So saturday I was going to let one of my players run a game to intro his new character. Whilie he was doing that I was working on the next adventure. The player in question got a job and let me know he won't be attending the game. He tells me this last night. Then 2 other plasyers bow out for the night for a local gaming convention (that i cannot afford). Which leaves me 2 players who really really want to play. Can't do the adventure already prepared because it will take full party of 5 and should go across multiple sessions in a remote location.

So all I am asking shadow community is to have ideas thrown at me and maybe one might stick for a short run for 2 players (Street Sam and Mage)

Quick campaign info - set in Las vegas - currently North Las Vegas over run with HMHVV, there is a gang war betwenne Italian and Cherokee Mobs, and PCC military has cordoned off the valley to contain the above naughtiness.

Throw me ideas

Henry

From little you've said there are already a few ideas that come to mind (and yet I don't GM ).

They could a courier run into the valley, or perhaps they could do any number things for either mob.

If they have any contacts in the local area, perhaps that contact could call up with an emergency. Like:

-the contact's child has been kidnapped
The players must find the child, rescue it from it's captors, teach said captors a lesson, and return the child (mostly) unharmed.

-a friend of theirs OD'd
Emergency run to a detox clinic or hospital, but they get slowed down by some sort of enemy.

-the contact is in debt to a local gang boss and need help paying off their debt
Charity is always good for Karma Points, especially since you should reward these players for actually being there with extra Karma anyways.

-the contact wants to pull off some sort of heist
Sneaky art thievery is another classic less-than-full-party side-adventure (although how covert a mage and sammy can be is questionable).

-the contact owns a hotel casino and need extra security because some big-shot is in town and needs protecting
Maybe a pop-star, politician, or famous chef.

-the contact invites them over for dinner, but double-crosses them for a bounty or some-such
"I'm sorry, you've been good friends, but I really need the money..." Perhaps tie this in with the debt related idea above.

-the contact is investigating a crime scene and needs somebody to infiltrate a street gang or something
CSI, plain and simple. Maybe reward them with some tight police-spec gear.

There are endless possibilities...

Why not take a step back and do a "day in the life" session? Take the time to paint the Sixth World in whatever shades you want to stress.

One idea that jumps to mind for me is doing a completely off the wall adventure. Something like a simsense game the two of them got involved in, some sort of gaming contest. I'm almost thinking of doing that with my group sometime now. Have them be put into like a medieval type adventure game, and for laughs, the mage is a warrior and the street sam is some academic type wizard.

The other idea that comes to mind for me is something a bit of a lead-in to a larger adventure. Some way to thread some of the NPCs, the locations, etc that have been used or foreshadowing to what you want to use there. Like if the job is going to be breaking into a facility, maybe the J is having them track a person and report on their whereabouts, or break into a cleaning facility and steal some maintenance uniforms or whatever.

I like a lot of the ideas people suggest here. Some other ideas:

- "I can't afford to hire your entire team, just about two of you."
- "A small group might succeed here where a whole team would draw too much attention."

Ooh a gangwar between the Cherokee and Italians eh? Hmm...

An opportunistic third party wants to exacerbate the situation. What are the power levels of these two characters? In any case they should be a step above the gangers. You can paint it as if the rest of the team has been split up into these 2-man groups, filling in for them and bringing them around when necessary (say hacking, or using the face to negotiate deals, etc).

So it's a series of misadventures. First is steal away one of the Italian Mafia bosses' mistresses. Their first job could be an extraction. Hopefully your Mage has Alter Memory to make it seem like the Cherokees did it, or plant evidence that they were responsible.

Then the next mini-run is a hit at a supposed safehouse that the mistress was supposedly taken to. You can have the rest of the team working in the background to move things quickly.

Afterwards the mistress reveals some vital info and you hit the mafia again. Perhaps covertly this time, while the Cherokee and Mafia are going at it. Whatever this big thing is, that the Johnson wants, is eventually recovered. Or someone gets wacked.

To earn extra money their Face can hire them out to each side.

Eventually, both sides would be weakened enough that the objectives are reached. Can even include some fun moments... like gambling in the mafia den and the like.

I am taking it that these twos character get along. You could simple ask them what they would do if the rest of the team "took a vacation" for a week. Perhaps their characters have been wanting to pull a "for kicks" job for awhile now. Seeing how their characters are both combat focused I would stick to jobs which require alot of smashing. This would be a good time for the mage to explore the metaplanes or do something astral focused and the street sam could perhaps be taught how to do this by the mage if he's adept. There is also a drug which allows it I think.

Hehe, I like this one. It is always nice to see the trid-ads of the Sixth World.

Combine the "Day in the Life" concept and a simple courier run. Mr J just wants them to pick up a package early in the morning and deliver it to a contact that evening (time as loosely specified as you want) recognized by a code phrase. You can complicate the job in alot of simple, but amusing ways as well, anything from a broke down gambler trying to lift the goods to an overzealous security guard hassling them because he is suspicious of them cheating (wether they gamble or not!).

One of thier contacts (not a fixer, my fav off colour job handler is a bartender or comperable "street level" contact), lets call them Lesli,e gives them a call - something need to be looked at, now, and they came first to mind. The other PC's can't be reached for *SOME REASON*™ - Leslie doesn't have their contact info, knows he can't afford the whole team etc.

Make sure the contact knows the PC's but isn't too close to them, Leslie is desperate and grasping at straws *SOME RELATIVE* has gone missing in a HMHVV hot zone. Please won't you help?
Pitch the run payout low (Leslie a bartender not a fixer) but they will be making exellent connections with a street level contact out of this on a succes retreaving *SOME RELATIVE*.

Now whether this turns into a street level investigation manhunt with a tence Vampire combat filled climax or a grim tale of misplaced romance (OR BOTH... omg both... I love that essence drain feels good enough to be addictive) is up to you and how you handle the infected - poor sick people who are dying and who hunger for your soul OR magically empowered sick insane people who are near monsters and who hunger for your soul.

You could always do a simple courier run using the base outline from SR Missions "Parliament of Thieves", swapping in the appropriate factions. You have to added fun on an HMHVV no-man's-land to push them through for some fun encounters along the way (Ghoul biker gang anyone?).

Road Trip! Get out of Vegas for a couple days. Go to LA. See the salvage crews. Rip them off.