Same thing My GM did to my Characters, Send them to PRISON. Oh no, but really, depending on who catches you and where. On the American Continent there are two places a shadowrunner could be put. New York, or Los Angeles. You may think I'm kidding, but if you ever seen Escape from NY and LA the events described make a great setting addition to the shadowrun world, especially the end of LA, Complete Electrical blackout for about a month or two should give the Tribes plenty of time to beat the U.S. forces into submission, also gives you a great N.P.C. to scare the bejesus out of your PC's, his name is Snake Pliskin and he don't play well with others. However depending on how much favoritism is owed to a P.C. by Snake, he might be willing to come out of retirement to help the poor soul escape from the closest thing to hell on earth they'll ever see.

... wow.

LMMFAO! Snake Pliskin. No way in the 9 hells would I let my hoop be saved by a cheesy 80's action star in leather pants and a spandex shirt.

I would choose Mad Max instead - when a 80s Action Hero is needed

Except that LA and New York are both major economic centers (less for LA, much more for New York). While the game may marginally increase in entertainment value, it may take a hit in realism. If your game is better for it, that's fine. I know that my group would perish the thought before it got that far (or at least, mercilessly mock the person who brought it up).

While Seattle has largely passed other cities as the main West Coast port, LA in the Shadowrun universe still is important enough for Pueblo Corporate Council to march in with their military and annex. This is not to say that there aren't sections of LA that you could use for an "Escape from LA"-type feel... Isn't there an indigent chaotic walled-off section of LA? New York is the major UCAS port on the Atlantic, AFAIK.

Also, I was under the impression that criminal justice involves dumping prisoners in cells and pacifying them with Simsense, rather than dumping them into a walled-off island.

Shadowrun has its own "Escape from..." city: Bug City, the Chicago Containment zone.

Yes, Mad Max is much better for leather clad nameless goons.
Now, if Zombies are involved, you need Ash.

And don't even start on the Leather-clad nameless Zombies.

Though when I went back and watched Escape from New York, it had a very SR1 feel to it. Clunky comm gear, cool guns and an utter disdain for the value of human life.

No one beats the true Batman (aka Adam West). He's relying on skill and charme only

The walled (right?) section of LA is called "El Infernio" or sth. (never had spanish in school). It's like the Barrens of LA.

I've been pretty lucky so far. Almost every encounter the players have with Lone Star results in The Star responding with leathal force. Their a little scared of prison love.

The way I see it working is this.

If your a company employee and you get caught doing something bad on company property it is a toss up. You could get off scot free, get docked pay, or wind up SINless in the barrens.

If you have a SIN and your not at work; For most crimes your getting a new chip jack with a behavioural modification chip. Either you or your current employer will pay for it. Plus arrest fees and victum fees (if they apply). A few people may end up in jail for longer times if they have a history of bypassing the chips. You can also request jail time to avoid surgery but you better be ready to pay. Some criminals may get handed over to companies for punishment in their legal system.

If you are SINless; It is better if you don't get caught. Minor crimes will get you some stick time in a back alley or a chip. A record of minor crimes will get you a behavioural implant or a banishment implant (Try to enter/leave certain areas of town and it will shock you) and time on a work detail to pay for it. Cyberwear will be disabled or the behaviour chip will zap you for using it. If the crime is bad enough then the Star will issue a Wanted Dead or Alive warrent. The registered bounty hunter that drops the criminal off at a Lone Star station gets the reward. Hard core criminals can expect to get mindwiped, be reprogrammed via Simsense, and have their cyberwear deactivated. This is assuming they don't died while resisting arrest, from falling down the stairs, or after being trasferred to the Pacific Ocean Rehabilitation Facility.

Problem with that is the potential for a rescue attempt...how much of their resources is a Corp willing to devote to keeping people away from said island? The logistics of a penal island just aren't what they used to be.

Automated antivehicular gun turrets on towers would work for that. Set them to fire at any aircraft that gets too close, and to broadcast a constant "do not approach within 100 meters or you will be fired upon.

The same holds true for a regular prison. In a world where criminals have access to armored helicopters, the "yard" in a prison makes for a pretty decent landing pad.

They could make it a reality tv show

Prisoners will inevitably scrap or reprogram those for their own uses. I just don't see it being able to work. If the UCAS (or other entity) were going to setup a penal colony, they would have to pretty much build it in the center of a military (or paramilitary concern. Then we have nothing more than an outdoor prison. It's not a feasible option...no one will be setting up an island as a penal colony.

That's what I was thinking. I know I've seen a movie or read a book about this, but can't remember what it was. Basically the biggest and baddest bruisers hung out at the food drop site and ruled the island because they controlled the food supply.

They also gave the prisoners a chance to escape on food drop day. For 5 minutes a small gate would be open at a fence. The first person to crawl through the fence would be granted a full pardon. The fights that broke out there were even worse than the ones to gain control of the food.

It could easily pay for itself if it garnered a big enough following. Do your filming with surveillance drones and cameras. Let people know that the penalty for damaging a camera is a lifetime of constant pain. You'll still have a few cameras damaged every now and then, but when that happens your ratigs go up because you get to film the security team going in to round up the vandal.

It's true, an island is a lot less remote of a location than it used to be. Of course, it's a lot easier to defend a small island than it is to keep people away from a small continent.
Maybe you could put it somewhere cold, where swimming means death in the cold water. (sharks aren't that good of a deterrent, it's extremely unlikely they'd even bother with an escaping swimmer)

That would work, but sharks would make a more enjoyable show. Just put something in the food that makes the eater's body give off a chemical that smells like fresh blood.

And the sharks don't have to always eat a swimmer. Somethimes the swimmer should make it to the net so he can try and get out. If he succeeds a surveillance drone follows him. Its just barely too far to swim to shore so he'll most likely drown. Viewers could have fun trying to guess if he'll make it to shore or not. And of course, the coastline where the currents will carry our swimmer is just another prison, this time surrounded with wall.

That way you get Island Prison's spinoff show "Life's a Beach". Just the look on a convict's face when he finds out he swam to another prison would send ratings through the roof.

I'd be interested in hearing the story behind that one. I can't think of a reason to capture someone and put cyberware in them unless it was a research facility. But even then the place would have to be like a prison, because you don't want your test subjects escaping.

And of course, the traditional Shadowrun "Island of Isolation" is the Japanese solution to the Metahuman Question, Yomi Island. Which would make a great campaign all by itself, too.

Megladons, sea serpents, and krakens, oh my!

Yomi is liberated as of 2062.

What about an old military sub base. cameras to give viewers somethign to watch, it's spartan, it's surrounded by water in the middle of nowhere and easily set up to repulse all but the most massive of attacks.

This week was the 25th anniversary of the bloodiest prison riot in U.S. history.

Given the fact that shadowrunners generally own the prison, it'd be interesting to see them come out the heroes in such an event by stopping it, winning public support, freedom, and phat ass reps.

You mean New Mexico? I guess it's all in how you see deadly, while that may have had a better death toll (officially) I still think that the three or so years before they permanently locked Marion down was the real worst.

If you want any advice on whata real life super max prison runs like let me know. That's my job.

Yeah.

[edit]

Of course that begs, at least to me, the question why? If you'd like feel free to PM me, if not that's cool too.

I'd rather not, if it's all the same. I've probably already said too much.

You know I'll respect that but mention my skepticism. It's hard on a board like this to take that sort of comment seriously, if it were anyone else I'd be tempted to press the issue, but as far as I can tell you've been a stand up guy here, so I'll respect the limits you've set.

I completely understand your skepticism, and would expect nothing less to be honet.

I regret mentioning it only because it does sound rather suspicious. It was an inappropriate and foolish non sequitur that I shouldn't have typed in the first place, but something got the better of me. I don't even know why I mentioned it last night.

However, I do appreciate you extending me this one-time only grant of good faith. Thank you.

Demosthenes, you have questions??? ask them, either on the post or via email, I promise I won't bite your head off... bass624@cox.net

Pity the poor mages in that place. After being so dark for so long, the background count must be through the roof.

its hard to get pcs into prisons.. the only time I saw a runner captured by the star by the time he was caught he had done enough to warrant the chair.. which he got.. <quite funny, lots of bod, had to be zapped thrice to die...people were starting to bet.. >

DS

I think there are some major flaws in the way Shadowrun presents Jail and prisons, but I'm a little close to the subject matter so Iwould of course. I think they have failed to presnt it in a usable fashion so far-which makes sense actually, Imean professionals don't see much prison time, especially when bullets are so much cheaper, and guarenteed to keep mouths shut.

The Australia point is not quite valid.

I am Australian, the convicts where not sent hear to rot, they where the cheep labor source to build a colony’s infrastructure (starting with a jail complete with cells).

There was some throwing of aboriginal trouble makers onto rottenest island but even then there where wardens on the island to watch them and take them back when they had server there sentences.

Or where you referring to the reality TV shows in Tasmania (described in T:AL). That really is more of an elaborate death sentence than a prison

Edward

.................... uh, Weredigo? First, you NEVER ask "What's the worst a GM could do to PCs?". This opens up the proverbial floodgates in the GM in question, revealing resources of imagination tied with a nigh-Grimtooth-level streak of sadism that would make even the most despicable beings our race has produced go "Uh, dude, isn't that just a little excessive?"

Second, you don't NEED to ask "What's the worst a GM could do to PCs?". Every GM is different, so be thankful of that. Speaking as both the recipient & a contributor of the above-mentioned sadism, it can be a blessing what your PCs get in comparisson.

But that's just IMHO.

Which I do appreciate. Yes I've been the reciever of such sadism, but I deal it out a little more subtly. What really get's characters to look at me and say "You sick, twisted, evil, maniacal, bastard." is when this happens. GM/Player discussion.

P: what's in the room.
G: it's barren except for a metallic egg about the size of a small trash can.
P: what's it made out of exactly?
G: mag theory, Targs a (roll) 3
P: (roll) four successes...
G: that's oricalchum...
P: Booh YA, Jackpot, about how much would it be worth???
G: and it's moving?
P: huh, moving how?
G: rocking back and forth, from side to side? What are you doing???
P: casting Barrier spells...
G: targs a (roll) 5
P: (roll) three successes
G: Level three barrier spell... crack...
P: It's attacking me????
G: no, it just went Crack...
P: how big of a crack???
G: foot and a half... crack... what are you doing???
P: calling the Street Sam, that things going to be hungry...
P2: I'm on the way...
G: out comes a baby white dragon, it looks at you...
P2: I'm loading blueberrys on the way...
G: noted... It looks at you P1...
P1: it's just looking at me???
G: and it changes into a little boy/girl about 6 years old...
P1 + P2 (Stunned Silence)... You sick, twisted, evil...


That's the worst thing I've ever done to a PC. They named her Angel.