Our group charges a point of good karma for item teleportation.

I know a couple idiots. they come in different flavors.

the first kind, is the 'class clown'. he has chaotic-neutral daffy duck behavior, and does whatever he thinks of at the time with no regard for consequences or the impact on the rest of the group. he just wants to be the center of attention, and thinks he can do anything. If you identify one of these in your group, and your not playing Toon, kick them out at once.

then you get the bastards. they know better, but they want to greif the other players for some reason. their the ones who break the game when they start to get bored, and may bully the other characters. they will kill another guys character, just because they can. they fall into the 'drow assasin' stereotype. Best way to deal with this, is to simply disallow deliberate greifing, and kick them from the group if they insist on repeating the behavior excessively.

then theres the ADD gamer. atention deficit, they will go off to watch tv or play cards mid-game. they will not come back when its their turn. you may as well forget to tell them when the next game is, its not like their going to play anyway.

The Lazy Slacker will just sit there, and only respond to direct questions. they need help creating a character, and then cant recall what they can or cannot do. they have not read anything about the setting, and are probably either confused or uninterested. They are playing because their freinds talked them into playing.

the honest noob is actualy not a bad thing. they just need you to explain some things to them. you have the chance to teach them how to game, and avoid the many problems some people create.

Ugh, my sympathies for those who deal with the CN 'chaotic retard' player char. I'd prefer to run in a group with half a dozen true noobs than 1 chaoticstupid type.

One solution I've found to the whole "of COURSE I have this on me" question is to ask players to draw up 3 lists. The first list is what I'd find on them if I bumped into them on the street when they're not working. The second list is what I'd find on them if they were trying to sneak into some place and feeling paranoid. The third list is what I'd find if they were assaulting some place and feeling aggressive.

Any player who says "But my character would always have that on him!" when I ask about some particular piece of gear he seems to have forgotten is usually allowed to have that piece of gear... and gets a little note under his chunk of my GM binder that says "character always carries his X." Occasionally, that statement comes back to haunt them.

Yup. Like that.

I'm one of the biggest player's rights lawyers you will deal with and even I agree that if its not on the sheet they don't have it. Though I won't go so far as to make them list every little item. I'm with the previously mentioned kit idea. Several of my past shadow run players would visit hardware stores before jobs and make a quick purchase. The item on their sheet was called "General hardware supplies" and consisted of any hammers, flashlights and most minor stuff like that. Like always keep it simple if you can.

Actually, item teleportation happened to me in my last session, but it was the GM who did it.

[flashback]
Me: No cameras in the room? Hmm, how can I see inside...
Emo: You can use your Fly-By drone.
Me: I have a Fly-By drone?
Emo: Yeah, you looted it last time. (Note: I put everything I wanted to loot in my gear listing. Drones were not listed among the loot.)
Me (laughing): Okay! I send it in!
[/flashback]

LOL!

As I consider it more, I think this should be one of the things that you cover in your initial getting to know each other session of an RPG campaign. Players asking DM's what the expectations are, DM's asking players what their expectations are.

A "Dude, so do we have to put EVERYTHING down on paper, or what's the balance we're using" would go a long way to avoiding mid game problems. A "And are you pretty consistent with that view" kinda question is also important. Cause I've had GMs that like to change things up midstream without telling us. A midstream change isn't always bad in itself, sometimes its a logical progression from a particular instance, but that still needs to be given to the players before it gets 'enforced'.

our team generally has a couple differently packed courier bags or backpacks w/ combat webbing for appropriate occasions. They'd put a strip of different colored duct tape on each bag, and hav e it pre-packed . Red bag for demolitions run, blue for stealth, green for every day, that sort of thing. THen each character has one sheet of paper with a list of what they have in every bag, plus individual differences listed.

This came up after the team was screwed over by a specter using telekinesis. The guy had been tortured on a barbwire rack, so he used that pn the palyers. After two PC's ended up tied down w/ Barbed wire to the rack, they all went out and got wire clippers, and started the bag deal.

See, with the sewer thing, as long as they said they were going to bring a flashlight from home/their car, I'd let it fly, the first time. Thats covered under lifestyle/vehicle upkeep costs. Reoccuring basis? Spend the ¥50 on the flashlight and write it down.

GM: (looking at character sheet) This is all you're carrying to the meet?
Player: Yeah.
GM: Are you sure you don't want any other gear?
Player: I'm good. I don't think it is wise to carry my heavy weapons into a fancy nightclub.

Later

GM: You get out of your car in front of the nightclub. (roll perception) You notice several people staring at you and gawking. Others are running away from you. An ork mother covers her young child's eyes.

Player: I walk into the club

GM: The bouncer stops you. "Sir, we have a dress code here"

Player: "A dress code? Do you know how much this coat costs? It is a Mortimer of London Ulysses. It cost 4000 nuyen I bet that's more than you make in a month. " (Rolls fast talk)

GM: The bouncer is not phased. "It isn't appropriate"

Player: "Fine." I get back in my car and drive away.

GM: As you are walking to your car a Lone Star officier stops you. "Get down on the ground and put your hands behind your head." His weapon is drawn.

Player: I draw my SMG and give him a two bursts. (Rolls initiative) (Rolls skill with all combar pool)

GM: He goes down.

Player: I rush to my car and haul ass.



Later

Trisha Takanawa: One of Lone Star's finest, officier Michael Hunt, was guned down today when he tried to arrest a suspect for indecent exposire. The murder attempted to enter this posh Seatle nightclub wearing nothing but an open duster, frightening small children and causing distress to elderly widows. You are about to see grusome survailance footage of the killing. Take a close look at the perpertrator, especially the unsual birthmark on his penis. If you know this man or his penis plase call your local police agency or crimestoppers. You don't have to identify yourself but there is a 40,000 nuyen reward for any information leading to his capture.

I'd slap a GM that tried to tell me I was walking around naked. Ok, I wouldn't slap him. I don't resort to violence that easily. But I would be really pissed and would either have some words for him or just wouldn't play any more.

Even at the least, it'd be buttoned up. Plus, a ulysses coat adds 50% concealability to anything under it. Considering I'd say its probably no bigger than an average light pistol (unless he was a troll), it'd be anywhere from a 7-10 TN to spot it. Frankly, they'd probably see the SMG first.

Maybe he's John Holmes' stunt dick in a previous life.

You see, he forgot to turn his Mr. Studd off form the last time he made a seduction test.
If everything has to be written down and they don't write down clothes then they must be naked.

If he's supposed to be naked or intends to be naked he should say so. Telling them to wear clothes works just fine, telling them they've gone to the meet naked doesn't..

one thing that helps me as a gm and friend of a .... special case.... i made him take a positive quality called "common sense". With this, everytime he does something boneheaded, the gm will tell something that will nudge against it or might just tell him that is a completly bad idea. It helps alot, makes him learn the ropes, and helps the game move along.

I usually assume that things head towards their default state if people haven't said otherwise. This means that guns are holstered, runners are clothed, and 20 pounds of C-12 are still at home unless you've told me otherwise.