Ok, I'm a veteran SR3 player/gmaster and just made the switch to SR4. I mostly Gmed games using the SR4 since few people i know own the new edition. I had an idea about a house rule and i want your opinion about it. (By the way, I'm sorry in advance for any grammatical error i'll probably make, but I'm not a native english-speaker)

Group Edge for Primer Runners and NPCs

For some people, the relation with fellow shadowrunners is limited to the job. For others, stronger links develop up to a point where you might even call it friendship. When this occurs, either between the member of a gang, between shadowrunners or just between close friends, the emotional tie between these individuals gives them an edge over others.

Forming a group is easy. Just get some people to hang at the same place and there you go. Forming a tied group is another matter. You need devotion, efforts and concession many people in the year 2070 aren’t ready to make. In fact, you need trust, a rare commodity in the streets. When forming such a group, every member of the group must spend a number of karma points equal to 5 plus (new group rating). A group rating gives several bonuses. First of all, the group receives a group edge pool. Just like grunts’ group edge. This edge is a separated pool from the characters’ pool and any member of the group can use it.

Also, the group itself receives a reputation. Just like a character’s reputation, a group’s reputation is split into 3 different factors: Street Cred, Notoriety and Public Awareness. They are equal to the highest member’s value or the group rating, whichever is lower. A member of the group may use these value instead of his own if he acts as a member of the group instead of using his own street identity. Whether this is the fact or not is a GM’s call.

Finally, every time the group rating increase by one (including the first point), the group may select one of the following abilities:

• Synergy: Adds the group rating to any Teamwork test made by the primary character if all the participants are members of the group.
• Wanabees: The group’s structure is strengthening and is attracting potential recruits. These recruits have the same advantage than any other members of the group, but are always weaker than “normal” members. In addition, if a group member dies, it may be replaced by one of the wanabees without losing one point of rating. You may have a maximum of wanabees equal to the group rating.
• Improved Wanabees: The group structure is complexifying even more. You may now have a number of wanabees equal to the number of team members times the group rating. In addition, each wanabees is now linked to a specific group member and replace him in case he dies.
• Prominent Gang: The group Street Cred is increased by one. You may take this effect three times maximum, each times it gives an extra bonus of +1. The modified Street Cred may be higher than the group rating.
• Notorious Gang: The group Notoriety is increased by one. You may take this effect three times maximum, each times it gives an extra bonus of +1. The modified Notoriety may be higher than the group rating.
• Famous Gang: The group Public Awareness is increased by one. You may take this effect three times maximum, each times it gives an extra bonus of +1. The modified Public Awareness may be higher than the group rating.
• Honorable Gang: The group Notoriety is reduced by one. You may take this effect three times maximum, each times it gives an extra bonus of -1.
• Low-Profile Gang: The group Public Awareness is reduced by one. You may take this effect three times maximum, each times it gives an extra bonus of -1.

Huh. I haven't thought in detail about the mechanics you're suggesting yet, but I like the /idea/.

And actually...hmm.

You're having them spend Karma on this. You can look at that in two ways. From one perspective, it represents the effort they're putting into training as a group so that they can work together more efficiently. On the other hand, it could be an example of a time when Karma is an in-play concept, also, as it is for some magical workings (at least in previous editions....).

At that point, you're looking at something similar to an Earthdawn Group Pattern, which would be strangely appropriate depending on the style of game you're running.

Actually, this is only the first part of the house rule...I want some input about balance and style before expanding it a little bit. (The expansion represents a magical "grading" of the group edge...much like earthdawn group pattern)

Hello Dentris, welcome to DS. While I appreciate your idea I would recommend to give your next thread a more speaking title. Have fun!

I really like this idea, not sure about the ermm metafeatures you get each time, but the basic idea is cool.

interesting.

I would suggest a minimum time of working as a group before one can be a part of that group. This means a new team either cant be a 'group' right away, or else you set up the backstory for it before play begins. but it means a new character takes a couple weeks to get made a full member- which means a high turnover due to death will destroy the group.

the group may become a meta-concept, as it can survive multiple characters as long as it isnt entirely destroyed. you dont want to leave loopholes for people to abuse the group. so if one guy has a 'cool plan' that requires his character to die every other game...

As a side point "mook" NPC's ONLY have this anyway, it's equal to their professional rating.
No personal edge for them.

Oh, I just realized i forgot something important in the concept:

The maximum group rating is equal to the number of group members (not including wanabees) or the highest charisma among the characters. In addition, if any of the team member dies or volontarly leaves the group, the group rating is reduced by one. It may be reduced by even more if the character was the one with the highest charisma. If this occurs, the group rating is reduced by one or to the new highest charisma, whichever is lower.