Hi this is my first post and I just wanted to ask if there were any sites known that did a good write up of peoples games.

I've been running D&D games for 12+ years (yikes), and I am a pretty damn good DM. But given the different approach/flavour of Shadowrun would like to read through a few other peoples experiences to get a low down on what's different and what approach I should take.

Also if you want to give out any tips and advice feel welcome, that is PLEASE give out tips and advice.

Anyway hope to hear from you all and to be able to report back on our progress soon.

Hi, welcome to Dumpshock. As for your question I don't know of a site that does write ups of peoples campaigns (they usually do it themselves). So best bet on that is just google shadowrun, you'll find all sorts of stuff, from campaigns, houserules, new creations, and some really bizzare stuff.

For starter's though go to the main Dumpshock site and under dumpshock forums there's a listing of sites that are really good, Blackjack's site has a ton of stuff. Under that is a Matrix sites listing which provide abunch of in game info, especailly Ancient History's site.

Sadly there are alot of shadowrun sites that don't get updated or are only updated infrequently, don't let it get you down though there is still have great info available.

Gonna warn you about the forums now, some people can be negative sometimes, and some debates get lively. Just don't take stuff too personal.

Edit- I r gud at riting

THOSE are pretty good.

Bye
Thanee

You could just read through random pages or private campaigns on Shadowland, if you're really interested. The archives and pages basically serve as transcripts for years of gaming/collaborative storytelling.

Here's some archives of a campaign I'm still running, but what is occuring now can be separated from this stuff. OBTW, it probably looks a bit high-powered, but mostly that's due to the fact that it's the culminations of the careers of pretty much all of Shadowland's most high-profile, experienced shadowrunners.

0. Dice Rolls

1. What A Week It Has Been

2. Encore

3. Catastrophe

4. Once More Into the Breech

5. Virtual Armageddon

6. Somethin' Else

7. The Last Time

8. To Live And Die In Seattle

9. Against All Enemies

10. Sabotage

11. Gone To Ground

12. The Accidental Nexus

13. Armageddon

14. Variable

And just for reference sake, here is The New Dice Rolls Page

And here is, as the title says, a big old Grab Bag O' Fiction (SR and otherwise), In An Exciting Variety of Flavors!.

Thanks for the quick and friendly replies, I really do appreciate it. I'll have a nose at the sites mentioned.

Angelone, thanks for the heads up but don't worry negativity flows over me like water off a ducks back. I've been playing since I was 12 and if I've noticed one thing it's that people always find something to bitch about .

I'm running a Dragonlance game at the mo that's likely to chew into the better part of next year, but that's all good as I like a lot of prep time (4-6 months is not unusual). I'm sure I'll be picking peoples brains relentlessly in the next few months.

So here I am with my second question already

You've all been really helpful but I was wondering what your general recommendation was for types of characters to make a balanced group of runners.

I have a great group and we tend to be more about interactive storytelling than that sometimes adversarial relationship DM's, sorry GM's have with their players. To get to the point we tend to create characters as a group and they very much rely on me for guidance and suggestions.

So if you could give me an idea what you think is good great. The group is 3 (or 4) people.

It's certainly a good idea to cover all the important bases...

1) Combat
2) Magic
3) Matrix
4) Stealth
5) Social Interaction
6) Breaking & Entering
7) Rigging

Combat is easy, most every character will probably have some combat ability. You do not really need dedicated combat characters.

Magic would be best covered with a full magician in the group, who is decent at spellcasting and summoning.

Matrix could be handled either by a dedicated hacker or a hacker/rigger or a combat hacker (good hacker with good combat ability as well). In 2070 you will need someone who can handle the Matrix.

Stealth is something most characters should at least have some skill in, it's surely very useful for shadowrunners to remain unnoticed.

Social Interaction is also useful for everyone to a degree, though having one character be the team's face is good. A shaman is a good choice here, since Cha will already be high and you pretty much only need some Influence skills then to be ok.

Breaking & Entering is very important for shadowrunners, for obvious reasons. Someone good with Electronics (i.e. a hacker or rigger, who needs those skills anyways) is usually all that is needed, apart from some tools, though.

Rigging is probably the least important there, someone could do that in addition to other tasks, but it won't hurt to have a rigger onboard, especially drones can come in handy.

To cover all this with three to four characters, I would probably make the following (with example skills/groups):

- Street Shaman / Face (Spellcasting, Counterspelling, Summoning, Binding, Astral Perception, Influence)
- Combat Hacker (Automatics/Pistols, Dodge, Cracking, Electronics, Infiltration, Perception)
- Adept (Blades/Unarmed, Pistols, Athletics, Stealth, Perception)
- Rigger / B&E Specialist / Paramedic (Pilot, Gunnery, Electronic Warfare, Electronics, Mechanics, First Aid, Perception)

Bye
Thanee

That's a good group size (we often play with 7- including GM- which can be too many).

In terms of skills for an SR team- obviously you probably need a mage and a hacker, and maybe a rigger. You need fighters too, but given a small group size like yours I reckon it will work best (not just for the mission but for the game experience as well) to have people double-tasking (all fighters, in their own way, or all hackers in their own way if you intend there to be a lot of that). It does depend on the mission you've got in mind of course (if you've got a particular mission in mind), and you're probably the best person to decide- and then give the players an idea of the kind of roles that you think need to be covered.
EDIT: Whatever you do, bear in mind that the nature of SR can tend to split teams up in the field- some people in the real world, some in the astral, some in the matrix. So try and find a shape for the team where that isn't going to happen too much in the kind of missions you have in mind.

In terms of personalities, I've found the most memorable stories have come from friction within the group (as long as it's not enough to fracture them up- so give them- or get them to give you- a good reason to stick together). They probably shouldn't hate each other, but having conflicting motives and passions can be fun, in moderation, especially if the group can decide beforehand that this is what they want.