I just think the whole "powerful vampire cabal conspiracy" sounds to much like Vampire: The Masquerade so I'm just having that JetBlack is a vampire and might have a few other vampire underlings. NOT a huge cabal of bloodsuckers that want to take over the world and make humans "cattle". Sounds to much like Blade, Queen of the Damned and basically ever other vampire shit out there.
I hate vampires. They're so lame.
Full Version: On The Run
Y'know, it seems to me... That Winterhawk is obviously right (obviously, because Winterhawk wrote the module.)
But moreso, for those that have read that mansion thing, that's about the only way I can see the players getting themselves a blood-enemy on this run. That, and going out of their way to kill Risa.
If they shoot her down, shoot everybody else dead, and Risa comes back - well, it's just bisuness, anmd JetBlack still has his precious vampiress squeeze. (C'mon... You know he's hitting that shit. ^_^ Bow chica wow-wow!) He works the deal out with whomever it is that the troll works for, the music dosen't get released.
Even if the players throw you an utter curveball, figure out some way to decrypt the disk and then broadband it, it'll hack JetBlack off, but it's just old news. It can't really expose him, it's just a "Previously unreleased find".
The only ways they could really get a blood-fued going are if they were to terrorize or kill Marli, kill Risa, or decide for whatever reason to broadband a recording of the bit wherein Risa proclaims what JetBlack is and that he's still alive.
Me, I would've sold out Mr. J, and told Risa that part of the deal is making sure nobody knows we sold him out so much as we got robbed at the point of many, very many large guns. Then the troll is satisfied that we only fucked up, instead of sold him out, and we don't go making any big purchases or anything with the money we got from Risa for awhile.
But moreso, for those that have read that mansion thing, that's about the only way I can see the players getting themselves a blood-enemy on this run. That, and going out of their way to kill Risa.
If they shoot her down, shoot everybody else dead, and Risa comes back - well, it's just bisuness, anmd JetBlack still has his precious vampiress squeeze. (C'mon... You know he's hitting that shit. ^_^ Bow chica wow-wow!) He works the deal out with whomever it is that the troll works for, the music dosen't get released.
Even if the players throw you an utter curveball, figure out some way to decrypt the disk and then broadband it, it'll hack JetBlack off, but it's just old news. It can't really expose him, it's just a "Previously unreleased find".
The only ways they could really get a blood-fued going are if they were to terrorize or kill Marli, kill Risa, or decide for whatever reason to broadband a recording of the bit wherein Risa proclaims what JetBlack is and that he's still alive.
Me, I would've sold out Mr. J, and told Risa that part of the deal is making sure nobody knows we sold him out so much as we got robbed at the point of many, very many large guns. Then the troll is satisfied that we only fucked up, instead of sold him out, and we don't go making any big purchases or anything with the money we got from Risa for awhile.
In my campaign this run ended with Riza getting herself blown away by a long birst from an Ares Alpha. She did rolled poorly (dispite spending edge) on her regeneration roll and expired for good.
She had been sent to the graveyard by JB to aquire the disk from a group of Shadowrunners. She was aparently given instructions to get the disk "by any means nessicary", and made few attempts to hide her vampric identity. I would argue that if JB was really worried about her he would not have sent her there in the first place. With that type of set up there is a fair chance she would not be comeing back. Sure JB might be pissed off that his lutenent got killed, and that the disk is still out there, but compared with the fact that "outsiders" now associate "JetBlack" and "Vampire" this may be of little concern.
Assumeing the PCs don't talk about what happened, and cleaned up the mess they made (unlike what happened in my campaign, where the area around the grave was littered with corpses when LoneStar showed up) I doubt JB will go after them. Now if thier paths happen to cross, will he take the oppourtunity for a little payback...
She had been sent to the graveyard by JB to aquire the disk from a group of Shadowrunners. She was aparently given instructions to get the disk "by any means nessicary", and made few attempts to hide her vampric identity. I would argue that if JB was really worried about her he would not have sent her there in the first place. With that type of set up there is a fair chance she would not be comeing back. Sure JB might be pissed off that his lutenent got killed, and that the disk is still out there, but compared with the fact that "outsiders" now associate "JetBlack" and "Vampire" this may be of little concern.
Assumeing the PCs don't talk about what happened, and cleaned up the mess they made (unlike what happened in my campaign, where the area around the grave was littered with corpses when LoneStar showed up) I doubt JB will go after them. Now if thier paths happen to cross, will he take the oppourtunity for a little payback...
You forget that he's a vampire, and she's a vampire, and he's also probably drunk on the power of being 'immortal', to the point that it dosen't occur to him that a long burst from an Ares Alpha, or a good shot from a Panther AC, or getting hit by a cybersammie troll wielding a 'polearm' made from a dikoted Stop sign can still end his (or his squeeze's) vampiric life.
At least, that's my take.
At least, that's my take.
Vampire wouldn't be nowhere as secretive if they didn't have a keen understanding of their mortality.
Especially true in SR where it can't escape their notice that they aren't even top dog on the block (That'd be dragons) as they are in other settings and where even the sheeps can be turned into wolves by cyber or magic.
Especially true in SR where it can't escape their notice that they aren't even top dog on the block (That'd be dragons) as they are in other settings and where even the sheeps can be turned into wolves by cyber or magic.
Yes, but there's a reason Vampires are tradititionally associated with megalomania. Especially since he didn't send her out to piss in the cheerios of Lofwyr, but to make a bunch of street punks an offer that not only could they not refuse, that they'd be idiots to consider refusing.
Actually having hunted down Jetblack's history in One Stage Before he ahtes the immortality, he was scared be death so became an immortal vampire, now he hates the what he's become so he angsts about it. However he is still an artist so wants his intellectual property. The vampire minions are just his groupies. I don't remember it being made clear that he made the female vamp, maybe shes just allied with him.
Well...my group of 2 (elf mage and orc technomance/rigger) are 2 hours into the adventure now.
They were a little pissed about how vague Johnson was about the job. I had the concert take place the next night after the meet. Mage used spirit of man to search for Nabo. Glitched and found a young, rich orc who is a look alike. They cruised by the kids house thinking it was Nabo, broke into his commlink (#1NaboFan), and ended up stealing tickets for the concert (no reprisal from family because father doesn't approve and wouldn't've let kid go anyway--kid's going to take things into his own hands--he's all street).
Still didn't want to go to the concert so started search again. Eventually found Nabo at his penthouse apartment in Touristville. Parked outside and Technomancer hacked in and stole info and tracked email. Figured that since Nabo was said to have no security on his comm that it would be doable.
So my runners are off to the cathode glow without going to the concert.
They were a little pissed about how vague Johnson was about the job. I had the concert take place the next night after the meet. Mage used spirit of man to search for Nabo. Glitched and found a young, rich orc who is a look alike. They cruised by the kids house thinking it was Nabo, broke into his commlink (#1NaboFan), and ended up stealing tickets for the concert (no reprisal from family because father doesn't approve and wouldn't've let kid go anyway--kid's going to take things into his own hands--he's all street).
Still didn't want to go to the concert so started search again. Eventually found Nabo at his penthouse apartment in Touristville. Parked outside and Technomancer hacked in and stole info and tracked email. Figured that since Nabo was said to have no security on his comm that it would be doable.
So my runners are off to the cathode glow without going to the concert.
That's pretty darn good, Cheops.
They can also scalp those tickets for some extra
, so it sounds like they made out okay.
They can also scalp those tickets for some extra
, so it sounds like they made out okay.
First night of game occurred last night. They didn't get too far into the adventure, but we did get started slightly late and only played for about 3 hours.
-
The group makes it to the club and after the Elf Face with the tailored pheremones mentiones the "Johnson Party" to the two troll bouncers, recieves many offers of being the host for his own "Johnson Party" and sits at the bar, they get the run-around from the Lady Elf. The run-around lasts until they finally get a hint about the room from watching people enter the private rooms upstairs, and finally take the "No shit" tact with the girl.
The group wants a lot more information from the Johnson, but he doesn't supply it. They don't try to negotiate up front, as the Face thinks it will be better to do after the run when they have the optical disc in hand.
Onto legwork! Contacts are called, a Loyalty test is critically glitched, and a Fence finally finds out someone that has been offered to sell the disc to. They head off to the concery that Nabo is having! Side note: 2 elves and a human female...maybe not the best ethnic group for the setting that they are heading to.
All three characters go about a different way of getting their tickets. The Face negotiates with a scalper, the technomancer steals money from the scalpers commlink and pays him for the ticket out of that, and the 'killer waits in a port-a-john for an ork and hits him twice with narcojet, then steals his wristband.
Inside, they find that Nabo has just taken the stage, and eventually decide to create a diversion so they can sneak backstage. This is done by the technomancer blowing out the speakers. I move the gang-riot up a bit to represent this, and they sneak backstage during the ensuing gun-fights with Nabo trying to bring the peace. Two of them make it to the dressing room, leap in with the quickness (And a 10 point differential on initiave rolls), and grab the commlink on the table. The ork women don't even get a chance to scream as the male who was reaching for his heavy pistol is narcojetted twice (I like non-lethality from my players, it makes me happy) and then the perps head back down the stairs.
The Face heads out around the south side of the warehouse (Trying to cut through most of the crowd so he isn't seen), the 'killer around the north, the technomancer around the south. The 'killer rolls up on the Troll at the main door and tries to narcojet him, finds it ineffective, and then pulls out her Slivergun (I upped the Troll's body to 10, and he only took 3 stun from the Narcojet after a toxin resist test. Yay GM's DICE!). The troll then hit her with a taser and she failed her electricty resist test and fell to the ground shaking.
This put a great amount of fear into my players, as the tank just dropped to the ground. However the face, firing his Slivergun from the crowd and calling his shots to avoid the Trolls armor, and the Technomancer who picked up the Supersquirt loaded with narcojet, managed to drop him after only one additional round...where the Technomancer was nearly gutted with a 6P damage knife-shot to the gut from the troll.
They slappatch the 'killer, and start dragging her out the warehouse under cover of the confusion of the mob combatting itself.
That's when I called game last night.
When they asked what they could write it down as..."Oh, just write it down as Nabo's commlink. It's what all of you think it is, anyway. A shame you didn't verify it before you stole it..."
-
The group makes it to the club and after the Elf Face with the tailored pheremones mentiones the "Johnson Party" to the two troll bouncers, recieves many offers of being the host for his own "Johnson Party" and sits at the bar, they get the run-around from the Lady Elf. The run-around lasts until they finally get a hint about the room from watching people enter the private rooms upstairs, and finally take the "No shit" tact with the girl.
The group wants a lot more information from the Johnson, but he doesn't supply it. They don't try to negotiate up front, as the Face thinks it will be better to do after the run when they have the optical disc in hand.
Onto legwork! Contacts are called, a Loyalty test is critically glitched, and a Fence finally finds out someone that has been offered to sell the disc to. They head off to the concery that Nabo is having! Side note: 2 elves and a human female...maybe not the best ethnic group for the setting that they are heading to.
All three characters go about a different way of getting their tickets. The Face negotiates with a scalper, the technomancer steals money from the scalpers commlink and pays him for the ticket out of that, and the 'killer waits in a port-a-john for an ork and hits him twice with narcojet, then steals his wristband.
Inside, they find that Nabo has just taken the stage, and eventually decide to create a diversion so they can sneak backstage. This is done by the technomancer blowing out the speakers. I move the gang-riot up a bit to represent this, and they sneak backstage during the ensuing gun-fights with Nabo trying to bring the peace. Two of them make it to the dressing room, leap in with the quickness (And a 10 point differential on initiave rolls), and grab the commlink on the table. The ork women don't even get a chance to scream as the male who was reaching for his heavy pistol is narcojetted twice (I like non-lethality from my players, it makes me happy) and then the perps head back down the stairs.
The Face heads out around the south side of the warehouse (Trying to cut through most of the crowd so he isn't seen), the 'killer around the north, the technomancer around the south. The 'killer rolls up on the Troll at the main door and tries to narcojet him, finds it ineffective, and then pulls out her Slivergun (I upped the Troll's body to 10, and he only took 3 stun from the Narcojet after a toxin resist test. Yay GM's DICE!). The troll then hit her with a taser and she failed her electricty resist test and fell to the ground shaking.
This put a great amount of fear into my players, as the tank just dropped to the ground. However the face, firing his Slivergun from the crowd and calling his shots to avoid the Trolls armor, and the Technomancer who picked up the Supersquirt loaded with narcojet, managed to drop him after only one additional round...where the Technomancer was nearly gutted with a 6P damage knife-shot to the gut from the troll.
They slappatch the 'killer, and start dragging her out the warehouse under cover of the confusion of the mob combatting itself.
That's when I called game last night.
When they asked what they could write it down as..."Oh, just write it down as Nabo's commlink. It's what all of you think it is, anyway. A shame you didn't verify it before you stole it..."
| QUOTE (zeb.hillard) |
| When they asked what they could write it down as..."Oh, just write it down as Nabo's commlink. It's what all of you think it is, anyway. A shame you didn't verify it before you stole it..." |
Ah, critical glitches.
I love it!
So...if you can say without worrying that your players might read this...what did they actually end up with?
| QUOTE (winterhawk11) | ||
Ah, critical glitches. I love it! So...if you can say without worrying that your players might read this...what did they actually end up with? |
Oh, they grabbed the actual commlink that was lying on the table. I had toyed with making it the commlink of one of the three drunk/stoned orks that were in the rum, and leave Nabo's commlink on him so he could direct some of the effects from his place on stage...but, I thought that would be just a little too grandiose.
I just like leaving a session halfway through a run with a good amount of high-tension to make them question themselves. It makes my malicious self smile some.
| QUOTE (zeb.hillard) |
| All three characters go about a different way of getting their tickets. The Face negotiates with a scalper, the technomancer steals money from the scalpers commlink and pays him for the ticket out of that, and the 'killer waits in a port-a-john for an ork and hits him twice with narcojet, then steals his wristband. |
...our team's hacker did a similar thing to what your Technomancer did except in reverse. Basically he hacked the Scalper's commlink and took back the money after we had paid for the tickets.
Our approach to getting backstage was a bit...creative in that the rest of the characters had KK pose as a big fan of Nabo who wanted to meet him (not hard to convince her to play the part considering her Logic attribute). Almost worked until Nabo got 'nabbed' and the fight out in the warehouse broke out.
Ran second session of the adventure this week. Proved why teams need Street Sams because not having one makes the team VERY gunshy. (Again Elf Mage and Ork Technomancer)
Team decided to reply to the email selling the disk and also to intercept Zipper in RL outside of the Cathode Glow. Response to email wasn't forth coming so they used a spirit to search. Mage and spirit tied in the summoning but the spirit glitched so I had it show up and bargain with the mage (got a favor, mage could tell he didn't have an empathic link with the spirit so he had the wiggins). Eventually it found Zipper in a coffin motel.
I decided before they got there, since it was around dinner time, that she would leave and get coffee at the nearby cafe. So when they were sitting there I had them roll perception. Both had to default resulting in not enough successes and a glitch on the part of the technomancer. I told him that two units of beat cops were heading for the coffin motel. This got the party all worked up and Zipper got to the cafe undetected.
They eavesdrop on the cops who were bitching to each other about recent gang activity. The technomancer scanned for her commlink and didn't find her in the motel so the mage went astral. I had him use Astral Perception in a search extended test and he critically glitched on the first test. I told him that he found an insect shaman in one of the rooms. He went nuts and called the cops who responded instantaneously (since they were right outside). He stuck around to check things out and got disturbed when the cops didn't appear to do anything about the insect shaman so he told the technomancer to get them the hell out of there.
As they pull away I allow one last perception test to spot Zipper sit at the window of the cafe and they finally spot her. They pull over suddenly and the mage (who's a pretty good face) goes in to talk to her. After some socializing and an influence spell she agrees to help (but by then she's already sent a message to Kerwin). PCs leave with a name (Kerwin Loomis) and a place (The Coda).
They check out Kerwin with a datasearch and the technomancer amasses over twice the needed successes. I tell them some stuff about him and also that his dad, a music producer named clarence "K spot" loomis just died, but they don't really follow the lead. Instead they decide to go to his home address and check it out. They don't find anything there (hacking the apartment and astral scouting) so they go to the club.
Paranoid and sans sam they park a couple of blocks away and hack/drone/astral over there. I let the mage make an astral perception and tell him that he sees a detection spell being used in the junkyard but he didn't check it out...
I'll finish the post later.
Team decided to reply to the email selling the disk and also to intercept Zipper in RL outside of the Cathode Glow. Response to email wasn't forth coming so they used a spirit to search. Mage and spirit tied in the summoning but the spirit glitched so I had it show up and bargain with the mage (got a favor, mage could tell he didn't have an empathic link with the spirit so he had the wiggins). Eventually it found Zipper in a coffin motel.
I decided before they got there, since it was around dinner time, that she would leave and get coffee at the nearby cafe. So when they were sitting there I had them roll perception. Both had to default resulting in not enough successes and a glitch on the part of the technomancer. I told him that two units of beat cops were heading for the coffin motel. This got the party all worked up and Zipper got to the cafe undetected.
They eavesdrop on the cops who were bitching to each other about recent gang activity. The technomancer scanned for her commlink and didn't find her in the motel so the mage went astral. I had him use Astral Perception in a search extended test and he critically glitched on the first test. I told him that he found an insect shaman in one of the rooms. He went nuts and called the cops who responded instantaneously (since they were right outside). He stuck around to check things out and got disturbed when the cops didn't appear to do anything about the insect shaman so he told the technomancer to get them the hell out of there.
As they pull away I allow one last perception test to spot Zipper sit at the window of the cafe and they finally spot her. They pull over suddenly and the mage (who's a pretty good face) goes in to talk to her. After some socializing and an influence spell she agrees to help (but by then she's already sent a message to Kerwin). PCs leave with a name (Kerwin Loomis) and a place (The Coda).
They check out Kerwin with a datasearch and the technomancer amasses over twice the needed successes. I tell them some stuff about him and also that his dad, a music producer named clarence "K spot" loomis just died, but they don't really follow the lead. Instead they decide to go to his home address and check it out. They don't find anything there (hacking the apartment and astral scouting) so they go to the club.
Paranoid and sans sam they park a couple of blocks away and hack/drone/astral over there. I let the mage make an astral perception and tell him that he sees a detection spell being used in the junkyard but he didn't check it out...
I'll finish the post later.
So the mage continues on to the club to make sure that Kerwin is still there. Searches through and finds no trace of Kerwin but does find a bunch of disks. The technomancer hacks the bar and doesn't find anyone there except for the gangers. Mage decides to re search the street back to Loomis' place and his apartment again so he takes off in astral for the next ten minutes.
Meanwhile technomancer gets curious about the junkyard and notices (through a drone) that a group of armed men are shoving someone into their van. Checks it out and turns out that Loomis is the one being shoved in. Finds the guy with the biggest gun (team leader with the assault rifle). Hacks him and starts poking around his PAN. He considered firing the assault rifle but as soon as I mention wired reflexes he shuts them off (small lack of communication there as I jumped on it right away when he was talking out loud about his musings). Sam freaks and goes off line.
Technomancer can't talk to mage and doesn't know what to do. Uses his registered Machine sprite to follow the van. Finally mage comes back and they try to find a way to deal with a van full of armed men when they have no sam. Mage summons a Force 9 Earth spirit (taking 4 boxes of physical). Tells it to go into the van and scare everyone inside. Driver succeeds his crash test so everyone piles out and bolts. Mage levitates Kerwin so he can't run and deposits him in their van. Mind probes him to find out about copies and original and finds out the strike leader has it. Technomancer tells the machine sprite to jump into the opposing van and run down the strike leader.
They grab the disk and run. Don't bother with the commlink so they don't know about the corp behind it. Go so far as to listen to the disk and decrypt first level but give up when I say they can't figure it out and don't decide to follow up on the mysterious clue. Finally Johnson gets back to them and sets up the meet at Infinity again.
While shopping for clubbing clothes for the technomancer they get the call from JB's party. Set up the meet at the graveyard for midnight (J at 2am). Left off with the mage agreeing to go in alone to discuss with the new party. Both char's don't want to sell out J so they are only willing to sell copies (which still goes against their agreement with J). It's going to be a very messy finale.
Meanwhile technomancer gets curious about the junkyard and notices (through a drone) that a group of armed men are shoving someone into their van. Checks it out and turns out that Loomis is the one being shoved in. Finds the guy with the biggest gun (team leader with the assault rifle). Hacks him and starts poking around his PAN. He considered firing the assault rifle but as soon as I mention wired reflexes he shuts them off (small lack of communication there as I jumped on it right away when he was talking out loud about his musings). Sam freaks and goes off line.
Technomancer can't talk to mage and doesn't know what to do. Uses his registered Machine sprite to follow the van. Finally mage comes back and they try to find a way to deal with a van full of armed men when they have no sam. Mage summons a Force 9 Earth spirit (taking 4 boxes of physical). Tells it to go into the van and scare everyone inside. Driver succeeds his crash test so everyone piles out and bolts. Mage levitates Kerwin so he can't run and deposits him in their van. Mind probes him to find out about copies and original and finds out the strike leader has it. Technomancer tells the machine sprite to jump into the opposing van and run down the strike leader.
They grab the disk and run. Don't bother with the commlink so they don't know about the corp behind it. Go so far as to listen to the disk and decrypt first level but give up when I say they can't figure it out and don't decide to follow up on the mysterious clue. Finally Johnson gets back to them and sets up the meet at Infinity again.
While shopping for clubbing clothes for the technomancer they get the call from JB's party. Set up the meet at the graveyard for midnight (J at 2am). Left off with the mage agreeing to go in alone to discuss with the new party. Both char's don't want to sell out J so they are only willing to sell copies (which still goes against their agreement with J). It's going to be a very messy finale.
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