I'm running SR4, and I just wanted to see how people run it.
I'm not much of a GM, and I'm playing with complete newbies, some of which have never played RPGs before-but we're having a blast! I must say, despite the lousy layout, Shadowrun 4 is a great RPG, for one simple reason: It's fun to play, and there's a simple mechanic usable for many tasks.
In order to keep the game under control (and to maintain my sanity), I put in some simple rules for the starting PCs: You can't have more than 3 points of cyberware (before alpha/beta adjustments, not including cyberlimbs), or more than 3 points of magic. This gives mundanes an advantage, and because a PC can have a high starting Resonance, the party otaku can actually do something useful while Timmy the PhysAd works twoard his improved reflexes.
Because of the PC's low power, and to help introduce them to SR and RPG's in general, my game has mostly revolved around simply living. The PC's don't change the world so much as they try to deal with it; they're aware that they can often be outnumbered or outgunned, and are'nt squeamish about morality.
This has also lead to a somewhat goofy style of play. During my version of Supermarket Shuffle, the line first stated when the power was cut: "Nobody cuts me off from my Soy MacMuffin!"
In additon, as a side note, one of the guys who is currently playing has a definite knack for it. He's actually done a good job with the Amnesia flaw (ex-megacorp engineer who was working on something secret; now has no idea who he is, and goes by the name "Cue Ball". I'll give you a hint to his trademark weapon: It's spherical, heavy, about 3" in diameter, and white.) He's also extremely perceptive; he's already noticed that the video game arcade section's power, along with that of one or two other small sections, is still on, and that a kid (despite the gunshots) is still playing.
His reaction?
"Kill the kid."
Full Version: Styles of Gaming
| QUOTE (SpasticTeapot) |
| It's spherical, heavy, about 3" in diameter, and white. |
He has elephantitus? Seriosuly though, your game does sound like alot of fun. I thik the limits will help in the long run. Try getting the Sprawl Survival Guide if you odn't have it, along with New Seattle. Good stuff.
| QUOTE (SpasticTeapot) |
| He's also extremely perceptive; he's already noticed that the video game arcade section's power, along with that of one or two other small sections, is still on, and that a kid (despite the gunshots) is still playing. His reaction? "Kill the kid." |
Good man - he'll have a long and prosperous career in the shadows.
| QUOTE (Rotbart van Dainig @ Apr 23 2006, 04:56 AM) | ||
Good man - he'll have a long and prosperous career in the shadows. |
I know. (Finding people who are interested in RPGs, and are polite and interested in learning how to play them is one thing. Finding someone in the above category who is GOOD at it is another altogether.)
Under a bit of pressure from the GM (I'm a sucker for station wagons!) the PC's got one of the most amazing vehicles on the road. He's a mechanic by trade; his car is a modified midsize wagon. (a Mercury, I believe, with more cargo capacity and less accelleration). It's had the seats ripped out to save weight, large amounts of thin aluminum sheet metal welded on for body armor, and the best part of all: Portholes with fish in them. (A while back, he was looking for a way to add more or less bulletproof windows to his car. He found a translucent plexiglass advertisement for an aquarium, and cut the windows out of it.) Of course, he's also got steel covers which can be flipped down manually at any time.
The car's got no weaponry of any type, excluding the people riding in it and the makeshift porthole on the top. (Turrets are for sissies!) It's reasonably fast, though, and looks grungy and beat-up enough to blend in with the swarm of bodged-together automobiles in the low-income neighborhood where he lives.
So, any suggestions for a follow-up to Supermarket Shuffle? This is the first proper run they've been on, if you can even call it that; insofar, we've pretty much just finished shuffle, and I want to throw something similar at them. (Aside from this, we've mostly just gone through "kill the ganger to learn the combat rules" and "fix the car to learn how to use skills".)
| QUOTE (Rotbart van Dainig @ Apr 23 2006, 04:56 AM) | ||
Good man - he'll have a long and prosperous career in the shadows. |
I disagree. As a general rule, there are two types of people who ignore obvious danger as it is happening, those who are crazy and those who are so powerful they have nothing to fear. Neither are the kind of people whom you want to mess with.
It isn't a bad idea to give the oblivious kid a free pass just in case he's a GD out on the town.
| QUOTE |
| Good man - he'll have a long and prosperous career in the shadows. |
My first response to that was "unless the Force 12 ghost he just messed with ends it prematurely."
| QUOTE (hyzmarca) |
| I disagree. As a general rule, there are two types of people who ignore obvious danger as it is happening, those who are crazy and those who are so powerful they have nothing to fear. Neither are the kind of people whom you want to mess with. |
On the contrary - mess with them as long as they are ignorant... they'll come after you either way.
| QUOTE (hyzmarca) |
| It isn't a bad idea to give the oblivious kid a free pass just in case he's a GD out on the town. |
If it's a GD, even more reason to shoot it quickly - they are most vulvernable in metahuman form.
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