This topic is inspired in large part by the thread about dev/ girl. It got me to thinking of running a runner who's much older than the rest, and seems to know every trick of the trade, the little clever things that hint that maybe, once, long ago, this man had a name that the party should have known....
Basically, I'm trying to collect the wisdom of shadows, and go beyond the iconic "Never cut a deal with dragon" into the tactics, tricks, and clever stratagems of the professional.
1.) Head and Heart: Always confirm the kill.
2.) Ice packs can be the poor mans IFF detector-using thermal scopes, you can tell allies from enemies because ones butt is bright blue.
3.) Never do a meet unarmed-and if you have to, a carbon fiber knife in a hard to reach place is still better than nothing.
4.) Always have an exfil and extract plan-and always have a secret back up plan, for the runs that get compromised.
5.) You can always see the bullet in front, you never see the knife in the back.
6.) The easy way is always mined.
What do ya'll have for me?
Full Version: Professial-fu, or the way of the mirror shades
7.) Never walk into a place you don't know how to walk out of.
8.) In-person recon. The map is not the territorry.
9.) Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.
10.) Worry about saving your own skin. It covers your body.
11.) Always geek the mage first.
12.) Think on your feet. No plan survives enemy contact, and that includes Plans B though Z.
8.) In-person recon. The map is not the territorry.
9.) Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt.
10.) Worry about saving your own skin. It covers your body.
11.) Always geek the mage first.
12.) Think on your feet. No plan survives enemy contact, and that includes Plans B though Z.
1) please link the thread about dev/grrl you are writing about.
2) I assume you want something for your character to go by. In character. And I will assume a lot more.
3) Whatever you come up with, parlez with your GM. If He doesn't agree to your Worldview your character is going to look like a fool and die in the process.
4) Always remember : The Servant plays the King - Inform the other players of your character concept. If they won't play out the awe your character should inspire, he just doesn't have it.
Principles of SR Pro-Fu:
First of all, you'll lose the "Rulebook" no Rule will ever apply to a given situation, only to the statistic median of that situation, which you (=your character) is most unlikely to encounter. Exchange Rules Thinking into Principles to Operate By. If something doenn't work, loose it. As with everything else. Test it, develope it, test again, redevelop it, etc...
Here come the Principles I have come up with, condensed out of Martial Arts, Guerillia Warefare, Spy Novels & Movies and last not least playing a ton of SR over the years.
Engagement Principles:
1) Go Forward. DO NOT wait until something happens. Formulate an Objective and relentlessly pursue it. Always have something to DO. Always formulate at least one task with any outcome objective. In order to loose 5 pounds (outcome objective) I have to do 20 Situps per day (Task). Learn, Quantify, readjust, repeat. Search for the shortest way. A straight line is always the shortest connection between two points (disarm the minefield!).
2) Keep your Focus. Stick with your prime objective. If your job is to get the prototype out of a research lab, don't waste to much effort on the security detail. They are relevant sure, but the are just the hands of organisations and shall not be the center of your attention.
3) Pick your battles. Always make a conscious decision to fight. Even if you are outmatching the opposition. Always yield to greater force. Live to fight another day and do not waste ressources on a fight you may not win, decisively.
4) Follow through. Whenever a decision has been made and/or your enemy retreats or you are "that" close to "it". Advance. DO NOT give the enemy time to regroup. Get a good sense (and Perseprion Skill) for the risk/reward ratio of moving forward. If in doubt, Go Forward.
Ressources Principles:
1) Give up your own Force, Ressources, Energy, Chrome, etc. You'll need it later anyway. Operate from a relaxed day to day perspective. Your "Special Skills" your Focus acts as a parking brake for your own "creativity". How would somebody solve that who is not a "fill in character type" (Hacker, Mage, Chromer, Rigger, Infiltrator etc.)?
2) Redirect and Use your opponents Ressources against him or other enemies of yours. So the Average Guard at the XMY Facility uses a HKMP5 and Flash-Bang Grenades. Get the Biometric Mastercode and you already do not have to bring allong that kind of gun. And so it goes with just about anything. And that loanshark that is out to get your kidneys for not making one payment? Maybe the clues you left at the crimescene trace right back to her...
3)Add your own. When your enemy is in motion add to that motion do not stand against it.
4) Always get a little bonus for papa and put a little extra away. 10% of any given ammount. Invest in ID's and well burried stashes with a getaway option. And have a way out.
Planning Principles:
1) Simplicity - Everybody has a Task he/she can take responsibility for, as simple as possible. NOT an Outcome. A broadly defined task or several.
2) Directness - To many circles are a waste of time.
3) Economy - Use the smallest/simplest possible Ressources/ Weapons/ Equippment.
4) Practicality - Adaptability and Applicability. Do not bring a gun if you do not want to kill someone. Ask for every Item that you carry arround: "have I used this in the last three runs?" If the answer is no, lose it. If it is the Trauma Patch or your DocWagon Contract, you still get to keep it.
5) Relax - So you couldn't think of all the things that might happpen beforehand. Well, thats what you get the big bucks for. Getting the job done despite whatever they might throw at you.
Social Engeneering Principles:
1) Yes and in addition... ...try to build on statements others make, not contradict them. It will make you look smart.
2) Make other people look good. "You, Sir, show a great accumen for long term thinking...." Would you rather be surrounded by kelp and suckers or by "proffessionals" and "geniuses". How do you trat the people arround you?
3) Trust your gut... Keeping an opend mind is always good advice unless it gets your brain openend by a .357 Magnum Round.
4) The Party is where you are... If you are convinced the best place to be is with you, then others will eventually come to the same conclusion. Don't make somebody join, invite them to the "party".
I hope that was helpful,
Sunshine
2) I assume you want something for your character to go by. In character. And I will assume a lot more.
3) Whatever you come up with, parlez with your GM. If He doesn't agree to your Worldview your character is going to look like a fool and die in the process.
4) Always remember : The Servant plays the King - Inform the other players of your character concept. If they won't play out the awe your character should inspire, he just doesn't have it.
Principles of SR Pro-Fu:
First of all, you'll lose the "Rulebook" no Rule will ever apply to a given situation, only to the statistic median of that situation, which you (=your character) is most unlikely to encounter. Exchange Rules Thinking into Principles to Operate By. If something doenn't work, loose it. As with everything else. Test it, develope it, test again, redevelop it, etc...
Here come the Principles I have come up with, condensed out of Martial Arts, Guerillia Warefare, Spy Novels & Movies and last not least playing a ton of SR over the years.
Engagement Principles:
1) Go Forward. DO NOT wait until something happens. Formulate an Objective and relentlessly pursue it. Always have something to DO. Always formulate at least one task with any outcome objective. In order to loose 5 pounds (outcome objective) I have to do 20 Situps per day (Task). Learn, Quantify, readjust, repeat. Search for the shortest way. A straight line is always the shortest connection between two points (disarm the minefield!).
2) Keep your Focus. Stick with your prime objective. If your job is to get the prototype out of a research lab, don't waste to much effort on the security detail. They are relevant sure, but the are just the hands of organisations and shall not be the center of your attention.
3) Pick your battles. Always make a conscious decision to fight. Even if you are outmatching the opposition. Always yield to greater force. Live to fight another day and do not waste ressources on a fight you may not win, decisively.
4) Follow through. Whenever a decision has been made and/or your enemy retreats or you are "that" close to "it". Advance. DO NOT give the enemy time to regroup. Get a good sense (and Perseprion Skill) for the risk/reward ratio of moving forward. If in doubt, Go Forward.
Ressources Principles:
1) Give up your own Force, Ressources, Energy, Chrome, etc. You'll need it later anyway. Operate from a relaxed day to day perspective. Your "Special Skills" your Focus acts as a parking brake for your own "creativity". How would somebody solve that who is not a "fill in character type" (Hacker, Mage, Chromer, Rigger, Infiltrator etc.)?
2) Redirect and Use your opponents Ressources against him or other enemies of yours. So the Average Guard at the XMY Facility uses a HKMP5 and Flash-Bang Grenades. Get the Biometric Mastercode and you already do not have to bring allong that kind of gun. And so it goes with just about anything. And that loanshark that is out to get your kidneys for not making one payment? Maybe the clues you left at the crimescene trace right back to her...
3)Add your own. When your enemy is in motion add to that motion do not stand against it.
4) Always get a little bonus for papa and put a little extra away. 10% of any given ammount. Invest in ID's and well burried stashes with a getaway option. And have a way out.
Planning Principles:
1) Simplicity - Everybody has a Task he/she can take responsibility for, as simple as possible. NOT an Outcome. A broadly defined task or several.
2) Directness - To many circles are a waste of time.
3) Economy - Use the smallest/simplest possible Ressources/ Weapons/ Equippment.
4) Practicality - Adaptability and Applicability. Do not bring a gun if you do not want to kill someone. Ask for every Item that you carry arround: "have I used this in the last three runs?" If the answer is no, lose it. If it is the Trauma Patch or your DocWagon Contract, you still get to keep it.
5) Relax - So you couldn't think of all the things that might happpen beforehand. Well, thats what you get the big bucks for. Getting the job done despite whatever they might throw at you.
Social Engeneering Principles:
1) Yes and in addition... ...try to build on statements others make, not contradict them. It will make you look smart.
2) Make other people look good. "You, Sir, show a great accumen for long term thinking...." Would you rather be surrounded by kelp and suckers or by "proffessionals" and "geniuses". How do you trat the people arround you?
3) Trust your gut... Keeping an opend mind is always good advice unless it gets your brain openend by a .357 Magnum Round.
4) The Party is where you are... If you are convinced the best place to be is with you, then others will eventually come to the same conclusion. Don't make somebody join, invite them to the "party".
I hope that was helpful,
Sunshine
Rules For Street Samurai :
Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.
Your reputation is your bread and butter. Do not compromise it unless the payoff is worth the loss.
There is no such thing as overkill. There is only 'sufficient force' or 'insufficient force'.
Violence is not a hobby, it is a tool. Use it only when it is the best tool for the job.
Correlating to the above, violence is risky. Mitigate that risk by using precisely as much of it as you must to complete the job.
Always have a knife handy. You never know when you'll need to do things quietly.
Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.
Your reputation is your bread and butter. Do not compromise it unless the payoff is worth the loss.
There is no such thing as overkill. There is only 'sufficient force' or 'insufficient force'.
Violence is not a hobby, it is a tool. Use it only when it is the best tool for the job.
Correlating to the above, violence is risky. Mitigate that risk by using precisely as much of it as you must to complete the job.
Always have a knife handy. You never know when you'll need to do things quietly.
1) Explosives are always an option. You did infiltrate the area earlier and set charges, right?
-k
-k
There's ALWAYS Time for lube !
@ Sunshine
The Dev/ girl thread got locked, so I'm not gonna link it, but it was called Dev/ girl development. It kinda broke down into a debate a out gender rights as related to fiction.
You right about the behaviors, and i love them ( this is all going into a word file), though i do want clever tricks that fit situations. A strong bench of gear tweaks, and some "Grandpa Advice " to drop about when i was your age....
Add some more from me:
No man is an island, if only because islands dont die when shot in the head. Always have backup!
Just cause you better than everyone of them, doesnt mean your good enough to survive.
Do unto others.
Just cause its easy for you doesnt mean it can't be hard on your clients.
and of course: Pillage, then burn
*last three from the 70 maxims of maximally effective mercanaries
The Dev/ girl thread got locked, so I'm not gonna link it, but it was called Dev/ girl development. It kinda broke down into a debate a out gender rights as related to fiction.
You right about the behaviors, and i love them ( this is all going into a word file), though i do want clever tricks that fit situations. A strong bench of gear tweaks, and some "Grandpa Advice " to drop about when i was your age....
Add some more from me:
No man is an island, if only because islands dont die when shot in the head. Always have backup!
Just cause you better than everyone of them, doesnt mean your good enough to survive.
Do unto others.
Just cause its easy for you doesnt mean it can't be hard on your clients.
and of course: Pillage, then burn
*last three from the 70 maxims of maximally effective mercanaries
@Kuma Thanks for the praise, sorry for the misinterpretation.
Heres more:
"Fix the problem, not the blame!" (especially when your char messed up)
ad a " ,dear" at the end of your sentence, especially when talking to the Troll-Samurai.
"Don't bother fighting fair, except if your interested in ending up crippled, dead or visiting the prison showers for a tryst once a day."
"If in doubt. Drink soykaf."
"Never volunteer for anything. Soldier's basic rule."
"Don't break the furniture, kid."
"Only have one spouse at a time. It will come arround and bite you in the most unpleasant of times."
"Hm, I am pretty good for an old chummer, neh? Must be how I got to be an old chummer in the first place, so ka?"
"Between 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning is the best time for an attack, back in the day we called it the KGB Hour!"
- Have a SDR (Surveillance Detection Route) prepared where you can spot a shadow before entering and after leaving hideouts or meeting places. Make it a habit to search above and below head height.
- A little piece of lead (weight) lined in the bottom seam of your Jacket/ Long Coat gives you a small edge on the draw of a holstered gun or knife (and there is a little surprise if you have to "whip" someone with your jacket in a brawl), it also keeps the probability of entangling it lower and muffles sounds (due to less movement) a bit.
- Have a long key-chain with a Flashlight with you, heavy enough to be used as a kubotan or fistweight (and for light of course).
- Line some of your pockets with fishing hooks, makes for a nasty surprise on pickpockets if they mess up the angle (do not try to fast draw anything though, it makes for nasty glitches).
- go retro: write notes with a pencil in a paperback book.
- Always have the character make slow and distinctive hand/ arm movements. Its ideal for guiding the eye of any observer away from whatever the other hand is doing.
- Be "Old". Cranc you neck, complain about your rheumatism acting up, "forget" your wallet "I'll pay you back later dear!" Oh, sweet dementia.
- Waste Archeology; One of the most overlooked "Info-dumps" in our civilised world. At least you get the RFID tags from where your mark buy his or her soyburgers and gets the dry cleaning done.
- Always have one set of the most common disguises for "invisible people" in the trunk of your car: communications and computer service technicians, Copy or Vending machine technicians, building custodians - (typically anyone with a set of blue/grey Dickies is granted cart blanche access), Messenger services, A/C heating technician.
...
Heres more:
"Fix the problem, not the blame!" (especially when your char messed up)
ad a " ,dear" at the end of your sentence, especially when talking to the Troll-Samurai.
"Don't bother fighting fair, except if your interested in ending up crippled, dead or visiting the prison showers for a tryst once a day."
"If in doubt. Drink soykaf."
"Never volunteer for anything. Soldier's basic rule."
"Don't break the furniture, kid."
"Only have one spouse at a time. It will come arround and bite you in the most unpleasant of times."
"Hm, I am pretty good for an old chummer, neh? Must be how I got to be an old chummer in the first place, so ka?"
"Between 3 and 4 o'clock in the morning is the best time for an attack, back in the day we called it the KGB Hour!"
- Have a SDR (Surveillance Detection Route) prepared where you can spot a shadow before entering and after leaving hideouts or meeting places. Make it a habit to search above and below head height.
- A little piece of lead (weight) lined in the bottom seam of your Jacket/ Long Coat gives you a small edge on the draw of a holstered gun or knife (and there is a little surprise if you have to "whip" someone with your jacket in a brawl), it also keeps the probability of entangling it lower and muffles sounds (due to less movement) a bit.
- Have a long key-chain with a Flashlight with you, heavy enough to be used as a kubotan or fistweight (and for light of course).
- Line some of your pockets with fishing hooks, makes for a nasty surprise on pickpockets if they mess up the angle (do not try to fast draw anything though, it makes for nasty glitches).
- go retro: write notes with a pencil in a paperback book.
- Always have the character make slow and distinctive hand/ arm movements. Its ideal for guiding the eye of any observer away from whatever the other hand is doing.
- Be "Old". Cranc you neck, complain about your rheumatism acting up, "forget" your wallet "I'll pay you back later dear!" Oh, sweet dementia.
- Waste Archeology; One of the most overlooked "Info-dumps" in our civilised world. At least you get the RFID tags from where your mark buy his or her soyburgers and gets the dry cleaning done.
- Always have one set of the most common disguises for "invisible people" in the trunk of your car: communications and computer service technicians, Copy or Vending machine technicians, building custodians - (typically anyone with a set of blue/grey Dickies is granted cart blanche access), Messenger services, A/C heating technician.
...
Looking for condensed wisdom, are you.
Well, here is some dehydrated goodness.
NCIS Style
I like to think Gibbs is Fastjacks grandfather, or mentor.
Well, here is some dehydrated goodness.
NCIS Style
I like to think Gibbs is Fastjacks grandfather, or mentor.
..always have a time to legwork for run, reckless old runner's are counted in one hand...
better sweat now than bleed later.
better sweat now than bleed later.
"Hey kid, explosives don't always mean a big bang... That ounce of c-4 I placed on your testicles a minute ago is going to do the world a major service."
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