Hoi,

The locals have been playing the Denver Missions on & off for the better part of a year and we're starting to look ahead to the transition to the NYC campaign.

Most things seem pretty straight forward - keep your current runner (while burning the contacts they've gained back in Denver) or make a new runner using the earned karma from the old one.

The main question we've got at this juncture is this - why would you make a new runner?

Aside from the novelty of trying something new, the conversion system seems geared to making the new runner significantly weaker than the previous one. Is there some balancing factor that we're missing?

I know, I know - same amount of karma, but the conversion doesn't really take into account the nuyen earned along with that karma by the guy from Denver. A quick glance back at my logsheets shows about 150k earned over 19 runs (113 karma). Factoring in lifestyle & incidental expenses, I'd say my runner netted about 1000nY/karma. Presuming my guy earns 150 karma before making the transition, that's about 150k nuyen available for personal improvement (guns, 'warez, toys, etc). To re-acquire that chunk of change using the conversion rules for the NYC runner (2500nY/karma spent) comes out to 60 karma - about 40% of the karma previously earned. Kinda steep, imo.

Thoughts? Comments? Nuggets of Wisdom?

--Moonhawk

I don't know if the systems built to be a numerically perfect option as much as to give people the option. Tired of playing a mage or street sam and want to make up a hacker or techno, have at.

I don't know if the systems built to be a numerically perfect option as much as to give people the option. Tired of playing a mage or street sam and want to make up a hacker or techno, have at.

Some characters like Faces may rather create a new one, than lose their contacts. Also, if you created a character and later you think him gimped, then you have a way out and still retain your karma. It may not be a popular choice, but it's a welcome option for some. (good heads up play by the SRM team).

The other reason to create a new character was to be able to use some of the options from later books. If you made a character using just the base book, you may want to later have the option of using Augmentation or Runners Companion as an example.

Nod - I can see that.

However, my buddies & I came into the game late enough that we had access to those books from the start, so its less of an incentive today than it might have been at the start of the NYC campaign.

I'll take this under advisement.
I'll probably play around with an new runner too under the limitations of reduced nuyen & access, just to see what I can work up.

--Moonhawk