I'm considering running a game on the board here.
The basic premise would be a detective agency for those who cannot or choose not to go to the Star.

If you are interested post here with a basic character concept, I'll make final descision next tuesday.

Please don't send character files to my email, yet.

Sweet. I get to be Magnum!

I would be interested. I could play a decker type with a few physical skills. And of course, he'll wear a stereotypical trench coat and fedora and talk like Humphrey Bogart.

I have the feeling that will be standard atire, or the other stereotype, the proverbial cheap-suit, slept in for the past 3 presidential elections.

Actually, scratch the trench coat, I think I'll make him a nerd with a flattened affect. What kind of character creation rules, 125 build points? Can I give my character cultured bioware?

Edit: Oh, and am I restricted to an MPCP of rating 6?

Haven't decided, just wanting basic character ideas.

Do you know how many players you want? If it's a small group, I can fit rigging into my character too. In fact, I might not have anything else to spend my million nuyen on.

125 pts, max 400k nuyen to start, I'm looking for low money, high skill characters. Being a private eye is about the skill, not the gear.

Magic? How about magicians? I'm thinking of an Awakened CSI (Gil Grissom's mine).

I might be interested... the char's a monk (Kung-Fu style) who was pissed-off by corruption in lone-star in the past so decided to join the detective agency.

Archetype would be something like a perception PhysAd with 15 dice for perception tests, possibly Physmage so I can get some detection spells.

PS: Can I take Compulsions (teach my enemies the errors of their ways) as a flaw?

Toturi, sounds good
Lilt, what level is that compulsion. and remember, if he's dead, he won't learn nothin.

Well: I've now done a bit of initial character creation... Are these points values for compulsions OK?:
1pt: Compulsively tells people about the wrongs of their ways (kinda like compulsively neat, but for other people)
1pt: Must attempt to incapacitate rather than kill opponents when possible (A cut-down version of pacifist)

Also:
1) what's in and out as far as gear/augmentations are concerned? I was looking at a cerebral booster anc mnemonic enhancer.
2) How do you use the Exceptional Attribute edge? Does it allow a stat to be bought to 7 as it allows in NSRCG?
[edit=Oh yes and]
3) Do you use the errated rules about bioware and magic loss?

Probably my character will be a physad. A ton of magic sense, Improved Perception, Perceptive, Improved Stealth(Alertness).

Can I get microscopic vision as an Improved Sense too?

Sounds interesting, and somewhat different to what I'm used to. I had in mind for my next character a Moon Sorceress who was big on sneaking about and detective/legwork, but definately one to avoid combat at just about any cost, so I figure she'd fit in pretty well. However, not being one for the point build system (unless you insist) I'm pretty much left with taking a million so I can get all the useful detection and illusion spells - would that be ok?

Alright then, I won't be doubling as a rigger with only 400 grand. As for exceptional attribute, I believe you can still only put 6 points into an attribute. However, you can buy a bonus attribute point, which allows you to go over the racial modified limit. Are we allowed to buy edges with build points in this game?

DA, you get quite a few spell points in the point build system, 25 for full mage, 35 for aspected, that's fairly hefty. If you need more, I'll see what I can work out in a fair manner.

Lilt, the Exceptional attribute edge... To me it means that you a genetically disposed to a better end-result, that is, it's cheaper to buy later, however, the NCSRG program being what it is, go with how it's implemented, that goes for everyone else as well.

Panzer, yes, you can buy edges with build points in the game. do not go nuts with them though.

Toturi, yes, you can get that as a sensory ability.

Also, at least 1 person needs to have a Legal SIN (there is no edge or flaw for this) as that person will be the owner of the business. That means they are teh 'boss' of the others, i leave it to you guys to decide, you also get to name the detective agency.

If you have a legal SIN, and more than one can, you must purchase permits for your legally owned weapons and other restricted gear. Should something that is owned legally be used illegally and traced back, your character may face fiens, etc.
Any gear you aren't sure of, either post it here or PM me.

I'm still trying to nail down a timeline, but since I don't have my books at work atm, I can't just arbitrarily name just yet. Will post miore, later.

Also, for new-commers to the thread, am looking for 4 to 6 players, so there is still room since I haven't approved any characters yet.

Hmm. It looks like we're going to be fairly magic-heavy... Which is kindof what works best for detective stuff. I can't think of anything a mundane detective can do that an awakened one can't, especially with resources capped to 400k. (Deckers and Riggers would be hard, you could possibly pull-off a Skillwires mook though)

I'm contemplating changing my character somewhat (skill areas may be overlapping a bit too much with toturi's). Hmm. Would you allow spell points to be used for initiating as starting characters? I'm considering trying to get Psychometry Metamagic from the SOTA 2063 book but that might require the game to be set around 2063.

I'd rather you guys initiate in game, to me intitiation should be rp'd, it's a very personal growth experience for the character. And there is a lot of room for mundanes in the game. It's just if you had a million nuyen why would you go into the thankless job of private investigation.

Sounds like you have a lot of magic in the pool...I could be the gun toting detective. A la Magnum....or the swuave gun toting detective. A la Remington Steele.....maybe a physad...hmmmmm

Well, as a decker, I'm going to have some utilities that would be pretty damn hard to get a permit for, so no SIN for me. But hey, what if instead of a privately owned business, this detective agency was a tiny corporation? Then we could get a small office on the outskirts of town with extraterritorial rights, and have corp SINs.

OK. I'm going for a mundane one this time. My new character char is a fairly young, social, and intelligent PI. He knows the streets, he can subtly extract info from people, he can handle himself in a fight, he can speak quite a few languages, and he has skillwires 4 for when the need arises.

He could probably easily hold a legal SIN, although I might want to consider some lisences for his gear with his remaining cash. (Pistol and Smartlink, quite acceptible under the heading self-defense for his line of work)

One other question: Do I need to purchase seperate electronics and computer tools, or can I purchase a "microtronics" kit that does both? Each GM seems to have his own rule on this.

I've got a character that I used to play, whom might fit in. He's an old as dirt ex-cop, couldn't stand the way the force went after privatization. He refuses to augment himself, relies on instinct and the people he knows. That and he caries around a bigass gun. I'm thinking Harrison Ford from Bladerunner style, except not a replicant.

Hmm. It just struck me that I forgot to get a car... I have a preliminary character sketched-up though and ready to send in when you tell us where to send them. I'm guessing probably emailing or PMing from this site but those are awkward for .sr3 files...

Panzer, go for the microtronics kit. And, for a corp to afford the extraterritorial rights, it's prohibitive.
DH, right idea, go with it.
Lilt, you'd be surprised what is legal for a private detective in my games, same for you Panzer. A PI license is a lot like a bodyguard or a bountyhunter's license. You are placed in danger on behalf of others. And the company is technically a security firm, so you do have some other special rights for gear.

For everyone with a legal SIN, private investigation license is 5k. Certification tests every other renewal. You just passed the last one.
And, I would recomend a separate lifestyle for the office for the owner, if you want a custom made, design one, but don't pick out the odd stuff, just tell me how many points you are gaining, I'll choose the draw-backs and benifits.

Send the sr3 files to nik-224(at)comcast.net
for those not useing NSRCG I have MS Office, so word docs, etc. are okay as well.

Physad. Concentrates on physical evidence, not astral. So someone else has to handle the astral stuff. He is a CSI, he finds the evidence, Sherlock Holmes-style. His senses of sight and scent are finely tuned to find the slightest evidence left from crime scenes. He is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Gil Grissom.

Middle aged, 30s. Has permits for his Moris Alta. But that's it. He doesn't use his weapon much. High stealth - remember, Sherlock once robbed a blackmailer. OK at unarmed combat - he survived the R Falls. Finesse, not brute force, is my character. Smart but no genius. He has a part-time job as a forensics consultant to the local FBI office - hopefully, the GM will allow access to all the forensics equipment available.

By the way, I'm putting the license for bring a PI as a FBI certified forensics specialist.

Not to teh FBI one, but the local Lone Star branch might rent time. Since I doubt you'll need a full blown InterPol type facility, Also, my house rule, there is no concealable forensics kit in modern use. The shop (cost x2) is portable (see Bone Collector for idea on size, the cases she carries down to the scene in the steam tunnel is not subtle).

OK, no problem. On second thought, I'll forgo that Forensics Kit.

Edit: So much does a Forensics Shop cost anyway?

Take the book listed price for a shop and multiply by 2.

10 K then? Non concealable? I was just thinking the basic stuff like dusting for prints and unltraviolet lights for stains.

Toturi, there is a ton more to forensics kits than just dust and lift. Camera, filter, measuring tools, etc. the dust and lift is but a small, small part.

Also, guys, my email doesn't like .sr3 files, so zip them and we'll see if that works.

No forensics kit? I should think that a microscope, blood type (not DNA) testing, magnifying glass, talcum powder, chloroform, rubber gloves, plastic bags, etc would be a kit. So, 5k for a PI liscense, and it allows me to haave a hyperdeck-6? If thats the case, I guess I'll have a SIN.

Hmm. OK. Can we legally request building chematics and criminal records from the government then? I think my character is gonna be a bit short on skillchips at the start, but hey: that's what advancement is for.

Oh yes, and: Are we all going with a fedora and trench-coat? I was thinking of that as a distinctive style flaw, but I just thought how distinctive it would make the group if we all had them.

Toturi, In retrospect there might have been some difference (I was trying to max-out assensing for astral perception) but I'll try sticking with my mundane character for now.

I don't know about you, but I don't think girls look that great in a Fedora Trenchcoat's no problem though

Since everyone else has done a fuller flavour character idea, here's mine...

She has no SIN, and although she'd like to be a cop she daren't get a SIN and join the force because of her illegal spells and past (and present) associations. However, she does have friends on the force who have been known to come to her for help when more conventional channels can't be used, as well as contacts on the other side of the law who come to her for a variety of reasons, not least her spying abilities. In return they do their bit to keep her off the radar. Unsurprisingly she has something of a balancing act to keep.

As a follower of the Moon Goddess, she avoids combat and direct confrontation like the plague, prefering instead to fool a potential opponent and run, rather than to stand and fight - that is if she can't avoid the confrontation in the first place. With that in mind she uses her magic to make keep her senses nigh on omniscient and her presence unknown. As a detective though, she's pretty much strictly astral, although she does understand the value of google and knows her way around electronic surveilance equipment.

Guys, if you want to go trench and fedora, go for it. Make your detective or specialist as cheesy noir as you like.
Word of warning though, as I will be creating your adventures from information about your characters, enemies, dark secrets, etc will be made use of, all in good fun of course.
Lilt, yup, you can request that stuff, whether or not you get it is another story. I recommend that one of you has at least 1 star contact and at least 1 government complex contact of some kind.

Also, I'm glad to see folks interested in making astral based detectives (the inspiration for this game was a detective phys ad with astral perception)

Also, nailed a timeline down. March 2061. Gear from SOTA is allowable

Shweet. I can go ahead with the main battle tank then, yes?

It's hard to say my character is noir, although I can try to niorify skillwires. My character's contacts are reasonably noir though... I have Hank the lone-star CSI mage, Penny the petite elven blondie secretary (she can work in the government records office if need-be), and Jimmy the snitch who shines shoes for a nuyen.

Girls in fedora and trenchcoat? My verdict is yes, but the fedora has to be one you jokingly/flirtingly stole off a guy. I'd highly recommend a little red number underneath too...

Hrmm, not much call for a main battle tank when you're snapping photos of spouses engaged in infidelity.

Is "Detect Life Form -> Metahuman" a viable spell? Or do I need seperate ones each for elves, humans, orks and so on?

Not sure, I'll check with MiTS tonight and let you know.

Nevemind, just checked SR3, the implication is Detect Orks, Detect Elves, Detect Dragons etc are different spells.

Okay, thanks for the update.

I'll get a contact in the bureau of urban development, who can supply me with building schematics, and a data broker who can sell us various data and fence any paydata I get. Don't know yet if I'll have the extra cash to buy extra contacts.

Sounds good.

So far it looks like I have 1 Submitted character, thanks Toturi
and 3 potentials. go ahead and start sending in the character sheets guys. I've got the first adventure somewhat sketched out and I'd like to started picking some details.

K. Sorry mine's not in yet (after me being the one to ask for the email addy), I've been busy for the last coupple of days and I still need to add the PI lisence (and a car if I can). I'll try and have it in later toay.

Okay that's 3 characters I have in. Room for one or two more.

Alright guys, time to decide who owns the business.

Who's got the highest Cha and Etiquette? I think he should technically own the business. Oh, he better have a cleaner-than-God SIN too.

Mine's (Gil Grissom) got Etiquette 4 and Good looking and knows it. (OK, I know that's sooo not Gil, more like Nick. I got confused ok?)

Edit: That's it. I'm changing the name of my character to Gil Stokes. (Nick Stoke's kid named after his boss, Gil)

The only social skill I have is ettiquette. Someone with the negotiation skill should own the business.