systems let you choose from a wide variety of options with regards to magic, cyberware, and skills. If they are all street punks, there isn't that much variety. Plus, the "low-cyber" approach really, really favors awakened characters. Unless you gimp them too, that is. Don't get me wrong. While shadowrunners are meant to be professional criminals who do dangerous jobs, a lot of GMs do like games where the PCs start out as punks and work their way up to the runs that normal shadowrunners start out with. It just might not be the best approach to take with players who are used to powerful characters, or for introducing new players to the game. Personally, I like low-powered games. Heck, I had a blast in a play-by-post game where we submitted 40-point characters. But those kind of games are for people who are already seasoned roleplayers - they can't be forced on powergamers to "teach" them. If you want to wean them away from mindless combat, do it in the sample run(s), demonstrating that contacts are absolutely vital for a 'runner, and that going in with guns blazing and no planning will get you killed. Show them how a run is usually one-third schmoozing and information gathering, one-third planning, and one-third execution. But don't take away all of their toys - that will only make them sulk and comment about how sucky the game is and how much cooler D&D and Rifts are, because their characters are so much better in those games. But you know your players, so YMMV. |
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Jul 21 2004, 11:30 AM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 865 Joined: 31-December 03 From: Shadows of Britain Member No.: 5,944 |
It can also help in finding out what sort of Characters the players want to plan/ are considering making, by using the basic runners descriptions, the archetype templates and any number of characters from film referances. Much as any first run should be made to teach the game to the players it should still be fun and engaging. After all that is why we roleplay. Therefore perhaps it should be tailored towards the chars they choose to play just a little. Remember all the things we love about SR, the corp politics and fighting, the detail of the shadows themselves, Dragons metaplot ect. Doesnt mean Jack to new players. Let them setle in, then teach them the world.
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Jul 23 2004, 09:25 AM
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#23
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,401 Joined: 23-February 04 From: Honolulu, HI Member No.: 6,099 |
The basic chargen setup for SR seems to serve the purpose of making capable, yet not too insane starting characters. They aren't starting characters in the D&D sense. In D&D you generally start as level 1 newbie/nobodies.
In SR, I find it more helpful (for me) to view starting chargen SR characters, as having just moved up to the pro-leagues after a stint in the minors. They've finally demonstrated the basic skills needed to get them into playing 'with the big boys' so to speak. In comparision of SR and DnD, your starting SR character, is already like starting a 5th level DnD character or so. Also, in regards to movies.... If they saw it in "The Matrix" they need to understand they probably won't be able to do any of that kinda stuff.....at least at first :) |
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