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GrinderTheTroll
Hi all,

My question centers around Contacts and the services they provide. Let me give an example (far from complete) to help illustrate the heart of my question:

Ex: A runner gets his hands on some F-Rated cyber. He obviously can't walk into any clinic and get it installed so he gets in touch with his Street Doc contact. Would asking the contact to install the cyber be considered a "Business" action or more of a "Favor" since the Doc could face problems installing F-Rated gear? Same could apply to any R/F rated gear for an appropriate contact with services to offer.

I can using situations like this a primer for favors the contact might ask for later, so I am leaning towards that (depending on the contacts loyalty).

Thanks,

~GTT
Teulisch
the only difference between R snd F, is you can get a permit for R (fake or otherwise). a R without a permit is basicly the same as an F. i would say that the F is just business under normal circumstances.

think how many people want hot sim. thats F, and a fairly standard mod, especialy for hackers and BTL addicts. and those gangers must be getting the cyber-spurs from somewhere.

now, some doctors will only install legal ware, and the R will be a favor. a street doc probably has no license, and installing the R gear is standard for him. if you have a contact, you cound simple define them as a black clinic, thus its just business as long as you have the cash.
Dashifen
Well done. I agree smile.gif I suppose the only other thing you could do is have street docs try to charge more for F gear over R. Or, if you've got a really enterprising street doc with a friend who's a forger, you could have the street doc offer a package deal for R gear: installation and a fake permit while you wait!!
Rooks
gunshot wounds + shadowruns + hospitals = BAD
Azralon
Hospitals? First Aid + Medkit + Heal spell = You can go dancing this weekend.
stevebugge
QUOTE (GrinderTheTroll)
Hi all,

My question centers around Contacts and the services they provide. Let me give an example (far from complete) to help illustrate the heart of my question:

Ex: A runner gets his hands on some F-Rated cyber. He obviously can't walk into any clinic and get it installed so he gets in touch with his Street Doc contact. Would asking the contact to install the cyber be considered a "Business" action or more of a "Favor" since the Doc could face problems installing F-Rated gear? Same could apply to any R/F rated gear for an appropriate contact with services to offer.

I can using situations like this a primer for favors the contact might ask for later, so I am leaning towards that (depending on the contacts loyalty).

Thanks,

~GTT

I would use this situation to flesh out the contact somewhat. I wouldn't say that a contact needs a backstory as extensive as the character's but a small one will help. It could be either business as usual or a favor depending on just how the Street Doc got where he is and how he operates. Is he a completely unliscenced medschool dropout? Maybe he's an overworked and substantially underpaid public health worker, or perhaps an employeed of a Body Mod chain doing some off the books overtime for extra cash. Any of these would probably do the implant work and not think twice if the money was good. On the flip side he might be an overzealous idealistic healer who is willing to treat any sort of disease or wound but highly reluctant to do any sort of implant work, or a childhoodl freind who actually made something of himself and got through med school and is doing legit work, but remembers his roots enough to do a little work on the SINless. These sorts might shy away from working on something really illegal. Basically if you want this sort of work to require the character to repay a favor later, you can work the contacts background that way (unless of course your group has the players write their contacts background without GM input or consent, our group sort of does it collaboratively)
GrinderTheTroll
QUOTE (stevebugge)
QUOTE (GrinderTheTroll @ Mar 22 2006, 10:45 AM)
Hi all,

My question centers around Contacts and the services they provide.  Let me give an example (far from complete) to help illustrate the heart of my question:

Ex:  A runner gets his hands on some F-Rated cyber.  He obviously can't walk into any clinic and get it installed so he gets in touch with his Street Doc contact.  Would asking the contact to install the cyber be considered a "Business" action or more of a "Favor" since the Doc could face problems installing F-Rated gear?  Same could apply to any R/F rated gear for an appropriate contact with services to offer.

I can using situations like this a primer for favors the contact might ask for later, so I am leaning towards that (depending on the contacts loyalty).

Thanks,

~GTT

I would use this situation to flesh out the contact somewhat. I wouldn't say that a contact needs a backstory as extensive as the character's but a small one will help. It could be either business as usual or a favor depending on just how the Street Doc got where he is and how he operates. Is he a completely unliscenced medschool dropout? Maybe he's an overworked and substantially underpaid public health worker, or perhaps an employeed of a Body Mod chain doing some off the books overtime for extra cash. Any of these would probably do the implant work and not think twice if the money was good. On the flip side he might be an overzealous idealistic healer who is willing to treat any sort of disease or wound but highly reluctant to do any sort of implant work, or a childhoodl freind who actually made something of himself and got through med school and is doing legit work, but remembers his roots enough to do a little work on the SINless. These sorts might shy away from working on something really illegal. Basically if you want this sort of work to require the character to repay a favor later, you can work the contacts background that way (unless of course your group has the players write their contacts background without GM input or consent, our group sort of does it collaboratively)

The thing that triggered my thinking about this more was that SR4 gives some guildlines about what a contact will do based on their loyalty rating. So if you patched up some runner you barely know (Loyalty=1) or a long time pal (Loyalty=5+) and where then pressed for some information by corp goons, Lone Star, etc., they would probably give up more sooner about the low loyalty guy. This is what got me thinking the contact might not even consider doing the work in the first place if his neck might be on the line at some point, which in SR4 terms sounds more like "a favor" than "business as usual".

Runner Jim: "Hey Bones I need you to pull these Flichette rounds outta my backside!"
Bones: "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a carpenter!!"
Jim: "Yeah and thanks for covering up for me last time, I owe ya one."
Bones: "You're damn right you do chummer! I might just call in that favor, my sister is in trouble with the Mafia...
Jime: "Mafia eh?"
Bones: "...but we can talk more about that after my usual fee. Here, bite down on this..."
Jim: "Huh? I don't like where this is going..."

~GTT
hyzmarca
QUOTE (Rooks)
gunshot wounds + shadowruns + hospitals = BAD

That's why every runner should have a good Docwagon contract. Megacorps don't have to ask questions or answer them.
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