I have a couple of questions regarding contacts:

1. How often are contacts used in your game and how useful are they to you?

2. How does one gain new contacts and improve their existing contacts?

lots of hookers and blow.

There are typically 3 ways contacts are used.

1) Character background - Might be occasionally useful but not really purchased for that reason. I don't remember ever getting much use out having as a good friend the Imperial Japanese General Staff's Secret Special Service's resident for the North American West Coast, but it was background.
2) GM mechanics. We had a policy in at least one game that everyone had to have the same fixer as a contact so there was a logical reason for the group to exist.
3) Character / Game defining. Having a character having a senior KE exec as a high loyalty contact, like the Operations Manager for Seattle, can define the group and provide a large number of jobs. It also impacts who you will and won't act against, as loyalty has to run both ways.

The way we use contacts is simple: they are people you ask favours from, train with, buy stuff off or have a general social interaction with whether it is to do with a shadowrun or not. The more you regularly interact with a contact and the more you get along with a contact determines whether they will help you out in whatever field they can.

For example, asking a fixer you have done work for over the past 3 months for a gun and he can get you a gun. Ask him for helicopter and he will look at you distainfully. After about a year, said fixer might be able to get you in contact with someone who can get you said helicopter or be the middleman for the transaction.

We often ask our contacts for MORE contacts and this usually incurs a fee.

My 1000+ karma 2 game year running character personally has over 30 regular contacts perhaps 5 of which I could really count on if in need. Of course, this relationship is reciprical so any good GM will have the contacts asking the characters for favours or to get hold of stuff too.

Easier put, the best way to act in most circumstances is to consider contacts as friends for the most part. Treat them well (with favours, money etc), and they will hopefully treat you well in return.

Contacts are defined in how well they know you. In my campaign this is for the most part smudged over as we know where we stand generally with our contacts and what we can and cannot ask of them.

Very important in the games I GM as they are the catalyst for most of the adventures I run. As to missions and other games I play my mileage varies.




Through role playing mostly and I do occasionally reward players with a contact for helping the contact out.

Side note: Giving everyone the same starting fixer (for free) is a great way to get a group together.

I use contacts in every single game. I actually consider them the most important part of the game mechanics. They serve as plot hooks and sources of information, goods, and services. My players--and me, when I'm playing instead of GMing--tend to like having a lot of contacts, even if they aren't as obviously useful as, say, an arms dealer. Contacts add flavor to the setting, and some players like interacting with NPCs just as much as kicking down a door, guns blazing.



You gain new contacts through role-play. PCs improve loyalty ratings by doing nice things for their contacts, such as favors. Connection ratings can be improved depending on what the PCs do for the contacts. For example, helping a Lonestar officer get a hold of evidence that will help get him promoted will improve his connection rating as he advances through the ranks. I remember hearing the phrase 'water your contacts, and they will grow,' somewhere.

Thanks, everyone! Those are good ideas.

I really want to encourage the use of contacts in our game. Several of the players have spent zero points on contacts. Yes, the same people tend to be power gamers. At the next session, I'm getting a list of everyone's contacts, qualities, and knowledge skills. I making these features matter in the game. This should help bring inspiration too.

All the skills and gear in the world won't do you a bit of good if you have nobody to brag about them to.

Plus, how are the PCs even going to get their gear if they have no contacts? Cracker-jack boxes?

No contacts?!? What, were they raised ferally by wolves and then kicked out of a plane over Seattle and somehow survived the fall?

How did they get their gear? Where will they get new gear? How do they get work? Who'd going to fix them up when they are shot up? Or fix their gear? How are they going to do any legwork so they know which stocks to short and which to go long on before the run? If they are depending on others to supply the contacts, the other players should be made aware that Mr. Fixer is not comfortable discussing biz in front of strangers. The street doc is not taking on clients she doesn't know/can't trust. That gang boss they need info from will think they are a snitch/undercover agent. You may want them to leave the room while the other players discuss biz with their contacts. Or maybe the other players should just charge the power gamers a fee for setting up meets....

As to how to use/run contacts, they usually supply players with goods, services or information. Sometimes all 3. Most contacts are black market merchants, supplying gear or services with no questions asked. Arms dealers, mechanics, fixers, armorers, talismongers and street docs are all good examples. Players don't really need huge loyalty ratings with them. The players give them money in exchange for gear/services, and both parties rely on anonymity and reputation to do business. However the higher connection rating the merchant has may give them a bonus when finding that rare item the player wants.

Most other contacts are usually sources of information. Looking for that mook who escaped the fire fight with the McGuffin? Try talking to your Mob contacts, or gangers you know. Maybe your sister's husband the cop might know where the Green Machine go-gang likes to hole up. Keep him in real steaks and beer, and treat your sister right, then maybe he can make that ticket go away. Need to know where to take a date (not that your power gamers' character is actually getting a date...) to impress? chat up that blogger/club hopper. Can't figure out what the strange gun-like thing you found in the clean room of the facility you raided last week? Perhaps your high school buddy who works in Ares R&D might know. Anything the players need to find out, piece together or rumor mill are usually handled through information contacts. A decent loyalty rating is probably good. Most of these folks have legitimate jobs and are giving you info that might get them in trouble. Again, the higher connection rating may give them bonuses as they will know more folks.

New contacts are usually gained by asking current contacts for referrals. Need your shot-up step van patched up? Ask your fixer to recommend a mechanic. Other times success on a run can get you one. Did you save the Yakuza boss' son like he asked? You may be able to get back to him to ask for info, or maybe sell him something that fell off the back of a truck.

When roleplaying these individuals a good quirk or 2 is a good hook. An interesting accent, compulsive gesture, repetitive slang ("Hey chica! How you chicas doing? Did you take them fragging chicas down?") all help to separate contacts from one and other, and make them memorable to the players. Some may become player favorites, not because of what they provide, but because they are fun to interact with them. I prefer run most of my contacts during "downtime", as interacting with the players one-on-one takes longer than first-edition decking. I make some time with the players, and get all their buying/repairing/training done. Leaves more time when the group gets together for running and action.

We've decided all characters are members of Shadow Company, a mercenary organisation. The team member pay a monthly fee to rent Shadow Company's resources and are required to follow orders. Shadow Company is like a default contact for everyone. Most of their needs can be supported by one of the other players. Our players pay each other for medical care, cyberwear, and equipment modification. Keep it in the family.

Contacts are the only way the street doesn't eat you. They're your eyes and ears, your way out of trouble, and your way into it (jobs, etc).

I give my characters two ways of getting new contacts. The first is the obvious, RP for it. This is time consuming and a number of 'power gamers', or just people who don't want to put forth THAT much effort, I offer a second option. It's a mechanic, and it can get expensive, FAST, if they try to overuse it.

Connection * (Loyalty ^ 2 ) * (number of uses for contact).

for number of uses think of a fixer: Can get jobs, can get gear, can fence gear, can do legwork. 4 uses, 4x multiplier. A bartender's good for one use, local information, *1 (maybe even 0.5, since it's limited information).

Yep, I'd even let them buy loyalty (within reason...) It's the 'downtime', how they want to spend it and their karma is up to them.

I was thinking of karma based buying as well. The best I came up with was.

Gain a new contact with C1 L1: 12 karma (First levels are always doubled)
Increase connection or loyalty by 1: New (Connection + Loyalty) * 2 karma

So, the total spent on a contact would be:
C1 L1 = 12 karma
C2 L2 = 26 karma
C3 L3 = 48 karma
C4 L4 = 78 karma
C5 L5 = 116 karma
C6 L6 = 162 karma

Maybe *3 is better than *2?

Either way, just a thought.

Look at Frank's house rules.

Frank?

In my games contacts are the primary NPC's that the players interact with. It saves me a lot of work of coming up with extra NPCs most of the time, and gives me a sold crew of characters to develop.

I also use contact levels as rewards for PC's over the course of the game. My wife plays our team's decker/face, and during their last story arc the team was doing a lot of work for Janus Krall, leader of the Ork Rights Commission in Seattle. At the end of the arc I was able to give some more powers to the adept, some cool cyber to the samurai, but I was at a loss as to what to give my wife's character. Then it hit me, give her Janus as a contact. High connection, but relatively low loyalty. My wife thought it was great and it now opens up several different run possibilities that weren't there before.