There is only one way to accomplish this module or at least get to the actual confrontation in, that is to go to the triads who direct you to Eddie who after a random number of hours will contact you with actionable intel. In the interim through either Eddie's services or potentially through your own use of photorecognition software you can get a redhearing (though potentially profitable) visit to the MDC building either through Eddie's services or through their own photo recognition software. My real line of concern is that the link to actually going to the triads, especially that triad in particular is very tenuous, and then requires they succeed in their dealings with the triad or the module is essentially over. This is especially problematic as one of the affiliate orders could potentially preclude proper dealings with the Triads, that's not to say that a GM couldn't wing it but I'm always praying that my players take the hint sand hit some contacts up about Triad optiuons.

The second place this module comes close to the rails is what happens with Yao's meeting with Ieto, the module seems to assume the players will interrupt the deal, but what if they don't? The module doesn't state what happens leaving me to have to extrapolate everytime. The runners mission is to bag Yao alive, as long as Hong doesn't appear to be apprehend her there is no good reason for them to want to mix it up with corporate security forces if they don't have to.

Final nitpicK: Ieto Hong is the head of corporate security for Horizon in New York. If he isn't magically active he should have some fairly decent combat cyberware. In edition, and this has been a glaring oversite at every table I've ran, he should have someone on his team with counterspelling defense up on him and others in his retune at all times. Personally I feel that anything less is laughable at his level of importance, given the low cost to playing a mage under SR4 i think it is a reasonable assumption to put more spell defense characters out there as otherwise Stunball essentially wins all combats.

Tips for future "Hunter/Seeker modules, which by the way I feel is a great framework as it allows almost every style of shadowrun character a chance to play but especially face's getting some much needed love.

A table or list of all the skills/tests that might be used to track down information to at least get to certain links in the chain readily accessible for the GM's.

A timeline or at least summary of what the target will do and if not influenced by the players actions.

My biggest grip was Ieto Hong’s treatment. He’s supposed to be huge and important, but is instead basically helpless and surrounded by a security detail so small and flaccid that my 3 person TR4 table rolled him and Lin’s security at once, then flew off in the Horizon helicopter to deliver Lin to Peaceman. The addition of a pair of armed aerial drones and one or two Guardian spirits would have gone a long way towards making that a fight we wouldn’t have started, rather than one we handily won.

Although how did you let them steal the helicopter, it and it's mounted machine gun are essentially the only scary thing in the whole module.

We stole the helicopter by attacking Lin's guards to bait the pilot into landing to extract the Horizon team, then put both security details down with stunballs, and disabled the aircrew of the landed helicopter with aimed rifle fire. Then it was just a matter of downloading a pirated Pilot Aircraft activesoft, loading Lin into the chopper, screaming "Get to the Choppah!", then taking off and flying west out of Terminal over the Hudson and into Jersey, up and over the Palisade to land in the wilds of Jersey City. After a bit of sitting on the ground waiting to see whether we'd been followed, we flew south to Perth Amboy, around the south side of Staten Island and east to Coney Island, north over Brooklyn, then up the East River to Roosevelt Island. Fly low, fly fast, and spoof the AccessID to avoid being tracked.

In short, we gambled that the Horizon security people would cut and run rather than get involved based on the body language between Lin and Ieto. We also had a fake vehicle pass and a vehicle with shielded smuggling compartments which let us go into Terminal loaded for bear. On the other hand, a table with a pure hacker has the option of hacking the helicopter on the fly to kill the air crew in cybercombat, taking remote control of the helicopter and then turning the gun on the security teams on the ground which makes the whole exercise a lot more simple.

For Hong, adding a mage wouldn't have helped them much, since he'd have been one of the ones to catch an opening bullet. On the other hand, guardian spirits would have probably survived the opening volley, and the counterspelling from Magical Guard would have gone a long way towards toughening up his detail. A pair of loitering Nimrods with Vindicators or a GTA Tower loaded with Heimdahls would have helped his cause, too. Or they might have been complete overkill.

DWC: Even with smart play your GM fucked up, theres no other way to say it, given you guys relative power level he should have had the helicopter strafe you rather then just land and extract, I'm glad you guys have fun but this is one problem with how loose the mods are. Granted you guys obviously brought some seasoned characters into something intended for fresh off the boat talent but if that was the case your GM should have scaled accordingly.

Frankly it's stupid IETO even has a helicopter for a "extract when things go bad" or is even having the meet in the terminal, granted some things are given for convenience of play but a city master or road master would have served just as well considering the helicopters whole purpose in the mission is "Derp derp derp, IETO's in trouble, i better land and give up the ability to provide cover fire."

So basically my feeling is, if you guys were going to steal it your GM should have made you work for it as the helicopter is not meant to be something to be greyhawked. it is meant to be overwhelming force even if, yes it doesn't come off that way in many cases.

I will concede that he could have been more aggressive in having the Horizon forces attack us. I was kind of surprised that my gamble paid off, to be honest. I figured there was a decent chance of the whole mess ending with a burning helicopter crashed in the street, dead bodies everywhere, and us fleeing NYPD, Inc in a high speed chase through the Lincoln Tunnel and the wilds of Secaucus while we searched for a place to go to ground and deal with a plethora of gunshot wounds. I doubt that I'll be that lucky again. Then again, this was the only Missions module I've gone that loud on, and I certainly hope it doesn't happen again for quite some time.

It seemed like the meeting took place in Terminal so that Horizon could deal with Lin away from prying eyes who might wonder who she was, or even worse, might wonder why a Horizon employee was talking to a gangster from Denver. Driving a Range Rover in from Manhattan, talking to Lin, then driving out of Terminal into Jersey to meet up with a helicopter for a ride back to corporate property in Manhattan would have been far more discrete, but that's a whole different discussion. I assume the choice to fly around in a company gunship, wearing armor emblazoned with the company logo was meant to be a display of an MDC member's confidence that it was untouchable.