redwulf25_ci
Jan 15 2006, 09:16 PM
Looking for constructive comments, advice and questions regarding this plot. The run is scedualed for this Friday so please relpy before then.
Background: A few years back one of the corps built an Arco managed by an AI, unfortunatly the AI was a little . . . buggy. The programing errors resulted in something that mimics paranoid scitzophrenia and the AI insisted that it was reciving comunication from the matrix itself (which it began to regard as a kind of god figure). Everytime the corp tried to fix the programing errors the AI found a way to delete the new code because in its own words "I can't hear God anymore". Eventualy it became violent and began killing the corporates who were trying to get the Arco up and running properly so they sabatoged the power generators to shut down the mad AI and abandoned it.
Fast forword to a Mr. Johnson from another corp calling up the team requesting they enter the Arco and retreive the AI's operational core (physicly obtaining the storage media it's on rather than downloading it). He claims that his corp wants to study it so they can discover what went wrong in it's programing so his corps AI's never develop that flaw. In truth what they want is to study it so they devise a computer virus that causes these symptoms in AI's and infect any AI's created by rival corps.
The complications of the run are the fact the Arco is now home to a lot of rats (and one or two Devil Rats) a smallish ghoul pack, and the real threat a large group of squatters who are the early recruits of a Wendigo. These squatters have gone canible and live in relitive peace with the ghouls since they allow the ghouls to share their kills. Most of the squatters are just punks, maybe with a small amount of cyber or bio-ware. Their leader on the other hand is a Prime Runner. He's a Shark Shaman who went over the edge and went canible even before the Wendigo got to him. As an added complication the squatters are trying to get the power back on, and with the power comes an insane AI . . .
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The players are on a 400 pt build and I have a Hacker, a Shaman, a gun fighter, a infiltraion specialist, and a melee fighter/demolitions expert. My first two questions are what point build do you think I should use for the enemy shaman to make this very chalanging but not slaughter the entire group, and do you think a starting group can handle four ghoul physical adepts with improved reflexes?
MaxMahem
Jan 15 2006, 09:37 PM
Your run sounds pretty good, but I am a little curious as to where this abadoned arcology might be. Arcs are very expensive, and very large. I don't see a corp just abandoing one out of hand. Maybe an abandond factory would suit your needs better?
As for what calibur of opposition your players can handel, I find this is directly proportial to the amount of information they have about who they are going up against. If you just droped 4 ghoul phys-ads on them without warning they could be in for a tough time (it would depend on the individual stats involved). However, if they had time and knoweldge to prepare in advace, the same encounter could be handled with much less difficulty.
redwulf25_ci
Jan 15 2006, 09:54 PM
| QUOTE (MaxMahem) |
Your run sounds pretty good, but I am a little curious as to where this abadoned arcology might be. Arcs are very expensive, and very large. I don't see a corp just abandoing one out of hand. Maybe an abandond factory would suit your needs better?
As for what calibur of opposition your players can handel, I find this is directly proportial to the amount of information they have about who they are going up against. If you just droped 4 ghoul phys-ads on them without warning they could be in for a tough time (it would depend on the individual stats involved). However, if they had time and knoweldge to prepare in advace, the same encounter could be handled with much less difficulty. |
The way I had it envisioned they abandoned it because they could not reliably shut down the AI without sabotaging the power as I described and it was using automated defense systems to kill them off. It may even be that they were thinking about going back in one day with the ability to wipe him out and reclaim the arco.
As for the ghouls I was thinking more of a "Oh fuck!" situation where these crazy fast ghouls rush out at the group . . .
MaxMahem
Jan 16 2006, 05:16 AM
| QUOTE (redwulf25_ci) |
| The way I had it envisioned they abandoned it because they could not reliably shut down the AI without sabotaging the power as I described and it was using automated defense systems to kill them off. It may even be that they were thinking about going back in one day with the ability to wipe him out and reclaim the arco. |
I get that, I just think that an Arc would be to big of an investment to write off for any length of time. Also, physicaly it should be a huge structure, much larger (volume wise at least) then any current building. We're talking Vehical Assembly Building (where they built the Saturn V) size here at least. Mapping and exploring such a large area would be time consuming. I just think it's to large an area to play around with for a one shot. Lastly, an Arc is a very public structure, it's to large (and involves to many people) to conceal. If a corp was having such large problems with one, it would be hard to cover up. This also creates problems for your ghoul infestation.
That's why I think a large factory is better suited to your needs. It could easily have all the self-defence and automation features you want, and an AI to manage it is very realistic. A factory could be large and varried enough to support all the encounters you could want, without being unmanigably huge. It's smaller size means a corp could more easily write it off (perhapce the good it was going to produce went belly up anywyas), and it's generaly remote location makes a cover-up easier to achive, and leaving it fallow for squatters more belivable. Heck, a factory is small enough that it is concevable that the company that once owned it could have gone bankrupt and/or been gobbled up by someone else, which is why such an asset has gone to waste.
| QUOTE |
| As for the ghouls I was thinking more of a "Oh fuck!" situation where these crazy fast ghouls rush out at the group . . . |
If you don't intend for the your group to be able to defeate the ghouls, my advice would be to give them some idea that this is the case. Far to often I have seen my players stick it out against an unbeatable enemy because the thought they could win or they thought there mission objectives required it. In my experience players don't start to think about running untill there characters are almost dead, at which point it is generaly to late.
If you intend the ghouls to be defetable, then it is simply a matter of what there skills and stats are realtive to the players. In my experience, suprise is not an overwhelming factor in combat unless the ambushing party can deal critical damage to their targets before they become aware. It's pretty easy to prevent this, just don't give them guns and/or have them supprise, but not actualy physicaly attack the characters during their round. Have them do some action that gives them an advantage in combat instead, like block off an escape rout, segregate the characters, or affect their perception.
An intresting third option is create opponets to difficult to defeat, at leat in there current situation. If the ghouls attack in pitch black darkness, for example, their astral sight will give them an onverwelming advantage. Force the players to retreate/advance to a new possiton which gives them the advantage. A running battle can ensue, which is always fun. This works best if the opponents are stupid enough (and ghouls gould certainly qualify) to be tricked into giving up there advantage.
Glyph
Jan 16 2006, 05:36 AM
Four ghoul physical adepts would probably overwhelm the group that you just mentioned, because some of them, such as the hacker, probably won't be that optimized for combat. If the group knew they were facing them, though, then it would be easier for them. An astrally projecting mage could take them all out comparatively easy (one reason that being dual-natured sucks). But Max is right... players often tend to stubbornly go toe-to-toe with superior opponents, so just ambushing them could lead to a PC slaughter. Maybe one ghoul adept and three ordinary ghouls would give the same scary effect, but actually be survivable.
Lagomorph
Jan 16 2006, 07:03 AM
I think how many points you make the shark shaman out of will really depend on how many other people he'll be with when the characters fight him. If he's solo, then you could probably make it chalenging with 350-400 points, if he has a group of goons with him, try 300-350? All I know is the shark shaman I made with 400 points was really really deadly.
Edit:
I have to agree with MaxMayhem, a factory would probably be a more plausible option, or possibly a sublevel of an arc. Unless the characters know exactly where (floor and door number) that the AI is stored, it'll drag on forever. Our GM is doing this to us currently (10 floors, find the main security station) and it's not the best run ever. I wouldn't even want to imagine doing that in an entire arc..
warrior_allanon
Jan 17 2006, 12:44 AM
another thing, and i say this from the point of view of a player not in this game but that plays a "gun guy" adept.
knowing its abandoned i wouldnt be worrying about being quiet, i would be bringing a clip fed combat shotgun filled with flechette and set for burst. This would make short work of your rats and ghouls because i could simply "plow the road" with the shotgun. Because of this i would insist on being on point, and would want the shaman on rear end charlie. Put the hacker in the center with the infiltration specialist behind me and the melee expert behind the hacker.
but then again i constantly play in a stealth game that ends up being a high firepower game, but we're used to it.
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