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CountingGardens
Alright, I believe this is my 4th Shadowrun session now, and generally 4th time I have DM'ed hehe. So how's my campaign holding up?

The players are living in a low lifestyle setting and are currently employed by a Troll contact known as Cross. Cross is the leader of a Technocult that removes all forms of naturally speaking and will only speak through artificial means and, in their idea, give the machine spirit their voice. He has assigned for them two missions so far. First mission was a random anarchy mission to destroy a pizza shop with a rocket launcher that one of his associates bolted to their van. The hacker in the party was able to hack the trailing police car into being alerted of a huge disturbance in the city so he sped off. They destroyed the pizza shop and than were assigned a more difficult mission. The players learn that a Troll had dissented from the Technocult and had new vocal chords and box implanted so that he could talk again. Cross didn't like this so he had the players assassinate him and destroy the factory he works in. The players learned he works for "evo" in a small cheap labor factory. (Building is three stories high, the work floor is floor one, offices are floor 2 and 3. Target is on floor 3.) Evo, as it seems also plays a part into the story because while questing earlier, players had found a large number of devil rats with the "evo" logo burned onto their back. Said rats are basically infesting the city and it's become quite a domestic problem. So the players head over to the "evo" factory a variety of ways. They each get their hands on a disguise and a large box of C4 to take down the building. Street Sam Elf is a businessman, security guard is an orc hacker, and the labor worker is a Decker dwarf. So they all get into the factory via different means, Street Sam through the front door, Decker Dwarf through hangar door with the delivery box of C4, Orc Hacker through front door. Since Cross provided them all with fake SINs that provide info that they worked for a previous "evo" factory they're able to get in no problem. Since "evo" was running a company wide narcotics check of it's employees they're required to get their blood screened at the door. Not for DNA or if they're really that person, just for a narcotics check. Since the Street Sam and Hacker went in through the front, they got screened, dwarf didn't. So the mission proceeds, and they do a lot of planning to take down the building and the target at the same time. The Hacker sits in the Security Console room and hacks the Street Samurai an opponent to meet the target in his office, since the street sam is dressed up like a businessman. The dwarf Decker gets hassled by some huge cheap labor trolls when he's trying to figure out how to discreetly lay the C4 on the supporting columns. So the Dwarf Decker convinces the stupid trolls that there are donuts at the far end of the floor. Trolls are very excited and distracted enough for him to plant the C4. However, the trolls get a little antsy, since they can't find the donuts, so the Hacker arranges for donuts to be delivered and assures all trolls through the intercom that the donuts will arrive shortly. Street Sam walks in for his appointment, shakes the targets hand with a Tranq patch, knocks him out cold and than plants some C4 on him to go off with the building. Upon leaving the office, the Street Samurai notices a huge commotion as a human is being chased through the office halls by two security guards with weapons drawn. The human dives through the glass window at the end, but drops an ID card as he falls down towards the street. Security guards are totally bewildered as the street samurai makes his way down stairs and out the building. The donuts arrive, but the mysterious human is seen knocking out the donut delivery truck worker and hijacks his truck. Leaving, a floor of very, very angry trolls. Players have to all escape the ensuing riot and they high tail it out of their with the dwarfs Van. Halfway down the street, they blow the building.

Now, whats really happening is that "evo" is undergoing a cloning program and has been doing so in secret for sometime. This is why there's a ton of devil rats. The mysterious human is an escaped clone that's bent on bringing down "evo" and finding who did this to him. If you've ever seen the movie, "The 6th Day", thats what I'm aiming at. Any ideas for my campaign? I'd love any input you guys have on anything that's happened.
Manunancy
One comment : if I'm cloning andd releasing devil rats wholesale, I'd rather not have them etched with my logo. It also seems to me that cloning fast-bredding critters like devil rats is a waste of time and money. Maybe clone the first batches, but after that letting them breed will be way cheaper. The brand can be a genengineered marking to appear on it's own.

It also begs the question, what's the point of releasing devil rats branded with your logo. Some cute-n-fluffy little critter with some genetweak to make it live on a diet of common garbage could be a marketing ploy 'see, we clean the streets AND give you those neat fluffy critters to grace the streets', but devil rats ?

Maybe branding them with some competitor's logo and releasing them to embarass them, especially if you tweak them to make it look like they escaped some nasty illegal bioresearch facility. But globally, the whole scheme seems a purposeles waste along with a potential public relation disaster. Not something an even halway competent manager in Evo would endorse or think about.
CollateralDynamo
Man does have a point about the Devil Rats, but if your players ever take issue with it and do research you can always explain it as a genetweak to look like a brand. Also assume that Evo didn't release the Devil Rats on purpose, as that would be generally terrible PR for them. Perhaps the rats escaped, bred, and carried the brand on. Or perhaps they were released by another run gone awry...or it could have been the purpose I suppose.

The Technocult idea is pretty unique I think and intriguing. So I'd keep playing up that angle. The lost clone is slightly less original but could still be interesting. Especially if he was cloned from some sort of unique stock, thus making him a target for all sorts of things. If I was running I would downplay the naked man's escape for a run or two before I bring him back. I find it makes the world feel more real when every mission doesn't handily involve the previous one.

Also, from the two missions you've described, you sound like you are running some truly despicable honchos. They have already committed themselves to anarchic vandalism (that may have resulted in deaths) and apparently blew up a building full of people. Thats a dangerous road. If this Technocult isn't playing by corporate rules (and it sounds like they aren't) the heat will likely be falling on the runners very soon indeed. Training costs money!
Eratosthenes
I could see using rats as a cloning test subject, as their fast growth-to-adult would make it easy to see if there are any strange expressions that only occur in adulthood.

And devil rats, to test vs. paranormal creatures.

Branding them with "Evo", means either they've escaped, and could be a terrible PR nightmare for Evo, or someone else is trying to either frame Evo for their own developments, or sabotage (from within perhaps) Evo, perhaps for a financial play. Or maybe Evo is a red herring, and the brand means something entirely different (like an acronym, or shorthand, or person's name)

The escaped clone bit could go lots of ways: he could be a good guy, he could be a bad guy, he could be an insane guy. Maybe he's good (wants revenge, free other clones), but goes bad somewhere along the way (wants to destroy people not even remotely involved). Or maybe he's a carrier for some fail-safe disease, and must be found or he brings about a plague. Or he's insane and goes on a killing spree. Or he expresses a strange abnormality.

Lots of options.

But otherwise, looks like you all are having fun. biggrin.gif That's really the only measure of success.
Manunancy
QUOTE (CollateralDynamo @ Apr 23 2010, 07:30 PM) *
Also, from the two missions you've described, you sound like you are running some truly despicable honchos. They have already committed themselves to anarchic vandalism (that may have resulted in deaths) and apparently blew up a building full of people. Thats a dangerous road. If this Technocult isn't playing by corporate rules (and it sounds like they aren't) the heat will likely be falling on the runners very soon indeed. Training costs money!


It also gets me wondering how much they're paid for that sort of 'jobs'. If the rocketing was during business hours, it means plenty of innocent byystanders getting hurt. The factory is even worse on that regard. Moral nonwhistanding, it's the sort of jobs that will generate a lot of heat. If they keep working for Cross and he keeps feeding them that sort of jobs, they're going to make the headlines, in the 'ten most wanted' rubric if they are identified. Or by default in the what's the police doing !' front page articles if they aren't.

I also wonder why a sect thats 'giving voice to the machine's sprits' is engaging in that sort of quasi-random violence, and where they get the money for it. Here's a possible explanation :
one of Evo's competitors want a non-traceable way to get at them. So they pick the sect, arrange to hack Cross's cyberware, maybe put a little extras or three when he goes under the knife, then use it to make sure he hears the spirits painting Evo as the source of all evil and that he needs to bring the good fight against them. The method is about as subtle and accurate as a truck-sized car bomb, but it keep the 'benefactor's hands clean. It's also dirt cheap.
Mesh
If everyone's having fun, that's all that matters. That said, the first couple missions are simple "blow this up" and "kill this guy". Mix it up, add some twists, and delight in the paranoia that ensues. Nothing should be as it seems. Second, I get that you're trying to leave a clue as to who's behind the devil rat infestation, but having the company brand the menace with their own logo is a poor way to give out that clue. It's the equivalent of masked bank robbers all dropping their wallets on the floor before running out the door with the cash. If the clue is that obvious, it should be a planted fake.

Idea for a twist: The technocult is a sham used to hire runners. They speak to people electronically (not always face to face I'm assuming) so it could be anyone at the real organization sending the runners somewhere. Have that all blow up and get exposed revealing who the players are really working for (or at least think they are).

Mesh
CountingGardens
I suppose it would help to tell you guys where I wanted to bring the campaign to and thanks a lot for all the suggestions. In my campaign, I'm slowly easing into the whole lore and setting of this world being run by companies, but it's a bit hard to stick to really. Anyways...

The rats were escaped clones from a project that evo was running so that explains that. Players figured out that the rats have some sort of connection to the human who escaped the factory but no idea what yet. Now, in order for the players to enter the factory they destroyed, they had to undergo a "blood test" for narcotics. Now what they didn't know is that now they're blood has been sampled in order to make clones of them, something the players will learn later after they meet up with the human again. The clones of the Shadowrunning party will be seen on TV or in the news doing something that ties them totally to Cross so when Cross sees the news, he's pissed and thinks they've overstepped their power. So Cross needs to eliminate them or suffer consequences from random assassins hired from evo to take him out. How's that sound? More clear? I think that needed to be said, but any other ideas I'd really welcome. I'm big into just pooling ideas together and seeing what I've got to work with.
Manunancy
Cloning isstill an expensive, hit-or-mis prposition in Shadowrun, at least when it comes to fast-grown sentient ones. Read expensive.

Using the blood samples - if they were recoverable and properly identifiable (an exploded factory won't have electricity for the samples fridge) - to make clones of the characters seems a lot of hassles for dubious benefits. From what you'r saying I assume Evo is doing the clones, but what's the point of doing it ?

If I understan right, Evo will makethe clones to perform various crimes in rather public fashion. So Cross will have to killthe PCs or get assasins from Evo. That same Evo copany who made the clones, presumably hlds them on a tight leash and are perfectly awae that Cross has nothig to do with it... Seems like a very convoluted and expensive exrecise in intellectual masturbation by some exec who don't gives a fart about his balance sheets, and does it without informing anyone else amongst his parent company (which is the only ounce of common sense in the whole scheme, as abusing the company's ressources that way is a fast ticket for getting kicked out)

If Evo wants Cross and the characters at each other's throats, simle disguise would be enough for media exposure and that would be far cheaper. It also begs the question, what did Cross do to Evo that the company's going through such an absurdly complex plan to get at him rather than simply hiring tunners to get rid of him ? From what you said, he's the leader of some technofetichist cult with a propensity for random and messy acts of terrorism. If he ends up splattered on the wall,he laws's reaction is most likely to be 'fragged by parties unknown, probably in reprisal for his sect's acts of violence. Case closed.'

Basically, if Evo's goign through the trouble and expense of raising clones of the characters, they need to have a damn good reason for it. Preferably one that can be measured in cold, hard cash. Corporations are there to make money. Illegal shenaningans, conspiracy and the like are means to that end and not ends in themelves. There are exception to that (Aztechnology comes to mind in that regard), but you'll need to answer the 'what's obective of the plan, and how does it fit in with the parent corporation's objectives.'

Especially considerign that force-growing sentient clones is still bleedign edge tech. Something that you let only competent and loyal managers play with; precisely to prevent unauthorized and potentially embarassing personal abuse. Espceially with something like cloning, which is a very good attenton grabber for the media. 'Mad corporate scientist raises clones of 'the other woman' to torture her to death again and again ! our exclusive images at 11 PM, PG 18 rated'.
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