Tips for all shadowruners. Options

[Enigma]

Thoughts in response:

(1) I would have thought the best plan would be being able to use any pistol, not concentrating in Predator to a high level. Then, try and change guns every run or two by buying a whole new gun. Dispose of the old one by getting a thin file and rasping the hell out of the inside of your old barrel to destroy any chance it will be tested, then pull the gun to bits and dispose of the bits off different bridges in the greater Seattle area.

(2) All the forensic evidence in the world means nothing if you can make the evidence disappear, or screw up the chain of custody, or taint the original evidence, or pay a police officer or prosecutor or judge. I'm a prosecutor and I'm constantly glad I don't have to conform to US law about the admission of evidence. A smart runner could derail the impending freight train of doom that is the Lone Star CSI team with a simple short run or a large shiny bribe.

(3) Let's be honest - no player has the time or the interest to sit around and think of every single possible way that a forensic team could find them. There just isn't any way to figure out every possibility, and still have much fun with a game. Better to just have a general understanding with the GM about where the line is.

The understanding I have with my players is that I won't be rediculous with CSI techniques used against them (or cows from space, for that matter) and ruin their fun, provided they don't go nuts and do excessive things. For example, if they leave a ritual sample at the scene (like a large pool of arterial blood) and they've stolen a hideously expensive prototype gizmo, they will probably need to spend a few thousand on wards and shamanic magic help. If they do a run and their photographs are taken by lots of cameras which they noticed and didn't care about, their contacts will avoid them for a couple of weeks and they'll want to lay low till the heat dies down.

Protecting against every possible forensic technique and doing runs in full-body sealed suits and breathing through respirators is not practical and is not condusive to game play, because you can easily ruin enjoyment through guarding against everything.

[Austere Emancipa...]

[draco aardvark]

Tips for (newbie) shadowrunners:

1. don't use your only residence as a meeting place (is it just my crew that brings everyone to their house when they first meet? I can userstand it if you've gotten to know the guy...)
2. Don't bring in a gun when you can see the metal detector (aarg, what's wrong with them?)
3. Consider carefully every life you take and every witness you spare.
4. Don't piss off team members who know where you live and have access to explosives.

[Demosthenes]

[Kagetenshi]

Corollary to corollary to #4: Though letting them think you live somewhere else is fine. Especially if you never liked the neighbors there anyway.

~J

[Chance359]

"Guy once told me if you're gonna be out making moves on the street, have not attachments, nothing you are not willing to walkout on in thirty seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner." Neil McCauley, Heat

[Teulisch]

Okay, i got some advice for ya.

First, have more than one apartment. you got one place where ya live, and another where you can lay low, like after a run. change your 'lay low' apartment every month if ya can.

If you can afford it, rig up some kinda storage unit (permanent squat?) where you can keep your back-up gear. change of clothes, spare gun, ammo, armor, medical gear. Stuff you can go get in an absolute emergency.

Cover your face when your tresspassin on corp property. if they cant see your face, they will have a harder time findin you later. a respirator is good, as it helps protect against gas as well. also dont leave any material links.

on guns: practicality is issue one. dont carry it unless you need it, know how to fight without it. conceal it whenever possible, invest in concealable quickdraw holsters. you dont want to have a visable piece in public. Pistols are best, unless you know for a fact that your about to be in a big firefight, then get the best gun you can use. have a hidden compartment in your car for the big guns.

Cars- get a morphing liscence plate and a decent transponder library. drive something non-descript. cheap cars are good.

Know who on your team does what. Everyone should be able to do more than one job, in case someone gets injured. everyone should know first aid.

use encryption on your radios! and when you do talk, use code-words. the other side has radios as well, and will try to listen to your conversation. you should try to listen to theirs.

after a run, do NOT party. first thing you do, check for bugs. you may have a tracer on you. stay alert, and be ready to move. you may have been followed. change clothes, wash your hands. change your shoes/boots. hide any wounds you have after they have been treated.

Security cameras: many times, these are not connected to the matrix, and may very well be on an adjacent building or structure. These probably go to a CCSS rigger. Look like you belong, either with illusion that fools video, or by actualy looking the part (a better idea where possible). looking like your a bored employee makes fast-talk a lot easier.

use non-lethal force when possible. use silencers. the only gernades you should use under normal circumstances are gas and smoke. and dont use em unless you have a good throwing arm.

leave evidence that points to someone else. for instance, if you need to smash a place up, leave some holloweener gang symbols spraypaintd about. it will confuse the issue.

be professional. this means be polite. be polite until you need to hurt people. then be polite again right afterwards. show respect to your contacts and employers. polite people get paid more than rude people.

bug your own apartment. check the bugs on a regular basis. this way if anyone breaks in you will know who, when, ect.

always assume that there is at least a watcher spirit, unless you mage tells you otherwise.

[Kagetenshi]

Non-lethal force leaves the possibility of someone you've already taken care of being there when you get back. It is a viable option sometimes, but hardly the objective in and of itself that some people claim.

~J

[Ol' Scratch]

I prefer using non-lethal force on a run for two major reasons.

1) It gives you more control of the situation when things get ugly. Once you take down your opponent, you can then spend a moment to rationally determine if he's worth eliminating for good or merely someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If the former, shifting Deadly Stun to Deadly Physical takes no time or effort at all considering the target is unconscious and unable to resist.

2) Lone Star, security forces, and other similar opposition tend to respond very poorly to their comrades being murdered by criminals. If you had only KOed that cop rather than killing him, chances are you wouldn't have half the force hunting you down trying to get a little payback.

Basically, it's better to be safe than sorry. Plus, from a metagaming point of view, it's a lot easier to knock someone out than kill them anyway. Capsule Rounds with Pepper Spray or DMSO/Gamma Scopolamine will take just about anyone down (if not from the bullet itself, then from the chemical a few seconds later). Ditto for someone throwing a couple of punchs with Shock Gloves (Moderate damage plus Serious damage with each blow) vs. a pair of Swords (Moderate damage each blow). etc.

[John Campbell]

[Birdy]

[Kagetenshi]

There is no problem that cannot be solved with the judicious use of enough violence.

~J

[Solstice]

[Siege]

If you want to get technical, go see a Street Doc and have him graft synth-flesh to the ends of your fingertips.

It would be a temporary fix, but it would get the job done.

-Siege

[Sandoval Smith]

Know your GM. If you take care to leave people alive and stable, some will treat that as a cosmic plus to what you have to deal with afterwards. Others will add that many people to the list of those trying their best to make you dead.

Ditto fpr leaving evidence at the scene. Some will consider a mission well run the end of the story. Others will start to play CSI: Seattle.

[Fresno Bob]

You could always just steal guns to get past the whole registering thing.

[Traks]

Don't give explosives to Troll. Never, ever - if you are another shadowrunner.
If you are GM, give them lots of explosives :)

[DarkShade]

tips:
1) always check the crazy rigger/demolition expert`s trunk before going in his car.. make sure there arent a few 100 kg of C4 in there..

2) NEVER. EVER let an otaku stay over, NEVER EVER let said otaku jack in from your house.. what he calls `just playing games` will get some big rough men to `come over to play`next evening @ your living room..

3) beware of "friendlies" with no skills in throwing but large amounts of grenades.

4) Hellhounds are not `misunderstood but basically cute and cuddly`they dont want friends.

5) beware of mages that look at your area, count the nr of enemies, the nr of friendlies and seem to go Hmmmm....

DS

[Siege]

Wrap the mage in flame-resistant, ballistic fabric every time he goes astral in the creepy R&D lab.

It cuts down on the explosion radius and makes cleanup that much easier.

-Siege

[Ed Simons]

[Kagetenshi]

By the same token, if you regularly kill people assigned to take you down, the individuals actually doing the looking are going to become rather demotivated.

~J

[Ed Simons]

[Austere Emancipa...]

[Kagetenshi]

See my quote above.

Trick is, it's beyond the abilities of most players and most characters I've known to apply violence both judiciously and in sufficient volume (and, for that matter, beyond the ability of most people in real life). However, there are times to leave no survivors. Zero body count is another tool like any other, and there are times when it is not the right one for the job.

~J

[Austere Emancipa...]