They're not real pretty (Yet), and it'll be a bit before we can get them up over on the official SR Missions page, but the Season 4 contacts are now available. New characters will be able to purchase one or more of these contacts if they wish. Even if you don't buy them at chargen, it never hurts to know the players involved!

http://bull.dumpshock.com/SRM04_Contacts.pdf

Bull

Thank you Bull, thank you

I like the idea of enhancing character creation by providing a list of common contacts to root the characters into the campaign.

I'm still waiting on final approval for the FAQ... Soon as I have it back, I'll get that posted as well. That includes the promotion system guidelines, character creation, character transfer, plus an extremely expanded Missions FAQ.

And yeah, Redjack, that's exactly the point behind doing this. Helping to ground the campaign a little bit, give characters some commonality. And even if you don't take the contacts, you'll have some idea of who they are the first time they show up, since they're either prominent figures in the Seattle shadows and/or are in the public eye.

Bull

Yes, that was some of my problems when playing the Denver Missions. Of all the players on my game, I was the only one who sticked with the same character for the whole campaign and I started with a Russian Arms Dealer with Loy2/Con3, but as soon as I got to know Lady Jade, I started using just herand eventually finished the campaign having a Loy4 with me and never used Boris again...

Edit: My one thousandth post \o/

I think this is a great idea. My only comment is that I would love to see some more.

There will be more contacts that show up in Missions, but these are the core ones that will show up regularly throughout Season 4. We want characters to have a lot of opportunity to really interact with and get to know the contacts (I have like a full page or more of background details written up on each of these so that Missions writers can get a better sense of the personalities, histories, and motivations of the contacts, to make them more vibrant and "alive"). So my mantra is that "Fewer is better". I'd rather have 12 contacts that show up in at least 4 or 5 times in the first 12 missions (Most will show up at least 6 or 7) than have 20 contacts, and most show up once or twice.

Bull

I like this change to SRM04. It's a small one, but one that's been overlooked for too long. Good job.

For anyone following the Missions Facebook Page, I posted some sneak peek art for one of the upcoming contacts by the always amazing AAS.

*blush*

Really liked the spiderelf chick

Any new updates? Any chance of a FAQ pdf wrapped up under the tree or to start the New Year?

For those who aren't creating new characters, will there be a way to start with these contacts?

I don't think it's bad if we can't, especially if we earn them like in previous seasons. Just plain knowing the reputations that precede them is good enough for me, really, but I figured I should ask. If we know about them, then we can at least make informed decisions with respect to whom we side with when we're in that inevitable shadowrunner situation of "make a friend, make an enemy".

(Random note, we're proofing the final layout of the FAQ now. The website needs an overhaul still to host it, but I'll host it personally for a while if needs be to get it up. No ETA, as, well, that's against protocol, but soon! And sorry for the delay. Battletech keeps stealing my layout guy *shakes fist* )

THre are three things you can do going into Season 4.

1) Promote the Character to Prime Status and make a new guy, with a couple perks and bennies.

If you're at 150 or more Karma, you will need to to this, as we're trying to reset the character balance a little bit. (When we move to Season 5, we'll re-evaluate this number, as a note). If you're below that, you can voluntarily Promote your character, and there will still be some benefits the new character will get. They're nothing huge or game breaking, just little things to say "thanks for playing" and help the new character have a very slight edge on a bog-standard new character.

If you're at 149 or less, you can:

2) Transfer the Character.

3) Transfer your Karma

Both of these work just like they did from Season 2 to 3, so you can check the Seson 3 FAQ on the SR4 Missions site for more details.

Now, to directly answer your question, not really. If you do a Karma Transfer and rebuild your character, then yes, it would be possible (Though you lose some stuff doing this method, it does let you start a totally new character with the karma you've earned previously).

But yes, you have it exactly. One of the goals of releasing the character descriptions is so that not only can you take one or more of the Contacts, but their reputation precedes them, so you'll have heard of them even if you've never met them.

And, if you play through the first 2-3 Missions, you'll have the opportunity to pick up all of them (Plus at least one more).

I really am hoping to have some more stuff ready to unleash on you guys soon. We're running a little later than planned due to some things not getting done in time before the holidays crept up on us, and our main artist (AAS) getting crushed with additional work, most of it better paying than his Missions work, sadly (He's so worth way more than our budget allows. All of the artists we have right now are. So are my writers. *sigh* Buy lots of Missions guys, so I can start demanding better pay for my troops! ). I'm planning to catch up on the schedule though with Mission 04-01 or 04-02 though. So it's just a slow down and not a full delay.

Couple random notes...

1) Missions are going to be in color from now on. Some interior art may still endup black & white, I'm not certain, but the layout is in color, and so far all of the contact art is in full color (The previews on the SR Missions Facebook page are just B&W proofs ).

2) SRM 04-00 is called "Back in Business", and AFAIK, like SRM 03-00, will be free. It will introduce characters to both of the core plotlines in Seattle, give you a taste of Seattle nightlife and the Ork Underground, and introduce the major players for the main factions for both the Underground and the Artifact plotline.

3) The first regular SRM adventure, SRM 04-01 is called "Hiding in the Dark" and is the first full Ork Underground plotline adventure.

4) After that, we'll alternate plots... So 04-02 is the first Artifact plot, 04-03 is the second Underground, and so on. SRM 04-11 and 04-12 will be the culmination of each plotline.

5) Season 4 will continue on past Mission 04-12, which I'm tentatively referring to as Season 4.5 (Like Sci-Fi/SyFy does with their split DVD season releases). Nothings set in stone yet about Season 4.5, but it will probably follow 1 or 2 new plots, but will have many of the same NPCs carrying over.

6) Mission 04-00 and 04-01 will have a lot of little Easter Eggs for long time SR players and fans, and will either make those players laugh, or want to throw things at me. Or maybe both.

7) THe Ork Underground is really taking shape. We're done a lot of research and been abusing Google Maps to figure out entrances, locations, and generally come up with some cool concepts. Except to spend a lot of time heading in and out of Lordstrungs department store and the Big Rhino.

Patrick "Squinky" Sullivan continues to blow me away with his maps. Wait till you see the map of the Lordstrungs entrance to the Ork Underground. It is awe inspiring.

9) Besides the contacts, AAS is doing one of the interior art pieces for 04-00. I've seen a small color proof of the pic, and it looks awe- wait for it... wait for it... -some!

10) I'm just teasing you guys now, I know, but... I hope you guys enjoy this season as much as we're enjoying putting it together.

11) For those that can make the cons this year, there are some great CMP adventures on deck.

Bull