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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Alternatives to speed
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 11:22:10 +0200
>Could you post some alternatives to "Speed=Everything"?

Well, you asked for another post :)

>Speed and
>reaction and not-being-surprised pretty much -are- everything in
>just about every combat I've seen.

Unfortunately, yes. It gets worse if you have one or two fast chars in the
group, so the rest can just sit back for half an hour each turn...

>Any suggestions for us slow
>types? (Esp. mundane types that can't toss up a Barrier; I'm thinking
>specifically of Deckers and Riggers that aren't decking and rigging
>and usually thus fall into the category of "easy target" for wired-3
>sammie grunts)

Well, a high Body helps, as does a high Quickness, Intelligence and
Willpower (makes for a high Combat Pool), but these are all rules-solutions.
One of the best is to get surprise on your side, I would guess -- if your
group can surprise their group you get a few free shots.
Using cover would also help, as it gets rather difficult for the other side
to shoot you if you're half-behind a wall.
Grenades are also useful, if you suspect someone to be around the corner set
a grenade on impact and throw it. Of course this won't work if you want to
go in quiet, but I don't think that's what you meant anyway :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
We're definitely not normal --Hillary, in the movie "Fun"
-> Unofficial Shadowrun Guru & NERPS Project Leader <-
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Version 3.1:
GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+ PE Y PGP-
t(+) 5 X R+++>$ tv+(++) b+@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(--) y?
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Message no. 2
From: Mark Steedman <RSMS@******.EEE.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Alternatives to speed
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 11:12:42 GMT
Gurth writes

> >Could you post some alternatives to "Speed=Everything"?
>
> Unfortunately, yes. It gets worse if you have one or two fast chars in the
> group, so the rest can just sit back for half an hour each turn...
>
unless everyone knows what they are doing this can be a real bind,
result of course is everyone ends up wanting similar 'high'
initatives, so they geta fair share of goes when combat does break
out.

> Grenades are also useful, if you suspect someone to be around the corner set
> a grenade on impact and throw it. Of course this won't work if you want to
> go in quiet, but I don't think that's what you meant anyway :)
>
i just remembered the solution to this problem, 'Neurostun!!' just do
remember to all wear breathing kit, the stuffs invisible and very
very effective.

On a side note i have memories of one run my PC's did. They had
climbed down the lift shaft to the floor of the building they wanted
[having acid streamed the cables to ensure no nasty lift comming
suprises] and opened the doors, discovery, security squad entrenched
round the doors of the room it open into, well they traded flash paks
and someone dropped neurostun in the room outside the door. Now the
Pc's were all 'Fast' and the guards had boosetd and 'Jazz' [see
lonestar] not that the iniative really mattered as everyone had +4
cover ,+3 got flashgrenaded, it was more a matter of what did you
hit. In these situations skill and careful choice of attack/target,
plus aiming helps lots [and carefully timed karma pool!]

Mark
Message no. 3
From: "St. Jean, Ricky" <stjeanr@*******.CANADOREC.ON.CA>
Subject: Re: Alternatives to speed
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 14:16:00 PDT
>Could you post some alternatives to "Speed=Everything"?


The only other alternative is stealth.

What you don't know is there you can't hit.

Rick
Message no. 4
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Alternatives to speed
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 11:10:30 +0200
>> Unfortunately, yes. It gets worse if you have one or two fast chars in the
>> group, so the rest can just sit back for half an hour each turn...
>>
>unless everyone knows what they are doing this can be a real bind,
>result of course is everyone ends up wanting similar 'high'
>initatives, so they geta fair share of goes when combat does break
>out.

In my experience it's best if all characters in the group are around the
same initiative, and put the NPCs at a similar level as well. That way
nobody is waiting too long before they can do something too.

>> Grenades are also useful, if you suspect someone to be around the corner set
>> a grenade on impact and throw it. Of course this won't work if you want to
>> go in quiet, but I don't think that's what you meant anyway :)
>>
>i just remembered the solution to this problem, 'Neurostun!!' just do
>remember to all wear breathing kit, the stuffs invisible and very
>very effective.

Having only used this once, I can say it's real effective. If course I made
it like all that "stun gas" you see in the movies -- visible clouds, etc.
but it took me just a very little while to get the PCs KO :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
We're definitely not normal --Hillary, in the movie "Fun"
-> Unofficial Shadowrun Guru & NERPS Project Leader <-
-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version 3.1:
GAT/! d-(dpu) s:- !a>? C+(++)@ U P L E? W(++) N o? K- w+ O V? PS+ PE Y PGP-
t(+) 5 X R+++>$ tv+(++) b+@ DI? D+ G(++) e h! !r(--) y?
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

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