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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Steadfast <laughingman@*******.DE>
Subject: Multiplayer games WAS(Re: Physads and Improved Reflexes)
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1998 12:32:38 +0200
First, I agree with mostly anyone on the list here that magical means
natural means better means better than cyber. The Drawbacks on beeing
awakened are Handycap enaough (D Wound=check for Magicloss,
Cyberware/Bioware=Magicloss, no change of powers once learned for Physad,
Karma needed badly for advancement etc.) to letting awakened people not
have to bother with the mundanes problems like SOTA and Cyberedinflicted
penalties.
O.K. I see that I should have posted the question maybe with an explanation
as to why I had myself some thoughts about that particular thing. I run a
Campaign here in Berlin, Germany where many PC's play (I really mean many,
right now we have about 50 PC's). Of course I work with some other GM's to
keep things running. The 50 PC's are divided into groups of about 4 to 6
PC's. The setting is set in the Redmond Barrens, Seattle, 2058 and the tune
of it is Gangs, Gangs, Gangs. To have the players not made there typical
SR-Runner who shoots 4 Gangers before thoose unlucky even react, and to
keep a low level campaign from the start, we have decided to involve
certain restrictions. We use the 100 Pts. System from the SRComp amd use
now SR3rd. as basic rulesset. Of course the characters are underpowered
compared to the usual Character as they have less Skills/Atributes with an
unmodified. 100 pts. system, but the NPC's are that lowlevel either so that
doesn't realy count. Availability 5 max, calculating the Streetindex from
the start into the gear purchased, 90.000 Y max starting cash and (now it
comes) you have to pay the surgerycosts for the Cyber/Bio you want to
install as they are stated in Cybertechnology (I do not give a
Pagereference as I have the Germanedition and I figure those differ
slightly). This basically gives some nice little Characters who have to
rely on their skills and Atributes, not on their gear.
We did that to give even the Power Gamers the chance to once in a while
play a game that is different, You will not everything answer with force,
you will think before reacting, you will roleplay it a bit more (wether or
not the above statement is true or not is of course arguable, but for me
and the others it works). And we have made no arguing about the overall
tune to the PC's, they all did know what we wanted to play with them.
So now we have this Physad flood. From those 50 PC's we have 16 (!) Physads
that of course all have Improved Reflexes and those start to turn
Gamebalance in general. As we are not realy that evil GM's we had not
considered that and now we do not want to keep killings Physads by the
hundreds, or penalize the others for not beeing Physads.
So I wanted to make up a little something that keeps those Physads in line
with the others as to penalize them with this good old Reflextest,
something that is not overly harsh, but could get Physad into trouble.
Thats why I came up with this on the list. So I ask now on clearly for
help.

How can we get those Physads a bit more to the mundanes without allowing
the Gangers to get cybered?

Should we restrict the Improved Reflexes? Or Physads in whole?
I say no, as this would cripple the Game more than it does help, but giving
the Physads some flaws would count as an equalizer to me.
I posted the basics of how we made up our Campaign cause I think this is a
nice concept, having several groups play in the same setting, and the
Gangtune is really a nice one, loads of different adventurehooks and the
likes. So maybe someone on the list wants to make the same in his town, so
go on, it is realy fun. Although it is timeintensive and alot of planning
needs to be done. Just ask your local gaming shop if he has the time for
it, make it there and you will surely get many players to go runnnin the
game. We do it here to in a Gameshop, in Fact I work there and the other
GM's too, so we do not have to bother with space and the like. Making one
Privatly will of course be a bit complicated, forbidding to say so if you
not live within the boundaries of a bigger town.
I just wanted to post this to the list as a possible Gamingthought as it is
fun and something new (I think) and maybe you should try it if you have the
time and resources to pull that one of. And if anyone has questions how we
run it, go ahead ask, or e-mail me privatly.
And of course it is allways good to post some "Dumb Things";o)

--->Steadfast
to be "human" is not a state of living
I want to achieve.

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