A little creative help

There’s an adventure I would like to run that I found in the “Contacts and Adventures� book that came with the GM screen. It seems like it could be really fun, and I know my runners will appreciate the payout, but my creative juices just aren’t flowing. Quoting “Contacts and Adventures� p. 22:

“Guarding a coffin at a coffin hotel isn’t the most unusual security job, but this one certainly rates up there. The occupant, presumably Mr. Johnson, contacted the fixer and the team, negotiated the deal, gave details on security needs and rendered payment, all via the Matrix. No one knows what he (or she) really looks like, just that Johnson’s icon looked like a ghoul from a horror sim, and seemed very anxious to have security ASAP.

In exchange for guarding the coffin for a week, disallowing any visitors or packages, and refraining from any physical, magical, or technological peeking, the runners will be paid 100,000¥. After rebuffing a wide variety of visitors and packages, some stranger than others (ranging from nearly autistic children to tall, hooded and creepy androgynous creatures), the temptation to peek may become unbearable. Physical peeking is next to impossible without alerting the occupant, and technological means is inconclusive. If the runners are capable of looking via the astral, something different presents itself each time as the occupant of the coffin. No one is sure what’s going on, but it seems certain that part of the runners’ pay is hush money.�


The only thing I came up with was, Mr. Johnson is on a Metaplanar quest. Perhaps it turns out bad and something very evil/strong follows him back and a fight erupts at the coffin hotel. But as for the “vistors� and what else goes on for a week, that would justify a huge payout, I’m not sure.

hi hi

This sounds like a fun challenge to me, perhaps you could combine a whole bunch of different plot strands together. Whenever people start Shadowrunning there are always lots of loose threads that creep up and sometimes never get ironed out and I bet you could pluck those loose threads and apply them to Mr. Johnson.

Some memorable ones that I've seen include:
• Mr. Johnson was the last person to see distraught wife's husband.
• A pride wounded contact finally has the answer to a question, better late then never.
• Rival mage wants his focus back, perhaps he shouldn't have bet it in that poker game.
• Delivery guy needs to drop off an item from Big D's will, and he cant leave till it's signed off on.
• That random building he crashed into last run turned out to be a mafia den.
• Corp scientist thinks he might have been infected when he fought off an attack last week.

Also, don't forget the room cleaning service

One that will have the characters worried is the hotel manager comes by collecting the payment for the room. If they get into a scuffle, then the authorities show up. If they flat out refuse to pay him, the authorities show up as well. Either they convince the guy to give them an extention or they pay it out of pocket. What this should have the team doing is wondering how a guy who can't pay the hotel a grand or so is going to pay them 100000 . It tests their curiousity by raising their suspicion that they are going to get screwed. You could also get a small group of gangers that see the team and decide they claim whatever is inside the room they are guarding.

Those are all good ideas, but what would be the reason for the 100,000 nuyen in the first place. The Johnson wouldn't know about these random encounters. He basically paying the 100,000 nuyen to "house sit". Maybe I'm just analyzing it too much. It is a 24/7 job and at a coffin hotel. They'll have to stock up on the Long Haul.

I know there are a lot of creative poeple here. It sems there is a log of potential for this run idea, but I'm just not seeing it.

A classic approach is to run the scenario, have a somewhat reasonable explanation, see above, but when the PC come up with their own wacky theory you go with that. Quite often the group of players will come up with far better and fun ideas then one GM will.

Oh, and 24 hours * 7 days * 6 Runners @ 100 nuyen = 100800 nuyen. Not at all unreasonable.

if it's a long campaign, you could crank up the creepy and have it end up where the coffin is empty.

This is probably just going to be a single run. I starting to get a few ideas thanks to you guys.

Say, if you were going to make a Prime Runner magician, what are some of your favorite things to give them? Initiate Grade, Magic attribute (7, 8, 9, etc.), Metamagic abilities, Foci? Stuff like that.

Masking is great for twists. You can have NPC's that suddenly burst out with magical talent even though previous assensing showed mundane.

How about a shifter that's initiating further? Or shifter using Flux?

Organleggers or other scary/powerful group are stashing the body of a famous individual until a specialist arrives?

How about a Toxic that's initiating?

Bugs.... nuf said there.

Little known to the runners it's a few drop bear's mating?

A prototype Biodrone is being hidden in the coffin, when the final attack on the runners is made the drone tries to help or kill the runners?

An rogue Jarhead was captured but the heat was to bad for the other team so it got put in the coffin for the johnson to deal with?

An Immortal Elf/Dragon?


Has anyone tried to shoot them, blow them up, slice/stab/dice them? If people start getting desperate I think you group will be a little more enticed.

Another idea:

Mr Johnson is indeedin the coffin running his metaplanar quest to gain services of an ancient spirit the he gained knowledge of through his membership of a magical brotherhood.
He decided that the kind of services he would be able to get - and ultimately sell off to the highest bidder - from this spirit was worth going rogue over, and decided to go on the quest before the rest of the brotherhood caught wind of this. Screw the brotherhood ideals - lets load up on nuyen he thought. However, after a couple of days of random encoutners at the coffin hotel, the bortherhood will have sent out people looking for the Johnson, an the heat around town will get turned up. Various people will be on the lookout for the Johnson, and it now depends on how discrete the runners are to determine if they attract the attention of the brotherhood.
Perhaps they can even end up in a double-take - they get offered less money from the brotherhood to shift to coffin to their palce for when the Johnson returns (well ok more likely, they're gonna make him a ritual sacrifce, but the runners shouldn't worry about that ) The fact is that the Johnson does not have a 100K, but he reckoned that the kind of moeny he would make afterwards would easily cover the costs - although with a bit of delay.

Wow, thanks Overchord. I really like that idea, especially the nice twist with the brotherhood. I'm used to the cut and dry runs. This should be a nice twist for my runners and make them think about whether to turn on there Johnson or not.

Also, Oni, I like your ideas too. The Jar Head idea is nice. Not sure what drop bears are though.