Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: I need a run-idea...
Dumpshock Forums > Discussion > Shadowrun
Machiavelli
....ok, basically that´s false. I already have the idea of putting my team in some serious trouble.^^ No, for real: i planned to give them a little sparetime simply because their fixers and johnsons don´t have any job for them. At some time they will walk into a bar and will see that 2 female guests are in trouble. After they hopefully help them, a massive rumble shakes the whole surrounding and everybody is streaming out on the streets. I want to create a natural desaster scenario (maybe a volcano in the near breaks out) that causes a cloud of acidic and hot cloud rushing down the streets. Additionally the spreading of contaminated earth around seattle, causes a temporarily background-count of 2 or 3 that hinders all common mages, but attracts (not aids) astral hazards. So this is going to be some kind of survival-horror thing.^^ But i don´t know if i really place it in seattle or simply somewhere the runners are at the moment, i don´t know what goal they should have (do the want to reach a not-influenced zone? already thought about looking for your loved ones - but they don´t have some^^) and i don´t know if the things i intend them to do, is really so locical that other people would think of it.

So maybe you are a little bit inspired by this basic-idea and give me some help how to go further, what you would change on the idea itself etc. Every comment is welcome. Thanks in advance.
Namelessjoe
hi
i would say plan a few directioins for your players to go maybe less if you know your players but anyway..... were are they at the moment? if its south or near the coat earthquakes are good valcanoes as well then you could intraduce other disasters eg twister or the day after there could be a localised cold snap like if in sanfran or seattle an earth quake not noticed spawned a valcano nearby and changed the jetstream cause mana distorstions and kicked up a fes astral storm and the negitive emotions and terror indused your background count then this all shifted to a cold snap aith snow if there on a tropical island or in cali it may be more discurning but if it is current time of themonth then snow or huge frees would create mass panic

i would say it may be tempory whild the plates shift if you want and it could just be an excerise in survivle for the runners in town because normal people will be mostlikely rioting and dieng allover the place so just going to the stuffershack may not be an option they may need to head for the hills as a flood kicks in if you would like as well the crack realeased a pressurised well in pudget sound and damed up its opening from the valcano so you have toxic fallout and a flood biggrin.gif

any way i hope you can decifer my random thoughts on the subject enjoy your desaster im sure what ever you do your players will be fine wink.gif
Blade
If you play in a campaign, having it happen where your campaign is set means that the players will have to deal with the consequences in the following games: their home might need repair, a lot of people would have been forced out of their home...

As for the game in itself:
If I were to GM such a game, I'd just think about some events or interesting things that can happen, let the players decide for themselves what to do and try to make it as interesting as possible (with the help of the events).

A few example events:
* They might not have loved ones, but they still have contacts (and contacts might have loved ones) and some of them might need to be saved.
* Some people could choose that time to riot/pillage.
* This could be the perfect occasion to run a place that's too busy dealing with the disaster to notice the runners or defend against them.
* The runners can be stranded somewhere along with some of their usual enemies (cops, security guards, enemies they met in previous games...) with whom they'll need to cooperate. The added bonus of this idea is that the NPCs can come back later in the opposition.
* Bugs coming out panicked of their underground nest that nobody knew was here.

Doc Chaos
I would not place such a screnario into a big city. Lure them into some backwater town, near a volcano to fit your descritption of planned events. There let them get into the "Save the maids" brawl thing at the locals favored drinking hole and while everybody is trying to punch everybody elses face into a pulp *BANG*. Big explosion outside the town limits, light earthquake hits, everybody drops to the floor (except of cource those damned guys with the balance enhancers...). Before they can get back up the cloud of smelly, evil whatever roles through every street, covering the town with a kind of fog.
Should prove for an interesting scenario with lots of roleplaying. Put some dudes into the bar that "have seen it all" and wont listen to any argument, because they know everything better, have some folks crying, some folks preaching the end of the world, all the while wild spirits and whatnotelse are turning the town into their playground.
Should take the chars a while to group up the people in the bar. After that they can try to figure out what the hell happened.... and how to get out alive.
Pretty much a mix of the movies "Fog", "Feast" and any Zombie movie smile.gif
Blade
QUOTE (Doc Chaos @ Jun 26 2009, 04:35 PM) *
and while everybody is trying to punch everybody elses face into a pulp *BANG*. Big explosion outside the town limits, light earthquake hits, everybody drops to the floor


Of course, this happens right as the weak elf is punching the heavy troll in the face.
Angelone
I was thinking about something like this for awhile now. Also trying to find ways for it to be a challenge without ruining the campaign setting. The out of town thing works for that.

Now to figure out stats for Jason, Freddy, and Mike Meyers.
Machiavelli
I think most of you remember the setting of the game "silent hill" and basically this is what i want them to feel. But the point in silent hill was, that you had no chance to leave the town. If i place this thing in a big town, they will simply leave. Of course they will get troubles due to fleeing people and maybe one clash with a paranormal enemy, but the "run" would be over quite fast. So what can i do to keep them in danger so that the "survival-horror" feeling kicks in?

Thought about a protection-job for a group of mages that want to find the centre of the eruption for some magical reasons (e.g. hive of insect-spirit or the like)
Angelone
Make it in a valley or a depression and the only feasible way out got cut off. An island works too. Like silent hill put things out there to make them think twice about just roaming.
Ghantu
Silent Hill also made sure your protagonists had a reason not to leave: James had to find out what happened to Mary, Heather wants to find out about herself/her father and get revenge, etc. If you want to do horror, make the PCs care about something other than their own skins. Threatening someone or something they care about is usually easier than threatening the guy who can throw high-Force manabolts or the troll with the Panther, without making it an arms race.
CanRay
Demonstrate how dangerous the world really is by having them being attacked by a gang after they just did a beer and stuffer run.
Machiavelli
I had the run on the weekend and i attacked them with 5 ghouls. But due to the fact that the suck like hell (no dodge skill etc.) the "experience" didn´t worked out quite well.^^
Chrysalis
The hottest party place is an old chemical works on the industrial side. It's in a Z-Zone, which makes it safe from the occasional Lone Star patrols. The event has been rumoured about for months now, with the wildest girls, hottest DJs and the best party poppers.

When the PCs arrive the party is in full swing. The hottest DJ this side of the continent is already spinning the decks. There is a large number of party girls and boys there. There is a new designer drug being tested out, which is being given away free by Pill girls.

As the PCs become suitably intoxicated if not drugged. There is a huge explosion which causes an acidic and hot cloud of toxic chemicals to escape. There are a group of secondary explosions as parts of the factory collapse.

The task of the PCs is to survive out of the Z-Zone, hopefully with their group.
Machiavelli
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.^^
Summerstorm
Good idea... but one fatal flaw: We all know that streetsamurais, deckers and magicians do not party (They polish their weapons, code a programm and drink tea with the spirits respectively) So you only get the rigger, technomancers, faces and detectives of the group *g*.

Serious though: I love this "survive in the city" adventures. Gangs, ghouls, riots...

P.S. Why are ghouls so mega-good in this edition anyway... they used to be cannonfodder, now they can whip the asses of a normal group... ow
DWC
QUOTE (Summerstorm @ Jun 30 2009, 11:31 AM) *
Good idea... but one fatal flaw: We all know that streetsamurais, deckers and magicians do not party (They polish their weapons, code a programm and drink tea with the spirits respectively) So you only get the rigger, technomancers, faces and detectives of the group *g*.


Lies. Lies and slander. No one goes on hooker burying 3 day coke binges like former corporate cleaners.
Ravor
If you are worried about the team simply leaving, have them be on the wrong end of an Astral Excursion that for reasons that modern magical theory can't explain actually took living beings along for the ride as well.
Machiavelli
Muahahaha....that´s good. They would kill me for this. I was well-feared for my metaplane-runs in the past and because i am the only one who is really interested in magic, that hated it....every single time.^^ I had to promise not doing this again.^^
The Jake
QUOTE (Ghantu @ Jun 26 2009, 10:25 PM) *
Silent Hill also made sure your protagonists had a reason not to leave: James had to find out what happened to Mary, Heather wants to find out about herself/her father and get revenge, etc. If you want to do horror, make the PCs care about something other than their own skins. Threatening someone or something they care about is usually easier than threatening the guy who can throw high-Force manabolts or the troll with the Panther, without making it an arms race.


I agree.

One of the side runs I was thinking of doing was a variation on the Liam Neeson film 'Taken'.

The daughter of one of their mates is kidnapped on her first trip overseas while on the phone to her father. Her father happens to be a paraplegic former CIA operative (now a fixer) with a list of contacts the length of both arms. He yanks the PCs out of their beds in the middle of the night, explains the situation. He makes it clear they have access to all (and I mean ALL) his resources and he wants her back alive - whatever the cost (and he means "whatever the cost").

This fixer has access to satellite imagery, a team of NPC hackers, tracking, private chartered jet to take them whereever they need to go, fake IDs and necessary papers, local contacts in almost any country in the known world, and a bucket of cash to buy whatever the hell they need in order to dispense some "justice". He just needs someone he trusts to execute (heh) the mission.

It struck me as an idea to allow the players to fully cut sick and enjoy kicking ass at a relatively high powered level at the same time, help out a friend/contact they care about. It also might give them an idea what sort of resources a fixer has access to and can pull during times of need (a bit of a behind the scenes glipse of being a fixer, if you were).

- J.
Dumori
I would steal some thing like Chrysalis' idea but add ghouls. The reason might be the are just looking to eat off the dead or the lived under it dosn't matter however ghouls are both terror and danger plus have the party be split up and then there goal is to find each other avoiding ghouls and toxic spills.
Zaranthan
QUOTE (Ravor @ Jun 30 2009, 05:37 PM) *
If you are worried about the team simply leaving, have them be on the wrong end of an Astral Excursion that for reasons that modern magical theory can't explain actually took living beings along for the ride as well.

Unnecessary complication. If you don't want the players to get out of Dodge in time, just have the rioting start between them and the airport. In a sudden disaster, you have scant hours to escape the vicinity, and a few thousand hoodlums throwing rocks at anyone outside the mob can stall even the greatest of professionals long enough to strand them in Purgatory-on-Earth. Their van gets turned over, and by the time they get to the airport, every competent pilot has left the state (and the remaining planes don't have enough fuel to take off safely).
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Dumpshock Forums © 2001-2012