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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "Damion Milliken" <dam01@***.edu.au>
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 00:07:06 +1000 (EST)
Hi guys!

Here's something that I was thinking about a few days ago, and that managed
to get remembered sufficiently long enough to get written up.

Shadowrunning S.O.P.
--------------------

1. Before entering any meet site or hide-out, scope it out first with all
available means (magical: astral projection, watchers, elementals,
clairvoyance, detection spells; electronic: matrix, bugs, shotgun mikes;
physical: drones, stealth, patsies).

2. After entering any meet site or hide-out (particularily the latter),
secure it to avoid unwanted intrusion (magical: watchers, elementals, wards,
barriers, detection spells; electronic: matrix, detectors, alarms; physical:
drones, guards, gun posts).

3. Use your contacts! Check out with your contacts any person, item, place
or clue that you come into contact with or plan to. Find out reputation,
history, ability, reliability, links, friends, users, etc.

4. Check out your employer, if possible. Take (preferrably hidden) photos,
voice recordings and descriptions. Find out who they are, who they work for,
reputation, likey reasons for hiring you, etc.

5. Do your homework on your target! Find out about the person or place that
is the target of your run. The security, layout, employees, operating
procedures and so on.

6. Think ahead! Plan your escape! It is more important that you get out
alive than it is for you to complete your mission successfully. Ensure you
have reliable and foolproof means of getting away.

7. Communicate! Keep constant, preferrably silent and encrypted,
communications between team members. Cellular phones are not enough.

8. Trust no one! Johnson's rarely tell the whole story, and contacts,
though usually trustworthy, can only be taken so far. Do not assume
everything (or even anything) you hear is the truth.

9. Be security concious. Nothing sucks more than being picked up by Lone
Star after you've successfully pentrated the Aztechnology pyramid and
escaped alive. Ensure others cannot get to your gear to sabotage or steal it.

10. Cover your arse! Look after number 1. Contingency plans may seem like
a waste of time, but can save you when you really need it. That second flop,
cash in the safety deposit box, gun under the floorboards and car in the
garage downtown can all be lifesavers.

11. Don't get caught! This means don't leave evidence. Disguises, magical
or mundane, are good in near all situations. Avoid using the same weapons -
modern ballistics are good. Bleeding everywhere is a no-no: don't get shot;
if you do, use Sterilize (or willy peter). SINs are bad in this regard.

12. Assensing of persons and places for irregularities is a good idea.
Detection spells (such as Analyze Truth) are too.

Do you guys have any additions, modifications, extra points or comments?

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: dam01@***.edu.au

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Message no. 2
From: "Paul J. Adam" <shadowrn@********.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: SR SOP
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 18:18:18 +0100
In message <199607281407.AAA12210@******.its.uow.edu.au>, Damion
Milliken <dam01@***.edu.au> writes
>Hi guys!
>
>Here's something that I was thinking about a few days ago, and that managed
>to get remembered sufficiently long enough to get written up.
>
>Shadowrunning S.O.P.
>--------------------
13. Don't be bloodthirsty. If you get caught, it's likely to be by the
target's security guards. Consider the difference in their reactions in
these two situations:
a - you dropped everyone you saw with a double-tap to the head, then cut
their throats to be sure they didn't make noise
b - you dropped everyone you saw with Narcoject, gel rounds, tasers et
cetera, and took a little time to check they were going to live.

Your chances of being "killed resisting arrest" go down, even if your
problems don't.

14. Be professional. Make sure your employer gets what they paid for.
Make sure you understand what your employer seeks, so you can adapt on
the fly if necessary.

15. Never be the first to break a deal: and never let someone who set
you up get away cheaply.

16. Never stiff anyone who sells you ammo or installs your cyberware.

--
"There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and
praiseworthy."
Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"
Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
Message no. 3
From: Richard M Conroy <Richard_M_Conroy@***.ir.intel.com>
Subject: Re: SR SOP
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 96 14:01:00 PDT
17. Don't get dead

18. Don't get dead

19. Prepare & stockpile for every eventuality, have your PC tech brewing
explosives & home made bombs (hehe Thermite Bombs ~ cheap, simple to
make & deadly (ie ignore milspec armor))

20. Don't get dead

21. Read murphy's laws of combat & rules of a firefight, they apply

22. Get backup identities & cosmetic surgeon contacts STAT.

23. Don't get dead

24. Invest in hard currency: gold, negotiable bearer bonds, collateral,
it's somewhat easier to mask & launder.
corollary: accept/demand it in payment

25. Launder all your earnings through a reputable face bank/money
launderer.

26. Be ready to get out of your flat/city/country in moments.

27. Did I mention about not getting dead ?
Message no. 4
From: rhoded01@******.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU (Ahzmandius)
Subject: Re: SR SOP
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 08:53:17 -0600 (CST)
28. Pay GM with goodies, sacraficial potato chips and dip work well.

29. Don't kill unless it is your last option.

30. Don't discuss buisness once the run has begun, unless you can be sure
nobody is listening.

31. Functional over flash.

32. When in doubt, kill the mage.

33. Never leave weapons laying around.

34. Always assume that Mr. Johnson would rather see you dead that pay.

35. Be professional.



Ahz
Message no. 5
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Damion Milliken)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Wed Oct 3 12:20:06 2001
A number of people expressed interest in one or more of my newbie SR
handouts. So I'm going to post them to the list. Feel free to comment and
make additions and suggestions, as I'd love extra ideas and content. Also
feel free to use, in part, whole, or modified form, any of what I post.

Last is my "SR SOP". This was created with the assistance of the list a
number of years ago.

Shadowrunning S.O.P.

"You wanna be making moves on the street, have no attachments, allow nothing
to be in your life that you cannot walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you
spot the heat around the corner."
- Neil McCauley, "Heat"

1. Before entering any meet site or hide-out, scope it out first with all
available means (magical: astral projection, watchers, elementals,
clairvoyance, detection spells; electronic: matrix, bugs, shotgun mikes;
physical: drones, stealth, patsies).

2. After entering any meet site or hide-out (particularly the latter),
secure it to avoid unwanted intrusion (magical: watchers, elementals, wards,
barriers, detection spells; electronic: matrix, detectors, alarms; physical:
drones, guards, gun posts).

3. Use your contacts! Check out with your contacts any person, item, place
or clue with which you (plan to) come into contact. Find out reputation,
history, ability, reliability, links, friends, users, etc.

4. Check out your employer, if possible. Take (preferably hidden) photos,
voice recordings & descriptions. Find out who they are, who they work for,
reputation, likely reasons for hiring you, etc.

5. Do your homework on your target! Find out about the person or place that
is the target of your run. The security, layout, employees, operating
procedures & so forth.

6. Think ahead! Plan your escape! It is more important that you get out
alive than it is for you to complete your mission successfully. Ensure you
have reliable & foolproof means of getting away.

7. Communicate! Keep constant, preferably silent & encrypted,
communications between team members. Cellular phones are not enough.

8. Trust no one! Johnson's rarely tell the whole story, & contacts, though
usually trustworthy, can only be taken so far. Do not assume everything (or
even anything) you hear is the truth.

9. Be security conscious. Nothing sucks more than being picked up by Lone
Star after you've successfully penetrated the Aztechnology pyramid & escaped
alive. Ensure others cannot get to your gear to sabotage or steal it.
Never leave weapons lying around.

10. Cover your arse! Look after number one. Contingency plans may seem
like a waste of time, but can save you when you really need it. That second
flop, cash in the safety deposit box, gun under the floorboards & car in the
garage downtown can all be lifesavers.

11. Don't get caught! This means don't leave evidence. Disguises, magical
or mundane, are good in near all situations. Avoid using the same weapons -
modern ballistics are good. Bleeding everywhere is a no-no: don't get shot;
if you do, use Sterilize (or willy peter). SINs are bad in this regard.

12. Assensing of persons & places for irregularities is a good idea.
Detection spells (such as Analyse Truth) are too.

13. Don't be bloodthirsty. If you get caught, it's likely to be by the
target's security guards. Consider the difference in their reactions in
these two situations:
a - you dropped everyone you saw with a double-tap to the head, then
cut their throats to be sure they didn't make noise
b - you dropped everyone you saw with Narcoject, gel rounds, tasers
etcetera, & took a little time to check they were going to live.
Your chances of being "killed resisting arrest" go down, even if your
problems don't. Ie don't kill unless it is your last option.

14. Be professional. Make sure your employer gets what they paid for. Make
sure you underst& what your employer seeks, so you can adapt on the fly if
necessary.

15. Never be the first to break a deal; & never let someone who set you up
get away cheaply.

16. Never stiff anyone who sells you ammo or installs your cyberware.

17. Don't get dead

18. Don't get dead

19. Prepare & stockpile for every eventuality, eg have your PC tech brewing
explosives & home made bombs.

20. Don't get dead

21. Read Murphy's Laws of Combat & Rules of a Firefight; they apply.

22. Get backup identities & cosmetic surgeon contacts STAT.

23. Don't get dead

24. Invest in hard currency: gold, negotiable bearer bonds, collateral; it's
somewhat easier to mask & launder. Corollary: accept/demand it in payment.

25. Launder all your earnings through a reputable face bank/money launderer.

26. Be ready to get out of your flat/city/country in moments.

27. Did I mention about not getting dead?

28. Pay GM with goodies, sacrificial potato chips & dip work well.

29. Don't discuss business once the run has begun, unless you can be sure
nobody is listening.

30. Functionality over flash.

31. When in doubt, kill the mage.

32. Always assume that Mr. Johnson would rather see you dead than pay.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong
Unofficial Shadowrun Guru E-mail: dam01@***.edu.au
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Message no. 6
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Shiro BsquLadat)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Wed Oct 3 17:45:01 2001
At last someone said it aloud!!!!!!
DON'T KILL UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!!
I can't even begin to remember the newbies that have
dropped dead doing the absolute opposite!

There is great store of wisdom in Dammien's words!
Way to go!!

====-It didn't look so big in paper!!!!
-Ideas grow,Shiro.Sometimes bigger than life!

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
NEW from Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month.
http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1
Message no. 7
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Jonathan)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Wed Oct 3 17:50:01 2001
>
> There is great store of wisdom in Dammien's words!
> Way to go!!
>
> ====
I concur if this list could be handed out to every SR player in existance,
new and old (cause trust me some of the old hats I have gamed with are
little better than newbs) I think we'd have less occurances in the CLUEless
archives at the shadowrun archive.
Message no. 8
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Jason Lantrip)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Wed Oct 3 18:10:01 2001
>I concur if this list could be handed out to every SR player in existance,
>new and old (cause trust me some of the old hats I have gamed with are
>little better than newbs) I think we'd have less occurances in the CLUEless
>archives at the shadowrun archive.

*ahem* Having been involved in a couple of submissions (and several more of
the stories are waiting for CLUE to return to life once again...) for the
CLUE case files, I'll agree with you. It'd help some of them. But there will
always be the ones who are perpetually clueless.

We'd save a few people, but there will always be those people who have to
look/listen behind the door, or tote along an Uzi with a silencer and
explosive ammo (which doesn't actually necessarily explode, but boy does it
make noise when it punches holes in someone and hits the stuff behind them).
I haven't even submitted the first (and second) edition panther
cannon/vindicator minigun/trolls with backpacks full of C12 and unconscious
security guard stories yet...

--J
Message no. 9
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Jonathan)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Wed Oct 3 19:50:00 2001
> We'd save a few people, but there will always be those people who have to
> look/listen behind the door, or tote along an Uzi with a silencer and
> explosive ammo (which doesn't actually necessarily explode, but boy does
it
> make noise when it punches holes in someone and hits the stuff behind
them).
> I haven't even submitted the first (and second) edition panther
> cannon/vindicator minigun/trolls with backpacks full of C12 and
unconscious
> security guard stories yet...
>

LOL no worse than an elf covert op with no combat skills to speak of jumping
behind a barricade where a street same and two gangers are attacking us from
to fight them by herself... :)
Message no. 10
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Wallace Blade)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Wed Oct 3 20:20:00 2001
Jason said:
>*ahem* Having been involved in a couple of submissions (and several more of
>the stories are waiting for CLUE to return to life once again...) for the
>CLUE case files, I'll agree with you. It'd help some of them. But there
>will
>always be the ones who are perpetually clueless.
>
>We'd save a few people, but there will always be those people who have to
>look/listen behind the door, or tote along an Uzi with a silencer and
>explosive ammo (which doesn't actually necessarily explode, but boy does it
>make noise when it punches holes in someone and hits the stuff behind
>them).
>I haven't even submitted the first (and second) edition panther
>cannon/vindicator minigun/trolls with backpacks full of C12 and unconscious
>security guard stories yet...

Well, with clueless veterans I rather tell them things as we play, they
learn and act in consequence without the sensation of "well, now I'm gonna
tell yu how things work". Just mi 0,2 nuyen.

Wallace Blade
Sepherim (Dagger in sperethiel)
"The Matrix was made to serve,
but only obeys those of us that love her."
Nodo 666: http://www16.brinkster.com/sepherim


_________________________________________________________________
Descargue GRATUITAMENTE MSN Explorer en http://explorer.msn.es/intl.asp
Message no. 11
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Downtym)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Thu Oct 4 04:00:01 2001
On Wed, 3 Oct 2001, Jonathan wrote:

> LOL no worse than an elf covert op with no combat skills to speak of jumping
> behind a barricade where a street same and two gangers are attacking us from
> to fight them by herself... :)

Sammie: "I'm gonna try to dive onto him and tackle him!"
GM: "Okay, roll Unarmed Combat."
Sammie: "Hrm...Um, I don't have it."
Decker: (sighs, shakes his head) "Here, hold my deck." (Tosses a
backpack to the Sammie) (To the GM:) "I dive onto the guy and tackle
him. 6 in Unarmed Combat."

The group stares in surprise at the decker with a 3 strength who just
wrestled a man to the ground. The man is subsequently beaten senseless
by the decker. More sounds of surprise and horror at the fact that a
5' 6", pale, skinny, elven decker just knocked a 6' 8", medium sized
human out in a single combat round. (Generous helpings of combat pool
and luck =) )

As the decker is pulling himself off of the man.

Mage: "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
Decker: "Guy broke my Tandy a long time ago. I spent a few monthes
learning martial arts so that I could systematically break the bones
in his body in order to cost him as much as he cost me. No more, no
less."
Mage: "...Right. No one breaks that deck."

[The aforementioned combat decker, otherwise known as "Rat"]

Downtym |
Email: gte138j@*****.gatech.edu | Post no bills
Message no. 12
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Jason Lantrip)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Thu Oct 4 11:25:01 2001
>LOL no worse than an elf covert op with no combat skills to speak of
jumping
>behind a barricade where a street same and two gangers are attacking us
from
>to fight them by herself... :)

This, alas, happened while I was running the game:

The group was asked by a grieving relative to look into his nephew's death.
The cops had written it off as gang violence and blown the case off as
another ganger that no one would miss. The group decides that they should
investigate the place of his death, so they do. They never actually got
around to checking the actual *place* of his death (the roof of the
building), but they thoroughly checked the place that his body landed (an
alleyway adjoining the building). They decide, at about midnight (game time)
to go check his apartment. By, of course, breaking in. (I tried to make them
roll an intelligence check to see if they'd think of, oh, asking his
relatives for his apartment keys, but they all failed or botched...)

No one in the group had any sort of skills as far as electronics, they
eventually wound up disabling the locking mechanism, but it set off a silent
alarm. I told them that this was probably the case. They decide to run up to
the second floor (where the apartment was) and notice, as they clear the
landing, that "Hey, there's security cameras in here!"

They continue with the break-in anyway. About this time, the security
company monitoring the building puts 2 and 2 together, and figures they'd
better call Lone Star, since someone broke into the apartment of a guy who
only turned up dead a couple of days ago. Lone Star sends a patrol car (and
re-opens the case with lovely pictures of the runners --courtesy of the
security cameras -- as prime suspects). The runners, meanwhile, toss the
apartment, come up with about 75% of the clues I left for them and begin
arguing about how best to leave the building. Lone Star shows up.

They have a gunfight with the cops. Eventually, they manage to kill the cops
without having any of the runners killed (barely), but Lone Star, of course,
has called for backup. They leave the building and about 80% of the runners
decide that "Hmm. Perhaps we should abandon our cars and make ourselves dang
hard to find for a while." The mage in the group decides that hiding isn't
for him, hops on his Dodge Scoot (not exactly the getaway car of choice,
but...) and drives down the street. He heads towards the sound of the
sirens. He's managed to, more or less, be seen by the cops driving away from
the building where two cops were shot. They pull him over. The cops begin to
question him. He explains to them that he was at a friend's apartment at
that building over there (the one where the two cops were shot) and he just
left to go home. "No, officer, I didn't hear or see anything strange. Did
something happen?" "No, officer, I'm afraid my friend just left to. I don't
know when he'll be back. Oh, he lives on the second floor." "Sure, I'll give
you my address. Yes, I was here with a group of friends. I'll give you their
addresses, too. No problem." "Well, I guess if you want to take me in for
questioning. I don't see why, but I'll go with you..."

The rest of the runners were in various stages of banging their heads
against solid objects. (It seems to be a common occurrence around here, some
days....)

--J
Message no. 13
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Gak The Great)
Subject: SR SOP
Date: Thu Dec 20 11:40:01 2001
Bitte weiterleiten an die Gang:)

Siehe erste mail für Ursprung. Ich würde vorschlagen, dass ihr die Sachen
hier wenigstens einmal durchlest, und das hier ausdruckt. Es verhindert eine
MENGE Anfängerfehler, glaubt mir:)

> A number of people expressed interest in one or more of my newbie SR
> handouts. So I'm going to post them to the list. Feel free to comment and
> make additions and suggestions, as I'd love extra ideas and content. Also
> feel free to use, in part, whole, or modified form, any of what I post.
>
> Last is my "SR SOP". This was created with the assistance of the list a
> number of years ago.
>
> Shadowrunning S.O.P.
>
> "You wanna be making moves on the street, have no attachments, allow
nothing
> to be in your life that you cannot walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you
> spot the heat around the corner."
> - Neil McCauley, "Heat"
>
> 1. Before entering any meet site or hide-out, scope it out first with all
> available means (magical: astral projection, watchers, elementals,
> clairvoyance, detection spells; electronic: matrix, bugs, shotgun mikes;
> physical: drones, stealth, patsies).
>
> 2. After entering any meet site or hide-out (particularly the latter),
> secure it to avoid unwanted intrusion (magical: watchers, elementals,
wards,
> barriers, detection spells; electronic: matrix, detectors, alarms;
physical:
> drones, guards, gun posts).
>
> 3. Use your contacts! Check out with your contacts any person, item,
place
> or clue with which you (plan to) come into contact. Find out reputation,
> history, ability, reliability, links, friends, users, etc.
>
> 4. Check out your employer, if possible. Take (preferably hidden) photos,
> voice recordings & descriptions. Find out who they are, who they work
for,
> reputation, likely reasons for hiring you, etc.
>
> 5. Do your homework on your target! Find out about the person or place
that
> is the target of your run. The security, layout, employees, operating
> procedures & so forth.
>
> 6. Think ahead! Plan your escape! It is more important that you get out
> alive than it is for you to complete your mission successfully. Ensure
you
> have reliable & foolproof means of getting away.
>
> 7. Communicate! Keep constant, preferably silent & encrypted,
> communications between team members. Cellular phones are not enough.
>
> 8. Trust no one! Johnson's rarely tell the whole story, & contacts,
though
> usually trustworthy, can only be taken so far. Do not assume everything
(or
> even anything) you hear is the truth.
>
> 9. Be security conscious. Nothing sucks more than being picked up by Lone
> Star after you've successfully penetrated the Aztechnology pyramid &
escaped
> alive. Ensure others cannot get to your gear to sabotage or steal it.
> Never leave weapons lying around.
>
> 10. Cover your arse! Look after number one. Contingency plans may seem
> like a waste of time, but can save you when you really need it. That
second
> flop, cash in the safety deposit box, gun under the floorboards & car in
the
> garage downtown can all be lifesavers.
>
> 11. Don't get caught! This means don't leave evidence. Disguises,
magical
> or mundane, are good in near all situations. Avoid using the same
weapons -
> modern ballistics are good. Bleeding everywhere is a no-no: don't get
shot;
> if you do, use Sterilize (or willy peter). SINs are bad in this regard.
>
> 12. Assensing of persons & places for irregularities is a good idea.
> Detection spells (such as Analyse Truth) are too.
>
> 13. Don't be bloodthirsty. If you get caught, it's likely to be by the
> target's security guards. Consider the difference in their reactions in
> these two situations:
> a - you dropped everyone you saw with a double-tap to the head, then
> cut their throats to be sure they didn't make noise
> b - you dropped everyone you saw with Narcoject, gel rounds, tasers
> etcetera, & took a little time to check they were going to live.
> Your chances of being "killed resisting arrest" go down, even if your
> problems don't. Ie don't kill unless it is your last option.
>
> 14. Be professional. Make sure your employer gets what they paid for.
Make
> sure you underst& what your employer seeks, so you can adapt on the fly if
> necessary.
>
> 15. Never be the first to break a deal; & never let someone who set you up
> get away cheaply.
>
> 16. Never stiff anyone who sells you ammo or installs your cyberware.
>
> 17. Don't get dead
>
> 18. Don't get dead
>
> 19. Prepare & stockpile for every eventuality, eg have your PC tech
brewing
> explosives & home made bombs.
>
> 20. Don't get dead
>
> 21. Read Murphy's Laws of Combat & Rules of a Firefight; they apply.
>
> 22. Get backup identities & cosmetic surgeon contacts STAT.
>
> 23. Don't get dead
>
> 24. Invest in hard currency: gold, negotiable bearer bonds, collateral;
it's
> somewhat easier to mask & launder. Corollary: accept/demand it in
payment.
>
> 25. Launder all your earnings through a reputable face bank/money
launderer.
>
> 26. Be ready to get out of your flat/city/country in moments.
>
> 27. Did I mention about not getting dead?
>
> 28. Pay GM with goodies, sacrificial potato chips & dip work well.
>
> 29. Don't discuss business once the run has begun, unless you can be sure
> nobody is listening.
>
> 30. Functionality over flash.
>
> 31. When in doubt, kill the mage.
>
> 32. Always assume that Mr. Johnson would rather see you dead than pay.
>

-- GAK THE GREAT

"Ein Ring, sie zu knechten, sie alle zu finden,
Ins Dunkel zu treiben und ewig zu binden,
Im Lande Mordor, wo die Schatten drohn."
Sauron aus "Herr der Ringe von J.R.R. Tolkien

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about SR SOP, 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!