| From: | "David R. Henry" <dhenry@******.NODAK.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Shadowrunners Doing Business |
| Date: | Wed, 28 Jul 1993 16:55:42 CDT |
> a business? I don't know, but I am presently involved in an effort to make
> an organized system to cover the operation of a small business. It should
> work in a similar fashion to the rules for Rocker charachters in Shadowbeat.
I dunno what's up, either, but my players caught it some time ago, and it
shows no sign of letting up.
Personally, I don't mind it: it expands role playing opportunities,
strengthens campaign background, and helps me believe that the characters
aren't the social misfits they'd probably have to be to rely on running
for their only source of income.
Maybe a bit of the interest in making their own business comes from a little
rule I just put in for the heck of it during character generation: the
Useless Skill. Players get as many dice as the GM (me) thinks appropriate
for one skill, generally useless in a typical run situation, that may
yet help further define their background. I've seen a bunch of unusual
things: one rigger had Collect Rare Tires 3. A Yiddish Dwarf mercenary
has ID Kosher Food of 5 (he's spent Karma to raise it since). My two personal
favorites is the sam with Kate Bush Trivia of 4, and the demolitions
expert with Cthulhu Mythos of 4. Considering that my usual campaign is
Call of Cthulhu, this was probably not entirely unforseen, but I laughed
long enough to let him get four free dice for his Mythos score. Since
I've been putting them through the early high-magic scenarios from FASA
recently, along with my own stuff, the Mythos skill has been rolled often.
It produced very dire results indeed when rolled during the Bottled Demon
adventure...
But, back to my point: one character, in particular, worked his "Useless"
Skill up to a rather high point (6 or 7). His team position? Heavy
weapons expert, ex-German terrorist. His name? Heinrich Luftmann, Elf of
the Black Forest. His unusual skill? Hairstyle B/R of 7. Yes, folks, on the
side, Heinrich ran a hair salon.
He went through with the whole schmeal, too. He went to the bother of getting
a (fake) SIN. He got licensed by the Ft. Lewis regional government. He
bought a van from the Black Book, and converted it into "Heinrich's Travelling
Hair Emporium." He would scoot up and down the residential sections of the
south Seattle 'plex, serving whole streets at a time. I had to think up
decent prices for 2050-model hair driers, salon equipment, and accessoraries
-- van portable, of course. And, you know, when the heat came up from
some run, he could pull down the overhead compartment and take out his
Panther assault cannon.
But, anyway. My experience with players going into business.
drh
