So i'm reading about Betel gum, and I think, aw thats cute, but now I'm thinking, is it legit to take this as a negative quality during chargen? that seems kind of cheesy. I didn't give it too much thought until I saw it pop up in some character builds. I guess there's a lot of negative qualities that get abused, but this one was new to me. I mean, how do the GM's out there handle addiction? This also reminds me of another question I've been meaning to ask, what is the downside of using BTL's? drugs list all kinds of after effects, like chrashing and attribute penalties, whats the downside to watching a regular BTL Sim? I mean, if its roleplayed well, I don't have a problem, but sometimes i get players that are just squeezing points out of it.

I don't usually try to slam characters too hard with their negative qualities, but I still think it should actually be a detriment, even if a minor one, to get points for it. Betel gum may be in the list, but not every drug listed there should be a valid choice for someone taking the addiction quality - they have things like vitamin supplements (G3), steroids (ripper), and such there, too.

Note, for example, that nicotine is specifically excluded from the addiction quality - because its health effects are long-term and its penalties are negligible in game terms. So I would not allow betel gum addiction as a negative quality, even though I am pretty mellow about negative qualities.


As far as BTLs, I also dislike that there are no game mechanics for dealing with their effects. Lots of fluff, but no crunch. If a player doesn't bother roleplaying the addiction, though, the GM has pretty much free reign to impose a "downside" to the experience. I don't usually like GM fiat, but this is a case where the GM pretty much has to adjudicate the exact effects of slotting a BTL (or overdosing, or suffering from withdrawal).

I have to admit I've used the Betel gum addiction for some of my characters. It does seem like more of a positive than a negative, as it never goes beyond mild, and gives a bonus to Perception.

So how could it be a negative? Availability could be an issue, but it seems as if Betel gum is as ubiquitous as any other candy. One negative aspect might be the effect on Reputation, or even social encounters in general. Prolonged chewing of betel and the arica nut (usually consumed together, and since the drug in Arsenal is said to be carried forth from the Asian practice, one can assume the gum includes both) increases alertness and helps combat cavities, but it tends to increase the likelihood of lesions in the mouth (even oral cancer) and discolouration of the teeth and gums. Along with the standard Reputation/Notoriety cost of addiction, playing up the noticeable aspects of this addiction should have some effect on encounters with NPCs.

By RAW? Since Betel is a canon/RAW drug, yes.

I encourage my players with characters of an Asian background and/or who need Perception dice to take Addiction: Betel. Just do not forget that Betel is often used as a gateway drug as stated in Arse.

With this addiction I make sure that when the players are around other stimulants and NPCs who are hyping up their use, they have to take the addiction test to resist trying the heavy stuff. Stimulants carry a Threshold of 2, and their addiction makes the test carry a -2 modifier to resist. If they fail the test, they are more than persuaded to try the stronger stuff and could end up working down a long and dark spiral... I like my games dark and depressing BTW.

hey, sign me up! I have a character with 3 mild addictions(cram,psyche,and betameth). he'd be dead in a week. one crazy week...

It stains your teeth and it makes you spit everywhere (DNA evidence), not to mention it's pretty distinctive. Yes, it's a negative quality.

Nope, thats the chew, int eh section that has the beetle gum,

no novacoke? what kind of party is that?

Hunter S. Thompson reborn.

Hardly.
If you want your character to die from drug-related effects within a week, you need the really nasty stuff like K-10.
Okay, that wouldn't take a week, rather a day or two.
If the character is particularly tough, that is.


But the drugs listed -as nasty as they are- would probably take years to kill a character in one of my games (even though he'd suffer badly long before that point).
Not because i'm particularly lenient as far as substance abuse among the PCs is concerned, but because i want a certain amount of plausibility when it comes to such issues.
Getting killed by your habit is usually more of a long-term process and may leave the character -halfway- functional for a relatively long time.

Moreover, even though some substances may quickly lead to a mild addiction, it will usually take much longer to grade it up to moderate or severe levels.
Exact frequency of tests depends on the substances involved, the circumstances, the character's personality and so on.
In almost all cases, burnout level will only be reached after years or even decades (or months, if the PC is getting strung out on really vicious stuff)

3 mild addictions are a strong indication that the character is headed down the road to polytoxicity, however (in general, i consider the character's potential for addiction based upon how many addictions the character has at the start of play).
Or that he might quickly fall for a stronger substance instead of the ones mentioned.
In fact, if i was your GM, i could hardly resist the opportunity to let one of your PC's contacts come up with a sample of nitro, novacoke or pixie dust.
It doesn't seem that unlikely that he knows a lot of people who are abusing stimulants, right?
BTW, your PC is clearly missing out on eX, red mesc, jazz and tempo as well^^

On a more serious note, as far as the BTLs are concerned, i wouldn't come up with immediate aftereffects.
That's one of the advantages of the electronic brain roasters, you don't get a hangover.
In fact, the idea that you can just turn a drug's effects off at the touch of a button may be a crucial factor for the succes of beetles.
So in the beginning, it would all seem mostly harmles.
Mild addiction should generally not have too many effects on the character.
That's the tricky part about it- it is very easy to falsely assume that everything is fine and that he doesn't have a problem.
Until he has to face regular tests to avoid jacking in, has to make frequent checks to avoid grading up to a moderate addiction and so on.

When use becomes frequent, you may wish to apply certain mental Negative Qualities such as Delusions or Bipolar Disorder on a temporary basis.
That is, the PC can shake of these effects without paying karma if he manages to spend a prolonged amount of time without the little zappers (note that this is not the same as buying off an addiction, even though it may be the first step towards it).
Another possibility is that the PC may be tripping at inapropriate moments, which can be really nasty depending on the circumstances.
Prolonged binges may also lead to fatigue tests because of dehydration, sleep deprivation and so on.
Moreover, the character may start to neglect his appearance, look strung out all the time, may start twitching or sweating when craving the next chip.
This may impose negative modifiers on social skill tests and may also require an occasional Composure or Customs test to avoid drawing unwanted attention.




No, Thompson had so many Addiction Qualities that it would break the hardcap on Negative Quality BPs by about 65 points^^

I don't see the problem... it's only a 5 point flaw. It shouldn't be that crippling.

Though the idea to use it's gateway drug aspect when the craving gets stoked is a good one.

Another thing you might try is enforcing a Betel cost on the lifestyle.... 100 nuyen a month or so
(~3 sticks a day). Again, it's only a 5 point flaw, so shouldn't be too severe.

How... Interesting....

Addendum :
I forgot to mention the most likely effect of BTL abuse, the Scorched Quality.
As far as that -and other effects such as depression, schizophrenia etc.- are concerned, the GM may opt to apply such a quality instead of imposing a higher level of addiction.
One can just swap out the new addiction level with a negative quality worth an equal amount of BPs.

Of course, when it comes to such fundamental and relatively arbitrary changes to a player character, the GM should first talk to the player about it.
It may seem realistic that overcharging your brain with dangerously high levels of biofeedback can turn you apeshit crazy, but i think the game profits a lot when PCs receive Negative Qualities that the player actually enjoys roleplaying.



As a side note, when adjusting the frequency of addiction tests, one has to keep in mind not only the individual dispositionof the consumer, the type of substance used and the frequency of consumption, but also how the drug is administered and how it interacts with the brain's reward pathway (mostly dopamin receptors and the like).
Current research indicates that the method of consumption plays a crucial role in a drug's potential for mental habituation.
Basically, it's a form of unwilling self-conditioning.
The user performs an action (consuming the drug) and receives a reward (such as a heightened discharge of dopamin or an inhibition of dopamin reuptake).
Substances with a high potential for mental addiction are always marked by a very brief interval between consumption and effect on the reward pathway, as this leads to a very direct link between stimulus and reward, resulting in more efficient conditioning.
Therefore, a method of consumption that results in shorter onset times will have a higher addiction potential.
Shooting up a substance is usually the worst (not only in that regard, of course), with almost immediate effects.
Smoking is a close second, with effects taking hold within a duration ranging from mere seconds to a few minutes, depending on the substance.
Snorting, with an onset time of usually 2-3 minutes comes next.
Oral ingestion, where effects set gradually after an interval ranging from 15 minutes to more than an hour has a much lower addictive potential.

So, how does this relate to Shadowrun, where a drug's mode of consumption is decidedly left open?
If one wants to take such considerations into account*, it becomes evident that SR offers methods of consumption where effects are noticeable within the same combat turn.
Auto injectors, for example.
Mental command to the ware-> bham, you're high.
This may demand much more frequent addiction tests than other forms of substance abuse, such as swallowing a cram "bomblet" one hour before a runner team hits a corporate lab.


*of course, there are groups who may not desire such an approach towards drug use.
If you want to portray the substances in SR as a grittier version of the potions found in other RPGs, it may not suit your game style to punish players for using an auto injector.
On the other hand, the whole issue offers a bit more in the field of risk calculation and planning- do i risk yet another addiction test by using a substance with a short duration, but better mechanical effects (jazz or kamikaze) in an auto injector just when i need it or do i play it safe (or well, less unsafe...) by resorting to a longer-lasting substance that can be applied before the run?
Moreover, the whole thematic complex offers a whole lot of opportunities in regards to roleplaying- bringing in a more detailled approach can add a lot to the game if the players are interested.