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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Dark Elf <VESPOSIT@****.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject: Alpha/Betaware and shadowtech
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 14:41:39 EDT
In the campaign I'm currently involved in, the GM has ruled that shadowtech
cyber and bioware, along with alpha and betaware do not exist at character
creation time. He sees them as things currently being developed.

So, basically, Alpha and Beta grade cyber will be very difficult to find, and
will cost lots of Nuyen. Having these upgrades is a rare thing reserved for
PC's that have been around quite a while and the occasional exceptional
NPC (a very rare occurance)

He sees shadowtech stuff as being currently in development, and getting any
of the cool little things in there would be nearly impossible to locate on the
streets, and is more likely to be the target of a particularly difficult run.
Basically, by the time our characters have been in business long enough to
retire, they just may have a little alpha/betaware, and maybe one will have
a piece of shadowtech.

I personnaly like this setup, it makes you rely more on your skills and role-
playing prowess than on the chrome you've stuffed in yourself. Success in this
campaign is dependant on guile and cunning more than anything else. Not to
say that this is not true in campaigns where access to advanced tech is more
common, but it helps and adds a little atmosphere as far as I'm concerned.

DE
Message no. 2
From: Dave Sherohman <esper@*****.IMA.UMN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Alpha/Betaware and shadowtech
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 14:29:19 -0500
From: Dark Elf <VESPOSIT@****.SUNYSB.EDU>

He sees shadowtech stuff as being currently in development, and getting any
of the cool little things in there would be nearly impossible to locate on the
streets, and is more likely to be the target of a particularly difficult run.
Basically, by the time our characters have been in business long enough to
retire, they just may have a little alpha/betaware, and maybe one will have
a piece of shadowtech.

-------------------------------------------------------------

In my campaign, I've got some similar stuff, but it's all stuff that I've
worked up on my own. My reason? Simple. Player buys Shadowtech, reads it.
He then knows what's there and what it can do. I find that it's easier to
have the players know nothing about the newest cutting-edge just-being-
developed toys - don't like the idea of players knowing more about the
gear their characters carry than the characters do.

But then, I like mega-high-tech, so that's just me. You won't find an
Encephalon at the local body shop, and my PCs aren't going to find symbiotic
augmentation organisms outside of a certain underground research complex they
once visited. (Won't find 'em there either - the place shut down just after
they left.) Or at least, not yet.

esper@***.umn.edu

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Alpha/Betaware and shadowtech, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!