thanks crash_00, I appreciate the advice.
I'm doing ok with combat ,magic and plot lines. the matrix stuff is a little rough,but now that I have a couple of the books and have read up on how the system works, i t should get better.
Over all,the players are having fun. I've DM'ed DnD since 1e so I'm familiar with how to run a game, its just adjusting to the new system.
I love the SR4 system,though. It is by far the easiest system for GM ing I have ever tried. I have always thought that the job behind the screen should be 90% inspiration and 10%perspiration. and SR4 seems to hit those numbers pretty well.
The group is a great help also. When they see I'm getting a little lost, someone usually calls for a quick break so I can get it together.
back on subject, in the first spoiler post Idea, I thought I'd throw in a twist. maybe have Joshua be undercover FBI or something but tossed the idea because I want to make him a really nasty guy. Downright charismatic with a black heart, since sometimes that bad guy is just that, a broken, selfish, conniving bastard. I also would like to add a touch of "Smokin Aces" to the scene by sending a team from Humanis to wack the guy the team is trying to keep alive. should keep the combat monsters happy.
One of my players said "This is shadowrun, we never run out of ammo!" I would like to see just how much ammo they will burn up on this run. the average for an mook is about 6 rds ( 2 three round bursts), so I will need about 12 mooks, 4 prime runners, and maybe a tough magical threat to get them down "Throw me a clip! Throw me a clip!" stage.
God, I love this game!