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Message no. 1
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Strago)
Subject: Starting characters (was Re: [Alternate Rules] Dice Pools)
Date: Wed May 9 18:00:01 2001
Bob Ooton wrote:

> <SNIP>

> <SNIP> The other reason would be because most people *don't* have 6+
> willpower and shadowrunners should be similar in that respect.

I used to think this way, as well, until my group also started to play
GURPS (Black Ops, to be exact). Then I realized that shadowrunners AREN'T
most people, especially in my group. I tried to have my starting
characters BE starting shadowrunners, and it really didn't work that well.
Starting shadowrunners don't usually have the resources that starting
characters have, usually. For instance, that poor kid you were talking
about (the one who came from a broken home who stole a lot), where did he
get the money for the cyber that'd give him a high reaction? He'd probably
start somewhere in a gang, and as he got over, if he survived [thereby
increasing his ability to focus on a tough situation (giving him a higher
Intelligence), increasing his ability to interact with others (bringing
his Charisma up above average), and he'd probably move up the ladder and
take charge more (which has a higher Willpower)], he'd start to get the
generic "gang" cyber which would allow him to more easily get more nuyen,
thus better cyber, until he outgrew the gang and went out on his own, met
up with the group, whatever. Same kind of thing with any starting decker,
mage, or rigger.
So, because of this, to me, most starting characters are a cut above
the rest of society. A "normal" person would probably be a 60 to 70 point
character, while (I think this is right) a starting character (according
to the priority system) is something like 132 points.


--
--Strago

All Hail Apathy! Or don't. Whatever. -abortion_engine

Down with the Moral Majority
-Green Day
Message no. 2
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Shiro BsquLadat)
Subject: Starting characters (was Re: [Alternate Rules] Dice Pools)
Date: Thu May 10 05:05:01 2001
--- Strago <strago@***.com> wrote:Then I realized that
> shadowrunners AREN'T
> most people.

At last someone said it out loud!
In shadowrun you don't play an average Jo guy with a
gun.You play a trained professional who makes his
living in a world most people wouldn't survive for one
full day.
If you like to play an average person then also tune
in your campaign so that the players face average
challenges (and no run against the Aztechnology
facility.Nobody would hire an average person to do
something like that unless he wanted cannon fodder!).
Don't get me wrong,I think that a low power campaign
is more difficult to run and make interesting but we
shouldn't all yell for being <<real>> when we want
high adventure and dangerous-world saving (or
destroying)challenges.


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

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Message no. 3
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Lady Jestyr)
Subject: Starting characters (was Re: [Alternate Rules] Dice Pools)
Date: Thu May 10 19:00:01 2001
At 06:05 PM 9/05/01 -0400, Strago wrote:
>
> So, because of this, to me, most starting characters are a cut above
>the rest of society. A "normal" person would probably be a 60 to 70 point
>character, while (I think this is right) a starting character (according
>to the priority system) is something like 132 points.

For what it's worth, my friends and I wrote ourselves up as Shadowrun
characters - not as what we'd want to be, but what we are now, defined in
Shadowrun game mechanics. I came out being worth about 64 BP.

So, your estimate was pretty close, as far as I'm concerned. :)

Lady Jestyr
~ Hell hath no fury like a geek with a whippersnipper ~

* jestyr@*****.com | URL: http://staff.dumpshock.com/jestyr *
Message no. 4
From: shadowrn@*********.com (Gurth)
Subject: Starting characters (was Re: [Alternate Rules] Dice Pools)
Date: Fri May 11 04:30:06 2001
According to Lady Jestyr, on Fri, 11 May 2001 the word on the street was...

> For what it's worth, my friends and I wrote ourselves up as Shadowrun
> characters - not as what we'd want to be, but what we are now, defined in
> Shadowrun game mechanics. I came out being worth about 64 BP.

That would be so cool to write on something like a convention name badge...
:)

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
If there are vegetarian hamburgers, why isn't there beef lettuce?
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
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