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Bull
(>) This was put together by BishopMcQ last fall, and was intended to be published in the Dumpshock DataHaven Magazine. Since that's hit a snag or sixteen, and has been delayed, I'm redoing some of this and posting it here, since it's a decent introduction to Missions. There is more in the works though, as well as a couple things that get teased here. I'm really excited about whats in store for Missions this year.
(>) Bull


SHADOWRUN MISSIONS: INTRODUCTION TO RUNNING

Shadowrun Missions (SRM) is an official campaign supported by Catalyst Game Labs (CGL). Events are played internationally, with a goal of having characters and adventures that all share the same universe. (And of course to have fun while doing it...) Missions are played at conventions, local Game Days, and as home games for some groups. Campaigns generally run for twelve and twenty-five Missions and a player can play the same character through the entire campaign, whether they are in Beirut, London, or Indianapolis.

CATALYST SUPPORT

CGL runs the CatalystDemos.com site as a meeting place for players who want to find games being run nearby. After registering, you can search for games in your area and even find games for CGLs other lines if you want to try them out, including Eclipse Phase and Battletech. As a player, all you need to do is find the game and show up with a character in hand. Bribes for the GM are always nice, but not mandatory.

Game masters can also join the Demo Team by signing up at CatalystDemos.com. After enrolling, you get access to DemoTeam forums, firebase registration, and vast cosmic power. (Well, note really that last one.) Your firebase is the place you run games—it can be a local gaming store that you have worked with, a convention, or even a college classroom that you borrow on Tuesday nights. This lets you schedule games for players in the area and you get SWAG! Demo Team members earn credit for running Missions and you gain access to new Missions before anyone else. Free Missions and swag, just for doing what you would do anyways; it’s a no-brainer.

Beyond the Demo Team, CGL releases specific source material to support the Missions campaign which also expands on the core locations provided in sourcebooks. This material is fully canon and can be used in home games even if you stray away from Missions. The eBooks go through the same writing and development process as all of the core books, but focus in on a single city or location.

GETTING STARTED

To make an “official” Shadowrun Missions character is easy—make a 400 BP character, following all the standard rules and errata. Double check the SRM FAQ posted on shadowrun4.com to see if we’ve answered a question you have during character creation. The FAQ will also cover some of the campaign specific rules about Qualities and Advanced Character Concepts. If all else fails, you have two options: shoot a quick email off to Missions@shadowrun4.com or swing by the Shadowrun Missions sub-forum on Dumpshock, someone there is bound to have an answer for you. Both of the current Missions Coordinators are active posters on Dumpshock and check in on the sub-forum regularly. They can also be contacted through the forum using their DSF handles.

After you have a character, start playing. It’s important to note, that alternating between Missions from different campaigns isn’t allowed. Once you start a campaign, you need to stick with it and can’t go back to earlier campaigns. There is more information about this in the SRM FAQ. Simply put, each campaign is designed to be self-contained—and while you can complete Missions out of order, jumping from New York to Denver and back again poses all sorts of issues for characters which may not be there for players.

While playing, sometimes you will go through Missions out of order. This is okay as you don’t have to have played through 03-00 to understand what’s going on in 03-04. There are some threads and storylines that play across several Missions within a single campaign though, so playing in order is the best way when possible.

ORDER 1337
Let’s face it, some of you are elite. You know it, I can guess it, and it shows in how you play. For the truly elite, we have a promotion system which goes in place between campaigns. By being promoted, your character gains Prime Runner status, and possibly even higher based on the character’s personal accomplishments. The qualifications and benefits will be announced soon, so keep an eye out.

TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION

Catalyst Game Labs Shadowrun Missions Site
Missions F.A.Q.

Bull
LurkerOutThere
Pssst, links are broke, feel free to delete this post once fixed.
Banaticus
So, if I'm in a group that's going to be playing a scenario a week, can we start with the Denver campaign, even though we're all using SR4, then in six months or so finish off that campaign and move to New York and finish that campaign around the end of the year?
Bull
QUOTE (Banaticus @ Apr 10 2010, 06:56 PM) *
So, if I'm in a group that's going to be playing a scenario a week, can we start with the Denver campaign, even though we're all using SR4, then in six months or so finish off that campaign and move to New York and finish that campaign around the end of the year?


Yeah, probably. Denver was written for SR4, so you'll be fine, no conversion necessary. There are 25 Denver Missions I think, and 13 New York Missions. So you'll have 38 weeks of adventures right there.

Have fun!

Bull
Banaticus
QUOTE (Bull @ Mar 22 2010, 08:35 PM) *
Game masters can also join the Demo Team by signing up at CatalystDemos.com.

I signed up because I thought it was a good point that you made, that I might as well be getting swag and stuff for doing what I'd be doing anyway. The official response had a list of requirements and it appears that either I have to go find some brick and mortar store to sponsor me or I have to write an original scenario. Isn't the point of this that we're playing someone else's scenarios? Google says that the nearest brick and mortar store is about an hour and a half drive away, which is a little too far to go to casually chat some people up. I'm a little disappointed that they collected all of my personal information before they sprung this additional requirement on me.
dannyortiz
i, literally, just discovered this a half hour before i gotta start getting ready for work. i just downloaded 11 of them, and i dont have time ti sift through them right at this moment.

probably a dumb noob-ish question, but how do i tell if their meant for denver, or new york or timbuktu? will it say it right off the bat, like "this mission is meant for 3 to 5 players and is set in brooklyn new york."?

thanks in advance,
Danny

PS
i'm SO PSYCHED about finding these!! i have problems introducing a challence to my table of veteran runners. i think i'm throwing a challenge at them, but they breeze trough ti or comt as it from an angle i didnt anticipate and the game is finished in three hours when we pull all-nighters with tour regular GM!! he and i switch every three game nights.
Caine Hazen
The free ones that are part of season 2 are all set in Denver. Anything labled as SRM02-xx will be Denver. SRM03-xx are the NY missions, only your first hit there is free rotfl.gif
Alphastream
I'm more than a bit confused. The main missions page on the SR4 site is ages out of date, outside of the FAQ (about the only place to even read about New York). Then I hear about CMP missions. I am a Catalyst Demo Team member, but if I log in I can't see any place to order adventures for a public event like a convention.

So... I hope we could update this thread with:

  • Where should a regular DM go to find the New York adventures? This includes both a list of them (also useful to players, especially with a short "blurb") and the actual downloads for a fee.
  • What exactly are the CMP missions, and where can they be found? This includes the list, blurbs, and download/ordering.
  • How does one go from being on the Catalyst Demo Team to actually ordering a New York adventure for a convention, store, or other public event?
  • How does one do the same but for a CMP?
  • Dare I ask if this will all be different for the new Seattle campaign?

Honestly, I would love to see any official response make it onto the main Missions page, which is where it should belong. Periodically I have players ask about New York and getting mods and I can never seem to find the information.

Thanks!
Bull
Ok, short, quick answers for now...

A) The website is badly out of date and needs updating. That's on my To Do list. But with it being the middle of convention season, and having a billion little things that need done, it's on the back burner till I have the time to deal with it.

B) The CMPs are specifically for Conventions (CMP stands for COnvention Mission Pack), for the time being. We will be sending these off to convention organizers who are scheduling/running multiple events and need scenarios for the GMs to run. They're "exclusive" to convention play until COnvention Season ends, at which point they'll be made available to Demo team Members and probably for sale as a bundle of adventures.

C) The CGL Demo Team site has a registration page to apply to become a Demo Team member. Once that processes, you should get an email with instructions on making an account for the secure Demo Team site, which gives you access to some forums and a way to schedule and list events. As you run events at conventions or Firebases (Game Stores, Game Clubs, etc), you'll earn PDF credits, which you can redeem through the site. Missions Adventures and PDFs of the SR books are available there (along with Battletech stuff, if that's your cuppa...)

I'd love to do more with the Demo team in the near future, as Season 4 kicks off, but we'll have to see how things go...

Bull

MJBurrage
I was just going through some of the Denver Missions, and I found mention of a "SRM Scramble"

After Googling, and searching Dumpshock I now know that it was some kind of Con event during the Denver Season.
  1. What is the difference/connection between "SRM Scramble" and "CMP" ?
  2. Where can I get the ones from past seasons ?
Bull
QUOTE (MJBurrage @ Jul 30 2010, 01:26 AM) *
I was just going through some of the Denver Missions, and I found mention of a "SRM Scramble"

After Googling, and searching Dumpshock I now know that it was some kind of Con event during the Denver Season.
  1. What is the difference/connection between "SRM Scramble" and "CMP" ?
  2. Where can I get the ones from past seasons ?


The Scramble is a unique event run only at Gen Con (For now, anyways wink.gif). It's actually a mixed Tabletop/LARP event. As such, they're not really traditional style adventures. Thus far, they've been run by Aaron Pavao, so he might be able to provide a summary for them, but they're not really "available".

Bull
Halabis
Bull, I have been running convention games at Dragoncon for Catalyst (and Fanpro before them) for the last 4 years and still have not been able to get on the official demo team. Each year Kai tells me to sign up on the website to get access, and each year I do. I have yet to get a single response back, is there an easier way to join up, as whoever was running the website doesn't seem to ever respond.
Mak_phok
I logged on to check my new Missions for the week and found that 3 of the 4 missions listed didnt have PEN awards visible. If I do them will I still get PEN?
Mister Shed
Two missions related questions:

1. Is it acceptable to use PACKS (from Runner's Toolkit) to make characters? The monthly game I play in has new players on a pretty regular basis and it'd be a lot faster for them to make up characters through that than it would with the traditional BP creation system while giving them more flexibility and investment in the character than just handing them a pre-gen.

2. CMPs - Any word on when they'll be available for purchase? Last I saw was Bull saying in June that they'd be available after the con season was over.
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