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Message no. 1
From: "Steven Heleski [Donley Computer Center]" <STEVEN@******.BITNET>
Subject: Clarification:
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 92 14:21:12 CET
If a person has Cybereyes w/low-light, Thermo, and Flare comp. should
if not only cost 0.2 essence and not 0.5 essence.

Steven
Message no. 2
From: The Crucible <crucible@******.MUR.CSU.EDU.AU>
Subject: Clarification
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 09:27:24 +1100
Ummm before you guys were having a discusion (when I joined the listserv)
about why give characters equipement if you are just going to take it
away from them... here is the reason:

"During character generation, ignore Availability, Street Price, and any
surgery or installation costs associated with cyberware. Once the game
begins, however, the player must pay these costs and take availability
into consideration.
To purchase gear, simply pay the cost listed in the Gear section."

Shadowrun 2nd Edition - pg 46: Money

Now I dont know whether you dont or do take availability in consideration
with non-cyberware equipment... but I know that my GM has... if you take
it to mean that the guys can buy any gear whatsoever then... basically
you have to either say to your players "There is no way that if you come
from the slums you will have an assult cannon" or something similar....
One thing that I dont see very often... even with the twenty
questions is a character who fully sticks to the background they give
themselves....

Now... How do you guys build groups/gangs/whatever? See with my GM its
like... all the players characters start off in the same place and
amazingly they are a group.... not to mention they come from very
different backgrounds and we arent told why they are a group...

With the other group I am with (With Scam) I borrowed a character off the
GM (Which lasted about half an hour.... (First time playing a Shaman...
plus even I could tell it was a crap shaman)) it was kindof like... I
knew the other guys were in a gunfight... and to bring me into it he said
"You hear a noise next door" Uh-huh... well I think I would seeing as
they dont have any silencers on the enemys guns.

Now what I was thinking (Scam dont read this :P (Well I wont stop
you... but dont give it away)) was that I might make a mission (first
time ever) but I was thinking about ordering (yeah who bothers to ask ;))
the players to have at least a build/repair vehicle skill... maybe if
there is a decker an electronics or b/r something... and start the group
off as being employed at an automotive repair facility... ummm a garage :P

Then when they get a little talking make the garage boss a fixer
or a contact or something, the leader of the gang a manager of the
place.. and have them have normal jobs as well as shadowrunning... now I
know this may not be normal so I was kindof thinking that once they pull
their first job... as criminals the fixer keeps them away from the work..
but also keeps the garage as a safehouse/part time contact place.... as
well as having other runners/people working there....

Just a thought... give me your opinions please :)


Crucible

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Message no. 3
From: Bull <chaos@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: Clarification
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 22:30:25 -0500
>Now... How do you guys build groups/gangs/whatever? See with my GM its
>like... all the players characters start off in the same place and
>amazingly they are a group.... not to mention they come from very
>different backgrounds and we arent told why they are a group...
>
First of all, go to Paolo Marcucci's web site, and check out Blackjack's
Corner. There is an article there called "For the Good of the Group". Make
copies of it, and make your players read through it. It's only about three
pages long.

I just started a group that had formerly been having serious problems
working together, so I follwed Blackjack's advice and had the team create
their characters together as a group. Then I gave them a slight history,
setting them up in a situation similar to Stackpole's short stories about
Wolf and Dr. Raven. They have a fixer, that, for various reasons saved
their lives and gave them jobs. They all have been working together Raven
for close to a year, and all trust each other.

I am forcing certain things on them, granted, but, it's necessary. they all
enjoy playing, and I like to run, but so far every time we try to start a
game with the various gamers at the local gaming club, it falls apart
because everyone plays an asshole character. Well, I got tired of it, and
I'm enforcing certain rules, and they are starting to enjoy the feel of the
game now taht they're used to it...

-Bul-the-storytelling-decker-turned-GM
Message no. 4
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Clarification
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 11:12:23 +0100
The Crucible said on 9:27/30 Oct 96...

[snip rules]
> Shadowrun 2nd Edition - pg 46: Money
>
> Now I dont know whether you dont or do take availability in consideration
> with non-cyberware equipment... but I know that my GM has... if you take
> it to mean that the guys can buy any gear whatsoever then... basically
> you have to either say to your players "There is no way that if you come
> from the slums you will have an assult cannon" or something similar....

If you ask me, the character generation rules in SR assume the character
you create will be a shadowrunner. That is, somebody who's done at least a
couple of shadowruns and has some stuff (like weapons or cyberware) as a
result. This explains why any gear can be bought, and why characters
created with these rules are tougher and more skilled than pedestrians
ever will be.

> One thing that I dont see very often... even with the twenty
> questions is a character who fully sticks to the background they give
> themselves....

I don't like the 20 Questions section. Every time I had somebody fill it
out, all the answers were short and to the point, like "What is the
character's physical size? 1.97 m and 96 kg." I would much rather have
players just write one or two pages of background, because that gives them
more to actually think about themselves -- they have to ask the questions
and provide the answers, as opposed to having all the questions already
there. In my experience that creates longer and more detailed replies.

> Now... How do you guys build groups/gangs/whatever? See with my GM its
> like... all the players characters start off in the same place and
> amazingly they are a group.... not to mention they come from very
> different backgrounds and we arent told why they are a group...

As I said, I think the chargen process is inteded to create (somewhat)
experienced shadowrunners, so a group is easy: you just put them all
together and decide on a bit of a background for the group. Since the PCs
are already shadowrunners, there's no real need to make them meet during
the game.

If you do want to start them off separately, but they are shadowrunners
already, have them all hired for the same job -- like in Never Trust An
Elf, where the EI members hire Kham's team, that dwarf, the Hong Kong guy
(forgot his name), and some others and then let them work together even
though they don't really know/trust/get along with each other.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
It's just a lot of stupid stupid signs.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 5
From: Peter Leitch <pleitch_hpcs@*******.COM.AU>
Subject: Re: Clarification
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 22:53:04 +1100
At 09:27 30/10/96 +1100, you wrote:

<snip big time>

> Now what I was thinking (Scam dont read this :P (Well I wont stop
>you... but dont give it away)) was that I might make a mission (first
>time ever) but I was thinking about ordering (yeah who bothers to ask ;))
>the players to have at least a build/repair vehicle skill... maybe if
>there is a decker an electronics or b/r something... and start the group
>off as being employed at an automotive repair facility... ummm a garage :P
>
> Then when they get a little talking make the garage boss a fixer
>or a contact or something, the leader of the gang a manager of the
>place.. and have them have normal jobs as well as shadowrunning... now I
>know this may not be normal so I was kindof thinking that once they pull
>their first job... as criminals the fixer keeps them away from the work..
>but also keeps the garage as a safehouse/part time contact place.... as
>well as having other runners/people working there....

Apart from the fact that your post was just a little incoherent :-{) (just
kiddin') I think that you've got a really good idea. Nothing fancy, but I
think it could work out fine, if you don't have any problems with your
players, that is.

Good luck,


PML

***************************************
Peter Leitch
<pleitch_hpcs@*******.com.au>
Canberra, Australia

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