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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: xanth@****.uky.edu (Terry Amburgey)
Subject: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 15:55:46 -0500 (EST)
rob wrote:
[snip]
>It makes for a more well rounded character don't you think???
>

IMHO more well rounded but, for me, less fun. So my character would have 1/2
of skills & resources devoted to stuff appropriate for selling life
insurance [for example]. Oh boy. Not everyone likes low powered gaming...

How do you handle a pc that's a 17 year old thrill-ganger in the Redmond
Barrens what would the 'prior to shadowrunning' be? Skills and resources
appropriate to a street urchin? Terry

Terry L. Amburgey Office: 606-257-7726
Associate Professor Home: 606-224-0636
College of Business & Economics Fax: 606-257-3577
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506
Message no. 2
From: "Robert H. Kean" <rkean@****.net>
Subject: RE: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 23:21:23 -0500
Yep...
Hey, you never know when those skills can come in handy.... =)
All it takes is a good GM to bring the PC's worst fears and best
talents to life....

----------
From: Terry Amburgey[SMTP:xanth@****.uky.edu]
Sent: Monday, March 25, 1996 10:55 AM
To: shadowrn@********.itribe.net
Subject: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation

rob wrote:
[snip]
>It makes for a more well rounded character don't you think???
>

IMHO more well rounded but, for me, less fun. So my character would have 1/2
of skills & resources devoted to stuff appropriate for selling life
insurance [for example]. Oh boy. Not everyone likes low powered gaming...

How do you handle a pc that's a 17 year old thrill-ganger in the Redmond
Barrens what would the 'prior to shadowrunning' be? Skills and resources
appropriate to a street urchin? Terry

Terry L. Amburgey Office: 606-257-7726
Associate Professor Home: 606-224-0636
College of Business & Economics Fax: 606-257-3577
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506



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Message no. 3
From: Jonas Gabrielson <m94jga@*******.tdb.uu.se>
Subject: Re: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 12:09:20 +0100 (MET)
On Mon, 25 Mar 1996, Terry Amburgey wrote:

> rob wrote:
> [snip]
> >It makes for a more well rounded character don't you think???
> >
>
> IMHO more well rounded but, for me, less fun. So my character would have 1/2
> of skills & resources devoted to stuff appropriate for selling life
> insurance [for example]. Oh boy. Not everyone likes low powered gaming...

Have some! It's refreshing and invigorating!
Anyway, the people selling life insurance aren't very probable to
enter the runner circuit - I'd guess they like to keep to the less
terminal pursuits. People with a past in military/law enforcement/security
are mot likely to start over as street samurai - students at MIT&M are
more likely to become wage mages and perhaps runners later. But the
half-half creation give players food for thought to create something
original, and encourages "hobby" skills like Home Cooking, Handicrafts,
etc. Much more fun than a merc with 6 in all weapons skills and nothing
else.

> How do you handle a pc that's a 17 year old thrill-ganger in the Redmond
> Barrens what would the 'prior to shadowrunning' be? Skills and resources
> appropriate to a street urchin? Terry

Why not? Where's the problem?

-Jonas Gabrielson - first second he's there, the second, he's not.
Message no. 4
From: Jonas Gabrielson <m94jga@*******.tdb.uu.se>
Subject: RE: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 13:24:36 +0100 (MET)
On Mon, 25 Mar 1996, Robert H. Kean wrote:

> Yep...
> Hey, you never know when those skills can come in handy.... =)
> All it takes is a good GM to bring the PC's worst fears and best
> talents to life....

I second that! And to relay an example:
We were playing _Call of C'thulhu_, and were closing in on the
grande finale of the campaign, when we suddenly realized that the evil
cult we were tracking was going to attempt summoning Nyarlathothep at the
Pyramids of Gizeh in a week. We were in San Fransisco. Travelling to Egypt
would take a month and a half. Fortunately, though, my character (a female
private eye) had Pilot Air as a hobby skill, a Flight Certificate and a
Member Card at the Boston Aeroplane Club. So we speeded across the USA per
train, drove out to the airfield and hijacked a plane and a few extra
tanks of gas to attempt a transatlantic flight, a few months after Charles
Lindbergh and almost a year before Amelia Earhart. Luckily, we made it
(barely) to Morocco (with me hyped on amphetamine and caffeine),
replenished our tanks and took off again (avoiding Moroccan Air Force
andartilery), finally landing a kilometer from the pyramids, an hour
before the ritual.
Later, I asked our GM if the adventure really needed a character
with Pilot Air to be solved, and he said "no, I just changed that for
suspense, and so that you would get to use your skill." That's what I call
an attentive GM!

-Jonas Gabrielson, only transsexual at times
Message no. 5
From: Marc A Renouf <jormung@*****.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 14:16:09 -0500 (EST)
On Mon, 25 Mar 1996, Terry Amburgey wrote:

> How do you handle a pc that's a 17 year old thrill-ganger in the Redmond
> Barrens what would the 'prior to shadowrunning' be? Skills and resources
> appropriate to a street urchin?

Stealth (Urban) and Athletics (Running). Maybe a bit of Ground
Vehicles B/R... ;)

Marc
Message no. 6
From: xanth@****.uky.edu (Terry Amburgey)
Subject: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 16:58:56 -0500 (EST)
Marc wrote:
>> How do you handle a pc that's a 17 year old thrill-ganger in the Redmond
>> Barrens what would the 'prior to shadowrunning' be? Skills and resources
>> appropriate to a street urchin?
>
> Stealth (Urban) and Athletics (Running). Maybe a bit of Ground
>Vehicles B/R... ;)

Heh heh. With a concentration in hubcap removal? :) Terry

Terry L. Amburgey Office: 606-257-7726
Associate Professor Home: 606-224-0636
College of Business & Economics Fax: 606-257-3577
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506
Message no. 7
From: Robert Watkins <robertdw@*******.com.au>
Subject: RE: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 96 17:29:16 +1030
>How do you handle a pc that's a 17 year old thrill-ganger in the Redmond
>Barrens what would the 'prior to shadowrunning' be? Skills and resources
>appropriate to a street urchin? Terry

As a former, or current, ganger, he'd need a high Street Ettiquette,
fairly high physical stats (unless you're playing the gang's weedy
brain), acceptable armed and unarmed combat skills (specialisations if
appropriate, e.g. knife), probably a competent Electronics skill (from
hotwiring cars and stuff), a Bike or Car skill, and probably a low level
of Biotech. Negotiation is quite likely as well, as is Throwing. A
variety of languages is probably called for, depending on where you
playing, but with an emphasis on CitySpeak.

As for cyberware: he'd have nothing too lethal. Maybe the proverbial hand
razors, possibly a chip or data jack, maybe cyber eyes. A smartgun link
is within reach, but he's unlikely to have it unless he's been a
designated soldier. I would be seriously worried if a character came out
with a street background and Wired III, or any other high-ticket item.
Once you've bought a variety of low-budget things, spend the remaining
resources on Contacts.


--
Robert Watkins robertdw@*******.com.au
Real Programmers never work 9 to 5. If any real programmers
are around at 9 am, it's because they were up all night.
Message no. 8
From: Matti Aistrich <aistrich@********.hkkk.fi>
Subject: RE: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 1996 10:44:19 +0200 (EET)
> >How do you handle a pc that's a 17 year old thrill-ganger in the Redmond
> >Barrens what would the 'prior to shadowrunning' be? Skills and resources
> >appropriate to a street urchin? Terry
>
> As a former, or current, ganger, he'd need a high Street Ettiquette,
> fairly high physical stats (unless you're playing the gang's weedy
> brain), acceptable armed and unarmed combat skills (specialisations if
> appropriate, e.g. knife), probably a competent Electronics skill (from
> hotwiring cars and stuff), a Bike or Car skill, and probably a low level
> of Biotech. Negotiation is quite likely as well, as is Throwing. A
> variety of languages is probably called for, depending on where you
> playing, but with an emphasis on CitySpeak.
>
> As for cyberware: he'd have nothing too lethal. Maybe the proverbial hand

As a side notice, there were some young archetypes in White Wolf magazine
a few years ago. They were made pretty much along the lines of the advise
above, of course.

---------------------------------------------
: Perfect is : Matti M. Aistrich :
: only just : :
: good enough! : aistrich@********.hkkk.fi :
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Message no. 9
From: Robert Watkins <robertdw@*******.com.au>
Subject: Re: 1/2 and 1/2 character creation
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 96 22:38:06 +1030
>> Stealth (Urban) and Athletics (Running). Maybe a bit of Ground
>>Vehicles B/R... ;)
>
>Heh heh. With a concentration in hubcap removal? :) Terry

More like breaking into and hotwiring...


--
* *
/_\ "A friend is someone who likes the same TV programs you do" /_\
{~._.~} "Eternal nothingness is fine if you happen {~._.~}
( Y ) to be dressed for it." -- Woody Allen ( Y )
()~*~() Robert Watkins robertdw@*******.com.au ()~*~()
(_)-(_) (_)-(_)

Further Reading

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