So, I have this character, who - as a result of some recent events in-game - has been thinking about quitting - or at least getting into a field where he can use his skills without feeling conflicted about it. (he's never going to do it, I'm closing in on 100 Karma and I'll be damned if I retire him willingly, but it ought to make for some interesting RP if it comes up)

He's basically a street sam - but with no visible cyber to speak of, a pretty decent Charisma and people skills, good electronics skills, and a growing proficiency in Biotech and First Aid...

Which made me think - if he wanted to get out, do you think he'd have a shot at getting a job with, for example, Doc Wagon? Do corporations ever do that kind of thing? Could a highly skilled individual that decided to go legit expect help from a prospective employer on getting all the SIN/permit business out of the way?

And what's your best bet at getting a legitimate job after quitting as a runner - assuming you don't want to be working the counter at the stuffer shack, or security at some mall...

DocWagon actually sounds like a good idea. He's got Biotech skills, people skills, no obvious cyber... And he's a sammie? Sounds like a shoe-in for a DocWagon HTR member. That, or the 'Star.

A bodyguarding gig would probably work, too. Or Lone Star, or even just a "company man" position.

My concern with both DocWagon, and 'Star would be that a background check may lead to some questions.

"Let's see... Mr. Thompson, from 2057 through 2062, you have your position listed as 'Deniable Asset.' Tells us a little bit about that."

Of course that would be in your favor as a "Company Man," assuming there's a corp that trusts the character. Is he on really good terms with any Johnsons?

I actually had a character develop a woodworking skill in his down time. He opened a shop near Council Island to sell his totem sculptures. The GM houseruled that the effort and passion he poured into the work allowed the carvings he did to be more attractive on the astral than the mundane plane. He had a steady supply of mages and shamans coming in to look at the things and commission carvings of their totems. He wasn't magical, but he had a knack.

Here's the problem I see. The corp may hire you for whatever regular job you want to retire with. But, the first time they want a cheap shadowrunner? They call you and say, take this runner job or be fired/exposed.

Self-employed bodyguard.

Incorporate yourself, establish a legitimate business that pays taxes and plays ball with the authorities. Report your earnings, follow the letter of the law and be a good corporate citizen in every way. No problemo.

And a 100-Karma character with "no visible cyber to speak of, a pretty decent Charisma and people skills" could name his price as a bodyguard. He's probably very competent (100 Karma's nothing to sneeze at), experienced, savvy and cool under pressure. Good people skills translates to: "I can watch your back whether you're on the street, in the boardroom or at a black-tie gala." That's money, baby.

Seriously, I'd see no problem with this guy's rates starting at $100 an hour just for showing up. If he ever has to do anything, the fee should start ticking upwards rapidly (danger pay, expenses, etc.). Even if he only works "part-time," he could still earn more in a year than if he'd been shadowrunning--and probably be a lot safer, too.

Or the french teacher... or the cook.

I have a character, who's history was that he was a former soldier, honorably discharged, and has a day job as a radio show host. Essentially, he "moonlights" as a Shadowrunner Samurai. So he already started off with a SIN.

Recently, he (and others) escaped the Renraku Arco. Ironically, he was in his "day job" identity (he was doing his radio show in the mall to hype and do signings for his recently published novel). When they escaped, he was with the group picked up by the UCAS Coast Guard, where he offered the authorities a detailed briefing (they were very interested). Because of the escalating Arco crisis, he was reactivated by the UCAS Army, where he helped the Army plan, train and lead the Army to retake the Arco.

Depending on how things go, he may or may not be able to return to Shadowrunning.

Would he be interested in settling down in a smalltown and opening up a Mom and Pop restaurant, using a SIN that someone else no longer needed?
Later he could hire some Shadow runners to help him get his life back when his Mafia connected brother discovers his identity and wants him dead.

The most powerful mage I ever had in my games retired to become an English Teacher. His masking was so good no one at a school could feasibly penetrate it. He used his position to spot talented kids so he could get them trained.

I just got done with a story arc involving my character "Doc" (nice and generic, ain't it? )

Worked for DocWagon, had to hit the shadows to pay off a debt that his sister ended up owing the Yakuza. He paid it off, and knowing that paying wouldn't actually make her safe, arranged to have her moved through the Tir to Tir Na Nog and into an "undisclosed" location in England. (Take that. I know a Tir ambassador )

He was the "smart" type of runner, always careful not to leave evidence, etc. Managed to keep his "real" identity hidden. Debt paid and scores settled, he arranged to have himself moved overseas by the same method. The only folks that know where he is are him, his sister, his (soon to be) wife that went with him, and his parents.

He just picked up his life again, getting a job with <<Insert England's version of DW here>>. He figures in a few years he might go back to Seattle. (read: if I get a chance to play him again)

A lot of the talk is based on his combat skills being used legitimately. I assume he wants out of the career path that puts him on the receiving end of msall arms fire. otherwise stay in the shadows. It pays better.

A character should have skills other than strictly combat developed for character development. these can be played up. We've had runners become instructors at health clubs, teachers (private tutors) an assistant coach with the mariners and a tour guide.

One became a fixer and one, after being caught and doing several years inside got mechanic skills and got a job as a mechanic.

My street sam will probably start up some sort of business. Maybe an oricalcum-production business (with his investments buying the initial radical metals and enhantment gear for the mage), and suckering the mage into a five-year contract (and hey, the mage gets to keep 100k nuyen worth of enchanting gear afterwards, as well as getting a tidy income in the mean time).

Got media contacts? You could be a "creative consultant" for Hollywood.

"That's not how you hold the bloody thing!"

Well... Criminal Record, Diplomatic Immunity and Day Job are not mutually exclusive, so going by game logic, he could end up as the Legal Attache in the embassy to the country he did time in.

I can see going into a retirement as an arms dealer. lots of opportunity to keep up your skills with guns. and fewer people shooting at you. now, having a 'Car wash' as a cover to launder money (and a way to load the cargo in or out of a trunk while out of sight), that would be cool.

but really, my orks would get involved in the comunity. ork rights, proper education for the youngsters, medical care, whatever.

As a GM, I have converted my old characters to NPCs with legit (or semi-legit) jobs.

I had a rigger called Gear Shift. He opened up a "vehicle enhancement" shop called GS Speed Store. Where he and his cronies would speed up your vehicle. For extra nuyen under the table the would even do less than legal mods to the vehicle.

I had a pirate, that I coverted to a Marine expert. He did marine repairs, and marine trips. His shop was call CRMS Inc. (Capt Ron's Marine Services, inc). And for a nominal under the table fee he would do less than legal mods too.

XS was a street sammie that had lots of inter-personal skills/ettiques/etc. He became a Fixer that I used a lot.

And the last one is DoG XinU, a decker from first edition then second then third. He is my most-karma'd character ever by a long shot. He retired and built a corporation (all nuyen is illegal obtained and he doesnt care) that is larger than most corps but smaller than a MegaCorp. I used his corporation quite a bit in my campaigns.

So depending on what the character wants to do when he "retires" depends on the feasilbity. I have take PCs that we retired the character and made them NPCs that works for one of the above named companies in a "special duties" deparment.

scott

Over the years I've retired many characters. Defining the character's long term goals during character creation usually, but not allways, covers why they are in the shadows, and what it would take to get them to leave the shadows.

Earning enough nuyen to open a bar was one Street Sam's lifelong ambition.

One entire team semi-retired when they scored the mother-of-all-payoffs and used the money to build a corp...a think-tank that came up with brilliant innovations in a range of military or para-military applications, and then licenced them to other corporations.

The Face from that team became a professional 'negotiator' in the shadows, interfacing between Johnsons and teams of runners on behalf of the runners. After each negotiation, she would take a tiny dose of Laes, to 'erase' the memory of the negotiation, so even if a corp or lone star picked her up there was nothing they could get from her.

One of the Sams from that team 'retired' to the lead in an action trid show where he would travel the world doing the most insanely dangerous extreme sports and 'other activities' accompanied by his personal lawyer and his ork cameraman.

Skys the limit, really...

Almost forgot one of the more memorable characters I heard about.

An aging japanese ork samurai, with a wife and quite a few children.

Took a job to hit a particularly well defended corp building. As part of his recon, he took a job as a landscape gardener for the building's exterior gardens.

He was brilliant, the gardens were a masterpiece.

Unfortunately, the building was near impregnible, and well beyond his skills. So he gave up and left.

Several weeks later, the corp he was trying to hit finally tracked him down and offered him a permanent contract to maintain the gardens.

He went into business with his two eldest sons when several of the neighbouring office buildings tried to hire him away, and they took all the local contracts.

Nice retirement.

In Leela's background, she was a musical prodigy. This went on hold during the Serb occupation when she joined the resistance and during her early career as a shadowrunner afterwards. As part of the retirement process, she was taken in by a member of the English nobility (the mother of one of my other PCs), and was set on the course of her real calling as a concert performer.

The Rhapsody in Shadow Adventure that I just concluded was the final transition for her from Freedom Fighter/Shadowrunner to world class concert pianist. In one evening's performance (using the Shadowbeat rules) she discoverd that she could easily make more than she did in several months of running. Then there are the recording contracts and an upcoming concert tour of the UCAS.

To make this work, she applied nearly half of her Karma earned as a PC to her performance and related skills and to overcoming her performance block (40 GK alone).

Depends if "legit" count as "opening and managing a night club for runners"...

Our group just started a new campaign with alternate, fresh characters for a break. Most of the GMing is split between myself and one of the other guys, so we spent a couple of hours hammering out a general theme where the team would be hired outright by a foundation to investigate (primarily) paranatural phenomenon, objects and critters. Each had to produce a SIN (didn't have to be legit, just had to have one) and agree to pass any side jobs. They've got salary, benefits and company transportation. They aren't deniable assets and they can use the legitimacy of the job in some circles as a boon("no, officer, I wasn't trying to speed, I'm trying to get this report to my boss on behalf of a joint PRF/Lone Star investigation. Sure, he's my credentials") and in some it'll be a curse (once they build some rep, other runners will likely see them as sell outs and maybe take shots just for fun). How long they remain employed will depend on if they render themselves excruciatingly expendable or not.

Think Shadowrun meets Ghostbusters meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a side order of Charlie's Angels thrown in.