SirKalamon
Feb 11 2005, 06:57 PM
One of my player's chose to play an ex-UGB agent and am a little overwhelmed with the idea that his character has the UGB as an enemy rating 6 under the rules of the Shadow Companion. Exactly how should I approach the game with the UGB that easily have the resouces and the power to kill the entire shadowrun team let alone the player's character?
-Sir Kalamon
mfb
Feb 11 2005, 07:02 PM
instead of having the entire UGB after him, make it so that there's one particular UGB agent that the character really pissed off. if you've pissed off the entire UGB, you're not going to last long. if it's just one midl-level UGB agent, though, that agent is going to be limited in what he can bring to bear on the character.
the player doesn't even need to know you made the switch. the character might believe he's cheesed off the entire UGB, and panic every time he catches their scent; in reality, most of the UGB doesn't know or care about him, though they do get odd signals off of him sometimes.
Sokei
Feb 12 2005, 05:36 PM
that idea actually helps me quite a bit, ive been struggling with the same issue. most of my players have moderate to high "hunted" flaws, and from big corps to boot. this approach makes more sense than "you get out of your car and 150 mitsuhama agents are approaching you with guns drawn."
mfb
Feb 12 2005, 06:40 PM
the Hunted flaw should only rarely be attributed to an organization, especially a large organization, and should never be attributed to a megacorp or government. realistically, any government or megacorp should be a million-point flaw, because they've got so many resources.
Sokei
Feb 12 2005, 07:59 PM
well one one of my players is being hunted(-2) by a middle rung corp manager because she was formerly his mistress. she was "assassinated" and is presumed dead but because of the lack of a body he is still occasionally sending people to look around. The biggest hunted one of the players has is with mitsuhama , but its a research division of the company , he is an escaped research subject and since he was one of their main subjects they are not very happy hes missing.
also another character is being hunted (-4) by a group of wildcats , not the organization but a specific group , they think she betrayed them, but she was setup to take the fall for a botched mission.
FlakJacket
Feb 12 2005, 08:40 PM
So what did this idiot do to nark them off so much?
mfb
Feb 12 2005, 08:58 PM
mistook them for youngblood, probably.
Crimsondude 2.0
Feb 12 2005, 11:48 PM
QUOTE (mfb) |
the Hunted flaw should only rarely be attributed to an organization, especially a large organization, and should never be attributed to a megacorp or government. realistically, any government or megacorp should be a million-point flaw, because they've got so many resources. |
So if I created a combat decker, I shouldn't have two AAA megacorps after my ass?
Critias
Feb 12 2005, 11:54 PM
Not for long.
You shouldn't do a lot of things, though, with that character.
FlakJacket
Feb 13 2005, 12:02 AM
QUOTE (mfb) |
Mistook them for youngblood, probably. |
Hhmm. The term 'autodarwinate' comes to mind.
tisoz
Feb 13 2005, 02:13 AM
So you guys play the Hunted flaw as only pertaining to a single enemy?
Fortune
Feb 13 2005, 02:16 AM
The level of the Flaw should increase dramatically if it is applied to something like an entire Corp or Organized Crime syndicate.
tisoz
Feb 13 2005, 02:20 AM
I meant as opposed to every enemy you have.
I got slammed by the Dumpshock Mob for thinking it only applied to one enemy, and could conceivably be taken for each enemy you have.
Fortune
Feb 13 2005, 02:32 AM
Having an Enemy is a little different than having someone actively hunting you down. I would never force people to take the Hunted Flaw for every single Enemy their characters have. I wouldn't even make them take the Hunted Flaw for even just one, if that Enemy wasn't actually trying to find the character to make life difficult for them.
FrostyNSO
Feb 13 2005, 03:07 AM
I get frustrated with my players when they start taking hunted flaws. All I can think is:
"How long is this one gonna last? One run? Two?"
tisoz
Feb 13 2005, 03:12 AM
QUOTE (FrostyNSO) |
I get frustrated with my players when they start taking hunted flaws. All I can think is: "How long is this one gonna last? One run? Two?" |
Maybe you don't use it right.
mfb
Feb 13 2005, 04:00 AM
indeed. if every character who takes a given flaw (except Borrowed Time) dies within 1-2 game sessions, something's up. either the GM's playing the flaw too hard, or the players are being stupid about the flaws ("i'm taking a strong phobia of not being shot in the face!").
Toshiaki
Feb 13 2005, 04:14 AM
He might be referring to the Hunters getting iced by the party.
Course, I just like remind players that thier Hunters are usually the little fish. If they kill them, then they need to worry about the higher ups in whatever organization the Hunters were from.
mfb
Feb 13 2005, 04:18 AM
i usually use the Hunted flaw the way many people seem to use the Enemy flaw. for instance, if i want to play a character who all of Ares wants to see dead? he gets the Hunted flaw. an Enemy flaw means it's a personal thing; by their nature, really, it's impossible to have a megacorp as an Enemy. but you can certainly have a megacorp Hunting you.
FrostyNSO
Feb 13 2005, 06:05 AM
My players like to go out and be seen in public, frequent popular clubs, carouse with the women, AND TAKE THE HUNTED FLAW.
I feel obligated to show them that they just can't do that stuff when people are actively hunting them. I've taken them aside and explained it to them, but they still take hunted at 4 or 6 points and end up facing the consequences of their "public" lifestyle.
I don't think I'm playing the flaw too hard, just using common sense.
mfb
Feb 13 2005, 06:16 AM
well, yeah. that'll do it.
toturi
Feb 13 2005, 02:03 PM
QUOTE (FrostyNSO @ Feb 13 2005, 02:05 PM) |
My players like to go out and be seen in public, frequent popular clubs, carouse with the women, AND TAKE THE HUNTED FLAW.
I feel obligated to show them that they just can't do that stuff when people are actively hunting them. I've taken them aside and explained it to them, but they still take hunted at 4 or 6 points and end up facing the consequences of their "public" lifestyle.
I don't think I'm playing the flaw too hard, just using common sense. |
I'll put it in another way. If you DO NOT have the Hunted Flaw, would your enemies Knowledge Rating increase if you went out in public, go to popular clubs, etc? The Hunted Flaw is just 1 Enemy with Motivation Rating at 5-6, that's all.
Also, if they have Hunted at 6 pts, it doesn't really matter that they have a life. The enemy will probably have enough Knowledge to find them and kill them anyway. At least by having a public life, the Enemy has now to make sure the hit/s must be discrete or risk public exposure.
BishopMcQ
Feb 13 2005, 06:22 PM
If you look in the Shadowrun Companion it breaks down what each value of hunted means. 6pts is a mega corporation that knows where you are when the campaign starts. You can certainly go to ground and make yourself harder to find, but anytime you surface someone is going to know. Lower level hunted flaws have fewer resources, or if they have the resources to grind you into the earth, their desire may not be there--Joe Runner is half way down a long list of people that need to be dealt with or the group has a larger concern.
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