Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Robert Hayden <rahayden@*****.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU>
Subject: On Essence
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 92 22:38:02 CET
Essense loss vs Game Balance

The way I look at it, there are at least three very real ways that you
have game balance in SR with cyberware.

1) Cash Outlay
This stuff is not exactly cheap. You are going to be spending
easily 10 times what you would pay in rent for a year for some of that
equipment.

2) Difficulty in Finding
You can't really walk into any radio shack and order a targetting
computer. You have to go loking for this stuff, and pray that the surgery
works and pray some more that the street doc didn't give you second hand
crome.

3) Illegality
Most of these toys that are designed for the runner are illegal.
Most carry at least $5,000 fines, many more carry prison terms, and that
is just for possession. If you use them to commit a crime you are in
serious trouble.


Those are the natural game balances I see, ignoring essence. These are
real and tangible and make sense without any pondering.

Want a fourth? Add social distaste for chromed persons. Your favourite
club refuses to serve you after you get that new chipjack for example.
Make life hell on the runners. Their unchromed friends slowly leave them
and they find themselves absorbed by the shadows.


Ok, now as for how essence plays into this. I still feel that essence can
be regenerated. But the 6 point rule keeps new character from suddenly
throwing in 15 points of chrome.

But imagine that same new character with 6 points of chrome going up
against that corporate hit-man who has been in the business for 10 years
and has some 12.5 points of cyber implanted.

The essence system as it is now simply doesn't make any sense.

That is what I want is a system that makes sense, to hell with BALANCE.
SR seriously forgoes reason to achieve balance and I for one will not be
caught up in it.

So what to do about essance? I use the six point rule with with
reguvanation. Reguvanation takes time and unless it is a long campaign,
most players won't be able to pass that time. (a year for one point? not
many people take up a year during gameplay).

*yields soapbox*

Sorry if i'm getting annoying about this. But just for once I want a
tangible justification besides GAME BALANCE.



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Robert Hayden | Black holes result | My views do not
rahayden@*****.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU | from God dividing the | reflect the views
AQ650@*********.FREENET.EDU | universe by zero | of my employer.
Message no. 2
From: Chris Siebenmann <cks@********.UTCS.TORONTO.EDU>
Subject: Re: On Essence
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 92 18:33:59 -0400
| The way I look at it, there are at least three very real ways that you
| have game balance in SR with cyberware.
| 1) Cash Outlay
| 2) Difficulty in Finding
| 3) Illegality

But what about during character creation? 1 is only a minor problem
with a million nuyen to play with, 2 is inapplicable, and 3 is only a
minor concern -- shadowrunners are *already* in trouble if the law
catches up to them. The same thing for a 'regeneration' system; what
happens when someone wants to create the 10-year cybersoldier veteran?

Social distaste assumes that one flaunts the cyberware. I dunno about
you, but I classify the cybered into two general classes:
- the chromed muscle-boys: ostentatiously chromed, these people are
intimidators. The message is 'my boss spent a large sum of money to
make me into something that could snap your back without working up
a sweat, do you really want to piss us off?'
Typically has maybe 50k nuyen worth of cyberware, tops. Usually not
PCs.
- the cybered for effect: no chrome. not being noticed is a stock in
trade, and chrome eyes or bulging dermal armor are right out. These
people *use* their cyberware, and want to keep it hidden for that
extra edge. Most PCs. :)

You can shun the first type, but finding the second type is going to
be hard.

Note that the world also seems to assume that things like chipjacks
and datajacks are common augmentations for sararimen on the way up.
Hard to keep people with them out of the posh restaurants without
pissing lots of going-to-be-powerful people off.

- cks
Message no. 3
From: Robert Hayden <rahayden@*****.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU>
Subject: Re: On Essence
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 92 23:46:42 CET
> But what about during character creation? 1 is only a minor problem
> with a million nuyen to play with, 2 is inapplicable, and 3 is only a
> minor concern -- shadowrunners are *already* in trouble if the law
> catches up to them. The same thing for a 'regeneration' system; what
> happens when someone wants to create the 10-year cybersoldier veteran?
>

Well, the 10 year cybersoldier has 10 year old equipment.....
Equipment of lower performance than the stuff in the 1ed SR book.
Probably got his Datajack when they cost 1 essence and 100kY. :)

Or you could say "sorry chummer, new character cannot start with
chrome."

The point in you can have all starting character get no more than 6 point
because that is all the body can handle at once. If they life long enough
to get used to it, and then have the nuyen, I say let them get more. :)

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about On Essence, 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!