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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Nightblade <wgreason@*****.ocis.temple.edu>
Subject: InfoScholar
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 00:00:08 -0400 (EDT)
Some of you may have noticed a couple random ramblings by someone on
TK named InfoScholar.

Basically, I set out with this person as a kind of modern-day Tiresias (sp)
who would make cryptic comments about what was going on with the various
plots.

Anyway, I would like to expand his role to a universal shadowcontact.
Someone who any runner could go to in order to get a leg up on what was
going on.

Ideally, he would sell information to various interested part yet he would
also make cryptic literary comments at crucial (or not-so-crucial) times
to provoke thought among the runners.

Due to 'his' nature, InfoScholar would remain something of a mystery, but
a decent asset to the shadowrunner community.

Questions? Suggestions?

peace
Dave
Message no. 2
From: Mike Broadwater <neon@******.backbone.olemiss.edu>
Subject: Re: InfoScholar
Date: Tue, 01 Oct 1996 23:05:44 -0500
<snip>
>Questions? Suggestions?
>
>peace
>Dave
>
I've got no problems with it, as long as InfoScholar doesn't hand out
information that the people controlling the plots don't want him to know.
Basically, if I'm writing something, and I'm sending private or internal
messages about whats going on. Someone who's affected by what I'm doing
can't find out by asking InfoScholar, unless I want them to know. Tell all
you want, but make sure it's ok first.

Mike Broadwater
"It's not whether you win or lose,
it's how much trash you talk during the game."
-Chuck Veile, lowest rated player in the Nexus
Message no. 3
From: Nightblade <wgreason@*****.ocis.temple.edu>
Subject: Re: InfoScholar
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 00:35:39 -0400 (EDT)
OOOps. Forgot that part. InfoScholar (in the proposed expanded form)
would be a plot tool used collaboratively by the author of the plot and
myself.

Mike's point is tremendously valid. I just wanted to have a device to work
out legwork for my plotlines, then I figured that if my characters could use
'him' almost anybody on Shadowland could as well.

But _certainly_ InfoScholar's knowledge would be restricted to portions of
plots that were accessible to fixers/johnsons etc. Not to include prime
decisionmakers and megacorporate strategies.

peace
Dave
Message no. 4
From: Evan Hughes <ehughes@******.carleton.ca>
Subject: Re: InfoScholar
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 10:14:46 -0400 (EDT)
I like the idea of InfoScholar. Who would know him/of-him, and how
owuld he get his information?

(ie, I've got a few characters (J&G) that I'd REALLY like to bring back
into the game but I need a bit of a source...)

Also: How "untouchable"/powerful would InfoScholar be? Sooner or later,
someone is going to want to toast his ass. How acceptable will this be?



Evan Hughes | Webmaster
Honours Computer Science | Carleton Computer Science Society
http://aurora.carleton.ca/~ehughes | http://omega.scs.carleton.ca/~ccss
.. code code code eat code code code code code sleep code code code ..
Message no. 5
From: Nightblade <wgreason@*****.ocis.temple.edu>
Subject: Re: InfoScholar
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 10:40:37 -0400 (EDT)
How would InfoScholar get his info? I'm picturing InfoScholar being friends
with numerous fixers, fences, reporters, corporate middlemen (johnsons),
government representatives, and, of course, major academics in most fields
around the world.

Thus, he could with a phone call/email(??)/letter whatever get access to
a LOT of info. Nothing really secret that people generally don't want out
but he does pay for less_than_public knowledge so depending on the contact
he could find out more than run of the mill stuff.

That's InfoScholar as he pertains to the runners. In his own life, he's also
a research scholar in his own right who serves as a consultant to any of the
above groups/people. Thus, he is a resource to lots of people everywhere.
Some may want to see him day at various points, but within a short period of
time, he'll normally prove his value to them again in some other way.

In that sense, he doesn't play favorites. Information is his trade, and
he doesn't worry about bartering no matter who it helps or hurts. This could
lead him into trouble, but, it is against anyone's interest in the long term
to eliminate him.

AS for how people would find him, I'm guessing street rumor would be
sufficient for most shadowrunners. His name has appeared on the board.
If anyone asked a fixer or johnson about him, they could tell him.

Character wise, I'm thinking InfoScholar will have a pathological love for
knowledge so that he is basically a walking archive on top of having all
these contacts and research knowledge. IS is ( :) ) basically a hidden
entity that is hard to pin down, someone going after him would have to do
a run to even find out who he is. It's possible that it is more than one
person. :)

peace
Dave
Message no. 6
From: Kris Kevin Maxwell <km10@*********.pg.cc.md.us>
Subject: Re: InfoScholar
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 14:09:32 -0400 (EDT)
The other thing anyone wanting to Ice Infoscholar would have to worry
about is he knows all those people, not to mention the shadow people who
would rush to his aid just because of the times his info has provided a
clue that saved either their paycheck or their life. I mean, think about
it, Infoscholar might run into rtouble, but who would be stupid enough to
try and eliminate him? Even if they succeded they'd be in the dead book
right along with him, so whats the point?

For your info, this was brought to you by:
Kris Maxwell(Elf Extrordinaire)
Message no. 7
From: Evan Hughes <ehughes@******.carleton.ca>
Subject: Re: InfoScholar
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 22:59:04 -0400 (EDT)
I would prefer the InfoScholar character not to be that well defined. So
we don't know exactly who he/she is. Or for that matter, what. If the
personality could be wacked enough that we don't even know if it's one or
more people.

An idea...

Evan Hughes | Webmaster
Honours Computer Science | Carleton Computer Science Society
http://aurora.carleton.ca/~ehughes | http://omega.scs.carleton.ca/~ccss
.. code code code eat code code code code code sleep code code code ..

Further Reading

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Thwap!