From:	Steve Mancini mancini@******.com
Subject:	New campaign - with a dog?
Date:	Fri, 9 Jun 2000 08:30:45 -0700 (PDT)

> So my questions are:
>
> 1) Should I let him decide for himself, the dogs actions, since it's trained
> or should I as GM run it?

If I were in your shoes, I would look at drones. I recall reading
somewhere neural networks for AIs were loosely based on and
equivalent to animal intelligence - hence the same way a rigger
can provide a drone with a specific set of commands to be
followed and you roll mechanics for that, I would cross implement
from there.

> 2) Are there any special rules regarding cyberware in animals? (I read one
> Shadowrun novel once, that described some guard dogs with implants)

Cyberware + Animals = Not so stable beasts. Manageable at best.

> 3) Does anyone have some stats for a big bad ugly Rottweiler? :-) I figured
> that the "dog" described in BBB 2nd ed. is just that; a standard dog.

If you read Shapeshifters, there are rules for "larger breeds"
of animals, since lycanthropes are presumed to be larger breeds.

> 4) Should I dismiss the idea completely, and if so: why?

Never dismiss an idea in my book. Understand their expectations
impose your limitations for sake of the game, if they can't
accept them, then they have dismissed the idea/implementation :)

> 5) Does any of you have similar experiences and can warn me about what to
> expect?

A looooooooong time ago I whipped together something called a
Beast Master - a magical adept a la the movie idea for a woman
who wanted to play with animals. It worked surprisingly well -
but she had magic attribute points tied to certain animals so
she was pretty protective of her allies.

Currently I have an NPC decker I have named Shakespeare who has
an entourage of dogs (all named after characters, aka A Great Dane
named Hamlet, etc.) who actually are trained to watch his flesh
while he decks. The dogs are all trained, but their training and
ability to react is based upon his Animal Handling Skill and
their processing Intelligence (not to be confused with their
perceptual intelligence). It has worked so far, and none of the
dogs have died.. though I think when Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern
do buy it the group will be sad and not realize it was their
fate.

Heads..... Heads.... Heads... Heads.. Heads.


Da Minotaur