GM needs help resolving a plot idea..., Without resorting to clichés (long post) Options

[Slacker]

[LinaInverse]

Surprised I haven't seen this. This scenario reminds me a lot of a Star Trek TNG episode "Cause and Effect". For those who don't remember, the Enterprise is trapped in a time-loop, where it meets its death over and over (collides with a 23rd century trip driven by Fraiser).

The way they handled that in the story was that each time, the crew would "remember" more and more clues, until finally they are able to solve their crisis and get past the loop.

[Heimdall]

I'm a snakey bugger as a GM, but what I might suggest would be to give them a specific code clue as a precursor to the ending scene where they repeatedly die. For example, make the code something the decker character/team have discovered as "relevant" like a passcode, code name, contact name OR has importance to the decker character, maybe relating to his matrix personae/mothers maiden name, etc... Then, steal a moment from "The Usual Suspects" and make the code part of the coffee cup, so to speak. The decker has fabricated the key himself (via interrogation in Verbal's case), and comes to the realization he can modify his part in the "world", and thusly engineer their escape. It's kinda a self created Deja Vu. If youre not familiar with the movie, go rent it, excellent SR material.

Keyser Socye was a wussy

[ShadowDragon8685]

So V, how's it? I think you've got plenty to make a game on here. How's it going?

As far as not giving anything away, just make perception tests behind the DM screen for each of the players to see if they notice anything amiss.

[Fresno Bob]

Ever play Metal Gear Solid 2? You could run it like that, it starts breaking down slightly, and the guards shout out nonsense like the Colonel was doing.

[Paul]

[hyzmarca]

[Velocity]

[Nyxll]

[fistandantilus4....]

Also, not so much acutal Deja vu, but more in the mind " I feel like I've been here before". Or if they ever sleep, have them have recurring dreams of what they're doing. Also, have somethign random happen in combat. Something that doesn't make sense. Speed up time, and jsut make it seem like GM fiat. But keep doing it. Subtle things that mess with the players as much as the characters perceptions and makes them question. Liek they kill a gaurd without you rolling (or roll, but don't look). They'll start to wonder what's going on. Metagaming against your players, not their characters, is always great fun.

[toturi]

[ShadowDragon8685]

He 'masters' the UV host in the way Neo 'masters' the Matrix? I dunno... Just make it fun, that's the important part.

[Supercilious]

[Paul]

Or it just interprets electrical nerve signals like the regular body does. If you have computers that "read minds", there isn't much that should be off limits in that fantasy world.

[Velocity]

Okay, I'm back! :)

[Crusher Bob]

One choice is to have the Decker's datajack be 'broken' (maybe he gets hit in the head with a baseball bat :cyber: ), then give him access to some equipment to run a diagnostic on it. The datajack can show 'unusual usage' or 'clearly altered log information' or something similar when he looks at it. It will tip him off that something is going on...

Another option is to have his encephalon or math SPU (does he have either one of those) produce a 'human error' (ie 5 + 6 = 10, simply because that is what his brain 'expects') Then looking closer at his math-co SPU (which has its own clock) shows a lot of missing time...

Or maybe an alarm he programmed into the SPU ahead of time goes off:

June 6: Beep, remember to buy present of girlfriend's birthday

Decker: Huh? it's not June 6 yet...

[Velocity]

[ShieldT]

[ Spoiler ]

[ Nikoli ] The most evil part of all.
When they finally escape, how will they actually know they've escaped?

[ Slacker ]
LOL.
In later game sessions, you need to drop similar hints to whatever you do use to make it seem as if they are still in the UV host and make them paranoid. Such as having them encounter a gun with the exact same serial number on it as what was in the UV host, its just that they happened upon the original gun that was used as a model.

[ ShieldT]
Heh. How about there's a free shadow spirit associated with the project, who's not doing anything against the runners as of yet. A couple days after they break free have it start planting clues that they're still inside the gameworld and that Kong has been replaced as an AI. Then have the free spirit appear to the mundanes as a 'Systems Operations' guy and engage them in a ritual that will supposedly break them free of the simulation, but is actually a fairly straightforward Karma to Spirit Energy Exchange :)

Oh here's an idea: Have any hearth spirits Kong summons pay attention to the decker, almost like they're expecting to take orders from him. Have a particulary talkative one start making idle conversation with him abouth the architecture "What do you think of the doorframe? Do you like the weave of the carpet?" Right up to, but not including, "Is the floor tile convincing? How about the subtle play of light and shadow?" Because that'd be just giving it away. ;)

Have the mindwipes be partial, leaving the sense and a list of particular actions from previous attempts, but no memory of motives or emotions felt. Have pain stand out most of all as pain's a powerful training tool. Have the decker take advantage of this by methodically stabbing a series of code into his arm. When he wakes up the wounds will be gone, he may not remember that they were self-inflicted, but he will definitely have a lock on their position and by tracing the missing marks on his arm decipher the code. Heh. Maybe he has the sense that he's done it several times already but hasn't yet hit on the exact code that will survive his 'pain memory' without becoming hopelessly garbled. "I know that these three lines mean there was an A here, but the next's just a firey ball of pain.. Dot/poke, Slash/line, slash, dot, wavy? I must have run out of time or gotten weak from blood loss" etc. 8)

[Sunday_Gamer]

Obviously, I'm not reading this thread, but I thought I'd jump in with ideas.

VAST POOLS OF KARMA, stretching out in all directions!

Oh and some pizza, Monkey demands pizza... serve the Monkey!!

Kong.

[Herald of Verjig...]

I'll adjust my suggestions into a way that doesn't require any picky magic emulation (even if there is precedent for a system handling it).

[ Spoiler ]

Either kill off Kong or have him incredibly drugged in a different room. Let him play, but later make it known that he was actually playing a very customized utility made to actually think that it was the mage, but also be unable to notice any of the flaws in the system.

Also, make Sunday_Gamer bring the pizza if he wants to keep his current character. Link his karma gain directly to the quality of the pizza instead of any actual game behaviour while you're at it.

[Ryu]

:rotfl: All bow to Herald!

[ Spoiler ]

The gamema... monkey demands pizza! All you can eat - style!
Monkey deserves being served for the deep enlightening insights into the secrets of the universe gained kong gained. This should of course be played out with requisites... Else Kong loses favor of the gamem... monkey.

THAT is setting precedent for such situations I would like.

[Zeful]

If the problem hasn't been resolved already. You can have the Johnson send another group of runners to find out what's happened to the first runners then have the other decker leave clues that they are in a UV host then inform them of a way out if any that should solve the problems. you can even use the methods above.

again if it's already taken care of i apologize for wasting your time