From:	Matb <mbreton@**.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:	Re: Runner Vs. Runner Combat and Spirits/Elementals/Drones
Date:	Sun, 21 Dec 1997 23:39:31 -0800

Jeffrey Nuremburg wrote:

> Player A has a Shaman with a spirit and Player B puts 1 or more
> Runners against this Shaman. The Spirit is then activated. When Player B
> assigns his damage does he have to assign it to the Spirit first and then
> assign remaining damage to the Runner (ie - Player B's Runners must "pass"
> the spirit to reach the Shaman), or is player B allowed to assign damage
> directly to the Runner or Spirit as he sees fit?

> As a rules debate ensued I stated that the second option (that
> player B may assign damage as he sees fit) as the way it should work.

> Has there been a ruling on this and if not, what do people think?

(Nitpick: The Spirit, being Gear, would have to be declared active
before the combat actually began.)

Given one Shaman against multiple, say, Gangers, the player with the
least number of Runners in the combat decides who gets to place what
damage where. In this case, even if the Shaman had twenty-five Greater
Elementals and a Watcher all going, he or she would still choose how to
place damage, as Spirits are Gear and not Runners.

On one-on-one combat, with one Runner having Drones or Spirits active,
I've always allowed both players to decide where their own
Runners/Spirits/Drones deal damage. In this case, Knuckles would be
able to pop Pappy square on the jaw, ignoring the Fire Elemental
engulfing him at the time.

-Mb