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FuelDrop
It was the dawn of the third age of gaming, six years after the fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons. The Shadowrun Project was a dream given form. Its goal: Bring gaming back to its roots, a game system with the best of both old and new designs. It's a game of shadows, home for criminals, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and metahumans lost by the system, fallen or hiding between the cracks, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for fun. This is the story of the last of the Shadowrun systems. The year is 2075. The name of the game is Shadowrun 5.

Ok, here's the setup: The PCs are from wherever you want, fleeing from bad runs or debt or poverty or anything else that might have uprooted them, and have ended up in the former gold-mining community of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia. Why? Well, the reason it's a FORMER gold mining community is that with the passing of the comet the gold was converted into Orichalcum, present in such large quantities that the megacorps were willing to brave the mana-storms and re-settle the area, which had been deserted for the better part of sixty years due to those very storms and the metacritters that abound. While work on a more permanent underground settlement continues there is money to be made in the shadows as everyone tries to get a piece of this incredibly valuable resource.

The game will initially be a one run affair while I get the feel for PBP and decide whether it's something I want to do on a more regular basis. I'll only run it if there's sufficient interest (4-5 players ideally) and exact logistics will be worked out in this thread. PCs will use standard priorities, and the system is SR5. Please express interest in the thread below.

I have never run a shadowrun game online before so I am not familiar with the best tools for the job. any suggestions or advice is welcome.
Lobo0705
I am interested in playing, depending on amount of posts per day.

My suggestion is keep it small - 4 is better than 5. The less people in it, the less downtime between posts, the more it keeps moving.

Make sure everyone knows ahead of time how many posts per day are anticipated.

If you are a GM who is going to post once a day and expect everyone else to, and your players are posting once a week, it will quickly become frustrating. (Personally I prefer at least one post day. I can do many more if necessary, but I wouldn't want to place undue pressure on others.)

Invisible Castle is great for Die Rolls

Dropbox is a good way to load maps, pictures, character sheets, etc where you and your players can keep track.

Chrome Head
I have a lot of interest for playing in your game. It would also be my very first SR5 game which is very exciting (my rl group is sticking with SR4A for the foreseeable future and we have trouble keeping a good schedule).

You can count on 1+ posts per day from me, and it would be great to have players who are committed to a certain number of posts per day or per week and stick to it. What I have found from playing other RPGs over PbP is that things tend to bog down sooner or later and I have no specific advice about how to avoid this other than to be clear about your expectations from the get-go, as Lobo just said.
Sponge
I am interested in trying a PbP SR5 game. I can post regularly (1+ a day).
Redjack
Given your note of this being your first pbp, let me offer some advice from the perspective of someone with multiple games running over 5 years.
- Decide a pace you can be consistent with, over the long term. With some exceptions, I personally can post in 1/week. There have been periods (some recently), where my post rate was less than 1/week and the games definitely suffered for it. If you can maintain a higher rate, bully! But over the long term that is tough.
- Keep the game moving. Try to leave your posts giving the players something to move forward from and ask them to do the same. Don't be afraid to fast forward to the next scene to keep the game moving.
- If a player disappears, don't let that stop the game. NPC them or you will lose your other players.
- Invisible Castle is your friend for dice rolling; love it.

Agree with the low player count, especially with your first game. You will probably lose 2 out of 4 before reaching the end of the run. Most pbp never get that far. For those that do, the GM sometimes has to get out of the car and push. wink.gif

That all said, if a post rate of ~1/week (maybe 2/week) works, I'll play an adept sniper if there is room.
FuelDrop
Well, going with the lowest estimate a weekly posting game appears to be the go.

We have RedJack wanting to go an adept sniper, Sponge, Chrome Head, and Lobo0705. If 1 post per week is too slow for anyone let me know and if everyone except RedJack says that they want to do a daily game then I'm afraid I'll have to go with the majority.

Assuming everyone's up for the game, we should probably try to coordinate the PCs so that either we cover all roles or if everyone wants to fill a specific niche then we'll be aware that the group is going to be known for this and get jobs based around that (probably violence smile.gif). Character writeups or summaries should be PM'ed to me, along with about a paragraph of character history minimum if possible. Include country of origin, where you learned your skills, how you ended up in the middle of Australia, and at least a basic reason that you run (Even if it's something as simple as 'I like violence').

Important campaign notes: All SR5 books are legal as written, and if you want something from SR 4 PM me and I'll rule on a conversion. Game starts in January (local summer) and average temperature during the day is around 34 degrees Celsius (92 F) with record highs of up to almost 47 C (116 F), so wearing long coats or armoured jackets during the day will both cook you alive and draw a metric ton of suspicion. It gets much cooler at night, so those forms of armour will be more practical then. Also, firearms are for the most part illegal in Australia, a fact to keep in mind when picking weapons.
Sponge
QUOTE (FuelDrop @ Jan 10 2014, 10:47 PM) *
Well, going with the lowest estimate a weekly posting game appears to be the go.

We have RedJack wanting to go an adept sniper, Sponge, Chrome Head, and Lobo0705. If 1 post per week is too slow for anyone let me know and if everyone except RedJack says that they want to do a daily game then I'm afraid I'll have to go with the majority.


I'm fine with once a week. As for character roles, I'm happy to fill in whatever is lacking in the group.

I would like to know though how much "character optimization" you're looking for, so that we're all kind of in the same ballpark as far as dice pools go.

I'd also like a bit more info on the game setting/premise. Do you want us to know each other prior to the start of the game or would you prefer not? Can you describe Kalgoorlie-Boulder? My successful Browse test tells me that in RL it's a city of roughly 30,000 people, but you mention it was abandoned. In the SR world of 2075, is the old city site being reoccupied (and how much of it is in ruins), or is there a new settlement growing there now, or is it just a mine with worker accomodations for the moment? Who is there now?
FuelDrop
Ok: for power levels you can generally expect opposition to have dicepools of 6 + profession rating + reasonable aids (EG +1 for laser sights) +2 for their primary skill (often non-combat unless we're talking regular army or something) for skills, with attribute tests generally varying between 6-9 for most opponents depending on their jobs.
For ballpark figures, 11+ dice in your primary focus should be a minimum, with 13+ being expected. 8-10 dice in secondary skills should see you through more often than not.

As to the setting, I was going to roll with the old town having been re inhabited and fortified, with corporations being the big players while between their feet small-time prospectors seek to strike it rich. Much of the city has been rebuilt with modern materials as abandonment wasn't exactly kind to it. Due to the fact that it is often cut off from the rest of the world due to mana-storms that also disrupt matrix communications Credsticks are practically required for purchasing and SINs are hard to check thoroughly, meaning that an unusually large SINless population has sprung up here. The population contains about 20,000 SINners and as many as that number of SINless as well.
Local policework is done by Lone Star, though several scandals about officers beating up prospectors and stealing their claims mean that no-one really likes them.
The major powers are the Japanese corporations, though all of the big 10 have at least a basic presence.
Ruined buildings are rare, though poor maintenance is so common that sometime's it's hard to tell. Due to the massive SINless population it's rare for an area to be abandoned within the city walls, and if it is that's a bad sign.
Food production and water supplies are a major part of the city's infrastructure due to the fact that mana storms make getting food in from outside unreliable at best.

As to whether you guys know each other or meet on the job for the first time, I'm more than happy to leave it open. Some of you may be former partners, some may be from opposite sides of the world. however you want to play is good with me.


Chrome Head
I like the setting smile.gif

For the character concept, I have two ideas in mind and I'd be happy to play either one. The first is a mystic adept specializing against magic-users and magically active critters. A magical witch hunter if you will. It would let me test out the new SR5 mystic adept in a real game environment (are we using the errata or RAW?). My second idea is a hit man who would have pissed off the wrong person/group. He'd have a very broad range of skills, including a main focus on being lethal enough for his job, and a secondary focus on Face capabilities, infiltration, and breaking and entering.

If anyone wants to claim the "magician spot", it's all right, I'll play the hit man and be just as happy.

I'm also open to making backstories work together with anyone. I find that it can add some depth to the early part of the game where we normally make introductions and get used to each other.
Lobo0705
I just made a character for a different PbP, and I like the concept, and I don't want to make another one so soon.

The basic idea is that he was a swindler who used his skills and magic to run short cons, but ended up taking the wrong mark, and it cost him the lives of his partners - although he barely managed to escape.

This will give him an incentive to get out of dodge - and from your description, this place sounds like a good one to lay low in.

His primary focus is on spellcasting (primarily illusion and manipulation with some detection thrown in) and summoning, secondary efforts will be Con and Negotiation.

Looking forward for more info on the setting so I can establish some realistic contacts in the area - I'm thinking he will have arrived in Australia 6 to 12 months before the adventure takes place.

Sponge
With Lobo as a spellcaster, I assume Chrome Head will play his hit man, and with Redjack as sniper... I guess I'll play a Matrix expert of some type then (no surprise there, Hackers/Deckers always seem to be last to be picked at my table too - in fact I started working on one last night just in case wink.gif).
Lobo0705
The other thing I would like to play around with is that "Switch" doesn't summon just any old spirit - but rather he only ever summons one of 5 different spirits if given the choice.

So, when he summons a spirit of air, it is always "Mother" - the spirit takes the form of the top half of an elderly woman with glasses and her hair in a tight bun. She treats Switch as little more than an overgrown man-child, and is usually stern, but can show concern and a little tenderness on occasion.

The spirit of Fire would be Ahfaz - appearing very similar to the typical efreet, large, muscular, red-skinned with gold bracelets around each wrist and a face that looks like Ming the Merciless. The interaction between Switch fears Ahfaz, and is always respectful out of worry he will tear him apart one day. Ahfaz, for his part, is tolerant of Switch as long as he obeys the proper forms and respects, and gives Ahfaz offerings of reagents.

And so on - I haven't come up with the other 3 spirits yet, but I think it can add something to the story, if you and the group are okay with it.
Sponge
QUOTE (Lobo0705 @ Jan 11 2014, 01:46 PM) *
I think it can add something to the story, if you and the group are okay with it.


For what it's worth, IMO traditions are very personal. If your personal tradition says that your spirits are always the same ones, I'm totally fine with that and I think it fits in fine with SR's magic framework. Though I imagine other Awakened people might (IC) think it's a little weird wink.gif
FuelDrop
I'm running something similar with the current shaman in my RL group. He's also heavily influenced by his mentor spirit. In other words, go for your life smile.gif

It's looking like this group may end up being a bit magic heavy. which makes sense, given that the setting would attract mages like no-body's business. just be aware that when a mana storm blows in you're going to be eating serious background count of random traditions (1d6 points if you're inside, 2d6 if you're caught outside). Fortunately you should get at least a bit of warning for most storms. They also generate similar noise on the matrix, are loud and distracting so everyone can expect penalties to perception and skills that need concentration. Of course, since everyone will be eating those penalties there's nothing saying you can't use this to your advantage...

Now I'm going to say ahead of time that unless otherwise stated it's assumed that you're wearing a disguise while out on business (buying hits unless you're putting extra effort in) and that on the job you wear face concealment and gloves to minimize evidence where appropriate. Let me know if this isn't how you guys like to run.

Finally: All Australian Johnsons are called Bruce. Here's why.
Chrome Head
Is it really going to be magic heavy? Since Lobo has a magician concept up and I offered 2 options, I'm perfectly happy playing my hit man concept. He'll be moderately cybered and definitely not awakened. That leaves a mage and a physical adept in a group of 4.

The hit man I have in mind will complement conman Switch nicely, since he'll be decent at con, impersonation, and disguise. His usual modus operandi is to get close to his target (which he can do in a variety of ways) and finish the job cleanly. So there also shouldn't be too much overlap with the sniper who will likely be much more specialized with weapons.

Give me until Monday or Tuesday to complete my character sheet, background included.

Can you tell me a little bit more about Australia in Shadowrun though? I currently know, well, as much as you've told us already.
Sponge
QUOTE (Chrome Head @ Jan 11 2014, 09:18 PM) *
Can you tell me a little bit more about Australia in Shadowrun though? I currently know, well, as much as you've told us already.



I sent you a (very) brief synopsis from the 6th World Almanac by PM.
Lobo0705
QUOTE (Sponge @ Jan 11 2014, 10:35 PM) *
I sent you a (very) brief synopsis from the 6th World Almanac by PM.



Can you send the same to me? smile.gif
Sponge
QUOTE (Sponge @ Jan 11 2014, 01:20 PM) *
I guess I'll play a Matrix expert of some type then

Although I had started working on a Decker earlier, I decided to make a Technomancer instead, partly because I've never made one (in 4th or 5th), and partly because the general weight of commentary I've seen says they are gimped and I always like to verify/disprove such claims for myself. I'm almost done, having spent pretty much all day yesterday on it (trying to navigate the network of interdependent rules and mechanics, which seems especially dense around Technomancers, has taken a lot of time), but I'm still tweaking skill points and such; I should be done sometime tonight, energy permitting smile.gif
Chrome Head
Kudos on doing the technomancer thing, I'm really looking forward to how that's going to turn out.

Been working on my character sheet too, and it's fairly complete, along with a backstory which I still need to put down in writing. Got a wide selection of active skills, but no First Aid yet (he has mostly worked alone up to now, but even then First Aid could have made sense). Has anyone else got that one covered?
Lobo0705
Finishing writing my backstory - character sheet mostly done. I have the Heal spell, so while First Aid would be useful as well, we won't be completely devoid of healing if no one takes First Aid.

Any ideas on whether or not the Yakuza have a presence in the area?
Redjack
QUOTE (FuelDrop @ Jan 10 2014, 09:47 PM) *
firearms are for the most part illegal in Australia, a fact to keep in mind when picking weapons.
So... is a sniper going to be possible here? Also, given a population of 40k, how quickly are we going to move to the top of the suspect list if sniping occurs. What about citizens of the top-10: Will they have firearms?

QUOTE (Chrome Head @ Jan 11 2014, 11:06 AM) *
I'm also open to making backstories work together with anyone. I find that it can add some depth to the early part of the game where we normally make introductions and get used to each other.
Sounds good. I'm thinking about either a corporate or a SINless background: Full tilt one of the two directions: Either a corporate citizen moonlighting or a SINless digging up from the bottom of the barrel.

==================

What is the break down of ancestry in this repopulated town? Mostly Japanese due to the corporate influence? Or a full and true melting pot?
Average distribution of metas? Or is it skewed one direction or another?
You've said 1/2 the population in SINless. Are they kept separated from their betters with walls and fences, like in the movie Children of Men?
Are a percentage of the population temporary? Example: Due to corporate staffing, does 10% of the SINner population rotate in/out yearly?
What is the security rating of the SINless areas? E or Z?

Trying to understanding options for a character to blend into the population, moving between barrens/corporate zones, etc.

===================

EDIT:
I settled on a National SIN.

Do we have a negotiator?
ScooterinAB
The best advice I can give is to search for snags and kill them right away. With great prejudice. What I mean by this is to find rules that require a lot of back and forth with players (like opposed tests) and get them right out of the game. Anything that slows the game down and requires a response needs to go.

I would change all opposed tests to either threshold or normal tests, or have the opponent buy hits (maybe give an extra hit, since the table is on the low side). This gives players a target for their rolls and cuts out the need for players to have to wait for your response before they can finish their action. On the more extreme end of things, I would reduce the amount of rolling to boot. Only roll when it is brutally vital, since excessive rolling and narrating of rolls can slow things down. Furthermore, when posting a new scene or circumstance, consider posting the number of hits needed for a variety of rolls. Again, this cuts out the need for players to post "I rolled x. What happens?" or "can I make x test for to do this?"

I would stay as far away from combat as possible, or resolve combats with one or two rolls that represent how the combat went for smaller fights. Combat in PbP can take weeks to resolve and there's going to be a lot of waiting and no action. For example, you could have characters make a 2-3 attack rolls, and then narrate the combat based on that. If a character is getting a lot of hits, maybe they sped through the combat largely unharmed. If a character misses or doesn't do a lot of damage, perhaps they take a little extra damage or use more ammo because of a drawn out fight with their opponent. The team still arrives at the same point (combat's over), but it happens a whole lot faster. This also makes the big fights larger than life and even more important.

That's all I can think of right now. Basically, anticipate the problems and do everything you can to keep things moving.
Lobo0705
Ok - my character is basically finished - to double check - you do not want us to put them up here, correct, only PM you?
FuelDrop
QUOTE (Lobo0705 @ Jan 13 2014, 10:28 AM) *
Ok - my character is basically finished - to double check - you do not want us to put them up here, correct, only PM you?

Post here or PM, your call. PM is better if you have something you want to keep hidden, like a bounty or something. If you're fine with everyone seeing your character then feel free to post here
Redjack
Stuff to begin working on integrated histories
1. What the guy in the neighborhood thinks: I've seen a couple of different guys come and go from there. All of them quiet; keep to themselves.
2. What a new team member notices: His street name is Hawk. He's one of the quieter ones; a planner. He says he's a sniper and perimeter support.
3. What a regular team member knows: His SIN says Jack Wilson, Australian native, but sometimes an accent slips. I think its American; CAS if I make my guess. He's a pretty good sniper. Damn good with sticks or that stun baton in his hands too. I've also seen him drop into a character and pretty well become someone else. Not literally you know, but mannerisms and voice. He can do crazy things with his voice when he wants. He's got a rule though: No kids... no innocents. Strict about it too. He walked out on a Johnson once because of it. He's one of those everyone makes it out type of guys too. He strikes me as having been trained a military. Not because he's gun ho or over the top, just the opposite. The way he treats his gear. The way he refers to things and the words he chooses.
FuelDrop
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 13 2014, 09:51 PM) *
Stuff to begin working on integrated histories
1. What the guy in the neighborhood thinks: I've seen a couple of different guys come and go from there. All of them quiet; keep to themselves.
2. What a new team member notices: His street name is Hawk. He's one of the quieter ones; a planner. He says he's a sniper and perimeter support.
3. What a regular team member knows: His SIN says Jack Wilson, Australian native, but sometimes an accent slips. I think its American; CAS if I make my guess. He's a pretty good sniper. Damn good with sticks or that stun baton in his hands too. I've also seen him drop into a character and pretty well become someone else. Not literally you know, but mannerisms and voice. He can do crazy things with his voice when he wants. He's got a rule though: No kids... no innocents. Strict about it too. He walked out on a Johnson once because of it. He's one of those everyone makes it out type of guys too. He strikes me as having been trained a military. Not because he's gun ho or over the top, just the opposite. The way he treats his gear. The way he refers to things and the words he chooses.

I like this guy already. smile.gif
Redjack
In case you missed it, these are for you FuelDrop. Thanks!

QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 12 2014, 05:49 PM) *
What is the break down of ancestry in this repopulated town? Mostly Japanese due to the corporate influence? Or a full and true melting pot?
Average distribution of metas? Or is it skewed one direction or another?
You've said 1/2 the population in SINless. Are they kept separated from their betters with walls and fences, like in the movie Children of Men?
Are a percentage of the population temporary? Example: Due to corporate staffing, does 10% of the SINner population rotate in/out yearly?
What is the security rating of the SINless areas? E or Z?

Trying to understanding options for a character to blend into the population, moving between barrens/corporate zones, etc.

Redjack
QUOTE (FuelDrop @ Jan 13 2014, 07:28 AM) *
Post here or PM, your call. PM is better if you have something you want to keep hidden, like a bounty or something. If you're fine with everyone seeing your character then feel free to post here
Or would you create an OOC thread for the game, then we can each claim a post at the top to edit for our characters (or least as much of our characters as each player is willing to share)?
Lobo0705
Henry "Switch" Yagami - Mage



Character
[ Spoiler ]


Description
[ Spoiler ]


Mannerisms
[ Spoiler ]


Background
[ Spoiler ]
Lobo0705
Ok - for me, I'm not that concerned about keeping things secret - I expect that everyone here can handle not meta-gaming.

For right now the hardest thing about pulling together a background for everyone is that you picked an environment that I don't know anything about (not a bad thing, it just makes those last steps leading up to the present day a little harder.)

I've left my knowledge skills the same as my normal Shadowrun character, figuring that in the time he has been here, he hasn't had time to really pickup up too much in the way of skills, and it hasn't been long enough for him to forget the stuff he learned in Seattle.

The one "cheat" I did was that I spend my 15 free points of contacts on my Australian ones, rather than spend them on contacts in Seattle, and then have to spend extra karma on new contacts.
Redjack
I would propose that Switch and Hawk have done a couple of jobs together. Hawk is also from North America, his southern accent would probably slip every so often, though he does a passable job with a fake Australian accent. He is comfortable either up close (stun baton) or at long range. He always uses non-lethal methods unless he is being paid to kill. He has been down south for about a year.

For the purpose of a back story how about two runs:
- The extraction of a geologist working for a Mitsuhama subsidiary, Yamato Industries. The Yakuza hired the run out using various contacts to pull a team together to send a message to Yamato Industries about cutting them out of a deal regarding SINless labor at one of their operations. Hawk's role was as the one grabbing the mark. His talent with a stun baton was put to use insuring that the run went down without fatalities. He nearly used it on one of the team when, Loco, a street sam, used a spur on one of the security guards, nearly gutting him. After the run, Hawk and Loco had words and each went their separate way.

- Termination of a government inspector. Hawk's fixer Dee had the connection to the Bruce. Hawk contacted Switch when they were short magical support. The mark was on the take to a Renraku Subsidiary, Total Core Mining, but decided he wanted more. A lot more. The job had to look like an accident, so the team staged a car accident. Hawk stood firm that only the primary could be hurt, causing them to miss two windows due to passenger(s) in the car. The third window of opportunity allowed them to divert a large mining truck which ran over his car, squishing him pretty much flat.
Sponge
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 13 2014, 09:52 AM) *
Or would you create an OOC thread for the game, then we can each claim a post at the top to edit for our characters (or least as much of our characters as each player is willing to share)?


I don't have any significant experience with PbP - I assume it's better/more convenient to have that stuff in one place rather than spread across multiple pages of a thread and interspersed with other posts? I guess once we hammer out the details of inter-character connections we can do that.

In any case, here's my character:

Jacob "Io" March, Technomancer

[ Spoiler ]



I didn't include all the gory details of character creation (it didn't occur to me that others might want to see that stuff so I didn't type them up - oops), but if anyone is curious I'm happy to fill in the details (or answer any other questions about him, for that matter). For reference I went with priorities (in order A to E) of Skills:Attributes:Resonance:Meta:Resources.

EDIT: Added in the details of how I spent the points, and corrected some minor nuyen.gif spending miscalculations (oops!). Oh, fun Dumpshock Fact: Apparently you can have "too many emoticons" in a post.

EDIT 2: Found out you can't have deltaware at chargen, even if the availability is 12 or less - changed the datajack, bought some decent-looking clothes. Spent extra knowledge skill points.
Sponge

QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 13 2014, 03:22 PM) *
I would propose that Switch and Hawk have done a couple of jobs together.


I'm a fan of odd coincidences in games, because figuring out whether they're actually coincidences or not can be a lot of fun, and I like (in-game) conspiracies smile.gif. Although on the surface, my character Io's background and history would dictate that he shouldn't know anyone in the group, it could be interesting if he started to run into some of the same runners again in different parts of the world. That would set off a few flags in his mind, of course, but nothing (imminently) dangerous.

I haven't worked out details for Io's immediate past, other than he's literally just arrived a couple days ago in Australia/Kalgoorlie and hooked up with a local fixer he'd been given the name of. The mining theme of your two jobs makes me think you intended them to be the local area, but if either of those jobs you mentioned occurred outside of Australia (and not in UCAS), it could be one of those "odd coincidences" that Io was working on them as well (although under a different alias at the time).
Redjack
QUOTE (Sponge @ Jan 13 2014, 03:33 PM) *
I don't have any significant experience with PbP - I assume it's better/more convenient to have that stuff in one place rather than spread across multiple pages of a thread and interspersed with other posts? I guess once we hammer out the details of inter-character connections we can do that.
The recruitment threads are generally abandoned once a game kicks up and two threads are put in place, an IC (In Character) and OOC (Out of Character) threads. The IC thread contain only in character conversations, actions, etc (kinda reads like a story). The OOC is where the characters are posted, the conversation occurs, etc. The recruitment thread sometimes becomes the OOC thread, but if we're posting characters, a new OOC thread allows us to post our characters at the top of the thread and edit that entry as the game goes on. Having one thread for both OOC/IC gets real messy real quick.
FuelDrop
QUOTE
What is the break down of ancestry in this repopulated town? Mostly Japanese due to the corporate influence? Or a full and true melting pot?
Average distribution of metas? Or is it skewed one direction or another?
You've said 1/2 the population in SINless. Are they kept separated from their betters with walls and fences, like in the movie Children of Men?
Are a percentage of the population temporary? Example: Due to corporate staffing, does 10% of the SINner population rotate in/out yearly?
What is the security rating of the SINless areas? E or Z?

Trying to understanding options for a character to blend into the population, moving between barrens/corporate zones, etc.


Sorry, been busy cleaning the house for a rent inspection so been a bit hectic.
I'm rolling with population distribution about the same as Redmond:
Human 81 %
Elf 6%
Dwarf 1%
Orc 10%
Troll 1%
Other 1%.

The local SINless are somewhat looked down on as thieves and other undesirables, but outside of the corporate enclaves you're more likely to be judged by your appearance than your SIN projection as the mana storms mean that while you might not be displaying a SIN due to not having one, you're just as likely not displaying because of excessive noise making AR unreliable.

Another result of this is that physical connections and physical items are more popular than AROs, so for example a bar will have a TV playing in the background rather than just allowing patrons to subscribe to AR feeds. Naturally, that means that the place feels positively primative compared to most of the world.

Now one final part of this is how that effects wireless bonuses: as a rule of thumb most wireless gear will get its bonuses as normal, but if you're unlucky (IE glitch) a burst of noise may temporarily disrupt things.

About a quarter of the SINners are on 2-week-on 1-week-off rotations, with variance due to local weather.

Since the appeal of the place to SINless is that it's hard to tell if you are SINless out here the area outside the corporate enclaves is this weird combination of B and C zones, with B class closer to the enclaves descending to C the further out you get. Displays of wealth are popular as that's an easy way to show wealth and therefore status, and as a result you get situations where wealthy SINless (all on credsticks, as matrix banking is unreliable here) being higher on the social ladder than SINners without the wealth, but who are unable to get into corporate facilities because they always check your SIN (though not well due to limited database access). (of course our wealthy SINless in the example could pick up a fake SIN, but that defeats the point of the example).

Chrome Head
Just sent my character details to FuelDrop. Here's some stuff you might want to know.

[ Spoiler ]




Redjack
I talked with FuelDrop about using SR4 multipliers for knowledge skills ( (LOG + INT) * 3 ) instead of ( * 2 ). He said that he would take the group consensus. What say you all?
Redjack
HAWK: Male Human Sniper/Infiltration Expert/Close Combat

Priorities & Karma
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Private Backstory
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Public Story
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Character Sheet
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Contacts
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Sponge
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 14 2014, 09:00 AM) *
I talked with FuelDrop about using SR4 multipliers for knowledge skills ( (LOG + INT) * 3 ) instead of ( * 2 ). He said that he would take the group consensus. What say you all?


A "yes" from me.
Lobo0705
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 14 2014, 09:00 AM) *
I talked with FuelDrop about using SR4 multipliers for knowledge skills ( (LOG + INT) * 3 ) instead of ( * 2 ). He said that he would take the group consensus. What say you all?


That is fine with me.
Chrome Head
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 14 2014, 09:00 AM) *
I talked with FuelDrop about using SR4 multipliers for knowledge skills ( (LOG + INT) * 3 ) instead of ( * 2 ). He said that he would take the group consensus. What say you all?


100% yes, it's one of the changes I really dislike in SR5.

Edit: And here's my character sheet.

[ Spoiler ]
Redjack
QUOTE (FuelDrop @ Jan 13 2014, 05:17 PM) *
Since the appeal of the place to SINless is that it's hard to tell if you are SINless out here the area outside the corporate enclaves is this weird combination of B and C zones, with B class closer to the enclaves descending to C the further out you get. Displays of wealth are popular as that's an easy way to show wealth and therefore status, and as a result you get situations where wealthy SINless (all on credsticks, as matrix banking is unreliable here) being higher on the social ladder than SINners without the wealth, but who are unable to get into corporate facilities because they always check your SIN (though not well due to limited database access). (of course our wealthy SINless in the example could pick up a fake SIN, but that defeats the point of the example).
That helps, thanks.

@FuelDrop
Next question: Given what you have said earlier, I expect English is the most prevalent language with Japanese being moderately common. Any other languages used significantly?

@ChromeHead
Doh! Not sure is this is good or bad, but we seem to be on the same wave length: 2 of your 3 contacts have the same name as some of mine.
Sponge
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 14 2014, 02:02 PM) *
@ChromeHead
Doh! Not sure is this is good or bad, but we seem to be on the same wave length: 2 of your 3 contacts have the same name as some of mine.


Including the love interest - fun times ahead! wink.gif
Redjack
QUOTE (Sponge @ Jan 14 2014, 01:10 PM) *
Including the love interest - fun times ahead! wink.gif
Fingers is reasonably close in description and use. One point apart in connection rating.

Edit: And it appears neither really consider their "Julie" a love interest. nyahnyah.gif
Chrome Head
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 14 2014, 02:17 PM) *
Fingers is reasonably close in description and use. One point apart in connection rating.

Edit: And it appears neither really consider their "Julie" a love interest. nyahnyah.gif


Woah how did that happen! I hadn't looked at your contacts.. this is quite amazing. Just because it's actually realistic, I'm inclined to leave the names that way. I don't know if maybe we should want to make Fingers and 8 Fingers the same person, given some adjustments. Maybe it can make things more convenient, though it really doesn't matter much to me.
Redjack
QUOTE (Chrome Head @ Jan 14 2014, 02:34 PM) *
Woah how did that happen! I hadn't looked at your contacts.. this is quite amazing. Just because it's actually realistic, I'm inclined to leave the names that way. I don't know if maybe we should want to make Fingers and 8 Fingers the same person, given some adjustments. Maybe it can make things more convenient, though it really doesn't matter much to me.
I think it would be cool to make Fingers the same. Would give us a shared background. I would like to keep Hawk's loyalty at a 4, but that does require his connection rating to be 3. We could align their descriptions pretty easily. Would that work for you?

Given the similiar nature of our two characters, I look forward to a continued synergy between them. biggrin.gif
Lobo0705
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 13 2014, 03:22 PM) *
I would propose that Switch and Hawk have done a couple of jobs together. Hawk is also from North America, his southern accent would probably slip every so often, though he does a passable job with a fake Australian accent. He is comfortable either up close (stun baton) or at long range. He always uses non-lethal methods unless he is being paid to kill. He has been down south for about a year.

For the purpose of a back story how about two runs:
- The extraction of a geologist working for a Mitsuhama subsidiary, Yamato Industries. The Yakuza hired the run out using various contacts to pull a team together to send a message to Yamato Industries about cutting them out of a deal regarding SINless labor at one of their operations. Hawk's role was as the one grabbing the mark. His talent with a stun baton was put to use insuring that the run went down without fatalities. He nearly used it on one of the team when, Loco, a street sam, used a spur on one of the security guards, nearly gutting him. After the run, Hawk and Loco had words and each went their separate way.

- Termination of a government inspector. Hawk's fixer Dee had the connection to the Bruce. Hawk contacted Switch when they were short magical support. The mark was on the take to a Renraku Subsidiary, Total Core Mining, but decided he wanted more. A lot more. The job had to look like an accident, so the team staged a car accident. Hawk stood firm that only the primary could be hurt, causing them to miss two windows due to passenger(s) in the car. The third window of opportunity allowed them to divert a large mining truck which ran over his car, squishing him pretty much flat.


This sounds good to me.

For the first run, Switch's magic would have been useful in finding/identifying the mark, as well as potentially distracting him to make it easier for Hawk to get close to him.

For the 2nd run, again, location and distraction would have been Switch role - although theoretically I could have used Influence to cause the driver of the mining truck to crush the mark.

Either way, Switch is not bloodthirsty, and prefers to do things with a low body count. While he wouldn't threaten to kill another member of a team if they hurt an innocent, he certainly would try to avoid it if possible.
Chrome Head
QUOTE (Redjack @ Jan 14 2014, 04:38 PM) *
I think it would be cool to make Fingers the same. Would give us a shared background. I would like to keep Hawk's loyalty at a 4, but that does require his connection rating to be 3. We could align their descriptions pretty easily. Would that work for you?

Given the similiar nature of our two characters, I look forward to a continued synergy between them. biggrin.gif


Sure a connection of 3 can work for me, no problem. Would it be okay with you to specify that his specialty as a Fence lies in weapons dealing, especially given that in Australia all weapons are more or less illegal to begin with? I would increase the loyalty to 2, which better corresponds to the nature of their relationship anyway. We might at least have had a drink all 3 of us together before, so the introductions were made.

We could even imagine a conversation in which Offenbach openly explains that he's looking for a job, and that even though he's worked by himself a lot, he would be more than happy to work as part of a team.
Redjack
QUOTE (Chrome Head @ Jan 14 2014, 04:29 PM) *
Sure a connection of 3 can work for me, no problem. Would it be okay with you to specify that his specialty as a Fence lies in weapons dealing, especially given that in Australia all weapons are more or less illegal to begin with? I would increase the loyalty to 2, which better corresponds to the nature of their relationship anyway. We might at least have had a drink all 3 of us together before, so the introductions were made.

We could even imagine a conversation in which Offenbach openly explains that he's looking for a job, and that even though he's worked by himself a lot, he would be more than happy to work as part of a team.
How about:

Ricky “Fingers” Jackson [C3] Male Human Fence
Quote: Let's talk bottom dollar.
Uses: Buying and selling stolen and illegal weapons, goods or gear.
Description: When he moved to town, Bobby needed someone who good hook him up with that gear that is so vital to a shadowrunner. Fingers could supply that gear. Fingers specializes in weapons, something especially challenging in a community where firearms are illegal. With several relatives working for the Star, Ricky is able to get a heads up on any official inquiries into his business. One evening, several unhappy customers were in the process of hostile negotiations towards a better deal when Bobby rained on their parade. Since then, he and Ricky have been drinking buddies in addition to their business relationship.
Redjack
So, its looks like:

Hawk arrived a year ago. He slowly integrated into the shadow community, have not been a shadowrunner prior to his arrival. Offenbach arrived in town three months ago. He and Hawk met each other recently drinking with Fingers, but have not yet worked together. Two months ago Switch arrived. Switch & Hawk have worked together twice. IO just arrived in town and has neither worked with the others, nor even met any of them at this point.

Perhaps IO and Hawk could have a fixer in common:

Dilafruz “Dee” Meltova [C4] Female Human Fixer
Quote: I know a guy who knows a gal.. Yea, I can make a connection for you.
Uses: Work, equipment, anytime you need a new connection, she knows someone.
Description: Filipino in ancestry, Dee was born and raised in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. A local kid who beat the odds and who rose up from the SINless population, Dee is well connected with locals as well as immigrated natives who work from the shadows.
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