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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Rick Jones <rick@******.COM>
Subject: Re: Shadowrunny type funnies. (d'oh)
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 15:28:57 -0500 (CDT)
Rick Jones wrote:
> Please send me the .txt versions of the shadowrunner humor.
> thanks.

D'oh, I just did stupid newbie trick #324. Sorry.

Ob-Shad: How do ya'll come up with ways to harm the big guns of a group
without pulverizing the weaker members? Anything that's dangerous enough
to harm our Cyber-troll or Combat Mage (or the Rigger in his rig) will
pretty much insta-kill the dwarf PI or the decker.

--
Rick Jones I needed to stay on this thing. I couldn't afford to
rick@******.com get fired and shut off from the Sox. Also I needed the
Meyrick@***.com money.My charger needed feed and my armor needed polish.
http://www-ece.rice.edu/~rickj/ --Spenser, Mortal Stakes
Message no. 2
From: brett@***.orst.edu (Brett Barksdale)
Subject: Re: Shadowrunny type funnies. (d'oh)
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 96 14:06:55 PDT
>D'oh, I just did stupid newbie trick #324. Sorry.
>
>Ob-Shad: How do ya'll come up with ways to harm the big guns of a group
>without pulverizing the weaker members? Anything that's dangerous enough
>to harm our Cyber-troll or Combat Mage (or the Rigger in his rig) will
>pretty much insta-kill the dwarf PI or the decker.

It may sound mean, but I don't really worry about it. Although
accidents *do* happen, if the players are performing their
characters' roles well, the "big guns" should be seeing all
of the action first. If they send a low-body character up
to run point, well.... you get what you get... :-)

Seriously, I've found that my players are more than capable (and
usually pretty diligent) at keeping the right people out of the
nastier lines-of-fire. It the *players'* job to keep the right
people where they're supposed to be - not yours.

Besides, what's the big deal with "coming up with ways to harm
the big guns" anyway? Two words: Armor degradation. After a few
good shots that the "bug guns" soak w/o damage, their TN's start
to creep up and then it doesn't matter if you have 15 body or
not. If your TN to soak is 8+, you're taking damage.

Shadowrun is an *offensive*-minded game world/system. It's not
hard for even "big guns" to get damaged/hurt/"oh God, where is
DocWagon?"'d. Just make sure that your NPCs use cover and
*reserve actions*. Even a lowly guard with a lone d6 for initiative
who is reserving action can get a shot or two in at a freakish
5d6, move-by-wire-4 PC who steps into the guards line-of-fire. (Not
that any of my PC's are that strong, but it would work even if
they were.) Then let nature take it's course.

The bottom line is, you shouldn't *have* to worry about taking out
the "big guns".

- Brett
Message no. 3
From: Brian Johnson <john0375@****.tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Re: Shadowrunny type funnies. (d'oh)
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 16:10:07 -0500 (CDT)
> without pulverizing the weaker members? Anything that's dangerous enough
> to harm our Cyber-troll or Combat Mage (or the Rigger in his rig) will
> pretty much insta-kill the dwarf PI or the decker.

Ummmmmm. Divide and conquer.
Give the PI some leads to follow up (and knock him around with an
uncooperatice ork w/ baseball bat.)

Make the decker the face man (corporate style ya kno.)
and give him all kinds of stuff to look for in the matrix.

When I was a Player, I had enough stuff to keep myself busy and another
decker with side projects/research/tech design, and Info gathering/ Group
Coordination, Tactics, planning, and about five other things I din't have
time to investigate myself (Side topics... Who Is Mr. Johnson, What's this...
where can I buy this... the list goes on.

Not to mention the negotiation and leadership stuff.
Message no. 4
From: dbuehrer@****.org (David Buehrer)
Subject: Re: Shadowrunny type funnies. (d'oh)
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 15:11:40 -0600 (MDT)
Rick Jones wrote:
|
|Ob-Shad: How do ya'll come up with ways to harm the big guns of a group
|without pulverizing the weaker members? Anything that's dangerous enough
|to harm our Cyber-troll or Combat Mage (or the Rigger in his rig) will
|pretty much insta-kill the dwarf PI or the decker.

Smart NPCs. The NPCs look around and pick the most dangerous target.
That PI that's shivering in a puddle of his own piss behind the
dumbster? Ignore him and go after the big guy with the gleaming eyes
and metalic sweat. And if the PI is stupid enough to get involved just
push him aside. Let him know that you could have killed him, but you're
gonna take out the Cyber-troll and then kill him next...if he doesn't
have the common sense to just run away.

-David

/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\ dbuehrer@****.org /^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\/^\
"His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like
underpants in a dryer without Cling Free."
~~~~~~http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1068/homepage.html~~~~~~
Message no. 5
From: "'Spaceman' WD Lee" <spaced@*.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: Shadowrunny type funnies. (d'oh)
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 16:56:58 -0700 (PDT)
On Thu, 20 Jun 1996, Rick Jones wrote:
> Ob-Shad: How do ya'll come up with ways to harm the big guns of a group
> without pulverizing the weaker members? Anything that's dangerous enough
> to harm our Cyber-troll or Combat Mage (or the Rigger in his rig) will
> pretty much insta-kill the dwarf PI or the decker.

To sum up everything that everybody has said/is going to say:
NPC's aren't dumb. they use strategy and tactics at least as well if not
better than the average PC....... Trying concentrated fire, delayed
actions, crossfires, unusual attacks, etc. ad infinitum

The Spaceman |God said, "Let there be light." And God
spaced@*.washington.edu |separated the light from the dark. And
Check out the Bill Page! |did two loads of laundry. -Genesis 1:2.5
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~spaced/bill.html
GCC/GL d- s:++ a-- C++ U+ P+ L>L++ !E W++ N++ o+ K w !O M-- V--
PS+ PE Y+ PGP t 5++ X+ R+ tv b+++ DI+ D+ G+ e+ h r z+
MPA/SH/TA S G Q+ 666 y W C++ N+ PEC+++ Dr

Further Reading

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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!