Is there a list of common or default background counts? I realize it's a fluctuating value, just wondering if there's a common value that can be used as a base. Such as Chicago is -2, New York is 4, Denver is 1.

Thanks.

Carl

Chicago, depending on the location, should be 0 to 4.

New York & Denver, along with all but unique locations (such as Stonehenge) default at 0.


Check Street Magic for examples. Depending on location, Background Counts of 1 might be frequent, if small area & duration, due to excessively violent crimes.

Generally... 0.

With localized 1 and 2 point counts. Most of which aren't aspected. If they're aspected they get a bit nastier as aspected mana ebbs help your foes and hinder you and that 1 or 2 points makes a big difference.

Ok. Just checking. Over in the Missions area there was a discussion and part were comments on the Background Count on Manhattan. The numbers that were used were 2 and 4 as default (think Ghostbusters 2 was the reference) so I checked the missions and the Rotten Apple guide as well as Street Magic. Not seeing a definitive reference I thought I'd ask.

Thanks.

Carl

Rating 2 background counts are generated by significant emotional imprenting of a large number of people over an extended time, such as "a sold-out concert of a legendary musician (could qualify)", or a maximum security prison. It lasts only as long as the event that triggered it - as soon as the concert finishes, it begins rapidly fading.

A rating 4 might be generated by the Alamo.

Stonehenge is rating 5.

Ooo. Working from a Ghostbusters persective would be kinda fun.

Anyway, background count depends on the GM. As mentioned, Street Magic has examples, and it's on pg 121. Your ghostbuster's theme would be fun; though I really wouldn't go over 2 for the general city (check the sidebar in S.M. for details). You could raise it as crazy events happen.

I run Vatican City as the entire city with a 1 or 2pt (I would have to check my notes) background rating, with the cathedrals, the Vatican itself, and other sig. points as higher. Just depends on the flavor ya want.

Emphasis mine (of course). You could likely run almost all major cities as a rating 2 (or 1) background by that explanation (except that we know that background counts are relatively rare).

Good example. The Vatican should have a 1-point Aspected count default, with somewhat common occurrences of 2 (such as the mentioned cathedrals), and possible spikes to 3.

1 would be fairly common because it relies only on strong emotions so a lot of apartment complexes may actually have background counts between 1 and 2, but the default would be 0 for common areas.

Followed by examples of what that means - the emotional content needs to be consistent (such as a famous musician concert or high security prison). Full-spectrum emotions will not generate a rating 2 Background Count - at most, they might get a fluctuating rating 1.

I give even a 1-2 point background count at hospitals. People are crying, hoping, dying, recovering and so on all the time in there. Cementaries get some too... torture chambers of psycho-killers... brothels. I have nearly as much light background count as i have none... but mostly rating 1, seldom 2... above and such is for very special sites.

In reading about Astral Hazing which is what started the question, it sets the BC at -4 for essence meters. Then it spreads 1 meter every few hours when stationary (more or less). So a weekend at home might have a 36 meter radius rating 4 BC.

But lots of good ideas here. Thanks

Carl

Yup. But a lot of people who don't live in cities (and some that do) view as them as boils-upon-the-earth. There is a fair bit of religion/philosophy metaphysics that look at such subjects. But it really just depends on the person, and more importantly, the game.

*half shrug* If you work from the "The more grouped people are, and the higher their emotional state, the more likely a background rating" theory, then cities (and especially the cities with reputations, such as New York, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, etc) likely have background ratings, especially if you like stylized stories. If working from a realistic viewpoint: then probably not. Cities are just places. On the other hand, they are places with a lot of emotion close to 24/7, a high percentage of concentrated crime, poverty, and other pretty awful emotions. And good ones to. It could reasonably lead to a overall low level rating in large parts of a city. (Or you can go with lots of "hot spots" that fade after hours or days; like in the Dresden File books, when he's investigating.)

Anyway, it's just food for thought/games.

I really like giving most churches a rating 1 or 2. Big, old Cathedrals get a 2, while old small town churches get a 1. "Modern" churches (aka those with track lighting) are hit or miss whether I give them a rating; "modern" people go to church to go to church. Said churches often in today's world aren't the center of the community that small, rural churches (and huge old school churches) are.

("Mega-churches" get a high rating; but it's aspected for bugs/blood/twisted folks. )

It's not only emotional content which creates mana ebbs and domains in the game.

There's also the ley-lines and mana flows form natural ebbs and voids. Potentially even 'tidal phases' of sorts. Not even touching on rarer stuff like the storms.

Muspellheimr, where are you getting your baseline from. The book itself never says anything about commonality, not once, it simply lists the conditions which cause/where you'd find them. Emotional content would never directly cause a mana ebb for example... it would cause an excess of magic to pool in a domain though (now if it's suitable for aspecting or not is another matter). P121 gives many examples. A murder scene for example would be a good candidate for a rating 1 background count for a reasonable period of time (shadowrunners never murder anyone, now do they, or there isn't a lot of violence in the barrens...). One thing which is never addressed is how long these would last (hours, days, weeks...). But based on the descriptions, there's no reason to say they'd necessarily be uncommon.

"Rating1: These domains include areas where the emotional impact was significant but BRIEF or areas that are of minor spiritual or magical significance. Examples include the scene of a violent crime, or passionate love affair, a bar regularly frequented by the awakened, or a rural church that's important to its small town residents."

That's not a very high bar to jump.

When it comes to gameplay, you shouldn't be slamming your mage/adepts w/ them all the time, but at the same time 1 or 2 points now and then isn't a bad thing. Graveyards, hospitals, churches, etc.. are commonly cited as good candidates for emotional counts. Dropping a mages magic rating from 5->3 will make a huge difference in their power level and challenge them, especially if they're dependant on foci (power focus + magic in 2 point BGC == -4 magic dice as the power foci and their magic stat get reduced in effectiveness).

I'm not sure where, but I recall having the impression that background counts are relatively rare. Depends on the game, of course. I think it's nice to have background counts in spots that make sense (like those just listed), and in some dramatic spots. Some background counts even get to be in the -favor- of the players! (Crazy, I know.)

A lot of the background counts I use are aspected in a more general sense. As opposed to "Hermetics," it might be aspected to "academic" magic (if on a campus). Churches are aspected to that particular faith (/denomination/sect) (unless it's on top of a Indian burial ground, of course). The German internment camps are aspected to death, etc etc.

I just don't like always screwing the players over. It's nice for them to have somewhere to go/fall back to in a big emergency, and I also like that there is a certain amount of "protection" provided by holy sites/sites of power against non-compatable spirits.

(Of course, "SATAN" the F18 great form spirit shall laugh at your puny cathedral. But that rating just might give the Sylvestrians the small edge they need to kick his but, and yoink his shiny fiddle.)