Nick--Is your place warded? If so, what force?

here's the battlepan I'm thinking...please feel free to add ideas if I'm missing something.

1-Get to the house, have Wolf and Jake bolster the ward (if one is in place...
2-While we are putting up the ward, have Iblis make a quick run to get our money. Then see if she can scour anything on the Matrix to catch this guy--bank accounts, any shadowtalk, Gridguide footage, possible transponder in the car...anything she can find.
3-Nameless, you're on bagel duty....

Just kidding

Nameless--hit the streets, see if you can find any dirt on the Seolpa rings or the Triad....we'll need to be able to blame them for this hit which will mean that we may need a few bodies to drop in the gunfight. Possibly a car linked to one of those gangs to use as a final transport when we do the hit. And we'll need those bagels...

Why am I always on bagel duty?

I'm voting for the Seoulpa Rings, because Nameless has strong ties to the Triads, so unless someone has a problem with that, I'm going for them, is that ok?

I am all for not blaming friends of friends for the hit.

Works for me...I'm just trying to keep the Europeans out of it...

Where and what is the safe house? Just looking for info to post with.

It's a squat in the Redmond Barrens, nothing fancy.

Yes, it's got a force 10 ward, probably masked. Got to go now.

Just so you guys know, the balls in your court at this point. I'll happily respond to anything you need or actions you take, but if you're just talking, the only IC posts I'm going to make are time stamps.

McQ, I'm going to let Jake lay out the plan IC and discuss before I have Nameless just randomly head out, just fyi.

Summoning three Watchers, force 3. Giving them each one hour of life.

Conjuring 6
08 07 05 04 04 01

Drain 3L
11 04 04 02 02 01

Conjuring 6
05 05 05 02 01 01

Drain 3L
29 09 05 05 03 02

Conjuring 6
08 05 04 04 04 03

Drain 3L
07 05 05 04 02 02

Sounds good so far. Are you guys breaking at this point and going about your individual ways, or are you still planning?

We might still be in the planning stage, it depends if anyone wants to nay-say parts of the plan or if we are all going to roll some dice and get a move on with our individual pieces....

So, um yeah...what you said....

Sorry been working up and close at the family biz but I think I'll have time this weekend to do the decking part for the run and post everything this weekend.

If I don't hear anything by tomorrow, we'll assume nobody has any issue with their assigned jobs, and I'll need some rolls from everyone planning on doing something. Etiquette rolls from people talking to contacts and other people, decking rolls from your deckers, magic rolls from those tossing up wards, etc.

Feel free to let me know what you're doing now to move things along later.

IIRC, to build a ward, you just roll Magic right? TN is force, and base time is (Force) hours...

Ok, so let's go for a Force 10, opaque ward. We'll anchor it in a back room, not visible from outside if possible.

08 05 05 04 04 04 03 03 02 01 KARMA!

19 11 04 04 04 02 02 01 01 01--that gives me 2 successes...

Nick--if you can add some more we can cut down on how long this is going to take.

Ward roll- 9,8,7,5,5,4,4,3,3,2- no successes

Fear the low force watcher...

Ward's going up. I just need some specifics about what Nameless is doing, along with some rolls to back it up if necessary, and same thing for Iblis. What kind of data are you looking for, where are you looking for it, etc.

Fenris- Nameless is going to be asking the following questions/searching out answers to the following topics

1. Information on our target- where he lives, security he has at home, security he travels with, quality and quantity of bodyguards, his current status in the Yakuza, and so on.

2. Relations between the Seoulpa Rings and the Yakuza right now, specifically, looking for a ring we can pin this on to be our fall guys.

3. Parties (friendly or hostile) who might have an interest in our target and may react one positively or negatively to actions against him.

Any other questions the rest of you guys want me to follow up on?

Etiquette rolls:

Johnny Li: 08 04 03 03 02
Styx: 11 04 03 03 01
Shifty: 07 05 04 04 01
Whisper: 10 09 07 03 02
Steel: 16 11 11 04 03

Nameless - I need just a bit more information on your contacts before I can figure out what kind of info you had.

I know Johnny Li's a Triad physad, and obviously I know Steel Lotus. I don't have the others on your character sheet, as far as I can see, so I just need to know what levels they are and what their professions are.

They should be near the bottom. They're all level 1, and Styx is a fixer, Shifty is a decker, and Whisper is an information gathering specialist.

Sorry for the delay in posting, busy week but I am out for the count in-game for day and a half. So I will bug Fenris this weekend to do the decking thing with me so I can post results but feel free to move forward since it will take me 36 hours to do the search in game.

I'm out for 5...how long is Nameless going to take?

The next day, after some rest...I'll head out to see Mama Fortuna get some divination action...

Squat gnome from the old country with a storefront like a newspaper stand in downtown...hairy hump/shark's fin that runs behind the counter as a helper. She hates "Pretty" people (You're sooooo UGGGLLLYYY....) Good at divination as long as you pay up front...don't remember the name of it, but it generally requires blood and a bowl of water.

Question asked: What is Yamikaza's greatest fear or weakness?
Basically the intent is to find an achilles' heel which we might be able to exploit after we track him down...or possibly a hint at one of his vices to help narrow the search.

Etiquette: 19 08 05 05 02 01
To smooth over the rough feathers...I'll never be her friend, but I like being able to come back and have access to her services

I'll wait on calling Koji...he'll be more useful when we actually have a plan in the formative stages...

Ok it's going to take me 3 days to dig around......

I did with the rolling with Fenris and I have 4 successes on the matrix search for looking for grid guide info and accounts/assets on the mark. Sorry for the delay.

Nameless - It's going to take you at least a solid 48 hours to dig up all this info.

Jonny Li
1. Johnny doesn't know much more then the rumors that Yamikaza has a trio of awakened bodyguards that are with him at all times. He knows there's at least some truth to the rumor, because a previous student he occasionally speaks with is one of them. His relationship with the student is, for the most part, simply the residual respect from a pupil to a master that he parted with amicably. They mostly check in to make sure they're staying out of each other's way.
2. He has little contact with the Seoulpa Ring, and has no specific information on their relationship to either the Japanese or Seattle Yakuza.
3. You can assume that the Japanese and Seattle Yakuza have standing hostilities at all times. The Triads themselves have nothing specific at the moment, as far as he knows. He suggests checking with a few of the local gangs, especially the Mob.
Styx
1. Yamikaza lives in some kind of complex that the Seattle Yakuza maintain just oustide the city. It's owned by a couple of shell companys with some other electronic flim flam, the main point being that it's extra-territorial, so anything goes on the property. He can pass on an address.
2. The Seoulpa Ring currently has a better relationship with the Japanese Yakuza then the Seattle Yakuza, to the point of strife over certain points of territory and business with one as opposed to the other.
3. There's a runner team that Yamikaza hired, that got fragged. Supposedly someone's been putting feelers out on a retributive hit on Yamikaza.
Shifty
1. Yamikaza is staying at a complex outside of town, and he can pass on an address as well. He can tell you that there's no contracted security, like Knight Errant or Lonestar.
2. Shifty's got nothing specific on the Seoulpa Ring vs. Yakuza at the moment. Most of their issues tend to stay in the meat world.
3. Besides the obvious Mob vs. Yakuza and Japense Yakuza vs. Seattle Yakuza, he doesn't have any other specifics.
Whisper
1. Yamikaza has bumped his security up after a recent hit on another Yakuza boss. He runs with 3 cars, all black Westwinds, and uses a rigger, a transponder library, and photovoltaic paint to move between home, meetings, and the office. All three Westwinds were customized with rigger upgrades, the paint, transponder libraries, runflat tires, bulletproof glass, concealed armor, internal ballistic armor, rigger adaptations, and a Rating 10 security system, probably with some lethal options tossed in there as well.
2. The Seoulpa Ring has recently brokered a temporary alliance with the Japanese Yakuza to deal with the Seattle Yakuza in whatever manner would be most efficient. They've been going back and forth for the last few weeks in light of the new arrangement.
3. Nothing at the moment. Yamikaza has a fairly good rep in the shadows for being an honorable dealer, if completely ruthless and heartless.
Steel
1. Being a previous member of the Yakuza, Steel can tell you that she's been to the office before. Her companion warned her that the office was warded and protected by some kind of large fire spirit. She herself noticed that the office is wired pretty hot, with pressure plates and movement sensors in every room, along with constant camera surveillance, and she's pretty sure a few of the "camera" bubbles on the higher floors had hidden automated weapons.
2. No clue. She deals more with the Mob and the Yakuza, and stays clear of the other Asian organized crime families out of habitual behavior.
3. Steel happens to have knowledge of a specific family within the Seattle Yakuza that would like to see Yamikaza dead. They definitely have some reasources available to them, although she's not sure they'd act directly. She can put you in contact if you'd like.

Iblis - As far as I understand them, the two searches were thus:

1.) A route on your target via gridguide.

2.) Any information on secret accounts the target maintains.

Answers:

1.) Using the address of the complex and the address of the office building, you're able to narrow down the list to about 9 cars that make that run on a regular basis. The problem at this point is, it looks like on any given day, only 3 of those cars ever make it all the way from the complex to the office, and it's never the same 3 cars. You'd be able to clarify this information by actually directly accessing GridGuide and checking appropriate video info, as opposed to the transponder information you've managed to pick up on the Matrix.

2.) Surfing through a full half dozen shell companies and false identities, you are able to locate 2 accounts you can tie to your target, both sporting just under 3 million nuyen. The accounts are registered to the Zurich Orbital Bank. You don't have full account numbers, but you do have enough information to locate those accounts if you were actually on the host.

Buddha---I know Iblis has always wanted to actually test out that Excalibur she's sporting...Go for Zurich....we'll heal you and pull the cord if you start smoking....c'mon...you know you want to....

This post brought to you by the little voices inside your head.

WOW! Has the thread died? I hope not. I actually wuold to up for trying to look around. You only live once anyway.

I'll bug Fenris to bump and I know McQuillan is in the middle of a big move so it may take a few days but I'll see if I can get this thing moving again.

I apologize for not posting the time bump. For some reason I was just focused on getting all the information out there I am trying to maintain my personal tenant of at least one significant timeline bump a week, on Tuesdays. So, assuming everyone's done with their various canvessing, is there anything else you guys need at the moment to press forward?

Fenris--At this point I think we just need a team download and sharing of info then a little bit of planning.

Team--Do we think "Family" from the divination refers to the Yaks themselves or Yamikaza's personal family? Depending on how loud we want to make this, we could simply bring the building down on Yamikaza...but I'd like to know how many other people live there etc...if they are all Yaks, that's one thing but if we have innocents as well let's try to avoid the big splash.

I still say we hit him in the car. Iblis can run matrix overwatch via gridguide while the rest of us ambush him ought to work. Or, alternately, we can reprogram his car's transponder to correspond with that of some criminal the Star has on a 'shoot on sight' list.

Bringing the whole building down sounds fun to me.

We could dig around and see if he still has tight biological family connections. The reference may become clear if we found out he has no real family other than the Yaks. Maybe we could bother some people over at Extassis for a more in depth understanding of this fella?

Good thinking Buddha. Also, I didn't restate everything because that would take a while and I don't have time to do that at work. I can do it later if anyone feels the need/desire for me to repost all of that information in my own words.

I still say we hit the car. My guy has a rigger/decker contact, so we might be able to get him to track the car with his drones. Then, we take out the wheels with a monowire trap, drop an HE minigrenade under the car, and let the chunky salsa effect go to work.

The monowire trap takes time to set up, which we may not have if we are tracking him in real time. There's also the problem of not having it triggered by a different car on the road.

I'm not trying to nay say the plan, I just don't see it as feasible with the skill sets I know of. If you've got the gear and skills then it may work.

I've got a monowire whip. Have someone hold the other end, let it hang loose over the road, and then pull it taut when the car comes. Instant monowire trap.

I've also got an Are Alpha, with HE minigrenades.

*cough* Err...the average road in Seattle is 9 to 12 meters across. Your whip is around 2. Just so you guys know.

Sounds like you guys are still hashing out ideas, and I don't want to kill the brainstorming session or anything. Is there any other info I can provide at this point to help you out, or anything I can do to help you expediate this process?

If I can get close enough to touch him, I can always go for the delay damage/killing hands trick. Maybe if I pose as a janitor/security guard type? Or maybe even a beat cop who makes a routine traffic stop? Someone shoots out his taillight in 'random violence' and I pull him over for it a little while later?

I think we may need to do a good old fashioned shadow run with this one. Pin him down in a location and go in and whack him. Posted my bit in the IC thread.

Well, the second part of my plan (drop a grenade under his car, and let chunky salsa rule do the rest) is still valid. If Iblis can deck into the traffic lights and turn them red when there's at least 1 car in front of him, we might not need the monowire trap.

Alright guys, looks like you've got some ideas and suggestions out, so I need to know which path you guys are planning on taking at this point so I can start planning.

Any other questions or anything?

Fenris--I think we are in a planning phase...

Team--Alright, I compiled my thoughts up earlier, who are we gonig to play with and who do we want to stop thinking about?

Team:
Here's where we check....does everyone have a comm-unit? What gear do people think they are taking in with them? Is there something that might make the job easier or gear that you'd really like to have before we go hot against a Yakuza boss?

For myself, I wouldn't mind a few elementals on call, but that isn't my thing...and I'm not sure if Vinnie is allowed to loan those out...

My basic plan is to go in hot and heavy aiming for the mage on site and any magical support he has with him. I'm loaded for bear on that end...

If you can get me an SMG with good recoil comp and a laser sight, I might use it...but that would mean that the rest of the team hasn't been able to deal with the physical security...

Note: Phys Ads do not count as magical security...they are on your hit list unless they pop into the Astral.

I've got a transceiver in my Military Grade Hardened Armor. I'll bring my Ares Alpha, 4 clips each of EX-EX and APDS, and 16 HE minigrenades, as well as my monowire whip and my weapon focus morning star. I'll bring my Ares Predator III as a backups weapon, with a few clips of ammo.

Also, what sort of buffing spells do you have, McQuillan? I've got the Living Focus power so I can sustain one you cast at me. If we have the time I can make 6 expendable spell fetishes for you, at cost, as I've got 6 ranks in Enchanting, and the shop to use it. If I can get the TN for making the foci down to 2, I should be able to finish them in about 3 days (about 2 if my Astral Pool refreshes a couple times during the test).

Finally, if the GM will let me, I'll cast a masking ward onto my armor.

Nick--What's the total armor rating from your Hardened? (Looks at that wonderful high force Fashion spell...)

I've got Combat Sense, Imp Invis and Armor. I'm presuming that Inc Reflexes won't help you much...

Fenris--Rules question...I've got Shielding, Absorption and Reflecting.

The Shielding raises the TN for all magic cast against me and those I protect, but, would the shielding dice kick in first to attempt to dispell the magic before I get a chance to absorb or reflect the spell or afterwards?

I ask because if the Shielding reduces the number of successes first, it makes it much easier for me to do one of the other two...Of course my spell pool is going to be divided all across the board to power these different techniques...

McQuillan - Yes, from my understand, Shielding works to increase the TN's before anything else kicks in, and if the spell still goes off, you'll be able to choose which of the dice you want to apply and in what order.

Nick - Warding has to be allocated to a particular space. I am willing to stretch that designation even so far as to allow you to ward the interior of a fairly spacious vehicle, but I'm going to draw the line at warding the interior of a suit of armor.

I'll need some ruthenium for my running gear and I think that's it for me. APDS would be nice I used my last cherished 10 bullets a run or so ago but that's more a sweet spot for me. I think I have everything else I need.

I say we pick someone inside and dump the cash trail to them and mess up the Yaks even more.

Ok--Take 6 million, minus off 100K to make a false trail look legit.

That leaves 5.9--Send that over to Vinnie to get cleaned up. It will take a little while and be costly on his resources so we can pay him for his services. See if we can get 4.5 for us end game...That's paying him a commission of 23% percent....I figure start at 2-3% factor in some negotiation which could go either way and the rush charge and Vinnie will still come out smelling like a thousand bucks....or 140 thousand nuyen.