Hi Chummers,

Last session we started with brand-new characters and our first run sent us right into the SOX (to find some missing person, whatsoever). Up to now we only met each other, geared up and tried to get to our starting point. Unfortunately even this can go wrong, so I would need some proposals how to solve this situation the best possible way. The team consists of:

Human Mage
Troll Tank / Close Combat / Ranged Combat Specialist (Cybered)
Troll Tank / Close Combat / Anti-Magic-Specialist (with Astral Hazing)
Elf Decker

Here it goes:

We are trying to get into the SOX through some old and narrow mining-tunnels. The guide led us to an exit point, but a random guarding-patrol was there either and sent a surveillance drone into the tunnel entrance to check it out (standard procedure, we didn’t get spotted). So we had to retreat. We all managed to get away before it could see us, but our guide got spotted and tasered (is this a word?). Our hacker tried to hack the drone to erase the spotting, but he screwed up as well and the hacking-alert went off. Because of his link to the drone, he could at least check the PAN´s of the guarding-team, so that we know that it consists of 6 persons. We grabbed our guide, shut down (not shot down) the drone and hid into a side-tunnel, but 2 of the guards are on their way down the tunnel to look for us. Close combat is not possible because the tunnels are too narrow for our trolls and we cannot escape because the tunnel we went in, is too small for our trolls.

The only thing that comes to our mind is to shoot the enemies down…which would end our run quite quickly (if it is not already over). This I want to prevent. So maybe one of you has a good plan how we can turn the wheel back to normal. So please…let your brain go wild.

If the mage has any sort of illusion they could mask the end of the side tunnel while you hide at the far end and hope they do not know the exact length of the side tunnel... not ideal since they probably have a map of the tunnels plus you got a troll with astral hazing so that is going to make close quarter spells a treat for the caster and you better pray they do not have a mage or they will probably notice something.
Edit: Spirit using concealment may also provide enough cover as well.
The decker could fire up the drone again to get into their pan and maybe generate a false report.... gas or how the tasered guide fell down a shaft so they go on a bit of a wild goose chase.

How hard is the earth material of the walls, you may be able to do an Arnie from Predator and cover yourself with mud/dirt, dig into the walls a bit and press against the walls of the tunnel to try and hide camo style.

Is slipping out the way you came in and coming back another day, through another route, an option?

Flashbangs, DMSO+teargas with a troll throwing it down a small space,
improvised disguise (earth wall),
leave the guide as bait on the floor,
drop from the ceiling,
Rehack the drone, crash-test into the patrol from behind
Improved Invisibility (also agony, orgy, chaotic world, Stunball, mix of all, influence, Illusion, stinking cloud, SHAPE EARTH)

heh, heh, heh...resist/increase radiation (illusion, or as per the SR3 spell)

But if you've headed into the SOX, usually a few more blank charactersheets never go astray.

-Tir

Anybody have any tranq rounds? Would it spoil the run to simply disable the guards?

I think so. The main problem is, that we caused an alert and somebody came down the hole to check the situation. Up to now they only sent some scouts, so I don´t think that they already called for back-up (tanks, death from above, etc.). So if we can escape unseen, we might have a chance to proceed with the run (after a short waiting time). Screw the guide. Problem 2: without scout, we cannot run through the caves. We don´t know about an alternative exit, etc. If the scout ain´t got caught, they will probably send more people. Best solution would be a hacked drone and mind-controlled scouts. But at least the second solution is not available. Mage already has 3 stun damage from drain from a force 5 improved invis. spell….and no mind control powers….

Regular and exex-ammo are available. That´s it. We are about to go into a mad-max-themed-fun-park, no hostages. ^^

OK, so if I understand your problem correctly you want to enter the zone unnoticed, therefore killing/knocking out the patrol or even rushing past them is not an option.

The first idea would obviously be to just screw it, incursions into the SOX happen all the time. Camp out a few days for the dust to settle and move on.
Or make it look like you successfully took off: Cause a cave-in at the escape tunnel and summon a watcher behind it to taunt the guards. The guards will either try to get through the rubble or go home, either case they've lost the trail.

Correct. At least it would be sub-optimal. We will have enough problems with the citizens of the SOX, i don´t need additional patrols and security measurements, revenge and penalty procedures etc.

I really find that players gathering ideas on internet is somewhat close to cheating

Depends.

If I tell Mach that if him and his team can just go down the left tunnel and takes the second left offshoot, move the crate you find at the end of the tunnel to reveal the backdoor tunnel known and used only by the head kidnapper as his getaway plan / smokebreak so they can pop up behind their target, then yeah that would be cheating.

Side Note: seriously, don't use that mini-tunnel. Your GM will not be amused even though he should have used something better than a crate to hide it.

They are already inside the tunnels and in need of a new plan as the guide is down and troops are on the way.

The characters probably know what to do to salvage it, the players however might be missing something obvious/practical and are just asking for ideas given what they have in resources to bounce off of.

What plan they choose to go with is still in their own hands.

Right. The problem is, that my fellow players are since 20 years in the good old „Fight Club” mode. No matter how good our planning is, most of the time it ends with bullets in the air, a visit at the street doc and a feast for Tamanous. This time I wanted to do it differently (at least until we are in the SOX) but everything that comes to our minds is “we are trapped, we have to shoot them”. Because of this narrow focus, I requested some alternative plans. Maybe we have missed a non-lethal/violent solution that is so obvious, that we will slap our heads after we screwed up with shooting. You know what I mean?

Yes but the opposition has probable well effective procedure, but the gamemaster however might be missing obvious/practical. I find that it puts everyone on equal foot.

But I can hear Machiavelli's arguments, he.

Leave the trolls to die. Mage and decker escape, and agree to never speak of the trolls again.

Bam! Problem solved, especially since the PCs have just met.

^ Doinitrite

Wait, the trolls can't even crawl through on their bellies? How tiny are these passages?

Can you turn the trolls into smaller critters?

The improved invisibility and illusion ideas already put forth are good ones. Make the trolls invisible while the mage, decker, and guide go deeper.

The guide has already been spotted and tased by the drone. The drone has already alerted your opposition to a hacking attempt inside the mine. You've shut down the drone. Of course they should already know somebody is in there, but you never know what's going on in some GMs' minds.

If the trolls get captured, they're liable to submit to interrogation, maybe blowing your entire run.

Kill the response team, steal their shit, up to and including the bodies if anybody has a Tamanous contact, and leave the area. Wait for your enemies to come to the conclusion that they've been robbed and nothing but.

Decker/Hacker availiable. Good. First thing, if he has any way of getting his **** together after botching once already (can happen to anyone, though), crack the search team's communication. Tapping the wireless communications should suffice, commlink access for exact positions is a bonus. They ought to have maps, too. That'll make up for losing the guide.
General rule: cover a lot of ground so you have places to retreat to. If you can't reach the exit into the SOX, retreat, let the heat blow over and come back to fight another day. Trying to push through hard can quickly get you into big time trouble here, you're right there*.
Get ready to leave behind some cheap equipment: Smartguns make for excellent cameras within short signal range.
Assuming they already know you're down there, block ways behind you with traps. Those traps don't have to be lethal or even real, just visible enough to make the guards not follow you down the shafts. They will want to be very sure about explosive traps while being in a mine shaft. It'll buy you time and space. Then try and divide the guards and ambush them one person at a time. Will close combat work then? If anything, in a network of mining shafts there'll be some places wide enough for two trolls to ambush someone.

Remember: You're not locked in there with them. They're locked in there with you.

Can the trolls get out of the hole you entered through if there's enough time? (If not, why not? How'd they get in the first time?)
Do the guards know that there's an entrance to outside the SOX? After all, they might mistake you for glowpunks right now. If they don't know where that entrance is, shake them.
Also keep in mind they might already be blocking the entrance into the SOX if it's the original mine shaft entrance. It'd be the smart play.


Just a side note, this is one of the reasons I love the Shapechange spell, it can get trolls into handy sizes sometimes

*Another side note: Yesterday, me and my team botched a SOX run as well. We did push too hard, and too many times and too many people. There were other factors, though. Feeling's mutual