So if you had to name the things most likely to lead to the employment of shadowrunners, greed probably tops the list with ambition a close second. But what about incompetance?

So I had a long time to think about this today at work while our network was down. So why was the network down you ask? Because we switched phone providers, and since we use an integrated T-1, that also switched our data connection. So naturally we switched over the phone system and computer network at the same time right? No way we switched the phone system over, but left the data network on the old carrier's line. Why was this done? Well the IT director was convinced that the carrier we were switching from wouldn't turn off their line until we told them to (remember we just cancelled their contract) and the IT guys could move the VPN later. Well Friday about 2:00 (5:00 eastern) the T-1 turns off. This morning the IT guys figure out what happened (after spending Friday convincing us this wasn't the case) and try to get it up and running. By the end of the day we still arent up because a port speed setting was overlooked, but they say that we'll be running tomorrow for sure.

So after this I was thinking of a run where a department head makes a critical error causing a division to be basically out of business for a couple of days, but not his division. To cover up his error in the inevitable invetigation by senior management he hires runners to make it look like someone elses fault, but then a followup is required because the johnson didn't think of everything in the first job.

The flip side of this is that you can always use the complete screw up by employees to really psych out your over paranoid players

Runner A: The Maglocks have no power and the door is open?
Runner B: It's a set up lets get out of here!

Meanwhile in the Security Office

Duty Commander: You unplugged the Security System control computer to make room for the Soycaf machine?

Ok I just had to much internet free time on my hands today I guess

You forgot the trip-flip side: Vengeful tech boys who have been victimized by this sort of managerial stunt hiring Shadowrunners to whack their bosses.

That's good too. I'm sure all sorts of runs could grow out of a simple mistake and cover up as various people try to investigate, obfuscate, cover their ass, promote themselves, or just get even.

you can the runners be used on the same corp for several runs over a period of time. it gives the runners time to read/listen up on the latest corp structure gossip and such and their latest hijinx and aftermaths. Just some odd things here and there, making the runners go... huh?

almost like a hilarious break every so often from the main campaign. which you can also tie in. But, it'll also be a nice breather.

Anybody else had any RL office blunders or stupid office politics stories that might make good runs?

I have a coworker who's almost singlehandedly gotten over half a dozen people fired or moved over to different sections of our department, including both of her last supervisors. We're a small section of an analytical lab department--ten people in our section, including the supervisor--so basically the majority of the people working there (including me) are new. Not, of course, that anything can be officially proven about any of the firings or quittings, though each and every one of the former employees attest that she's the main reason they quit/got transferred/got fired.

She's now basically the only person in the lab who knows many of the methods, so she ends up with the majority of the work. One of the new people (alas, not me) is the new supervisor. So, her reward for all that toil? A $2 raise and an Emplloyee of the Month award last year.

Incidentally, I'm also looking for a new job. If I get one, I'll be the tenth person to leave that section in a year and a half.

So there's your shadowrun for you: a flunky who hires the runners to off their current supervisor several times in order to get that promotion, but still ends up being passed over for the newer guys each and every time.

Another thought on this. Anyone know if ISO is still around in 2065 / 2070?

Anyone familiar with the registration / audit process for any of the Quality Series Registrations can probably think up plenty of Intra-Office runs covering up mistakes, fabricating mistakes for your co-workers, or even rival companies trying to sabotage an audit or registration.

Most of the time these won't be major screw ups either, most of these audits are about following a procedure and documenting that the procedure was followed in a way proscribed by some sort of internal company document. Deckers could have a field day just moving files around and attaching some poor suckers user id to the move.

"Next time use right cover sheet on your TPS report"

Oh and yes there is a RL story attached to this. Our company is an ISO9001 company, and one of the accountants just sent a "Corrective Action Request" (called a CAR in our system, NOTE the runs are more fun when filled with stupid acronyms) to me to send another copy of a form I've already sent (that she's lost) 3 times previously and threatening to make a complaint to her boss if she didn't get it today. Dumbness in the name of quality!

I still remember the one run where we nailed the facility and proceeded to knock out all the personnel like clockwork (it was too easy/efficient on our part without a single casualty on either side), and in the end we did leave a message saying get better security and also left some nuyen for them.

That's a great idea!! Oh man, the ideas are brewing...

(Incompetent Johnson + incompetent employees + incompetent runners = greatly amused GM.)

A group of white hat runners as it were? They pull the job and then send the corp they hit an e-mail about how they were able to penetrate their security and pull it off.

Heh, kinda like that US gov't outfit whose purpose is to infiltrate military/government facilities to test security, eh?

This could transform into some sort of corp job. The runners are working for X corp and they do 'runs' on their corp facilities to test security and troubleshoot problems. Also used to infiltrate rival corp facilities if need be. Plus, probably also assigned to teach security personnel at facilities and such.

edit: Yeah, they could also be outside contractors, but I doubt many of the big corp will hire them and rather field their own in-house unit, from a security point of view. lol.

and military too, I think it was the New Seattle sourcebook? One of the mentions was the military base that sometimes hire runners as the opposition for the troops and the blurb about using live fire rounds too.

Um, just watch Sneakers, and you'll get all of the above in Movie-sized packages.

"Give me the box, Marty..."

I ran that as a two-session job, once, the cross-training stuff with the Metroplex Guard (supposed to be full on US Army, according to the sourcebook, but I saw it being a little more likely to be Metroplex forces that train for this sort of thing). A few players had mentioned in jest that they wished they got to use some big toys a little more often, instead of always being in sneaky-sneaky jobs with silenced pistols and stuff, and I figured it would be a nice change of pace.

They got told about the job up front, and were, in fact, told to assemble a wish list. Everyone got to go nuts and try out that shiney Ares Alpha instead of their usual, or a big-bore sniping rifle instead of the bolt-action deer rifle that worked well enough for your average job. Nice armor, fancy guns, big boom-booms. They were happy. "We want to be training against you for the sort of job we'd get called in against you for. Don't bring popguns, bring loud stuff. The sort of stuff that would, in fact, lead to us getting a phone call. Here. Write us a list."

Then they got tossed into the middle of the faux-Metroplex, playing "tag" against three eight-man infantry squads. "Tag" with rubber bullets and concussion grenades and stun spells. "Tag" that turned a little mean after their sniper did the head-shot on a Guard soldier and almost killed him. "Tag" that got the Guard guys to fire a little more freely with their concussion grenades in confined alleyways (which ended with chunky salsa, at one point, forcing the street sam to soak a power 42 or so attack), generally two at a time. "Tag" that got some rifle butts and combat boots brought into play agaisnt already-down Shadowrunners. One, in particular (who'd tried to smuggle something a bunch of guns on-base without the rest of the team knowing) woak up with a bunch of Skoal juice all over his face and in his hair.

So, yeah. It ended with the entire party unconscious, stripped of their sexy toys, and then dumped back in the parking lot where their escort was waiting to haul them back off base. They all got a couple thousand nuyen for their trouble, and a big slice of humble pie.

But, hey. They got to play with some big toys, no one died, and they had a good time.

I wish they'd have taken the soldiers out. That would've been even MORE fun. ^_^

Another for the stupid office politics category: The office Christmas Party Restaurant.

It just so happens that we pick where our office goes for our annual Christmas Dinner by nomination and vote. We also happen to have an even number of people in the office, so ties and deadlocks are fairly common and the lobbying, arm twisting, and political maneivering can get pretty intemse.

Now imagine someone hires shadowrunners to make sure their favorite restaurant wins the office Christmas Dinner vote

or maybe even a restaurant doing so for the extra cash

I dunno. It might be worth it. 500 worth of free pizza could be handy. And Jimmy's Pizza Plaza might be a good place to use for meets. Especially if he makes so much off the corporate dinner that his operation can expand... And maybe he'll need some 'professional security consultants' to help him with his new place's security.