Here i am faced with a problem........... the back ground to this is as follows, our group of runners get together and have a main sort of base from which we do most of our runs. My character Attilius has her own place as she has a gunsmith and chemistry / ballistics lab.

Now i was not around for the last run (was GMing) but watched as the other players come to an agreement for all money earned to be put into a 'central pot!' my god this smacks of corporate........ anyway so it seems that we are 'working' for one member of the group and he determines what money we get and when, would have buggered off but i have done 4 runs with these guy's and got nada for the privilege....... oh sorry they payed for my Enhanced Articulation...... but there is about 600k in the pot and the pockets are running thin!

sooo my question is how the hell do i get out of this one without being shafted?


Oh another thing(to put icing on the cake) on the last run they were told but the corp they were working for that if any copy's of a certain disk they recovered got out they knew where to come........ and well there are several copys of this disk and for some reason my name was mentioned even tho i was not there...... dammed if im getting in it for them!

any suggestions would be greatly received!

torz x

This group of runners is all player characters, correct?

One suggestion would be to start a new PC and have the old one anonymously relocate elsewhere in the world, get a new ID, etc.

But if you're really attached to your current character, you have dilemma. Say you break out of the group...how do you continue playing the game with the other players?

Toward that end, have you considered telling the other players that you're unhappy with the situation and want to ask them for help?

Depends on the personality of the PC. One way would be to cap the ringleader in the back of the head when no one is looking. Or cap all team members, then all the shiny coins will be yours, yesss.

One of the first things is to scrape up all the info of the other group members, especially the 'boss'. Find out where they crash, and also any of their safehouses. Find out any habits, some of their contacts, and also their backgrounds. Now, decide who are the best ones to get rid off. Since you know where they stash some of their personal stuff, you can also benefit by 'inheriting' their stashed goods and gear.

Preferably, have some third party take care of their characters or secretly (by passing email/notes to the GM). That way there's no hard feelings from the other players when their character gets capped (if they get emotional about their characters, but if they're good players, then there shouldn't be any problems).

If you don't care for the team hideout, a large bomb stashed in the place and remote detonation is a really, really easy way to get rid of the entire team at once... or at least signficant portion. Then you can play it up that the team is being hunted to the survivors and y'all should stick together, you can try assuming the top notch as team leader from the fiasco.

Other fun things to do... fake a run, hire a fixer to hire a johnson to set the team up on a run. Especially when you can't make it to a game. Have it be a run into a corp facility which you tip off the corp, etc... Basically an ambush for the group and a few won't survive. Just be sure it doesn't get back to your character.

Or, y'know, you could talk things outs with them. Just sayin'...

Seriously, before the hits start getting called out, can't you just say, hey guys, this "pool" thing isn't working out for me. I want out, and I want some money to start over with. Enough for a couple months rent and a cheap change of ID. Imply that if you aren't taken care of, someone might make you spill the beans on the group. To make sure that your group doesn't "take care of you" in their own special way, have a data bomb ready to go and poison your contacts against them.

I would mention they made a group decision without your consent--that's their right, but it shouldn't have to affect you. It would be fair to get your share of the pot and take a proportional split of each run's pay thereafter. The rest of the group can screw around with the pot and you can do your own finances--you won't be able to reap whatever "benefits" the pot has, but I doubt that's your big concern.

And yes, as someone said, have backup plans in case the group decides to do something about you.

First you need to decide wether to take it OC or IC.

I recommend IC and comment OC if they complain.

You’re a shadow runner, there are some character traits that rarely if ever get into shadow runners, wussy is one of them.

I would go up to them and tell them strait and IC, this pool crap has to go, I want my money. Don’t say you won’t work with them any more just that you want your money to be payed to you on a run by run basis o you can manage your own finances and if you have to leave town or have some unusual expenses come up you know where your money is.

If they want a teem safe house and you agree it’s a good idea chip in on the expenses. (personally I think it’s a silly idea, telling all the people with the most dirt on me where my I run in a pinch, I think not and I wouldn’t expect it from them ether. although having a place to hide with the pay dreck as a teem could be useful as well)

If they think you might be going to turn them in or turn on them point out that you have a life outside of the teem. Quotes like “how the hell am I supposed to buy a nice gift for my lady friend if you got all my cred, I don’t have to justify how I spend my money to you dreck heads”. I would go so far (IC) as to refuse to run with somebody that won’t let me handle my own finances.

See how it goes. Make an RP opportunity out of it.

Edward

Play it in-character. Shoot them all and sell the bodies.

~J

Well, if you don't want to play the character again then just work up a betrayal red herring run and run them through it the next time you're GM. I assume you guys take turns GMing, so in the meantime, while you're playing, first express your dislike, IC, for this "money pool" system, and when you do get shafted then begin dropping hints IC for your red herring, like about some trouble you might be getting into or were into in the past. When it comes time for your turn to GM set them off on your red herring with you playing your character as an NPC, incapacitate them, or just separate the group, but somehow get the guy who handles the funds in a situation where he's gotta give your character the info on where the money is (gamma scopalamine works well as a truth serum combined with some light torture). While the rest of the team is off somewhere completely unrelated then you break into the combined housing place and snag all the cred, bomb it, and get away scott free while the PCs have nowhere left to go, and maybe leave a note stating that you had the option to bomb them while they were all in their communal home, but didn't. That will teach them not to put all their eggs in one basket and not to all have a combined home, plus it'll make them effectively have to "start over" in terms of equipment.

Hey, who really wants an easy game run by a nice GM, anyway?

Hmm... This title made me think you were hitting on one of the other PCs, not thinking about killing them.

You know, maybe that isn't such a bad idea. Seduce them all, steal the $600k and run off together to Salt Lake City where you can set up a nice, happy, polygamous family.

In all seriousness, talk it out first. It sounds like you're all still on friendly terms, and you've been through enough stuff together to trust each other. Of course, as soon as you do start talking, stop trusting them. If you still want to play with that PC, you may need to discuss this OOC to express your concerns.

Otherwise, playing turncoat can be pretty effective at saving your butt while damning the rest of the team (and their infernal deal). Get the new face and ID and all that.

The problem with taking the discussion OC is that you come of as a winy player, for metagame reasons if you metagame trust your party a pool like that will be useful.

Take it IC and your character has a raft of good reasons to want to manage his own funds including that there are several effects that can make trustworthy people untrustworthy eg mental manipulation spells, cytotropic IC or just being pussy wiped.

Edward

It was an IC decision by everyone else, done when you weren't there to object IC. You were surely there OoC.

Deal with it IC. Maybe there's a reason they don't want you to have any money.

First off, next game don't GM, and in character kindly ask about "your share"

Secondly-

Well, firstly, how can your character be included in this if she wasn't asked? Did they seize her funds somehow?

The point is, this is all a game you all play for fun, mainly. Such rivalries can be fun, but only to a point. If you have a decent guy who GMs most of the time, try and talk to him, and possibly the bossman player too. Just tell them that you think the idea is stupid, your character would never commit herself that way to anyone, and that you'd just be interested to have her maintain her funds on the side.

I guess you can work this out with the guys. If not ... well ... do you have any other gaming groups around you might join? If this group cheats on you, they may just not be the people to play games with anyway.

Edit: And I, too, thought this was oen about in-game PC-PC relationships. Which can be a funny twist to a group, provided both players can handle it in a sufficiently mature way.

My honest advice would be not to worry about it. It's just a game. Getting stressed out over the imaginary money that your imaginary character does or dosen't have is utterly pointless.

Unless, you know, you're playing a role.

~J

Sure, but then there's no purpose to bringing the issue up OC. Just waste them all IC and when everyone gets upset that you just went and slaughtered the party say it was IC.

Well, there is a middle ground of OOC saying "hey, our arrangement isn't letting me play my character properly, can we change it?"

Your solution works just fine, though

~J

too true, cant really make a firm assumption as to wait will happen till i actually get IC so i will have to see, for all those who responded to this thread thanks for the advice!

I will let you all know what eventually happens!

torz x

If you do that, they'll be on their guard. My vote is a FAE in their safehouse.

~J