Yo chummers, some of you know me some of you arn't that lucky yet regardless I post hear requesting your advice in any form that you may have it.
I've convinced some of my chums that I normally hang out and play D&D and its reletives with to give shadowrun a try. They already know my GMing style but none have any experince outside the realm of d20 an a few have hardly any rollplaying experince. I have a few quistions hear that I would like to see your take on. But feel free to ingore theise and give other advice that you think might help.
1. What modules would be good? I'm thinking either foodfight followed up by a modified version of running wild but am open. (I hear knasser has some good stuff)
2. One of the players is a major marine buff, and wants to play a ex-military marine like character, how can I accomidate this?
3. Is thier a "idiots guide to the matrix" write up. I understand (or think I do) the matrix very well and my primary PC is a decker. But I have a hard time explaneing it especial because the 4th ed matrix is diffrent from what I learned and most of my knowledge comes from SR fiction that I've read. One of the players wants to play a hacker.
4. What are some ways to streamline combat to keep it fun?
5. Do you think I should run the game any diffrent for a group partialy consisting of middleschooers. (This is a bit hypocritical seeing I started playing as a middleschooler)

I would definitely start with an introductory scenario. What you want to run is up to you, but I was trained on a scenario where the team in question is sitting in a dive bar doing shots, when a woman busts in begging for help.. followed by a strike team. Keep it focused, but also keep it varied; make sure there's social, matrix, and magical elements to it. Let everybody learn their roles, but more importantly, reinforce the basics - everybody needs infiltration, Shadowrun is a game of eggshells with hammers, and running is almost always better then sticking around to fight.

An ex-UCAS marine character is reasonable and in-demand in the shadows, but stress that his most valuable skills he would have learned from the Corps would be stealth, tactical thinking (every runner can shoot a gun, not every runner can plan a proper ambush), and any applicable technical weapons skills he may have picked up. A marine would probably be cybered up (particularly a vet), but keep it reasonable.. probably no more then cybereyes, an implanted comlink, and possibly a replacement cyberarm or leg. If you want to put him on the straight path for roleplaying early, reinforce the fact that his military service has probably left him with the SINner quality. Accruing the karma and contacts to delete him from so many solid databases could be his character's personal plot arc for your first "season".

1) A starter module, or one you develop yourself may be best. Something to the point, but gives them enough room to expand. Railroad them to knowing each other already, to being an existing team, etc. Give them also room to grow, I don't think I've done the official modules so I can't help you out there.

2) I think Ex-Marine is a good runner background. People join and leave armed forces for many reasons after all. What kind of runner (archetype) is he though? A street sam? Infiltrator, Weapon Specialist? Emphasize also that even Ex-Marines need a little rounding.

3) I suggest winging it. But there are a few threads out there concerning the Matrix.

4) I think Combat moves pretty swiftly in this game. One way to speed it up though is to award hits for X amount of dice. In the book it's 4 Dice for 1 hit, but if they're just starting out or have low pools then you can do 1 hit for 2-3 dice. Less dice to throw.

5) I wouldn't. I'd just treat them as completely new to the setting and game. So show them the cool flavour stuff.

Hmmm, thanks for all the good ideas. Any pointers as to help guide them into the concept of leggwork? As for a starting run I'm thinking haveing them kidnap a street doc who did some cyberwear on a hitman that the mob wants dead. The hitman sliped through the cracks but the street doc is infamous for implanting tracers in his clients, get the doc, get the hitman.
For this adventure idea what kind of percautions would the doc take? I'm kind of aiming for a milk run hear something that should go down easy but won't be a giveaway show. I always felt that runners need to have a run now and than that goes down right.

Some ideas for getting new players used to legwork depends on your group but you could try a few different methods.
I'd suggest since they aren't familiar with contacts assign them a couple who might fill in the gaps for the characters.
Have their fixer offer intel for a piece of the action. This might encourage them to do it on their own and show them what information is available should they need something.
Perhaps doing something like the first taste is free but next time I charge.

A character I had made was a street snitch who knew all around what was going down. Well he had his fingers and toes here and there. He offered intel the characters for an up front price. Each time they came back he'd say oh man thats getting me some heat I need a little more. After the third run or so, his information started getting a little more sloppy until he took the money and ran. At that point the characters knew what intel they needed and started figuring it out themselves, plus they got a side adventure to hunt down the snitch (Had to learn how to find him).

Well, why would they need to kidnap him?

If the mob (generically) wants him seriously enough and they know he did work on the guy the mob doesn't need him kidnapped. They just need to find him and make him "an offer he can't refuse". He can't work without their approval. And you can't exactly run a crooked medical practice for criminals without having criminals show up at the place you work.

In terms of how much security, well it's really a pain and really expensive to live in an effective security bubble. And anyone a crooked street doc is employing the mob almost always would have something on. Have Lone Star arrest his bodyguards and then have three enforcers offer him a "ride back to his clinic".

Personally I've always skipped the modules, preferring my own ideas-but if you run a module ensure you read it. Preferably several times. Make some notes, think about the questions you'd ask. Then think about the questions they'd ask. Add notes if you need to, to answer these.



Well, there are several options. Recall that the average Marine, and I served as a Marine Infantryman in 1st Battalion 6th Marines, is in many ways like the average Shadowrunner. Slightly more trained, and physically fit the average civilian. In SR4 he can snag the Firearms, Close Combat and Athletics skill groups and decently simulate the average Infantryman pretty decently.

As for how he ended up in the "Shadows", well put the burden on the Player. Ask him? how did you go from being a Marine to a criminal? Remember the basics: who, what, when, where, and how.



Well here's a decent video that covers Augmented reality. Have them watch it. I think it's a decent starting point.

From there seek frames of reference they can relate to. "It's like the Matrix movie, except..."



Don't sweat the small shit.

We use the 45 second rule. When we don't know a rule, or need a ruling we have 45 seconds to devote to it. After that I rule, right or wrong. After the game we can then look it up. Remember it's your job to make the game fun, not an exercise in mathematics. Don't be afraid to simply make a decision.



You'd know better than us. I mean you know these guys, right? Will one of them go and tell someone your game is inappropriate? Will they be offended by certain themes? Play to their interests, and worry about making it serious after you hook them!

Hope this all helps.

You mistunderstand, its not the mob thats hireing them its a corp. I'm toying with the idea of a proffesional johnson/ spy from an AAA who has his hands in just about every pie in the underworld under a varity of alias, a number of wich his employers have no knoweledge of. The jobs he would give the runners would start out in the corps intrest but slowly they would get caught up in his elaberate web. The johnson's goal would to slowly take over a huge chunk of the seattle organised crime. He would have been placed under cover in a few diffrent organisations, most of wich he was able to pecure by slipping through holls in the burcracy so that no one of his supervicers knows everything. Evently their would be some runs where he uses them to (without their knowledge) set up one/a few of his boss's who were the only ones who knew of his varius identiys. Other jobs would include killing another group of runners who stubbled apon something.
Any ideas?

Security: If its a milk run you want, keep it simple. Mages can obliterate single targets, and getting the drop is always a big plus. Run a simple matrix system without a spider, and don't run astral security (the background count will mix it up a little). Have the doc live in the facility he works at, with a penthouse sort of setup. Post two bodyguards in his penthouse when he is there, and one outside the door when he is not. One guard follows him at all times, two guards in the lobby, and a few more around the place to be able to up the count if they go with a firefight. Have the camera feeds be monitored so they must be dealt with (give the hacker an obvious job) and also have all employees wear RFID tracking tags when inside (simple security feature and allows easy location of the doctor).

Legwork: Once you show them the utility of using contacts in legwork, it should sort itself out. They will simply sit there a second and go "where do we even start on this broad objective" and you say "try asking around with some of your contacts to see if you can dig up something useful."

Great advice, thanks fezig.