Hey guys In my game the players keep asking for high availability items - sniper rifles, assault cannons, rating 6 SINs, availaility 20 cyber and bioware etc.

Now according to RAW there's no problem - after a bit of time there's no chance their face will fail to obtain these items. But I seem to recall such being a bit hard to get in previous editions?

So what are your house rules, if any? So far I've told em they won't be able to get anything over 12 without special contacts obtained through play. For example, after playing Queen Euphoria they could get sniper rifles and assault cannons, as they got to talk to a master armorer elf.

I want some things to be hard to get. Perhaps it's just my SNES Shadowrun days where you just started out with a Beretta and getting a Defiance T-250 was a challenge... but "I want an assault cannon" "Ok, roll extended test" "Ok I got it in x days.".

Everything is available, but don't forget the availability interval table (p. 303). Most of the hard to find stuff is also really expensive, and trying to hit a threshold of 20 with a 1 week interval can take quite a while. For instance, if you've got 12 dice that suprathyroid gland (availability 20, cost $45,000) is going to take you an average of 5 weeks. Depending on how frequently you're running that could be a whole bunch of sessions that pass.

If it's legal and you are not wanted and have a reasonable ID the time is just mostly annoying. You'll eventually get what you want. (The mechanics are a bit odd, but I digress.)

But you need to be careful with who you deal with for illegal stuff. Buying machineguns from the guy who promises delivery tomorrow only works well if he's not an undercover cop and not a planning a rip off. The more people who hear about your "need" and the more money in play the more likely it is that someone who is planning something clever will show up.

The fixer just finds the stuff for you. There are lots of perfectly valid reasons why your fixer doesn't want to actually touch the stuff and just arranges a meet with the people who he understands have the goods you want, or who want to pay you for the goods they want.

Remember that the other side is dealing with "people who shoot people in the face for money" and everyone involved will tend to be a bit edgy, particularly if it's bunch of strangers meeting carrying lots of money and illegal stuff. Roleplaying a meeting with someone who expects a ripoff can be interesting, as can having the first 3 deals go good before the players have a meet with guys who intend to rip them off, and are good at it.

If it's legal and you've got a good ID, or if it's illegal and you don't mind the risk of the check on your fake license, you can ignore availability altogether. SINners don't have to go through the shadows and can get practically everything delivered right to their doorstep lickity split.

Personally I apply the "law enforcement crackdown" modifier on any forbidden item in Seattle.

But for the most part I think SR is just set in a world where it's easy to get ahold of most stuff. Presumably there are corps with very shady selling practices, perhaps in other countries. To some degrees the corps are just there to make a profit.

That being said I don't like how the system works, in that any joe schmo can get right in on finding illegal goods. and with edge there really isn't a chance of the star getting them via a glitch.

Still if players wantt to do it they actually have to spend all that time at it. Also you could choose to screw them, via raw some tasks require a restart

I assume that a given player can only look or try to get one item at a time. So yeah, your face may be able to get everything, but if he's spending 5 weeks looking for a superthyroid gland for the sammy, he's too busy to get the uncouth rigger her some APDS for her drones LMG's.

This also has the side effect of making everyone have a few points in social skills.

If the characters really wanted to get their hands on something quick they could just get a 6/6 black market arms dealer. That would cover any weapon they could ever want, many things the contact would already have on hand or know where to get. They could also go for 6/6 crime boss. There isn't much he wouldn't be able to get his hands on either. As far as doing the extended test goes, if it gets to that, remember there are modifiers to the price on page 303 SR4. If they roll a glitch on the negotiation + charisma extended test they draw unwanted attention. You can also throw in a negative by making the weapon they requested have been used in a crime or even stolen from Lonestar's evidence lockup.

Do realize that illegal items are going to be easy for a shadowrunner to acquire, especially someone such as a face. Items on the black market are also usually much cheaper than the market value of the items. Since black market items have a tendency to be stolen and who knows what else, the price is usually cheaper. Generally my point of view is that if the player spent the BP and Karma for their characters to do something within RAW, they should be able to do it. Besides, the last thing that needs to happen in SR4 is to limit a street samurai's ability to get better gear. If you do this, just realize the gap between magician/adept and street samurai widens. I am not too sure any house rules are necessary here.

The real negative about having these forbidden items is what happens when you are caught with them. Having a sniper rifle and assault cannon are nice, but how the heck are you going to conceal the thing, let alone covertly transport it. You would have to have it in a vehicle at all times and have a lot of preparations to use it. It isn't something you are going to be able to use whenever you feel like it, and even when the situation might call for it. The magician can cast a spell that will do assault cannon damage anytime they need too. They could even snipe with their spells if they wanted to.

Why buy when you can steal? If you want something, you don't have to find out who is selling it. You just have to find out who has it and where. If you want a new Citymaster, for example, all you need to do is walk into the nearest Lone Star garage and steal away. Want military grade weapons? Then try a military grade armory.

Theft depends wholy on your GM.

In maybe half the campaigns your characters are the only ones that noticed all those magical and technological means to track stuff(Especially the crazy powerful magical ones). And are the only ones who can send spirits out on remote tasks etc.

If that's the case steal away. Though be careful not to tick them off, that can have undersirable consequences.

and pray that the Face is not a Social Adept like mine. I drop 20 dice on any negotiation test I make. I have over 30 3/3 contacts in various fields of expertise 10 or so 5/5. There is very little I cannot find/obtain for the team. Plus I take 5% of the cut for negotiation fees and such

Sometimes my face takes a 5% fee too.

But anyway remember the rules are centered around making runners not go-gangers or Joe average. The availability tests assume the character is familiar with the shadows. Which should include all the runners.


Here's a face tip. Put knowledge skills in similar areas that a fixer has. Put down the skill points in stuff like fences, smuggler hangouts etc so YOU have the knowledge of where to find black market goods.

Getting a bunch of contacts is often only helpful if you have the contact do the find for you.

then retire and become a fixer!