So my team the other day robbed a bank as part of a mission. They didn't steal any of the hard currency, but did break into 186 of the 500 safety deposit boxes..
So what I need help with is writing up a list of what could have been in those boxes. I have a few ideas, but I would like some help on this. Any suggestions?
Full Version: GM Help with a bank vault
A heavily encrypted commlink. Hacking it reveals only a single commlink code in its memory.
An old cyber-arm (of no great use, but it was recalimed from the corpse of a famous 'runner - that information, however, is not included in the vault).
56 items of jewellery, where an item might be a stuffed jewellery box or a single gold ring, or a collection of antique campaign records.
A scrap of paper with "Ha, I got here first, Lo Pan! I bet I beat you to the other drops too!"
A human sized skull, distorted into a sharp-tooth meta-type, but one that none of the runner can identify.
32 sets of documents, from house deeds to wills to contracts.
A single, unlabelled passcard.
A full set of keys of various types (ordinary, passcards, maglok keys, etc) plus a chip full of passcodes and passwords, all in a box labeled "Ares". (And its all 10 years out of date, btw)
A 15-year-old toy, the predecessor to the bust-a-move, with all of its plush coating stripped off. Its memory contains an evedropped business conversation between 2 unidentified men.
An antique Walther PPK
A book in an ancient and unidentifiable script.
An old cyber-arm (of no great use, but it was recalimed from the corpse of a famous 'runner - that information, however, is not included in the vault).
56 items of jewellery, where an item might be a stuffed jewellery box or a single gold ring, or a collection of antique campaign records.
A scrap of paper with "Ha, I got here first, Lo Pan! I bet I beat you to the other drops too!"
A human sized skull, distorted into a sharp-tooth meta-type, but one that none of the runner can identify.
32 sets of documents, from house deeds to wills to contracts.
A single, unlabelled passcard.
A full set of keys of various types (ordinary, passcards, maglok keys, etc) plus a chip full of passcodes and passwords, all in a box labeled "Ares". (And its all 10 years out of date, btw)
A 15-year-old toy, the predecessor to the bust-a-move, with all of its plush coating stripped off. Its memory contains an evedropped business conversation between 2 unidentified men.
An antique Walther PPK
A book in an ancient and unidentifiable script.
Mostly random junk and mementos people don't want to lose when someone burgles their homes.
Maybe some SIN-based documents (and chips & hardrives etc... we are in the future) for when the next crash comes and people have to prove their existence.
Valuables of all sizes and kinds (Which people don't want to declare for tax)
Some clean ceramic guns & sealed ammo, a fake SIN and a encrypted file (target) for the contract killer coming to town next week.
Some documents indicating people for crimes they commited. (Open if i die)
Some documents indicating people for crimes they didn't commit. (Open after i faked my death with clues leading to one of those people)
Clean cash (scrip, bearer bonds, certified credsticks)
Worthless trash
Air (empty)
Some gems... JACKPOT (Worthless Amethysts, value= 50 Nuyen)
Maybe some SIN-based documents (and chips & hardrives etc... we are in the future) for when the next crash comes and people have to prove their existence.
Valuables of all sizes and kinds (Which people don't want to declare for tax)
Some clean ceramic guns & sealed ammo, a fake SIN and a encrypted file (target) for the contract killer coming to town next week.
Some documents indicating people for crimes they commited. (Open if i die)
Some documents indicating people for crimes they didn't commit. (Open after i faked my death with clues leading to one of those people)
Clean cash (scrip, bearer bonds, certified credsticks)
Worthless trash
Air (empty)
Some gems... JACKPOT (Worthless Amethysts, value= 50 Nuyen)
A bus locker key.
A carton of vintage cigarettes.
A manuscript that reads like either the insane ramblings of a madman or the last works of Stephen King.
Holiday 'trid recordings on chip.
A stash of vintage porn.
A stash of furry porn. (Man were people weird before the Matrix came out!)
A few strips of 35mm negatives with deceased politicians in incriminating poses.
A letter to a Lawyer with orders of what to do upon a mysterious death.
Old Registered Credsticks.
Before and after photos of Goblinized people.
A copy of Dunkelzahn's Will, with items that are not in the public release.
Chips containing the complete works of JetBlack.
A carton of vintage cigarettes.
A manuscript that reads like either the insane ramblings of a madman or the last works of Stephen King.
Holiday 'trid recordings on chip.
A stash of vintage porn.
A stash of furry porn. (Man were people weird before the Matrix came out!)
A few strips of 35mm negatives with deceased politicians in incriminating poses.
A letter to a Lawyer with orders of what to do upon a mysterious death.
Old Registered Credsticks.
Before and after photos of Goblinized people.
A copy of Dunkelzahn's Will, with items that are not in the public release.
Chips containing the complete works of JetBlack.
A copy of The Nise and Accurate Prophesies of Miss Agnes Nutter.
A mob boss's ledger (make sure it includes payoff amounts to the police)
Pictures of an elven royal princess and her dwarf lover
Pictures of an elven royal princess and her dwarf lover
Several pieces of the vintage pornstar!
QUOTE (naga-nuyen @ Sep 1 2010, 12:25 AM) 
Several pieces of the vintage pornstar!
Eeeeew... just ew.
A Note: "Whoever reads this: I congratulate you on your successful heist/conjob. I wish i were as cool as you. Sorry i couldn't have something expensive in here. - Ryan"
A Notebook, first entry: "The human whose name is written in this note shall die." (Doesn't do anything)
A Bible, a lot of words marked or blacked out. (No i haven't seen Burn Notice.. NO SIR)
An old Vinyl... Elvis Pressly who? (Bah into the garbage with it)
EDIT:
A Notebook, first entry: "The human whose name is written in this note shall die." (Seems it has a spirit checking the writings, trying to interpret them and hunt down all people with that name. VERY stupid, VERY powerful spirit)
A 1951 Willie Mays Rookie Card (Might as well get the DS9 reference in there if we're making Death Note and Burn Notice refs).
QUOTE (Acme @ Sep 1 2010, 12:32 AM)
A 1951 Willie Mays Rookie Card (Might as well get the DS9 reference in there if we're making Death Note and Burn Notice refs).
Why not grab others?
How about a silver locked case about the size of one that carries ice skates, a single handcuff and chain hanging from the handle?
A bag of diamonds of varying sizes and yellowed papers in German dated back to the 1930's and 40's, as well as a signet ring.
Booby traps.
Five million dollars in unmarked bills, a host of passports that all have the same face and different names, and a 9mm pistol.
A pair of AR glasses with a prerecorded message, set to self-destruct five seconds after the message ends.
A briefcase filled with large glass vials, clear.
A grilled cheese sandwich in a vacuum-sealed container. The Virgin Mary and/or Jesus may or may not be in the browning.
A massive Hard Disk labeled SCRIE backup in Japanese.
a key for a safe deposit box at the Glendale branch of Angeles Fidelity Bank.
A large welded shut plassteel box, numbered 411.
A Fairlight Cyberdeck, still running on battery power.
a key for a safe deposit box at the Glendale branch of Angeles Fidelity Bank.
A large welded shut plassteel box, numbered 411.
A Fairlight Cyberdeck, still running on battery power.
(Lesse... Let's go with more references.)
A box containing a lead-lined chunk of radioactive rock. May or may not be leaking. (Kiss Me Deadly)
A breifcase with an orange jewel and a flashlight which emits an orange glow from the briefcase when opened. (Oddly enough, The Mighty Ducks, parody of Pulp Fiction)
A simple, dusty chalice, looking more like a humble carpenter's cup. (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
A heavy statue of a falcon, painted black. May or may not be gold underneath. (Maltese Falcon)
A sled. (Citizen Kane)
A FedEx box, beaten up and unopened. (Cast Away- Apparently according to the director, it contained a solar powered satellite phone..)
An envelope containing an egg salad recipe, with "It is written that he who makes the best egg salad shall rule over heaven and earth." written on it. (What's Up, Tiger Lily?)
Self-sealing stem bolts.
A box containing a lead-lined chunk of radioactive rock. May or may not be leaking. (Kiss Me Deadly)
A breifcase with an orange jewel and a flashlight which emits an orange glow from the briefcase when opened. (Oddly enough, The Mighty Ducks, parody of Pulp Fiction)
A simple, dusty chalice, looking more like a humble carpenter's cup. (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
A heavy statue of a falcon, painted black. May or may not be gold underneath. (Maltese Falcon)
A sled. (Citizen Kane)
A FedEx box, beaten up and unopened. (Cast Away- Apparently according to the director, it contained a solar powered satellite phone..)
An envelope containing an egg salad recipe, with "It is written that he who makes the best egg salad shall rule over heaven and earth." written on it. (What's Up, Tiger Lily?)
Self-sealing stem bolts.
death death and more death... pulling such a high profile gig is very likely to motivate someone, or someones, into tracking the pc's down. As many of the items are highly valued by their owners (either emotionally or monetarily) the army of cops and bounty hunters after them will be staggering.
Plus the Bank, and whatever megacorp umbrella they fall under, is going to look very bad to the other people who store good there and is going to want to retrieve merchandise so as to save face.
Even if somehow they managed to avoid the ridiculous amount of astral and physical/technological tracking and forensics that would go into investigating this case, almost all of the items in there will bleed a trail right back to the runners if they try to sell any of it. UGH
Plus the Bank, and whatever megacorp umbrella they fall under, is going to look very bad to the other people who store good there and is going to want to retrieve merchandise so as to save face.
Even if somehow they managed to avoid the ridiculous amount of astral and physical/technological tracking and forensics that would go into investigating this case, almost all of the items in there will bleed a trail right back to the runners if they try to sell any of it. UGH
QUOTE (Faradon @ Sep 1 2010, 12:58 AM)
death death and more death... pulling such a high profile gig is very likely to motivate someone, or someones, into tracking the pc's down. As many of the items are highly valued by their owners (either emotionally or monetarily) the army of cops and bounty hunters after them will be staggering.
Plus the Bank, and whatever megacorp umbrella they fall under, is going to look very bad to the other people who store good there and is going to want to retrieve merchandise so as to save face.
Even if somehow they managed to avoid the ridiculous amount of astral and physical/technological tracking and forensics that would go into investigating this case, almost all of the items in there will bleed a trail right back to the runners if they try to sell any of it. UGH
Plus the Bank, and whatever megacorp umbrella they fall under, is going to look very bad to the other people who store good there and is going to want to retrieve merchandise so as to save face.
Even if somehow they managed to avoid the ridiculous amount of astral and physical/technological tracking and forensics that would go into investigating this case, almost all of the items in there will bleed a trail right back to the runners if they try to sell any of it. UGH
That why to take all the illgeal items/untraceable credsticks ect then dump the high profile/traceable shit and send an message to the police that you saw some guy stash some strong boxes where you did. Include the empty boxes as well the owners of those are unlikely to want to say what was in them or fess up they owned it if found. Mak sure all the boxes are unlocked as well plus if you find an items that just happen to incrimiate tyour emermys hide them in there mix if you can maybe in oen of the boxes that held something less legal.
Of cores you wipe down in every way all of the items and boxes while in hazmat suits or such to make trackign this back to you as hard as you can. You've just pissed of at least 157 people.
Outdated digital media. Ie, a 5.5" or 3.25" floppy disk, a minidisk, or back up tape.
An IBM 5100 computer, with a note attached: "For Mr. John Titor".
I'm sure I've read about someone doing a survey on these vaults....Mayhaps google would help?
Industry wise, vaults are unlikely to contain anything like corperate secrets. Most secure storage ina bank is for ease of access and uniquness of items. This means, mostly, paper and antique items. From memory:
1: Firstly, it's unlikely more than 80% of the boxes are occupied, unless they hit a depository (Long-term storage, this is where a company will lease out a certain amount of secure storage, with only access to 2-3 members of the company. Hit one of these and your runner's lives will be measured in hours. KE or Lonestar will pull out the heavy tactical response with the matrix and magic being very chilly.)
2: Private correspondance, mostly love-letters (if male) and tax stuff (If female) (Statistically, lots of these. After the 60th version of "dear Susan, last night was magical..." your runners will shoot you. Or start laughing at what they called "raunchy pictures" back then)
3: Medical information - mostly for insurance purposes - and legal crap. Land deeds, stock certificates, maybe even bonds.
4: Wills! You'll find up to 10% of the boxes will be rented by legal firms.
5: Mundane things, like passport copies (credsticks, ho!)
6: Family heirlooms. Sure, it's a ratty-ass gold necklace with some bulldog inside the photo broach to you, but to them, it's of great aunt May, before goblinizing...
7: Guilty secrets, adoption papers, paternity suites, long-lost relatives, family feuds. If you want to get weird, ask your runners why a retired honourable salary-man wants a box of nothing important back...one who doesn't want word of his ork daughter getting out, 'natch?
8: And the nasty stuff. Blackmail, snuff, and worse. If you want them to dig through these, be prepared to scar your players. There's a reason why a lot of people get bent out of shape if a large and secure vault is knocked off, and it's not because deputizing a will takes half a day.
Hooks: a retired Cardinal wants to hire them to recover an unopened box. (Low fruit, I know, but weird.) You can make it seem terrible, then turn out he was hiding the secrets of his superiors. Or have him be the ever-so-kindly choirmaster of lost souls.
9: Weirdness: ~ 1% of the boxes will have something odd, but not really explainable. So:
The signed Elvis record.
The video of Jetblack playing for a bunch of runnners 3 years after his death (Name the run, kids:))
A small book of herbs and possible remedies (thank you AH, most excellent hook)
Some very old prototype ware (lost when the owner was unsuccessfully (ie: kill) extracted, still an amazing breakthrough in essence-loss reduction, perhaps..?)
An old firearm, pre-awakening (an anchient crime with a smoking gun?)
A mummified foetus, wrapped in swaddling-cloths with pointed ears...or evidence of goblinization, medical tag still attached, pre-awakening
Clues to Concrete Dreams "Lost Recording" (I'm pretty sure they missed a year in their annual release schedule, I tossed together a Halloween-Treasure hunt/haunt about that one.)
Music, interrupted by sounds of alarm, and then really creepy noises. Can screams for help that never come. (make a tape up, get some doom sounds happening with elevator music. Play it for your players.)
The will of Howling Coyote, as entrusted to McBean. (from Prime Runners, SR, god, 2?)
Post-it with "Hastur, Hastur, Hastur" written on it.
GPS co-ordinates of another Dunkie lair. Incomplete, but with some nice toys in it? "Note to self: must change password. Open Seasame is too cliched. Must be wary of <note runs out of space>"
A pre-columbian jade axe head.
Silver-tipped ammunition.
Keys to another deposit box.
Prototype nano-forge.
Ivory thimble.
Blood-encrusted scissors.
A single piece of chalk, wrapped badly in cling-wrap
The "Ring" video. (Have their comlinks/PS's call after the video's been seen.) "7 days." <Click>
A sword, rusted and uncared for.
A pile of kugerands.
Underwear.
A dessicated and dry severed finger.
Herbs
A packet of "Heat-and-pop" stove-top
A persec with nothing but ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp<ad infinitum) on it.
A small silver box, engraved with initials, in which you find a clump of pubic hair, neatly wrapped ing a ribbbon
And so on and so forth
-Tir.
Industry wise, vaults are unlikely to contain anything like corperate secrets. Most secure storage ina bank is for ease of access and uniquness of items. This means, mostly, paper and antique items. From memory:
1: Firstly, it's unlikely more than 80% of the boxes are occupied, unless they hit a depository (Long-term storage, this is where a company will lease out a certain amount of secure storage, with only access to 2-3 members of the company. Hit one of these and your runner's lives will be measured in hours. KE or Lonestar will pull out the heavy tactical response with the matrix and magic being very chilly.)
2: Private correspondance, mostly love-letters (if male) and tax stuff (If female) (Statistically, lots of these. After the 60th version of "dear Susan, last night was magical..." your runners will shoot you. Or start laughing at what they called "raunchy pictures" back then)
3: Medical information - mostly for insurance purposes - and legal crap. Land deeds, stock certificates, maybe even bonds.
4: Wills! You'll find up to 10% of the boxes will be rented by legal firms.
5: Mundane things, like passport copies (credsticks, ho!)
6: Family heirlooms. Sure, it's a ratty-ass gold necklace with some bulldog inside the photo broach to you, but to them, it's of great aunt May, before goblinizing...
7: Guilty secrets, adoption papers, paternity suites, long-lost relatives, family feuds. If you want to get weird, ask your runners why a retired honourable salary-man wants a box of nothing important back...one who doesn't want word of his ork daughter getting out, 'natch?
8: And the nasty stuff. Blackmail, snuff, and worse. If you want them to dig through these, be prepared to scar your players. There's a reason why a lot of people get bent out of shape if a large and secure vault is knocked off, and it's not because deputizing a will takes half a day.
Hooks: a retired Cardinal wants to hire them to recover an unopened box. (Low fruit, I know, but weird.) You can make it seem terrible, then turn out he was hiding the secrets of his superiors. Or have him be the ever-so-kindly choirmaster of lost souls.
9: Weirdness: ~ 1% of the boxes will have something odd, but not really explainable. So:
The signed Elvis record.
The video of Jetblack playing for a bunch of runnners 3 years after his death (Name the run, kids:))
A small book of herbs and possible remedies (thank you AH, most excellent hook)
Some very old prototype ware (lost when the owner was unsuccessfully (ie: kill) extracted, still an amazing breakthrough in essence-loss reduction, perhaps..?)
An old firearm, pre-awakening (an anchient crime with a smoking gun?)
A mummified foetus, wrapped in swaddling-cloths with pointed ears...or evidence of goblinization, medical tag still attached, pre-awakening
Clues to Concrete Dreams "Lost Recording" (I'm pretty sure they missed a year in their annual release schedule, I tossed together a Halloween-Treasure hunt/haunt about that one.)
Music, interrupted by sounds of alarm, and then really creepy noises. Can screams for help that never come. (make a tape up, get some doom sounds happening with elevator music. Play it for your players.)
The will of Howling Coyote, as entrusted to McBean. (from Prime Runners, SR, god, 2?)
Post-it with "Hastur, Hastur, Hastur" written on it.
GPS co-ordinates of another Dunkie lair. Incomplete, but with some nice toys in it? "Note to self: must change password. Open Seasame is too cliched. Must be wary of <note runs out of space>"
A pre-columbian jade axe head.
Silver-tipped ammunition.
Keys to another deposit box.
Prototype nano-forge.
Ivory thimble.
Blood-encrusted scissors.
A single piece of chalk, wrapped badly in cling-wrap
The "Ring" video. (Have their comlinks/PS's call after the video's been seen.) "7 days." <Click>
A sword, rusted and uncared for.
A pile of kugerands.
Underwear.
A dessicated and dry severed finger.
Herbs
A packet of "Heat-and-pop" stove-top
A persec with nothing but ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp<ad infinitum) on it.
A small silver box, engraved with initials, in which you find a clump of pubic hair, neatly wrapped ing a ribbbon
And so on and so forth
-Tir.
Thanks for your help, it was much needed.
The gang robbed a bank that is controlled by the local Yaks. So this should all turn out interesting here in a bit.
The gang robbed a bank that is controlled by the local Yaks. So this should all turn out interesting here in a bit.
If the local yakuzas are controling the bank, some of their paperwork and some blackmail material are likely- it's a reasonably safe place afterall, and if the cops don't have a safe number, they'll have a hard time finding it.
Blackmail material is probably best left on site or returned to the bank. A dialogue between two robbers in 'Les egouts du Paradis' (based on the Spaggiari break-in in Nice) summed it up : one had a look at the photoshoot of someone's extramarital activities and asked his buddy 'what is it worth ?'. The answer was 'twenty years or a bullet, depending on who you're dealing with.'
It's been a long while since I saw the film, but amongst what they found in the safes I remember a few odities, including a pile of tin cans - well beyond peremption date. (probably dating back WWII black market - the break-in was in 1976....).
Blackmail material is probably best left on site or returned to the bank. A dialogue between two robbers in 'Les egouts du Paradis' (based on the Spaggiari break-in in Nice) summed it up : one had a look at the photoshoot of someone's extramarital activities and asked his buddy 'what is it worth ?'. The answer was 'twenty years or a bullet, depending on who you're dealing with.'
It's been a long while since I saw the film, but amongst what they found in the safes I remember a few odities, including a pile of tin cans - well beyond peremption date. (probably dating back WWII black market - the break-in was in 1976....).
Nude pictures of several of the player characters taken from their flat/hideout bathroom. (checking the place will show no more electronics).
A puff of green smoke that they could inhale when they open the box.
A very large and sharp tooth.
A human finger, somewhat mumified.
A human ear.
An elven ear
The Mona Lisa.
A stuffed yorkshire.
A very large diamond.
An old gun that obviously have been used.
Jetblack songs disk.
A puff of green smoke that they could inhale when they open the box.
A very large and sharp tooth.
A human finger, somewhat mumified.
A human ear.
An elven ear
The Mona Lisa.
A stuffed yorkshire.
A very large diamond.
An old gun that obviously have been used.
Jetblack songs disk.
A complete 4th Edition shadowrun collection (Including a 468 page FAQ and house rules)
A detailed treasure map with an “X marks the spot” in the carribean.
An inventory list of a warehouse in Redmond
A voodoo doll in a box with accompanying needles and someones hair attached to it.
A detailed treasure map with an “X marks the spot” in the carribean.
An inventory list of a warehouse in Redmond
A voodoo doll in a box with accompanying needles and someones hair attached to it.
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