This Run idea came to me in that place of many ideas: The Shower.
The premise is simple. Johnson wants DocWagon to hurt. Bad. Digging reveals that Johnson's <Insert Important Person Here(Brother/Wife/Whatever)> was geeked when a DocWagon responded to someone's Super Platinum and started shooting everybody in sight. He wants payback.
The 'Run' is a bounty on all DocWagon equipment destroyed or stolen, and any good Matrixwork against them. A fair sum for the wagons - maybe 5,000 Nuyen, more for the choppers - about 8,000-12,000, and if you take out a corporate office or one of their clinics, it's up to the DM.
The easiest way, of course, is to beat someone with a DocWagon bracelet up, let him call the Doc Wagon, and then just ambush it. I figure it should be easy for awhile - DocWagon is an armed response extraction team. It's (IMO) never occured to them that THEY could be the real targets.
How the Runners do it is up to them - easiest way, of course, is to just put a short-range RPG into the wagon. They're armored, but I don't think they're heavy enough to take concentrated fire. DocWagons more or less pull people out of fights where they see lots of pistols, knives, pipes, and the occasional SMG, they're not prepared for heavy artillary like LMGs, MMGs, HMGs, assault cannons, or rocket launchers.
Of course, if the runners adopt a "No unnnessessary killing" policy, I'd give them more Karma. The way I'd personally do it would involve grabbing the vic, takeing him into the Barrens, and beating him. (Best way to handle this is to pay off the local gang for their support. They don't mess with the Wagon, or the runners, or the bait.) Once your guy has called the DocWagon, you set up a roadblock, KO the bait, and wait. When th DocWagon arrives and finds themselves the target, order them (through use of loudspeakers) to throw their weapons out and come out with their hands up. This order should be enforced with a very visible heavy weapon, and make SURE to have some kind of jammer up so they can't call the Star in on you. Everybody should be disguised, of course, in the kind of clothing that makes it impossbile to distinguish a cybered out sammie from a mage, and faces covered, of course. 'escort' the DocWagon personelle into an abandoned building, gas them unconcious, torch their van. Drop the jammer, leave them their own phones, and walk away to collect your bounty.
What do you think? Interesting, hopefully unique? Or am I an idiot? You have any other interesting off-the-wall ideas?
Full Version: Some unusual Shadowruns?
That is a pretty neat idea actually, but would end up pretty combat intensive, as DW 'troops' are equipped with security armor, assault rifles and heavy weapons if needs be, and armored vehicles. Your PC's better be up for it.
As for taking them alive, Stun Ball and splat grenades w/ DMSO/G-S would probably go farther than telling a team wquipped with "security armor, assault rifles and heavy weapons if needs be, and armored vehicles" to throw down their weapons
As for taking them alive, Stun Ball and splat grenades w/ DMSO/G-S would probably go farther than telling a team wquipped with "security armor, assault rifles and heavy weapons if needs be, and armored vehicles" to throw down their weapons
Are they really that heavily armed? I always figured DocWagon to be a van armored enough to protect from small arms fire, but not from heavy weapons, and that they'd tote at most, one AR and a couple SMGs per van.
DocWagon's pretty heftily armed -- and they have been targeted before (almost exactly like you're describing, in fact). Remember, these guys roll around with vans (or VTOLs/helicopters!) chock full of tasty pharmaceuticals, guns, and armor. Name three things criminals like more, would'ja? So they get their fair share of random street violence, right off the bat, right? On top of that, there was at least one published adventure that dealt very specifically with DocWagon teams getting attacked/ambushed, like you described (IIRC it was one of their few NPCs with a tactical computer and some idea how to use it).
So, I mean, it's possible to mess with DocWagon. But it's not going to catch anyone but the first team off-guard, and it's nothing they haven't learned how to deal with before.
So, I mean, it's possible to mess with DocWagon. But it's not going to catch anyone but the first team off-guard, and it's nothing they haven't learned how to deal with before.
A) Knock the bait unconcious, then strap a few gas grenades to him. They take the bait into the wagon, grenades trip ...
B) Buy yourself a few intelligent missiles, depending on the finances offered by the Johnson, and site them in random locations around the city.
Each time a Doc Wagon bracelet goes off, so does a missile, using said bracelet as a homing beacon.
B) Buy yourself a few intelligent missiles, depending on the finances offered by the Johnson, and site them in random locations around the city.
Each time a Doc Wagon bracelet goes off, so does a missile, using said bracelet as a homing beacon.
Remember, also, though, DocWagon provides the emergency medical response to Lone Star (among others). And no one likes it when you shoot at their medic.
Target: Lone Star.
For only the truely suicidal and/or revoloutionary Shadowrunners.
It is kind of a high-risk job, but I think it's unique and neat. The real pain is figuring out how to acomplish the Run (Destroying DocWagon propery) without violating your own ethics. Hence the "make them surrender" bit.
Another thing to do would, if you had a drek-hot decker, go after one of their clinics. Sound an alarm inside the clinic: Sarin or something equally deadly to metahumanity released, evacuate the building. And then firebomb it to hell. If nobody realizes the alarm was fake, people may believe the firebombing was an emergency response measure.
For only the truely suicidal and/or revoloutionary Shadowrunners.
It is kind of a high-risk job, but I think it's unique and neat. The real pain is figuring out how to acomplish the Run (Destroying DocWagon propery) without violating your own ethics. Hence the "make them surrender" bit.
Another thing to do would, if you had a drek-hot decker, go after one of their clinics. Sound an alarm inside the clinic: Sarin or something equally deadly to metahumanity released, evacuate the building. And then firebomb it to hell. If nobody realizes the alarm was fake, people may believe the firebombing was an emergency response measure.
I don't know any players who would ever have their characters do this kind of job for the money you are offering. I mean 12K nuyen for a DocWagon™ chopper??? Destroyed maybe, but not captured.
Also keep in mind that DocWagon™ has access to half decent mages, so be careful slinging magic during this run. Especially if you have, or plan to have a contract with them yourself.
Also keep in mind that DocWagon™ has access to half decent mages, so be careful slinging magic during this run. Especially if you have, or plan to have a contract with them yourself.
How did you do the TM?
And yes, I did mean destroyed. I'm certain the smart DM would assess bonuses for captures. As capturing a helicoptor is an excessively difficult thing to do.
And yes, I did mean destroyed. I'm certain the smart DM would assess bonuses for captures. As capturing a helicoptor is an excessively difficult thing to do.
Using some version of Windows? Either "Run" charmap.exe and select it from the grid and cut&paste. Or you can make sure your NumLock is on then hold down your left Alt key while you enter 0-1-5-3 on your numeric pad. When you then release the Alt key the ™ should appear.
Incidentally selecting a character in the grid in charmap.exe will display in the status bar the 4 digits for creating each character using the second method. For example ßlakkie or 451ºF.
Incidentally selecting a character in the grid in charmap.exe will display in the status bar the 4 digits for creating each character using the second method. For example ßlakkie or 451ºF.
| QUOTE (ShadowDragon8685) |
| Another thing to do would, if you had a drek-hot decker, go after one of their clinics. Sound an alarm inside the clinic: Sarin or something equally deadly to metahumanity released, evacuate the building. And then firebomb it to hell. If nobody realizes the alarm was fake, people may believe the firebombing was an emergency response measure. |
Because, being a well-known corp, they don't have their own Matrix security watching every known (and oftentimes unknown) entry point into their part of the 'Trix.
You'd better have a drek-hot decker if you want to come out alive from that one. That or a lot of luck.
Cheers.
By the way, I thought of another unique Shadowrun™. Insurance Fraud!
Either as the fradulees, or the fraud inspectors.
Case Scenario 1: Fraud Inspectors.
<Insert Big to Megacorp name here> has a teensy problem. They suspect <insert name of middle-high executive here> of committing fraud on his corp car. You see, his ~90,000
Lincoln-GM Executive series company car has been stolen. Ordinarily they would simply write it off as the cost of doing bisuness, and provide him with a less expensive car. However, this is the third such car he's lost in six months. All the antitheft devices have been deeated in detail, as none of the car's automatic "I'm being stolen!" squealers got so much as a peep off.
The mission is a simple two-part op with little for a Slaughtering Sammie to do (unless something goes horribly, horribly wrong.)
The kicker is that the exec lives off of Company property, therefor they can't just bust down his door and start 'interrogating' him. If they did, the Star would arrive, and the Star dosen't distinguish between a Corp Black Ops Team and Shadowrunners or hooligans if it's happening off company property. To make matters worse, executive seems to know his ways around the Shadows, and he has many contacts at Lone Star, garunteeing that if the Company came after him in such a manner, he'd be getting a free ride to turn over all he knows about the company to the Star - not a disaster, but not a pleasent outcome (for the Company.) So they need some "Deniable Assets."
Part 1: Infiltrate executive's home and violate his personal privacy in ways that would make a 1600s sailor blush. The Company wants a copy of all his logs, any diarys, all cred transactions, how many times per day his auto-toilet flushes, the works. If the Runners uncover Damning evidence (such as "May 13th. Sold company car to chop shop in barrens for 34,000 . Instructed refridgerator to order frankfurters in anticipation of Baseball season. Lost my favorite pen.", then they have permission to engage the exec, deliver a very thorough but non-life-threatening beating, and deliver him to the Company for yet more beatings. Otherwise, return the data to the company for review.
Part 2: If the executive DID steal it, and they uncover good evidence but not wholely damning, the runners go back for those beatings. If they uncover evidence that he is in fact simply very good at getting his cars stolen, the runners get paid their pay, and offered a job to track down the cars and 'punish' those responsible. THIS is something for a Slaughtering Sammie to do.
Case Scenario 2: Insurance Fraud.
Mr. Johnson is apparently someone in need of some very fast cash. He owns a shop of some sort (Snowmobiles, maybe,) and an insured house. The Run is thusly: They have to stage a threat on Mr. Johnson's life, which is ostensibly the trigger to run him out of town. He will report it to Lone Star. (Hint: a Lone Star contact may be able to make the Star's search cool down a bit.) While being hunted by Lone Star, the Runners must disguise themselves as something completely not what they are, and destroy everything Mr. Johnson owns. There has to be falsified evidence pointing away from insurance fraud, preferably at some group that would hate Mr. Johnson. (The runners are here encouraged to excersize something they get precious little chance to: Their imaginations.)
Mr. Johnson has enough of a down-payment scraped together to entice the Runners. Once the insurance check comes in, whatever dosen't go towards paying his creditors is split 50/50 with him and the team.
(Also, if the Runners are smart, they'll creatively steal some of his possessions and fence them for some extra cash. They can use, if they're creative, some junk electronics and a few fake cases to make the choiceiest pieces look destroyed - this gets the people hunting down fenced items off their trail, if they think it was in fact destroyed.)
By the way, I thought of another unique Shadowrun™. Insurance Fraud!
Either as the fradulees, or the fraud inspectors.
Case Scenario 1: Fraud Inspectors.
<Insert Big to Megacorp name here> has a teensy problem. They suspect <insert name of middle-high executive here> of committing fraud on his corp car. You see, his ~90,000
Lincoln-GM Executive series company car has been stolen. Ordinarily they would simply write it off as the cost of doing bisuness, and provide him with a less expensive car. However, this is the third such car he's lost in six months. All the antitheft devices have been deeated in detail, as none of the car's automatic "I'm being stolen!" squealers got so much as a peep off.The mission is a simple two-part op with little for a Slaughtering Sammie to do (unless something goes horribly, horribly wrong.)
The kicker is that the exec lives off of Company property, therefor they can't just bust down his door and start 'interrogating' him. If they did, the Star would arrive, and the Star dosen't distinguish between a Corp Black Ops Team and Shadowrunners or hooligans if it's happening off company property. To make matters worse, executive seems to know his ways around the Shadows, and he has many contacts at Lone Star, garunteeing that if the Company came after him in such a manner, he'd be getting a free ride to turn over all he knows about the company to the Star - not a disaster, but not a pleasent outcome (for the Company.) So they need some "Deniable Assets."
Part 1: Infiltrate executive's home and violate his personal privacy in ways that would make a 1600s sailor blush. The Company wants a copy of all his logs, any diarys, all cred transactions, how many times per day his auto-toilet flushes, the works. If the Runners uncover Damning evidence (such as "May 13th. Sold company car to chop shop in barrens for 34,000
. Instructed refridgerator to order frankfurters in anticipation of Baseball season. Lost my favorite pen.", then they have permission to engage the exec, deliver a very thorough but non-life-threatening beating, and deliver him to the Company for yet more beatings. Otherwise, return the data to the company for review.Part 2: If the executive DID steal it, and they uncover good evidence but not wholely damning, the runners go back for those beatings. If they uncover evidence that he is in fact simply very good at getting his cars stolen, the runners get paid their pay, and offered a job to track down the cars and 'punish' those responsible. THIS is something for a Slaughtering Sammie to do.
Case Scenario 2: Insurance Fraud.
Mr. Johnson is apparently someone in need of some very fast cash. He owns a shop of some sort (Snowmobiles, maybe,) and an insured house. The Run is thusly: They have to stage a threat on Mr. Johnson's life, which is ostensibly the trigger to run him out of town. He will report it to Lone Star. (Hint: a Lone Star contact may be able to make the Star's search cool down a bit.) While being hunted by Lone Star, the Runners must disguise themselves as something completely not what they are, and destroy everything Mr. Johnson owns. There has to be falsified evidence pointing away from insurance fraud, preferably at some group that would hate Mr. Johnson. (The runners are here encouraged to excersize something they get precious little chance to: Their imaginations.)
Mr. Johnson has enough of a down-payment scraped together to entice the Runners. Once the insurance check comes in, whatever dosen't go towards paying his creditors is split 50/50 with him and the team.
(Also, if the Runners are smart, they'll creatively steal some of his possessions and fence them for some extra cash. They can use, if they're creative, some junk electronics and a few fake cases to make the choiceiest pieces look destroyed - this gets the people hunting down fenced items off their trail, if they think it was in fact destroyed.)
Fraud inspectors sounds like a fun and easily executable run (though why the company is so bent on keeping track of its cars is beyond me).
Insurance fraud would be a hard sell, at least to my runners. You would have to pay them a lot of money to get them to actively bring the star down on their heads.
For example, the only time I suceeded in doing so their bowels were full of cutters ready to make them into hamburger if they didn't.
Insurance fraud would be a hard sell, at least to my runners. You would have to pay them a lot of money to get them to actively bring the star down on their heads.
For example, the only time I suceeded in doing so their bowels were full of cutters ready to make them into hamburger if they didn't.
If you keep losing 90,000 luxury cawrs, it's going to be very bad bisuness. That's almost a tenth of a million there. Plus, it's the whole employee disloyalty thing - that can't be allowed to fly.
And as for the insurance fraud, the idea is that they bring the Star down on fictious other people's heads.
luxury cawrs, it's going to be very bad bisuness. That's almost a tenth of a million there. Plus, it's the whole employee disloyalty thing - that can't be allowed to fly.And as for the insurance fraud, the idea is that they bring the Star down on fictious other people's heads.
I like this idea. I have to run soon too.....bwahahaha!Could make it real fun and have the guy possesed by a bug spirit or master shedem, if you wanted to spice it up.
Some of the most hair raising "Oh god what have we gotten ourselves into" Aliens flashback inducing runs I've played are escorting Parabiologists trying to find new species of flora or fauna in (insert remote god awful location here). To this day I cringe IRL when someone mentions Amazonia.
How about the runners get hired to protect an ophanage or soup kitchen? A paycheck and a good deed will warm their black hearts
How about the runners are hired by the wife of an abusive husband, not to "teach him a lesson", but to teach the wife and daughter how to take care of themselves. This could lead to a situation with the daughter where she falls in love with one of the runners or wants to become one afterwards.
How about the runners get hired to protect an ophanage or soup kitchen? A paycheck and a good deed will warm their black hearts
How about the runners are hired by the wife of an abusive husband, not to "teach him a lesson", but to teach the wife and daughter how to take care of themselves. This could lead to a situation with the daughter where she falls in love with one of the runners or wants to become one afterwards.
| QUOTE (Angelone) |
| How about the runners are hired by the wife of an abusive husband, not to "teach him a lesson", but to teach the wife and daughter how to take care of themselves. This could lead to a situation with the daughter where she falls in love with one of the runners or wants to become one afterwards. |
Nice idea but how would you run it.
Edward
Why would she hire Shadowrunners? There are other places where she can learn self-defence. Plus she could always get a gun herself and shoot the guy while he's sleeping.
Friend or family who "pays" them with meals or something simular just throwing out ideas.
| QUOTE (Angelone @ Jun 18 2005, 03:24 PM) |
| How about the runners get hired to protect an ophanage or soup kitchen? A paycheck and a good deed will warm their black hearts How about the runners are hired by the wife of an abusive husband, not to "teach him a lesson", but to teach the wife and daughter how to take care of themselves. This could lead to a situation with the daughter where she falls in love with one of the runners or wants to become one afterwards. |
Either example is easier to implement if the runners aren't hired, and from a certain POV could act on their own behest, thereby involving themselves in affairs which are none of their business.
OTOH, if the beneficiary accepts it then it's not really intruding. But not even run has to pay or work on a contract basis. Maybe the person(s) they're helping is(are) contacts or neighbors or random encounters (e.g., Hatchetman's first run in Cybertechnology for the Renraku suit).
| QUOTE (Trax) |
| Why would she hire Shadowrunners? There are other places where she can learn self-defence. Plus she could always get a gun herself and shoot the guy while he's sleeping. |
Maybe the husband is a mid-level mafioso, yakuza or triad goon. Enough so that if she tried to take them on herself, she'd lose, but not so much that she would think Shadowrunners couldn't help.
Also, the fact that she's married into the underworld would provide an explanation as to how she would go about getting into contact with the runners in the first place.
This wouldn't be just a protection run, it would end up having to be an extraction run. Get the wife and kids out alive, and arrange for their dissapearance.
one of my favorites was a run that was barely really a run. One of the characters contacts had a pretty young elven lady friend that lived in downtown. She had a perverted neighbor that lived across the street with a telescope. He was told once to mind his own business, but didn't.
The contact paid them 5k/ month to continually harass the target (we'll call him Mr/ P - for pervert). The conditions were that they were not to harm him in any physical way, and to never make any contact with him or the neighbor lady.
So they just went nuts. They changed his locks, set off his alarms, doctored compromising pictures of him and distributed them throughout his office, hid fish in his apartment, stole his car a number of times ( I always hoped they'd use it on a run), sent dozens of pizzas to his house, changed his SIN, filled his apartment with freeze foam, levitated his furniture to his apartment ceiling and screwed it in, that sort of thing. Occasionally they remmber him (2 years later) and think of something else to do. He's moved three times, gone through 4 security companies, three jobs, and two new identities.
The contact paid them 5k/ month to continually harass the target (we'll call him Mr/ P - for pervert). The conditions were that they were not to harm him in any physical way, and to never make any contact with him or the neighbor lady.
So they just went nuts. They changed his locks, set off his alarms, doctored compromising pictures of him and distributed them throughout his office, hid fish in his apartment, stole his car a number of times ( I always hoped they'd use it on a run), sent dozens of pizzas to his house, changed his SIN, filled his apartment with freeze foam, levitated his furniture to his apartment ceiling and screwed it in, that sort of thing. Occasionally they remmber him (2 years later) and think of something else to do. He's moved three times, gone through 4 security companies, three jobs, and two new identities.
| QUOTE (fistandantilus3.0) |
| one of my favorites was a run that was barely really a run. One of the characters contacts had a pretty young elven lady friend that lived in downtown. She had a perverted neighbor that lived across the street with a telescope. He was told once to mind his own business, but didn't. The contact paid them 5k/ month to continually harass the target (we'll call him Mr/ P - for pervert). The conditions were that they were not to harm him in any physical way, and to never make any contact with him or the neighbor lady. So they just went nuts. They changed his locks, set off his alarms, doctored compromising pictures of him and distributed them throughout his office, hid fish in his apartment, stole his car a number of times ( I always hoped they'd use it on a run), sent dozens of pizzas to his house, changed his SIN, filled his apartment with freeze foam, levitated his furniture to his apartment ceiling and screwed it in, that sort of thing. Occasionally they remmber him (2 years later) and think of something else to do. He's moved three times, gone through 4 security companies, three jobs, and two new identities. |
Oh man, thats awesome. I like the way your guys think.
Tell me, did they also fill out those little subscription cards in the magazines with his name, address, and credit info, and mail them in by the truckload? Or put his car up on blocks, slash the tires, and fill them with cement, removing the blocks once the cement was dry?
Alright Fisty, I have to say that is hilarious.
A very gooooood idea.
A very gooooood idea.
I am definitely doing this next tiem I get a chance to run!
| QUOTE (Hague) |
| Tell me, did they also fill out those little subscription cards in the magazines with his name, address, and credit info, and mail them in by the truckload? Or put his car up on blocks, slash the tires, and fill them with cement, removing the blocks once the cement was dry? |
They did open a bunch of subscriptions, and the decker also hacked in to the systems of doazens of different telemarketing companies and added his name to their call lists, as well as changing the numbers on different names to his. They also made him think one of his homes he moved to was haunted (read:fun with ally spirits), hid dead fish in the hosue, changed the presets on his stereo... goes on and on. I think one even went back over his taxes and reported him to the IRS. That's just mean
Man, the stuff you find using the Search feature. I remember this thread. The point of my Threadomancy?...
Well, no point. I'd just like to giggle some more at what Fisty's players did to that poor bastard. Maybe come up with some new ideas.
Here's one: Buy him a pet dog. Have it delivered to his home anonamously. When he gets attached to it, kidnap it and return it shaven with a tattoo.
Well, no point. I'd just like to giggle some more at what Fisty's players did to that poor bastard. Maybe come up with some new ideas.
Here's one: Buy him a pet dog. Have it delivered to his home anonamously. When he gets attached to it, kidnap it and return it shaven with a tattoo.
Alternatively, if you really want to run against DocWagon, you could check out the SR3 Shadowrun Missions story arc. First 4 adventures are up on the srrpg web site. The next 8 (soon to be 10) are available upon request for conventions, game days, or home play.
Sorry, could resist the chance to pimp the product.
First 4 adventures are up on the srrpg web site. The next 8 (soon to be 10) are available upon request for conventions, game days, or home play.Sorry, could resist the chance to pimp the product.
| QUOTE (Trax) |
| Why would she hire Shadowrunners? There are other places where she can learn self-defence. Plus she could always get a gun herself and shoot the guy while he's sleeping. |
Well, it makes a whole bunch of sense if she happens to be a contact...she's not hiring a Shadowrunner, she's getting a favor from a friend, or cashing in a previous favor she paid them.
Take a page from the Hackers script, and put ads into several transgender/troll personals pages. Register him as a sex offender. Report his car stolen (when it's not). Let some squatters in his home to shower. Shave someone (or something) in his kitchen, leave mess. If he's single, get him a wife (fictional can work) and report her missing...that'll be fun to explain.
Officer 1: 'Scuse us Mr. P. When's the last time you saw your wife?
Mr. P: ...
Officer 2: Mrs. P. When's the last time you saw her?
Mr. P.: I'm not married.
Officer 1: Is (mr. p's SIN) your SIN?
Mr. P: Yes, yes it is.
Officer 1: Your wife's sister says she hasn't heard from her in several weeks, and she's worried.
Mr. P: But I'm not married, I have no wife.
Officer 2: Paperwork says you are, and you do.
etc, etc, etc...
Officer 1: 'Scuse us Mr. P. When's the last time you saw your wife?
Mr. P: ...
Officer 2: Mrs. P. When's the last time you saw her?
Mr. P.: I'm not married.
Officer 1: Is (mr. p's SIN) your SIN?
Mr. P: Yes, yes it is.
Officer 1: Your wife's sister says she hasn't heard from her in several weeks, and she's worried.
Mr. P: But I'm not married, I have no wife.
Officer 2: Paperwork says you are, and you do.
etc, etc, etc...
| QUOTE (Wiz In Red) |
| Take a page from the Hackers script, and put ads into several transgender/troll personals pages. Register him as a sex offender. Report his car stolen (when it's not). Let some squatters in his home to shower. Shave someone (or something) in his kitchen, leave mess. If he's single, get him a wife (fictional can work) and report her missing...that'll be fun to explain. Officer 1: 'Scuse us Mr. P. When's the last time you saw your wife? Mr. P: ... Officer 2: Mrs. P. When's the last time you saw her? Mr. P.: I'm not married. Officer 1: Is (mr. p's SIN) your SIN? Mr. P: Yes, yes it is. Officer 1: Your wife's sister says she hasn't heard from her in several weeks, and she's worried. Mr. P: But I'm not married, I have no wife. Officer 2: Paperwork says you are, and you do. etc, etc, etc... |
Also, if you are a 12-year-old Otaku, tie yourself up and lock yourself in his trunk. When the Star pulls him over, bang on the trunk making as much noise as possible.
Shoot any attourneys the mark ever met. Use those gloves that let you fake someone's fingertips. Then plant the murder weapon in the mark's apartment.
The "harassing run" idea is just great! I love it. That's what I call good roleplaying. It's a little "Amelie", but I admit I have seen the film but never thought of it as a Shadowrun idea (must be getting old) Anyway, kudos for creativity.
The parazoology run idea was good too. (I just don't remember who posted it right know) Whoever you are, you described that Amazonia run as a "nightmare". As far as I am concerned, "nightmares" are always good shadowrun stuff. How did the run go? What opposition was there? Etc.
Cheers
Max
The parazoology run idea was good too. (I just don't remember who posted it right know) Whoever you are, you described that Amazonia run as a "nightmare". As far as I am concerned, "nightmares" are always good shadowrun stuff. How did the run go? What opposition was there? Etc.
Cheers
Max
I feel the need to relate the story of a run one of my groups didd in the midst of a Blood in the Boardroom game.
It probably should be mentioned that the team in question where kisk ass hard, only worked for scandalous fees and where responsible for Novatech surviving the corpwar more or less.
They get called to a meet at Harga's House of Ribs on an all you can eat night (this was sr2 so the party could eat for America). The Johnson was a wet behind the ears twenty something lawyer and the party picked it up right away. He offered them a resonable fee (by their standards) to "extract" a specific fifteen year old boy. They thought it was a bit weird but the johnson assured them it was all above board and they took the job.
They then ran around till they were blue in the face thrying to work up why the fuck someone would pay that much for a teenage boy. They found nothing exceptiaonal about him... So they looked some more. Nope still nothing. Still puzzled they start to plan.
Thankfully for all concerned they decided against walking into his school in their shiny Milspec armour(like I said kisk ass hard). They got him out of his bedroom in the end with knock out drugs and plenty of stealth.
They deliver him to the address the johnson gave to find a big old house containing a mad cat lady, who wants to introduce herself to the boy. The party demand an explanation. The old says she is a possessing spirit and one of her old hosts was the boys mother, while she was pregnant infact, so the spirit sees herself as the boys mother, and wants to meet him and help him in life. She had the wealth making spirit power hence the ludicrous paycheck...
I have yet to see a party panic so much about what they where doing. Not even the party who delivered an underage girl to a politician ( and got bad karma for doing so).
It probably should be mentioned that the team in question where kisk ass hard, only worked for scandalous fees and where responsible for Novatech surviving the corpwar more or less.
They get called to a meet at Harga's House of Ribs on an all you can eat night (this was sr2 so the party could eat for America). The Johnson was a wet behind the ears twenty something lawyer and the party picked it up right away. He offered them a resonable fee (by their standards) to "extract" a specific fifteen year old boy. They thought it was a bit weird but the johnson assured them it was all above board and they took the job.
They then ran around till they were blue in the face thrying to work up why the fuck someone would pay that much for a teenage boy. They found nothing exceptiaonal about him... So they looked some more. Nope still nothing. Still puzzled they start to plan.
Thankfully for all concerned they decided against walking into his school in their shiny Milspec armour(like I said kisk ass hard). They got him out of his bedroom in the end with knock out drugs and plenty of stealth.
They deliver him to the address the johnson gave to find a big old house containing a mad cat lady, who wants to introduce herself to the boy. The party demand an explanation. The old says she is a possessing spirit and one of her old hosts was the boys mother, while she was pregnant infact, so the spirit sees herself as the boys mother, and wants to meet him and help him in life. She had the wealth making spirit power hence the ludicrous paycheck...
I have yet to see a party panic so much about what they where doing. Not even the party who delivered an underage girl to a politician ( and got bad karma for doing so).
| QUOTE (Ophis) |
| Not even the party who delivered an underage girl to a politician ( and got bad karma for doing so). |
Why would they get bad Karma? Was the act against their alignment?
| QUOTE (Fortune @ Sep 28 2005, 11:49 AM) | ||
Why would they get bad Karma? Was the act against their alignment? |
Because they eagerly delivered a drugged up girl to her horrible death. They took her away in a sports bag that was slightly to small for her...
Is it my fault I run games with some level of morality. Well I gues it is. Plus they where surprised when she ended up dead.
EDIT:- I can't spell, or use a spell checker...
Actually, though I can't (and wouldn't want to) vouch for SR4, by the official rules/guidelines/what-have-you, karma is generally only supposed to be rewarded to goody-two-shoes Robin Hood Raging Against The Machine sort of fluffy lovey Shadowrunners. Check out the rules set in the old SRComp, with rules for ways to run a less moral game -- optional rules, mind you, because obviously no one would want to run a game like that.
Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside as you then reach for a copy of CP:2020, don't it?
Makes you all warm and fuzzy inside as you then reach for a copy of CP:2020, don't it?
No, actually, it dosen't. If a Runner team I was DMing for delivered a little girl to a pervert/killer, I'd award them ALL the Bad Karma flaw. If I didn't just get up and leave and decide not to play with such monsters again.
Karma is, after all, the colloquial reward for doing a GOOD deed. Doing evil deeds may net you nuyen, but you'll pay for it in the end. Usually when a team of Good Shadowrunners is hired by the girl's relatives to come after you and put you all down.
Some runs are meant to be turned down.
Karma is, after all, the colloquial reward for doing a GOOD deed. Doing evil deeds may net you nuyen, but you'll pay for it in the end. Usually when a team of Good Shadowrunners is hired by the girl's relatives to come after you and put you all down.
Some runs are meant to be turned down.
Did you explain that you weren't really running a cyberpunk game, but rather were inviting friends to play roles in your morality play, when you were first getting people together to run Shadowrun?
besides, as the GM you are the one that came up with offering them the job. Seems a little off to condemn them for doing the job you offered them.
I always warn my players that they are playing in a moral game.
The point of the exercise was that they needed to learn to be careful about what jobs they took. Two of the party walked from the job as they didn't like it. The other three asked the clearly drug addled girl if she wanted to do it. She said basically yeah whatever. They called the other two runners(who'd dropped out) wusses. They had their chance.
The point of the exercise was that they needed to learn to be careful about what jobs they took. Two of the party walked from the job as they didn't like it. The other three asked the clearly drug addled girl if she wanted to do it. She said basically yeah whatever. They called the other two runners(who'd dropped out) wusses. They had their chance.
I absolutely abhor the Bad Karma (optional) rules!
Shadowrun is a roleplaying game where the characters are, for the most part, hardened criminals. If I wanted to play a Paladin, well, there is another game system for that.
Karma is a mechanic for improvement and growth in Shadowrun. It isn't some cosmic chocolate chip cookie that is only given out to boy scouts and sunday school kids. It is meted out whenever a character accomplishes a desired goal (whether that goal be for good or ill), as well as for various other (usually lesser) reasons.
Shadowrun is a roleplaying game where the characters are, for the most part, hardened criminals. If I wanted to play a Paladin, well, there is another game system for that.
Karma is a mechanic for improvement and growth in Shadowrun. It isn't some cosmic chocolate chip cookie that is only given out to boy scouts and sunday school kids. It is meted out whenever a character accomplishes a desired goal (whether that goal be for good or ill), as well as for various other (usually lesser) reasons.
| QUOTE (ShadowDragon8685) |
| No, actually, it dosen't. If a Runner team I was DMing for delivered a little girl to a pervert/killer, I'd award them ALL the Bad Karma flaw. If I didn't just get up and leave and decide not to play with such monsters again. Karma is, after all, the colloquial reward for doing a GOOD deed. Doing evil deeds may net you nuyen, but you'll pay for it in the end. Usually when a team of Good Shadowrunners is hired by the girl's relatives to come after you and put you all down. Some runs are meant to be turned down. |
I strongly agree with you (as did the core rules in the SR line, at least through 3rd edition).
Cyberpunk includes more styles than scum on scum. It's up to the individual GM to select the tone of his campaign.
The only important thing to do is to explain up front what type of behavior you're expecting in the campaign. After that, I'm all for tossing out players who insist on running such characters.
I prefer to punish them. After all, they had fair warning to revise their character, make a new character, or to choose to leave on good terms. As they choose instead to make my game miserable, I will return the favor.
Meh, what can I say? I'm a vindictive SOB.
Meh, what can I say? I'm a vindictive SOB.
| QUOTE (Critias @ Sep 28 2005, 06:10 AM) |
| Did you explain that you weren't really running a cyberpunk game, but rather were inviting friends to play roles in your morality play, when you were first getting people together to run Shadowrun? |
For my game, I described it as "one of my mind-fuck games," asked them to abstain from the cliche cold-as-ice inhuman shadowrunner, and made sure to point out soon after that the three pinnicle runs of the campaign were, in my notes, listed as A Matter of Ethics, Ethical Calculus and The Price of Ethics.
They got the hint, more or less.
Though personally, I don't think the point is to have shadowrunners be uncompromising good guys. That's contrary to the mood of the setting. Likewise, I don't think it's fun to play Saturday morning cartoon villians. That's unreal and personally unsatisfying to watch.
The fun is letting a sufficently developed, sufficently (meta)human character decide for himself what's good, what's evil, and how far they're willing to go for wealth, power, or noble purpose.
| QUOTE (Conskill) |
| The fun is letting a sufficently developed, sufficently (meta)human character decide for himself what's good, what's evil, and how far they're willing to go for wealth, power, or noble purpose. |
I think that about sums for me right there in what I look for/want. You let them develop, that's part of the fun. I would hate for people to just play a cardboard cut-out character that never changes or learns from the world around them as they go about their runs.
Yeah, well, there are limits, too.
I, for example, refuse to DM for a group of Evil characters in D&D, because I abhor it. Likewise, I refuse to DM Shadowrun for the kind of morally bankrupt person who will deliver a doped-up girl to a horrible death for money.
I, for example, refuse to DM for a group of Evil characters in D&D, because I abhor it. Likewise, I refuse to DM Shadowrun for the kind of morally bankrupt person who will deliver a doped-up girl to a horrible death for money.
| QUOTE (Ophis) |
| Plus they where surprised when she ended up dead. |
This is the line that gets me. The awarding of bad karma in this case isn't a passive-aggressive attempt to enforce a certain playstyle, it is outright punishment for not mindprobing the GM. If they didn't know the consequences of their actions then it certainly has no bearing on the character's morality. If they assumed in good faith that everything would be okay then it is, at worst, lazy intel gathering or a lack of healthy paranoia. This is something to punish the character's for in game, not something to metagame punish the players for.
I would have a good laugh and post the details so that others can laugh at it and then devise a way for the act to haunt the players. But that's just me. Personally, I try to avoid punishing players for their inability or unwillinglness to magically mindrape me.
If the mere thought of the idea is so distasteful, then don't offer them the job. If the GM places something on the table, he should be ready for however the Players choose to respond. If they are supposed to be goody-goody boy scouts, why is their Fixer setting them up with this kind of run in the first place?
Shadowrun is a game based around criminal activities. It is not Bunnies and Burrows!
Shadowrun is a game based around criminal activities. It is not Bunnies and Burrows!
A bit of a morality run here.
I had the players capture a runaway cyber experiment. It was a orc that had sold himself to a corp so they could perform cyber experiments on him.
After the players had stunned him into submission (better pay that way) his built in medkit revived him on the way back to the corp.
After his sob story of having to sell himself to the corp and then enduring months of experiment and wanting to die rather then go back the runners had to decide what to do with him.
Keeping in mind better pay for alive they came up with the idea of giving him a half dozen arsenic pills that wouldn't kill him for at least an hour after they left.
And I learned never let the runner negotiate for a 5% finders fee without checking on how much that would be. Ended up being 4 times what the origional pay would have was.
I had the players capture a runaway cyber experiment. It was a orc that had sold himself to a corp so they could perform cyber experiments on him.
After the players had stunned him into submission (better pay that way) his built in medkit revived him on the way back to the corp.
After his sob story of having to sell himself to the corp and then enduring months of experiment and wanting to die rather then go back the runners had to decide what to do with him.
Keeping in mind better pay for alive they came up with the idea of giving him a half dozen arsenic pills that wouldn't kill him for at least an hour after they left.
And I learned never let the runner negotiate for a 5% finders fee without checking on how much that would be. Ended up being 4 times what the origional pay would have was.
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