I had this come up at the last SRM game.

Are expenses being covered by the Johnson?

Some players (me included) are really into taking out the opposition in a non lethal and stealthy way (tasers/shock weapons, narcojet, gel rounds, capsule rounds, stun gas, bribes etc.).

Some of those weapons are relatively cheap and silent, however they usually require pretty close range to be effective. Gel rounds require you reach deadly on a silenced weapon pretty quick or all stealth is lost. Sound supressed fire is still loud in my opinion, that means no three round bursts to take out a target.

Dart guns have decent range and are silent, a silenced weapon using capsule rounds works too. Stun gas is only good in special situations, and you better be wearing protection as well. These alternatives are very pricey: narcojet 150/dose is the best option.

The problem is that taking out half a dozen guards/opposition can cost upwards of 900 nuyen in narcojet alone. (luckily its easy to get) And, heaven forbid you should damage a piece of expensive equipment, vehicle, drone, cyberware, weapon etc.

As a GM I feel that a Johnson should be responsible for a reasonable amount of expenses and would usually be happy to pay extra to keep a lower profile, ie fewer or no deaths, more stealth etc. And runs that required more bang bang should have compensation for the cost as well as the high profile the characters will have to deal with.

Anyway, the SRM I GMd didnt mention covering expenses so I was wondering what you all thought.

Thanks.

you can certainly try negotiating with the fixer/johnson for such items if you make a convincing case for it, as you've done here...

"gee Mr. J, you want us to get this data with a minimum of collateral damage?? well, the fee is ok, but we would like another 2,000 nuyen to cover expenses for purchasing some narcojet rounds and stun gas grenades..."
"no, no more money - but i'd be willing to have those items delivered to you if you name a place and time"
"sure, that would be fine - have someone drop them off in a green duffel bag in the bushes on the northeast corner of Denny Park at 2 AM"
"no problem - that concludes our business!"

this way, rather than pay the team money, he can obtain the items probably cheaper, and if so desired, obtain them from a rival company to help divert attention. for example, if you're being hired by Ares (which the characters may or may not know), the Johnson may provide you with narcojet rounds and grenades made by S-K...