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Message no. 1
From: "D. Ghost" <dghost@****.COM>
Subject: Playing the Market
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 14:35:06 -0500
I was thinking of buying stock (in maybe Ares or something) for one of my
characters and was wondering what would be the best way to handle this?

I was thinking non-voting shares only.

The two things that have to be taken into account (there may be more but
I don't realise it) are:
1) Market Fluctuations
2) Dividends (I think that's the right word for the little ammount you
get per share with some stocks every so often)

Dividends are (fairly) easy ... just something like 1% money spent on
stock per 3 months or so ...

The problem is market fluctuations ... the simplest thing would be to say
that the market is fairly steady or give the stock a fixed % growth per
year (basicly an interest rate.). Other options include some kind of die
roll or saying the stock follows some RL stock (too much work for me ...
I don't want to check the stocks section of the paper every once in a
while for this ...)

What do you think?

D. Ghost
(aka Pixel, Tantrum, RuPixel)
o/` Trideo killed the Video Star ... o/`

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Message no. 2
From: "Christopher M. Coulter" <kamikaze@*********.EDU>
Subject: Re: Playing the Market
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 15:20:44 +0000
> I was thinking of buying stock (in maybe Ares or something) for one of my
> characters and was wondering what would be the best way to handle this?
>
> I was thinking non-voting shares only.
>
> The two things that have to be taken into account (there may be more but
> I don't realise it) are:
> 1) Market Fluctuations
> 2) Dividends (I think that's the right word for the little ammount you
> get per share with some stocks every so often)
>
> Dividends are (fairly) easy ... just something like 1% money spent on
> stock per 3 months or so ...
>
> The problem is market fluctuations ... the simplest thing would be to say
> that the market is fairly steady or give the stock a fixed % growth per
> year (basicly an interest rate.). Other options include some kind of die
> roll or saying the stock follows some RL stock (too much work for me ...
> I don't want to check the stocks section of the paper every once in a
> while for this ...)
>
> What do you think?
>
I think that the old Corporate Shadowfiles book did mention some of
the details concerning that aspect of the game. Unfortunately, they
didn't continue by mentioning a rough rule system on cashing in on
stock. An idea that I came up with used the information at the back
on corp ratings in dealing with dividends. Just my luck that I
forgot the rest of how I did it.
One thing is for sure though, when the next Corp book comes out next
year, I hope that FASA reveals how much stock and of what type have
been issued by the Megacorporation. IMHO that would give GMs some
idea on how to dish out dividends concerning those stock options.
Some people may complain about that sort of thing not being needed
and say that listing the amount of stock would limit the game, but I
personally don't think the megas would issue too much stocks so there
should be a limited number of specifics out there.

Kamikaze
Message no. 3
From: Mongoose <evamarie@**********.NET>
Subject: Re: Playing the Market
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 16:06:05 -0700
-----Original Message-----
From: D. Ghost <dghost@****.COM>
To: SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET <SHADOWRN@********.ITRIBE.NET>
Date: Monday, September 07, 1998 12:41 PM
Subject: Playing the Market


:I was thinking of buying stock (in maybe Ares or something) for one of my
:characters and was wondering what would be the best way to handle this?
:
:I was thinking non-voting shares only.
:
:The two things that have to be taken into account (there may be more but
:I don't realise it) are:
:1) Market Fluctuations
:2) Dividends (I think that's the right word for the little ammount you
:get per share with some stocks every so often)
:
:Dividends are (fairly) easy ... just something like 1% money spent on
:stock per 3 months or so ...
:

Dividends are not garunteed income (although Ares didvidends, or other
tripleA copr ones, would be stable). Your rate seems OK, maybe high as SR
seems to have zero inflation.

:The problem is market fluctuations ... the simplest thing would be to say
:that the market is fairly steady or give the stock a fixed % growth per
:year (basicly an interest rate.). Other options include some kind of die
:roll or saying the stock follows some RL stock (too much work for me ...
:I don't want to check the stocks section of the paper every once in a
:while for this ...)
:

I'd give any stock a "attribute" for growth (which could vary), used
in an opposed test VS market conditions (another "attribute", determined
by GM). Successes on either side would increase or decrease stock prices,
maybe 1%, depending on how often you roll.

Mongoose
Message no. 4
From: Death Imp <leprekhorn@*******.COM>
Subject: Re: Playing the Market
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 00:02:51 PDT
>The problem is market fluctuations ... the simplest thing would be to
say
>that the market is fairly steady or give the stock a fixed % growth per
>year (basicly an interest rate.). Other options include some kind of
die
>roll or saying the stock follows some RL stock (too much work for me
...
>I don't want to check the stocks section of the paper every once in a
>while for this ...)
>
>What do you think?

What you could do is have the growth rate fixed but every yaer, month,
whatever you role 2d6. On a 11 or 12, you get more (maybe x2) and on a 2
or 3, make nothing.

Just a thought.




Whoohooahahahha,
The Leprekhorn

What would you do with a brain if you had one?
- Dorothy, The Wizard of OZ
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Message no. 5
From: Drew Curtis <dcurtis@***.NET>
Subject: Re: Playing the Market
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 10:15:53 -0400
On Mon, 7 Sep 1998, D. Ghost wrote:

> I was thinking of buying stock (in maybe Ares or something) for one of my
> characters and was wondering what would be the best way to handle this?
>

I do this in my games. Being a businessman myself, one of the more
interesting aspects of Shadowrun is the effect of widespread covert
operations on stock value.

> I was thinking non-voting shares only.
>

Not necessarily. Investment firms generally consider companies that have
only voting shares to be better investments than those that don't. Here's
an example: during an initial stock offering, generally (although not
always) only voting shares are issued. At a later date, preferred shares
(non-voting) can be issued as an additional means of raising capital. The
problem is, the existance of preferred shares dilutes the value of the
common shares because 1) preferred shares get paid dividends before common
shares and 2) the corporation is still valued at $x, which must be now
divided up amongst the total number of preferred and common shares
available.

Companies who have only issued common stock are considered by investment
banking firms to be more valuable because 1) their common shares will
produce better dividends, and 2) they still have the option to issue
preferred stock as a money-raising maneuver in the future if necessary.

Plus think of all the fun you can have if your PCs own stock in Ares and a
big vote comes up where both sides of the vote court your proxy...

> The problem is market fluctuations ... the simplest thing would be to say
> that the market is fairly steady or give the stock a fixed % growth per
> year (basicly an interest rate.). Other options include some kind of die
> roll or saying the stock follows some RL stock (too much work for me ...
> I don't want to check the stocks section of the paper every once in a
> while for this ...)
>
> What do you think?
>

In my games, I don't use random numbers. I determine in advance where
company stock prices might go based on the backgrounds that FASA has given
us. I'm working from the assumption that with all the chaos from the
dissolution of Fuchi and the sinking value of Renraku, the global economy
in general is bearish at best. Random numbers would be best if the global
economy were stable, in my games it isn't.

One other thing to bear in mind is that subsidiaries of the Big 10 may
have their own common stock available separate from the parent company (ie
AT&T and TCI) which may perform completely differently from the parent
company. Just because Renraku is in the crapper doesn't mean it doesn't
own a subsidiary that's growing by leaps and bounds.

Drew Curtis, President, Digital Crescent, Incorporated
http://www.dcr.net (502) 226 3376 Internet and Software Design services.
Offering dial-up Access from Frankfort to Louisville and all points between.
Message no. 6
From: David Foster <fixer@*******.TLH.FL.US>
Subject: Re: Playing the Market
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 12:33:45 -0400
On Tue, 8 Sep 1998, Death Imp wrote:

<snip market growth>
->What you could do is have the growth rate fixed but every yaer, month,
->whatever you role 2d6. On a 11 or 12, you get more (maybe x2) and on a 2
->or 3, make nothing.

If you're looking for something to determine relative value of
unstable stock, I use the 4d6-4*10% scale. I gives me from 0% (The
company went bankrupt) to 200% (The company just made some major moves)
value adjustment. Dividends I usually equate to 1% of relative value
adjustment. For more stable companies, try using 3d6-1 (20%-170%), 2d6+1
(30%-130%) or d6+7 (70%-130%).
This all assumes, of course, that you don't have Corporate
Shadowfiles. If you possess the book, try to base it on the companies Net
Rating's fluctuations.

Fixer --------------} The easy I do before breakfast,
the difficult I do all day long,
the impossible only during the week,
and miracles performed on an as-needed basis....

Now tell me, what was your problem?
Message no. 7
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: Playing the Market
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 16:48:24 -0400
At 02:35 PM 9/7/98 -0500, you wrote:
>I was thinking of buying stock (in maybe Ares or something) for one of my
>characters and was wondering what would be the best way to handle this?
><ker-snipped!>
>roll or saying the stock follows some RL stock (too much work for me ...
>I don't want to check the stocks section of the paper every once in a
>while for this ...)

Actually, this is a very good option and isn't that much work, as long as
you get a newspaper at least once a week. Just pick a stock to represent
whatever companies you want included and check the newspaper at least once
a week. Or if you have AOL or a My Yahoo! page you can set things up there
(and I'm sure it's available via other portal services) to automatically
update you on those stocks whenever you'd like. Don't even need a
newspaper then!

I did something like this (PC w/stocks) and tracked, via newspaper, three
times a week for about six months. Then the campaign died (I graduated
actually, I think TGC and Dave and Scott kept going) and I've not picked
things up since.

Erik J.

Who's lost his voice from the weekend, but not his ability to think or type
Message no. 8
From: The Great Cornholio <ChemPhD2Be@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Playing the Market
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 23:45:31 EDT
Hey Ghost.. a friend did something for some spooks who wanted to buy some
legit stocks... He'd specify the type of stock they wanted, pick a company on
NYSE or NASDAQ, and track it that way. Record the purchase price and off with
ya. Of course, if they do this every gaming session, tell them to play Rail
Baron or something.. :-)

TGC

Further Reading

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Thwap!