Okay, a little background.
My campaign is currently in Feb/March of 2069, so TMs are not yet public knowledge. However, we have two in the party; one PC and one NPC, who was kidnapped by MCT and accidentally rescued by the PCs several months back (more about that here)
So, what happened is that MCT found where she was and subcontracted things out to the Yaks to retrieve her. To make a long story short, the current death toll stands at about 20 Yaks and 25 contacts of varying degrees of loyalty (mostly gang members that got in the way of the hunt).
The part that prompted this topic however, was last night, as the PCs kidnapped the leader of the Yak squad that had killed the gangers that protected the team leader's place. Then, heading out to Puyallup, tortured and interrogated him, and, after they got what they wanted out of him (the name of the guy who ordered the strike), said that they would give him an honorable death. After they went through all of the prep for seppuku that they could in the field, and, before they untied him, the team leader said that Yaks have no honor and decapitated him. So now they plan to ship the (ritually disfigured) head to the Yakuza... and broadcast the video of some of the interrogation (mostly the Yak screaming) and the insult across the Matrix.
So, before, the Yakuza were going after them because it was business... now it's going to be personal.
So, what I was thinking to send after them was:
Every high Force kami that the kannushi can summon
Every high Magic Kannushi that the Yakuza have on "staff"
Putting a bounty on their heads that will have every bounty hunter in the city hunting them down.
Every street sam that the Yakuza have, including knasser's Buffalo.
A -3 Essence Cyberzombie, borrowed from MCT.
Anyone have any other suggestions, comments or critiques?
Full Version: Seriously Pissed Off Yaks
I think the cyber zombie is gilding the lily a little but you know your team's strength. You could also add several physad ninja.
If they buy their food from a yakuza backed black market poison their food. Have their contacts avoid them like the marked men they are.
Have an open hit bounty so the assassin's as well as bounty hunters are after them.
I have more but they are more instant death scenarios where the yak's fight to win and win dirty.
Edit
Start throwing contracted shadowrunners at them too.
If they buy their food from a yakuza backed black market poison their food. Have their contacts avoid them like the marked men they are.
Have an open hit bounty so the assassin's as well as bounty hunters are after them.
I have more but they are more instant death scenarios where the yak's fight to win and win dirty.
Edit
Start throwing contracted shadowrunners at them too.
It sounds like your players are intentionally pissing off the Yaks. It's hard to think that they're committing these atrocities out of ignorance. That said, you may want to take a step back and find out *why* they're doing this. If it is intentional, why? What purpose is it serving? The Players can often be just as crafty (if not more so) as the GM. In the end, though, the Yaks are NOT going to take lightly to what's been done, and retaliation is likely to be swift and decisive. Ninja Physads would likely be the first step, and it'd increase from there. Basically the players now have a death-warrant out for them, and unless they either make really powerful friends very quickly, or otherwise make reparations (likely not possible given their actions/planned actions), then they're as good as dead.
| QUOTE (JonathanC) |
| What to expect from seriously pissed off Yaks |
Beat me to it. That was my first thought as well.
Truly, my finest moment on Dumpshock.
| QUOTE |
| After they went through all of the prep for seppuku that they could in the field, and, before they untied him, the team leader said that Yaks have no honor and decapitated him. |
There's the trouble right there. If the Yaks see that on tape, or infer it from the seppuku setup in the field, then as they see it there are only two options.
1) They are honor-bound to kill the runners for insulting them in such a lethal way
2) They admit they have no honor and go home.
So... yea. Ninja Physads are probably rappelling down the building as we speak.
With the open bounty, I see lots of magic, and even a cyber-zombie in the works, but you're forgetting one important possible encounter. Never, ever, underestimate the havoc that can be caused by a skilled decker with dollar signs in his eyes. Every cheap motel the runners try to hide in flags them as terrorists. Every time they park, their car is towed. Every stoplight is red (a real hindrance when running from one of the other bounty hunters no doubt on their trail!) Their bank accounts evaporate. If they so much as try to grab grub from the stuffer shack on their way to their out-of-state hideout, the fry machine will explode while they are boxed in by cars in the drive through, and Lone Star will get a tip off about that crazy awakened serial killer being at that same stuffer shack. Disguised as one of the runners. And let's not forget the permanent spam zone that follows them around everywhere they go. Lastly, since the hacker is probably in Beijing or something, getting rid of him for good will be next to impossible unless he foolishly exposes himself to the team's hacker.
Oh, also -- since the body count is so extremely high already, the Yaks will most likely try a different approach than throwing more bodies into combat. The face archetype works great for opponents too -- anywhere the runners eat regularly will probably have some bounty hunter camped out at, waiting to talk his way into being a newly hired waiter and poisoning the runners to death. Then again, I suppose that too could be handled by physad ninjas...
why something that extensive?
find them, bring in a car full of boomex or something and make stuff go boom . . and then leave a hint as to why that happened to whom and what will happen if somebody else tries something like that EVER again o.O
find them, bring in a car full of boomex or something and make stuff go boom . . and then leave a hint as to why that happened to whom and what will happen if somebody else tries something like that EVER again o.O
Wouldn't the hacker need to have their identity info to drain their accounts? Aren't most runners using like 2-3 identities?
also remember one thing: if you let one hacker do something like draining acounts . . guess what every character hacker is going to try . .
I see Cyberninja as more likely than Ninja Physads
But yeah, Ninja, in large numbers
And remember kiddies, modern and post-modern Ninja use SMGs with sound suppressors and shockdart rounds. or APDS.
But yeah, Ninja, in large numbers
And remember kiddies, modern and post-modern Ninja use SMGs with sound suppressors and shockdart rounds. or APDS.
I agree with the above posters. For the Yakuza, this would be a tremendous insult and I would have them assault the runners with the fury of ten thousand hells.
I like the open bounty and I would make the amount high enough that it would blow the players' collective minds. In addition to pro bounty hunters, every petty criminal and ganger will be interested in collecting as well. Other syndicates, interested in a bargaining chip to trade to the Yaks, might also try to snare the runners.
Also, you have to consider the characters' contacts. All the Loyalty 1 guys would either stop returning the characters' phone calls or would actively try to sell them out. At least once, I would have a low Loyalty contact attempt to lure the characters into an ambush.
Higher loyalty contacts would probably find themselves targeted by the Yaks. I would have the characters find friends and loved ones tortured to death and killed. Maybe the Street Doc, who all the characters trust, gets a visit from the Yaks. He doesn't want to betray the PCs but then the Yaks kidnap his daughter and blackmail him...
Because of all the heat, people will refuse to work with the PCs. Runs should dry up. And anywhere they show their faces, they will attract trouble.
Perhaps most important, you have to give the players a way out. It should be hellish and difficult and some (or all) of them will likely die. But there has to be some hope. Maybe the most senior Oyabun can be swayed if the players are contrite enough (and if they agree to hand over their technomancer friend...)
I like the open bounty and I would make the amount high enough that it would blow the players' collective minds. In addition to pro bounty hunters, every petty criminal and ganger will be interested in collecting as well. Other syndicates, interested in a bargaining chip to trade to the Yaks, might also try to snare the runners.
Also, you have to consider the characters' contacts. All the Loyalty 1 guys would either stop returning the characters' phone calls or would actively try to sell them out. At least once, I would have a low Loyalty contact attempt to lure the characters into an ambush.
Higher loyalty contacts would probably find themselves targeted by the Yaks. I would have the characters find friends and loved ones tortured to death and killed. Maybe the Street Doc, who all the characters trust, gets a visit from the Yaks. He doesn't want to betray the PCs but then the Yaks kidnap his daughter and blackmail him...
Because of all the heat, people will refuse to work with the PCs. Runs should dry up. And anywhere they show their faces, they will attract trouble.
Perhaps most important, you have to give the players a way out. It should be hellish and difficult and some (or all) of them will likely die. But there has to be some hope. Maybe the most senior Oyabun can be swayed if the players are contrite enough (and if they agree to hand over their technomancer friend...)
Admittedly if you want to confuse the PCs, have the Yakuza do absolutely nothing
this can be the basis for all sorts of runs, ideas, and traps
PM me if you want more on this, so your players don't get the previews
this can be the basis for all sorts of runs, ideas, and traps
PM me if you want more on this, so your players don't get the previews
Copying from my post on the Street Violence thread:
In such cases, I recommend dropping out of the usual cycle of "Player declared action, GM declares immediate result", and calling a time out. Ask the player, straight up, what their plan is, for the medium-range time frame; listen; then advise the player that this plan seems reckless and likely to result in PC fatality, and, if applicable, to endanger other PCs. Tell the player that the PC gets a bad feeling about their plan.
If you give fair warning and the player sticks to their plan - either because the player wants to test the limits of the game world (like a teenager finding out the limits of their body by going without sleep for a day or three), or because the player decides that the PC would ignore the bad feeling - then if the PC dies, the guilt is not on the GM. If you are thinking "wow, this player is gonna get his PC killed" but you're NOT SAYING SO, then the guilt is on the GM.
Can the campaign survive this player choice? I mean, can you plausibly continue a story in which the PCs deliver such a public insult, and remain active in the campaign city? Either the PCs all die, or the local Yakuza eventually goes broke and dissolves after it loses all its main operatives in failed attacks on the PCs, and that's a lot of resources if the local clan can tap other clans and/or MCT. On another hand, if the PCs survive the onslaught for a week, then Vor or Mafia interested in taking over the territory might take this as an opportunity. Meanwhile, what does mainstream law enforcement make of this video - surely they will become aware of it at some point?
Alternate ending: the PCs clone themselves, kill the clone bodies, have a friend deliver the corpses to the Yakuza and collect a huge bounty.
In such cases, I recommend dropping out of the usual cycle of "Player declared action, GM declares immediate result", and calling a time out. Ask the player, straight up, what their plan is, for the medium-range time frame; listen; then advise the player that this plan seems reckless and likely to result in PC fatality, and, if applicable, to endanger other PCs. Tell the player that the PC gets a bad feeling about their plan.
If you give fair warning and the player sticks to their plan - either because the player wants to test the limits of the game world (like a teenager finding out the limits of their body by going without sleep for a day or three), or because the player decides that the PC would ignore the bad feeling - then if the PC dies, the guilt is not on the GM. If you are thinking "wow, this player is gonna get his PC killed" but you're NOT SAYING SO, then the guilt is on the GM.
Can the campaign survive this player choice? I mean, can you plausibly continue a story in which the PCs deliver such a public insult, and remain active in the campaign city? Either the PCs all die, or the local Yakuza eventually goes broke and dissolves after it loses all its main operatives in failed attacks on the PCs, and that's a lot of resources if the local clan can tap other clans and/or MCT. On another hand, if the PCs survive the onslaught for a week, then Vor or Mafia interested in taking over the territory might take this as an opportunity. Meanwhile, what does mainstream law enforcement make of this video - surely they will become aware of it at some point?
Alternate ending: the PCs clone themselves, kill the clone bodies, have a friend deliver the corpses to the Yakuza and collect a huge bounty.
Well, answering the questions in the thread:
The players know what it is that they've wrought, and all but looked me in the eye and said "Bring it on." So they are willing to get into a pissing match with the Yakuza and accept the consequences.
Secondly, they also plan to relocate in the near future, either to Hong Kong or L.A., and set up shop in the new location--after they deal with the Yakuza hunting them down in Seattle.
Third, this group is really, really good at disappearing and operational procedures; the only mistakes they've made can only be explained by not being deeply immersed in the setting and rules like I have been.
Fourth, it's going to be interesting to see how the other major powers react to this; I imagine that Lone Star will be keeping a weather eye out for any major busts that they can take credit for.
The players know what it is that they've wrought, and all but looked me in the eye and said "Bring it on." So they are willing to get into a pissing match with the Yakuza and accept the consequences.
Secondly, they also plan to relocate in the near future, either to Hong Kong or L.A., and set up shop in the new location--after they deal with the Yakuza hunting them down in Seattle.
Third, this group is really, really good at disappearing and operational procedures; the only mistakes they've made can only be explained by not being deeply immersed in the setting and rules like I have been.
Fourth, it's going to be interesting to see how the other major powers react to this; I imagine that Lone Star will be keeping a weather eye out for any major busts that they can take credit for.
| QUOTE |
| Wouldn't the hacker need to have their identity info to drain their accounts? Aren't most runners using like 2-3 identities? |
Fake ID's have to come from somewhere... most likely hackers. Once you've spotted just one of the runners, a real ghost in the machine could follow them on traffic cameras, ATM cameras, vending machine cameras, whatever, and watch for what IDs are used.
| QUOTE |
| also remember one thing: if you let one hacker do something like draining acounts . . guess what every character hacker is going to try . . |
You're not thinking like a hacker. While I'm sure it would be almost impossible to steal money, the NPC hacker doesn't have theft as his goal. All he has to do is tie that money up somehow. Spoof a fake data trail leading to a nefarious terrorist organization, and let the FBI freeze the accounts and investigate. Have it transfered to a bank branch in another country with tight monetary import controls and have it held for a time to be "evaluated." Somehow manage to get it donated to charity -- while the bank will eventually figure out it was in error, they are going to take their time doing it to avoid headlines like "bank bounces 'ork children with cancer' charity check, two children in critical condition after surgery delays." Tie the account to a data trail with suspicious transactions that look like the character is trying to set up an illegal tax shelter for himself, and let the IRS hold the funds until it finds the error. Or just hack the balance sheet so that the numbers don't add up, and when the character makes a withdrawal, the machine's sanity check will flag the account and freeze it. No doubt, all the character has to do is come down to the local branch, and it will all be sorted out in short order... If you can't erase the account, just erase the biometric data for it, and see how long it takes the bank to sort that one out. Meanwhile, the character has access to his money 20 yen at a time... Or, just have the hacker create a high-rating SIN reader, and use it to crack the character's fake SINs that the bank accounts are tied to. Wrap up the relevant info, and mail it to their bank in a manila envelope. Let them deal with the criminal's money however they see fit.
I'm sure there are a dozen more delay and deny tactics you could come up with that I haven't even thought of.
The important thing is that by tying up the player's money, it prevents them from getting face changes and DNA wipes. It's that much longer that they are on the Yak's radar.
Speaking of which, such a hacker would also be furiously searching the Seattle area for any and all surgeons capable of performing such surgeries, and monitoring them for any signs of the characters. (Sure, it may be a discrete business with no cameras. But what about that cab parked next door and it's sensors? Or the ATM at the front of the alleyway? Or the off chance that the characters pay by using an account tied to one of the SINs the hacker has already identified?)
*edit*
Oh, and don't forget, a high bounty is going to have every wanna-be in a three state area looking for these guys. Every time they take out some two-bit moron that jumps them at the car wash, someone watching the crime reports and other information is going to be that much closer to finding them.
| QUOTE (bibliophile20) |
| I imagine that Lone Star will be keeping a weather eye out for any major busts that they can take credit for. |
The Yakuza bounty should be so high, crooked cops would probably try to grab the characters themselves to collect the reward money...
| QUOTE (jklst14) | ||
The Yakuza bounty should be so high, crooked cops would probably try to grab the characters themselves to collect the reward money... |
10,000
a head dead, 15,000 a head alive. How's that?
The head prices aren't enough. The organization is worth tens of millions of nuyen, and the bosses keep it that way through intimidation and worse. Their whole credibility and profits for ever ride on showing that NOONE gets way with this kind of drek. I would offer ten times those prices.
10k-15k is a bit low, if the body count is 'public' knowledge. Thats only a few months medium life style for targets that are going to take out 95+% of those who come after them. Thats fine if the hunters don't KNOW they are going up against angels of death, but with the notoriety the PCs have engineered, it just isn't worth it for the mid to high range hunters at that level.
| QUOTE (GryMor) |
| 10k-15k is a bit low, if the body count is 'public' knowledge. Thats only a few months medium life style for targets that are going to take out 95+% of those who come after them. Thats fine if the hunters don't KNOW they are going up against angels of death, but with the notoriety the PCs have engineered, it just isn't worth it for the mid to high range hunters at that level. |
A good portion of the body count is due to one of their contacts, a fellow runner with a grudge against the Yakuza and an attitude that the Yaks are animals, it's hunting season and there's no bag limit.
Additionally, all of this has been happening over nearly the past month of game time; this has not been a short, intense war by any standards.
But, yeah, I think I'll up the rewards to 60k dead, 75k alive, apiece.
| QUOTE (Feshy @ Jan 26 2008, 10:06 AM) |
| Fake ID's have to come from somewhere... most likely hackers. Once you've spotted just one of the runners, a real ghost in the machine could follow them on traffic cameras, ATM cameras, vending machine cameras, whatever, and watch for what IDs are used. You're not thinking like a hacker. While I'm sure it would be almost impossible to steal money, the NPC hacker doesn't have theft as his goal. All he has to do is tie that money up somehow. Spoof a fake data trail leading to a nefarious terrorist organization, and let the FBI freeze the accounts and investigate. Have it transfered to a bank branch in another country with tight monetary import controls and have it held for a time to be "evaluated." Somehow manage to get it donated to charity -- while the bank will eventually figure out it was in error, they are going to take their time doing it to avoid headlines like "bank bounces 'ork children with cancer' charity check, two children in critical condition after surgery delays." Tie the account to a data trail with suspicious transactions that look like the character is trying to set up an illegal tax shelter for himself, and let the IRS hold the funds until it finds the error. Or just hack the balance sheet so that the numbers don't add up, and when the character makes a withdrawal, the machine's sanity check will flag the account and freeze it. No doubt, all the character has to do is come down to the local branch, and it will all be sorted out in short order... If you can't erase the account, just erase the biometric data for it, and see how long it takes the bank to sort that one out. Meanwhile, the character has access to his money 20 yen at a time... Or, just have the hacker create a high-rating SIN reader, and use it to crack the character's fake SINs that the bank accounts are tied to. Wrap up the relevant info, and mail it to their bank in a manila envelope. Let them deal with the criminal's money however they see fit. I'm sure there are a dozen more delay and deny tactics you could come up with that I haven't even thought of. The important thing is that by tying up the player's money, it prevents them from getting face changes and DNA wipes. It's that much longer that they are on the Yak's radar. Speaking of which, such a hacker would also be furiously searching the Seattle area for any and all surgeons capable of performing such surgeries, and monitoring them for any signs of the characters. (Sure, it may be a discrete business with no cameras. But what about that cab parked next door and it's sensors? Or the ATM at the front of the alleyway? Or the off chance that the characters pay by using an account tied to one of the SINs the hacker has already identified?) *edit* Oh, and don't forget, a high bounty is going to have every wanna-be in a three state area looking for these guys. Every time they take out some two-bit moron that jumps them at the car wash, someone watching the crime reports and other information is going to be that much closer to finding them. |
Assuming that the PCs are as adept at disappearing as bibliophile says they are, I would assume that the PC hacker is better than any Grunt hacker and it is really up to bibliophile if he wishes to create a Equal or better Prime Runner hacker. All you are doing is providing the fluff reasoning for whatever the Hacker does in game. Also all this IC justification does not stop the PC hacker from his own tricks. The PC hacker can spoof the yakuza's accounts to their fake SINs and make it so that the NPC hacker is really a ringer for them. Spoof the data trail to rival criminal organisation. Fake the NPC out by spoofing the data trail into Z-O and let them deal with the NPC's intrusion. Then it would come down to which hacker is more 1337, the NPC or the PC hacker?
Also how does the yakuza know it was them? How do they know who was involved? If the PC hacker was smart, they'd remove all traces of their own identity and then send the declaration of war. Now the yakuza knows someone is spitting on their turf, they need to act, but they don't know against who, which means they will try ways and means to find out and crack down on the people involved. If the PCs are good enough, this would be precisely the type of assymetrical warfare that a conventional organisation like the yakuza would be vulnerable to.
| QUOTE |
| I would assume that the PC hacker is better than any Grunt hacker and it is really up to bibliophile if he wishes to create a Equal or better Prime Runner hacker. |
I assumed if a cyberzombie was an option, so was a prime hacker.
| QUOTE |
| All you are doing is providing the fluff reasoning for whatever the Hacker does in game. |
Yes, that was my intent.
| QUOTE |
| Also all this IC justification does not stop the PC hacker from his own tricks. The PC hacker can spoof the yakuza's accounts to their fake SINs and make it so that the NPC hacker is really a ringer for them. Spoof the data trail to rival criminal organisation. Fake the NPC out by spoofing the data trail into Z-O and let them deal with the NPC's intrusion. Then it would come down to which hacker is more 1337, the NPC or the PC hacker? |
Yes, of course. The same way a gun battle comes down to who is better(*), the player sammie or the goons.
I did assume the point wasn't just to pummel the PC's into submission and death by the most expedient means possible. I simply wanted to add the viewpoint that powerful and resourceful bad guys aren't always a direct physical threat, and guns and mojo were all I saw on the planned "bad things" list. Just thought I'd suggest some variety from that.
Obviously, the PC's are free to fight back using the same tactics!
(*) Okay, that's not strictly true. With gun bunnies it often comes down to who wins initiative...
| QUOTE |
| Also how does the yakuza know it was them? |
I assumed that since the Yaks were already killing the people who were guarding a team member's residence, that they knew who lived there.
Ninja with dikoted shuriken. Wheee!
It sounds like the PCs already had it personal with the yaks, and decided they didn't care that the Yaks would react. This is a full out war now. I'd expect the PCs to nuke a Yak senior player at his home or office, or just blow up their money making operations next.
It's likely to be an interesting but short life.
It's likely to be an interesting but short life.
| QUOTE (kzt) |
| It sounds like the PCs already had it personal with the yaks, and decided they didn't care that the Yaks would react. This is a full out war now. I'd expect the PCs to nuke a Yak senior player at his home or office, or just blow up their money making operations next. It's likely to be an interesting but short life. |
You're right on all points; it's personal, they don't really care how the Yaks react, and they have in the area of several hundred kilos of low grade explosives that they plan to use to the fullest.
Man, this sounds fun.
Chris
Chris
While the PCs insulted every Yakuza, they at the same time demonstrated that they have no honour at all. They promised seppuku and didn´t deliver. Denying seppuku would have been fine, if slightly insulting.
No traditional japanese contact will continue to work with them. Information regarding your group will be freely and actively shared, if someone communicates interest.
The kumi in question will do whatever damage it can do if the occasion presents itself. Loaning a MCT cyberzombie goes a bit to far, a single sniper can do the job, as can liberate amounts of plastic explosives in the basement of the players condo. Word of mouth can damage the rep of your group, and they could open a matrix site with as much information as they have, compareable to a Criminal SINner quality.
No traditional japanese contact will continue to work with them. Information regarding your group will be freely and actively shared, if someone communicates interest.
The kumi in question will do whatever damage it can do if the occasion presents itself. Loaning a MCT cyberzombie goes a bit to far, a single sniper can do the job, as can liberate amounts of plastic explosives in the basement of the players condo. Word of mouth can damage the rep of your group, and they could open a matrix site with as much information as they have, compareable to a Criminal SINner quality.
Criminal organisations aren't nations or armies. They survive through the fear they generate in others. Whilst of necessity they make it as difficult as possible to be hurt by others, ultimately there's only so much you can do. What protects them is the threat of reprisal. That threat has been called and in dramatic fashion. An assassination will not be sufficient to redress the balance. In order to salvage their ability to inspire fear, vengeance must be not only in proportion to what has been done to them, but seen to be in proportion. A sniper shot will not achieve this. I would expect sustained torture and targetting of loved ones and community to be visibly going on. The intended audience for all this is not necessarily the PCs, but the entire community, hence reprisals against anyone associated with the PCs, also. People must be shown what happens if you mess with the Yaks or whatever criminal group.
The downside is that this will make for a short, unpleasant game. Shadowrun is a game that emphasizes secrecy and cunning by making clear the vulnerability that comes with exposure and direct confrontation. The players have ignored that balance and put you, the GM, in the awkward position of choosing between the normal balance of the game or killing off the party.
You can abandon the normal balance of the game and say to yourself - the players want Die Hard, I'll give it to them. Lots of firefighting, Yaks die, PCs "win".
You can enforce your view on things and wipe the PCs off the face of the planet with snipers which is realistic and depressing.
My preferred option - compromise: Hit the players with something heavy, give them a chance but expect some may die. The loaned cyberzombie may be an option here. Note that I'm not advocating PC-icide, just that they go through a situation where there is a good chance some will die. They invited this situation, after all. The ideal outcome would be the players forced to flee, perhaps abandoning some of their equipment stockpile, probably spend some time recuperating and healing up, at the end of which they are short of cash and need to start doing runs again to get the money together if they want to resume their war. In the meantime, the Yakuza may have recovered somewhat. Or perhaps a rival gumi or the vori will have moved in - never artificially prevent the players from achieving something. If they depart with wounds to lick but they find that their original rivals are toppled, they have (a) learnt not to pick fights without a good reason and (b) achieved a victory at cost over their chosen enemy.
Oh, and thanks for the link and comment on my NPC. I always really appreciate knowing that someone has seen some use out of my NPC rosters. Cheers,
-Khadim.
Wow, this is actually very fun. I usually strike down hard on those that defy the "order of things", but this was done with flair and style IMO. They really did the best to piss off the Yaks, and It's pretty obvious they WANT a war with the Yakuza.
And although Khadim has many good points, we should not forget that among all those cowed by or payed by the Yakuza, there are also thousands that don't really like them, that think they are arrogant bastards. I'm betting along of Shadowrunners will cheer this incidient just as people can cheer the decapitation of a percieved enemy or hanging of an enemy leader.
Ans every day the team stays alive they have defied the Yaks, told the world that you can do that to them and get away with it, which could inspire others to do the same (or something similar). The Yaks are going to take their gloves off, and spend millions if not billions of nuyen to take out the PCs - and that leaves and opeing. Perhaps the Mafia think this is a good time to strike at their enemies? Or the Yori? Maybe the Rings come back? The Yaks are powerful but not ALL powerful, and like every other organization they can be beaten.
I say, give the PCs a chance. Let other NPCs take advantage of the fact that the Yaks will be more concerned with killing a few men than fighting a mob war. On the other hand it's time to take off the silk gloves (and silk was used for armor so it's pretty tough) and take on some iron. Think of anything the Yaks can do to take the PCs alive, or if not possible, how they can get killed in a spectacular fashion. As said, a normal sniping is not enough, they need to make an example. 100k per head doesen't seem wrong at all, or even 1 million each person alive.
Then let the PCs to what they can to defend themselves. Ask them in detail on what they plan to do, what kind of security they use etc. In the end, the PCs will lose unless they can team up with the Mob (which isn't that unlikely) or other power.
Have fun!
And although Khadim has many good points, we should not forget that among all those cowed by or payed by the Yakuza, there are also thousands that don't really like them, that think they are arrogant bastards. I'm betting along of Shadowrunners will cheer this incidient just as people can cheer the decapitation of a percieved enemy or hanging of an enemy leader.
Ans every day the team stays alive they have defied the Yaks, told the world that you can do that to them and get away with it, which could inspire others to do the same (or something similar). The Yaks are going to take their gloves off, and spend millions if not billions of nuyen to take out the PCs - and that leaves and opeing. Perhaps the Mafia think this is a good time to strike at their enemies? Or the Yori? Maybe the Rings come back? The Yaks are powerful but not ALL powerful, and like every other organization they can be beaten.
I say, give the PCs a chance. Let other NPCs take advantage of the fact that the Yaks will be more concerned with killing a few men than fighting a mob war. On the other hand it's time to take off the silk gloves (and silk was used for armor so it's pretty tough) and take on some iron. Think of anything the Yaks can do to take the PCs alive, or if not possible, how they can get killed in a spectacular fashion. As said, a normal sniping is not enough, they need to make an example. 100k per head doesen't seem wrong at all, or even 1 million each person alive.
Then let the PCs to what they can to defend themselves. Ask them in detail on what they plan to do, what kind of security they use etc. In the end, the PCs will lose unless they can team up with the Mob (which isn't that unlikely) or other power.
Have fun!
| QUOTE (bibliophile20) | ||
You're right on all points; it's personal, they don't really care how the Yaks react, and they have in the area of several hundred kilos of low grade explosives that they plan to use to the fullest. |
sounds about right . . anybody expected anything else from PLAYER(character)S? *g*
Let the Yakuza work in Style and with Honor-Codes and all that . . The Runners are basically a Rogue SWAT-Team on a Guerilla War . . think Punisher as a Group of People against Yakuza here O.o
Or watch the Series Black Lagoon, the last couple of episoed where Hotel-Moscow basically does not care about the rules and just kills/blows things up in broad daylight to win . .
I would just start up a new campaign set several months later. Have whispered legends about "The Yak/Runner War of '69" and how it thinned the ranks of the city's Shadowrunning elite who were hired and counter-hired, talk about all the bounty hunters that got in the middle of everything, mention the corporate security forces that got drawn into the middle by both sides, play up the explosions and the body count and the Lone Star crackdown as the elusive 'runners and the vengeful Yakuza got sloppier and bolder. The hunt took a long time, the prey fought back and evaded, called in favors and almost did the impossible, but eventually the Yakuza had enough to throw at them that ________________ (insert character names here) had their intestines strung up around Little Tokyo, and their heads on pikes outside the oyabun's home, one day. Have the Yakuza so weakened (in terms of basic manpower and financial expenditures, so concentrated on their vengeance they lost sight of the bigger picture) that there's a Mob War going on as the other major syndicates fight over the scraps and cull out the weak criminals from the herd. Make sure the players know their characters put up a valiant fight. Pick one that killed the most, one that killed the best, and one that killed the longest. But make sure they know all their old PCs are dead now, and you're just saving everyone the time and trouble of role playing out the horrible murders.
...and everyone in the Shadows and their grandmother (and the players) knows now, without a shadow of a doubt, that it's not a good idea to actively piss off people with that kind of power.
And now -- ta da! -- the new campaign kicks off amidst the new underworld chaos.
...and everyone in the Shadows and their grandmother (and the players) knows now, without a shadow of a doubt, that it's not a good idea to actively piss off people with that kind of power.
And now -- ta da! -- the new campaign kicks off amidst the new underworld chaos.
| QUOTE (bibliophile20) | ||
You're right on all points; it's personal, they don't really care how the Yaks react, and they have in the area of several hundred kilos of low grade explosives that they plan to use to the fullest. |
In this circumstance I see several things
The cyberninjas I mentioned earlier
The mafia and Seoulpa rings throwing covert support to the runners.
The Vory throwing more Overt support
Ares and NeoNET will want to keep the runners alive, especially if Mitsuhama supports their bosses with hardware and nuyen to keep their presence in Seattle.
This will make Mitsuhama vulnerable to having pieces sliced off by enterprising Corps
The PCs could seriously alter the landscape
Make it clear they will die.
Have a high-tech Seoulpa Ring call with an offer they can´t refuse - new face, new ID, new metatype if they want. See Augmentation.
Have a high-tech Seoulpa Ring call with an offer they can´t refuse - new face, new ID, new metatype if they want. See Augmentation.
What are the runners in for, when they've pissed off the Yakuza?
Three things:
Pain.
Blood.
Death.
In that order.
Three things:
Pain.
Blood.
Death.
In that order.
If the GM is cool with playing Mack Bolan's "War Against The Mafia" using SR rules this could be a lot of fun. But the players should expect that their characters will likely all get killed in the process.
The yaks aren't all-powerful. One of the cyberpunk tropes that I really detest is how pathetic criminal scum like the mafia and yakuza are romanticized into invincible entities who crush anyone who messes with them. They have limited resources, and (as others have pointed out) lots of rivals.
The runners will still be in some trouble, though. Runners depend on a web of contacts and illicit businesses to function. The yaks will definitely go after their contacts, either to turn them or to make a messy example of them. Unlike corporations, the yaks exist in the shadows too, and they already seem to know who the PCs are. Unlike a run against a vengeful corporation, the runners won't have the option of fading into the shadows and laying low for awhile.
So the PCs will definitely have their homes trashed, and their current fake ID might get compromised, and there will likely be both a high bounty on their heads, and a big misinformation/smear campaign waged against them. The runners will be literally on the run, as well as hung out to dry, and the only people who are likely to help them will be rivals of the yaks such as the mafia and the vory. Even they might think twice about it, since a group that reckless could easily turn on them, too.
The PCs plan on waging a guerrilla campaign, then leaving the area, which is good, since they'll be burning down all of their bridges here. So what to do with them? I would have their contacts turned or messily killed, have their dosses burned down to the ground even if they were smart enough to be long gone from them, have bounty hunters plague them, have them have to worry about where to get gear or medical treatment, and have some battles with vengeful yaks, some of them near-runner quality. There should be a better than usual chance of PC fatalities, with exhaustion and the attrition of numerous running battles making things tougher for them.
Now, they may think they've left it all behind them when they flee, leaving a fatally weakened yakuza to fend of their rivals. But basically, they have two choices. One, they can make a fresh start, but they will be nobodies in a foreign land, having to build up contacts and establish their reputations all over again - and they will all have the equivalent of the old Dark Secret flaw. Or... assuming they pick someplace without a local yak contingent (not too many of those), they can be more open about their identities. They will get the big jobs, but be working with a black mark on their rep, have contacts who are leery of them (look what happened to their last group of contacts), and the occasional yak assassin or bounty hunter will continue to make life interesting. So either way, ditching Seattle will not result in their leaving all of their problems behind.
The runners will still be in some trouble, though. Runners depend on a web of contacts and illicit businesses to function. The yaks will definitely go after their contacts, either to turn them or to make a messy example of them. Unlike corporations, the yaks exist in the shadows too, and they already seem to know who the PCs are. Unlike a run against a vengeful corporation, the runners won't have the option of fading into the shadows and laying low for awhile.
So the PCs will definitely have their homes trashed, and their current fake ID might get compromised, and there will likely be both a high bounty on their heads, and a big misinformation/smear campaign waged against them. The runners will be literally on the run, as well as hung out to dry, and the only people who are likely to help them will be rivals of the yaks such as the mafia and the vory. Even they might think twice about it, since a group that reckless could easily turn on them, too.
The PCs plan on waging a guerrilla campaign, then leaving the area, which is good, since they'll be burning down all of their bridges here. So what to do with them? I would have their contacts turned or messily killed, have their dosses burned down to the ground even if they were smart enough to be long gone from them, have bounty hunters plague them, have them have to worry about where to get gear or medical treatment, and have some battles with vengeful yaks, some of them near-runner quality. There should be a better than usual chance of PC fatalities, with exhaustion and the attrition of numerous running battles making things tougher for them.
Now, they may think they've left it all behind them when they flee, leaving a fatally weakened yakuza to fend of their rivals. But basically, they have two choices. One, they can make a fresh start, but they will be nobodies in a foreign land, having to build up contacts and establish their reputations all over again - and they will all have the equivalent of the old Dark Secret flaw. Or... assuming they pick someplace without a local yak contingent (not too many of those), they can be more open about their identities. They will get the big jobs, but be working with a black mark on their rep, have contacts who are leery of them (look what happened to their last group of contacts), and the occasional yak assassin or bounty hunter will continue to make life interesting. So either way, ditching Seattle will not result in their leaving all of their problems behind.
Remember that scene from Black Rain in which sword-wielding bikers decapitated Michael Douglas's partner? It is a classic.
Very Cool!!! Like the whole film.
*facepalm* I just got back from a chat with my players regarding Arsenal; after we were done ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the pretty weapons, Ben (the team leader, the guy who decapitated the Yak) turns to me with this big shit-eating grin on his face, and says that I should start stating up some key Yakuza locations; bunraku parlors, casinos... and the Oyabun's house.
| QUOTE (bibliophile20) |
| *facepalm* I just got back from a chat with my players regarding Arsenal; after we were done ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the pretty weapons, Ben (the team leader, the guy who decapitated the Yak) turns to me with this big shit-eating grin on his face, and says that I should start stating up some key Yakuza locations; bunraku parlors, casinos... and the Oyabun's house. |
if you gotta go, go with a BOOM . . Player-Motto worldwide it seems ^^
| QUOTE (bibliophile20) |
| *facepalm* I just got back from a chat with my players regarding Arsenal; after we were done ooh-ing and aah-ing over all the pretty weapons, Ben (the team leader, the guy who decapitated the Yak) turns to me with this big shit-eating grin on his face, and says that I should start stating up some key Yakuza locations; bunraku parlors, casinos... and the Oyabun's house. |
if i were an OC boss with access to the kind of resources the OP is talking about, i don't think my first response would be to send more cannon fodder (even really badass cannon fodder) against the runners. if i know enough about the runners to find them, i know enough about the runners to find their contacts, friends, and families. my first move to would be to wipe out about half of the people the runners know, and then take some of the other half hostage and start mailing out body parts. i'll bomb the bars the runners hang out in, burn down the Stuffer Shack they get their morning coffee at, and kill the cute waitress who flirted with them in the restaurant last night. i won't even make any demands for a while, because making demands would give the runners the feeling that maybe they can do something to stop all this. at this point, anybody associated with the runners is probably going to start disassociating themselves really, really quickly. doors all over the 'plex are going to be slamming in their face.
and then, after they've run out of ammo and nobody will sell them more, after they're exhausted and dirty from sleeping on the street because the coffin motels are afraid to put them up, their money's running low because they can't get jobs--then i'd go ahead and kill them.
and then, after they've run out of ammo and nobody will sell them more, after they're exhausted and dirty from sleeping on the street because the coffin motels are afraid to put them up, their money's running low because they can't get jobs--then i'd go ahead and kill them.
If the PCs start hitting the yakuzas, they'd be able to feed off the yak operations to hurt them. All the PCs need to do is continue to go on offensive, likely until they die, but the more brutal the crackdown and the more the PCs hit back, the more the yakuza loses face. And more the other other criminal organisations will move in.
If the runners had contacts in the yak areas, then all they are doing is cannabalising their own people to crack down on the PCs, if the contacts are on other people's turf... well, the other criminal organisations won't want their turf messed up by the yaks.
If the runners had contacts in the yak areas, then all they are doing is cannabalising their own people to crack down on the PCs, if the contacts are on other people's turf... well, the other criminal organisations won't want their turf messed up by the yaks.
as is the problem with most conflicts . . you lose either way in most cases
Thing is, most of my players' contacts are either:
A) Already dead.
B) Located elsewhere (Aztlan, L.A., N.Y.C., etc)
C) In hiding already
D) In places where even the Yaks won't go without a good reason (Ork Underground)
E) Known over the Matrix only (they actually have both Netcat and Slamm-O! as contacts already)
F) Work for a different OC outfit
G) Already engaged in a personal war on the Yaks himself.
So hunting down the contacts has already been done. And what started this little war was a Yakuza raid on all of their dosses at once; basically, MCT found the amnesiac technomancer, traced her back, did a little digging, found where she was staying, gave the Yakuza dossiers on the runners and said "Hunt." So they've been living on the run for the last several sessions.
A) Already dead.
B) Located elsewhere (Aztlan, L.A., N.Y.C., etc)
C) In hiding already
D) In places where even the Yaks won't go without a good reason (Ork Underground)
E) Known over the Matrix only (they actually have both Netcat and Slamm-O! as contacts already)
F) Work for a different OC outfit
G) Already engaged in a personal war on the Yaks himself.
So hunting down the contacts has already been done. And what started this little war was a Yakuza raid on all of their dosses at once; basically, MCT found the amnesiac technomancer, traced her back, did a little digging, found where she was staying, gave the Yakuza dossiers on the runners and said "Hunt." So they've been living on the run for the last several sessions.
So basically you have put them in a situation where they are in big trouble, but have nothing else to lose. Their actions don't come as such a big surprise to me then. After all, if the bad guys are coming after you, you might as well go out with guns blazing, and take as many of them as possible down with you.
so it wasn't the player(character)s who started this? oooh o.O
in THAT setup and with some ressources on the runners side i'd not be surprised if they basically killed everybody who opposed them in the yakuza and took over what's left of it by then . . once a GM decided to try something like that against our group, where i played a big troll . . so he sent the ancients after me/us after i was done with them the groups elf basically lead what i did not kill. . and because of my ties to the orc underground and the spike wheels and the disassemblers had to live with the fact that i basically ruled the underworld after that *g*
in THAT setup and with some ressources on the runners side i'd not be surprised if they basically killed everybody who opposed them in the yakuza and took over what's left of it by then . . once a GM decided to try something like that against our group, where i played a big troll . . so he sent the ancients after me/us after i was done with them the groups elf basically lead what i did not kill. . and because of my ties to the orc underground and the spike wheels and the disassemblers had to live with the fact that i basically ruled the underworld after that *g*
And does Arsenal change things here! Give them all the toys they want, and then it is indeed time for a new oyabun (And a new face/ID/place of living after that).
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