Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: jhubert@***.de (JÃŒrgen Hubert)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:46:52 +0200 (MEST)
I'm a fundamentally lazy guy, and I try to spend as little time as possible
on preparation time for my adventures.

And what I've found to be particularily tedious in preparing Shadowrun
adventures is writing down NPC stats - complete with skills, cyberware, equipment,
spells...

So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of "stock
NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security personal,
police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever opposition runners
might run into.

- Jürgen Hubert

--
+++ GMX - Mail, Messaging & more http://www.gmx.net +++
Bitte lächeln! Fotogalerie online mit GMX ohne eigene Homepage!
Message no. 2
From: markus.widmer@******.at (Markus Widmer)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 14:27:14 +0200
Jürgen wrote:
> So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of
"stock
> NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security
personal,
> police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever
opposition runners
> might run into.

Try www.fanpro.de - support - material - connections. There's a nice
collection in German, which, given your name, shouldn't be a problem
for you. Alternatively, check out the old Sprawl Sites /
Asphaltdschungel sourcebook. Most of it is on fanpro.de anyway, so I
reckon there won't be a lot of template-like stuff in the forthcoming
Sprawl Survival Guide. Or maybe just better stuff?

Markus
Message no. 3
From: w32.antidote.b@***.de (W32.Antidote.B)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 14:31:33 +0200
> So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of "stock
> NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security
> personal,
> police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever opposition
> runners
> might run into.
>

Well, there are a lot of this in the various sourcebooks, as well as there
are some NPC-Files for the NSRCG (http://matrix.dumpshock.com/mcmackie/).
Another way would be to use a computer programm to just write down the NPCs
once and then reprint them as needed. Because of your name, I think that
you are German, so I think you should take a look at
http://www.credstick.de/ under the "Specials"-section there is a good and
easy NPC-Prog for Shadowrun, that might help you.
Various Shadowrun-Databases on the net should also have a section for
archetypes and NPCs.

-The Antidote
Message no. 4
From: pentaj2@****.edu (Penta John C)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 09:37:54 -0400
----- Original Message -----
From: Markus Widmer <markus.widmer@chello.at>
Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 8:27 am
Subject: Re: Stock NPCs?

> Jürgen wrote:
> > So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of
> "stock
> > NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security
> personal,
> > police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit
men... whatever
> opposition runners
> > might run into.
>
> Try www.fanpro.de - support - material - connections. There's
a nice
> collection in German, which, given your name, shouldn't be a
problem
> for you. Alternatively, check out the old Sprawl Sites /
> Asphaltdschungel sourcebook. Most of it is on fanpro.de anyway, so I
> reckon there won't be a lot of template-like stuff in the forthcoming
> Sprawl Survival Guide. Or maybe just better stuff?
>
> Markus

Yeah, but what about those of us who don't speak German?

Are we gonna get screwed because stuff is on the web in German, then?

*confused*

John
Message no. 5
From: SteveG@***********.co.za (Steve Garrard)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 14:17:13 +0200
Jürgen Hubert wrote:
> I'm a fundamentally lazy guy, and I try to spend as little
> time as possible
> on preparation time for my adventures.
>
> And what I've found to be particularily tedious in preparing Shadowrun
> adventures is writing down NPC stats - complete with skills,
> cyberware, equipment,
> spells...
>
> So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list
> of "stock
> NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like
> security personal,
> police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever
> opposition runners
> might run into.

I built my own using NSRCG. It doesn't take very long, and for mundanes like
LS or corp sec teams you can equip them with a variety of loadouts and then
pick the one that best suits the scenario at the time. I can't imagine doing
it by hand with the sourcebooks would take much longer.


Slayer

"Beware my wrath, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
- Unknown Dragon


**********************************************************************
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.

This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.

www.mimesweeper.com
**********************************************************************
Message no. 6
From: anders@**********.com (Anders Swenson)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 08:22:40 -0700
On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:46:52 +0200 (MEST)
Jürgen Hubert <jhubert@***.de> wrote:

...

> So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of "stock
> NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security
> personal,
> police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever opposition
> runners
> might run into.
>
> - Jürgen Hubert

Well, I like to have everything printed out, so I entered all the SR3
archetypes in my WP character sheet foremat. I've already used that a lot.
And, when I create an NPC I save it in the same file format. (the same one I
use for my own PCs). Now, if my home machine hadn't just suffered a fatal
virus or something, I'd be able to refer you all to a file of 50
NPC/Archetypes I fount on one of the archive sites. Who will be the first to
find and post that link?
--Anders
Message no. 7
From: cmd_jackryan@***.net (Phillip Gawlowski)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 18:49:50 +0200
Am Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:46:52 +0200 (MEST) hat Jürgen Hubert
<jhubert@***.de> geschrieben:

> So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of "stock
> NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security
> personal,
> police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever opposition
> runners
> might run into.

Look into the NAGEE (can be found on the web at various places)
And look here:
http://blackjack.dumpshock.com/ARCHIVE_peopleplaces.htm#npcpersonalities

And once again, google saves the day ;)


--
Phillip Gawlowski
Bastard GameMaster from Hell and GeneralIdiot

http://www.jack-ryan.de/shadowrun
The Linux ShadowRun Character Generator Developer's Mailinglist : LSRCG-
developers@***********.net
Message no. 8
From: gurth@******.nl (Gurth)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 19:07:40 +0200
According to Penta John C, on Wednesday 25 June 2003 15:37 the word on the
street was...

> Yeah, but what about those of us who don't speak German?
>
> Are we gonna get screwed because stuff is on the web in German, then?

Fanpro.de is not the site of the English-language FanPro SR books. At any
rate, you can probably still use the NPCs with a little work and a German
-> your own language dictionary (because, obviously, things such as
attribute and skill names are different in the translation).

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Hooligans (zn) baldadige watervogel
-> Probably NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d- s:- !a>? C++(---) UL+ P(+) L++ E W--(++) N o? K w(--)
O V? PS+ PE@ Y PGP- t- 5++ X(+) R+++$ tv+(++) b++@ DI- D+ G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 9
From: w32.antidote.b@***.de (W32.Antidote.B)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 20:10:54 +0200
On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 18:49:50 +0200, Phillip Gawlowski
<cmd_jackryan@***.net> wrote:

> Am Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:46:52 +0200 (MEST) hat Jürgen Hubert
> <jhubert@***.de> geschrieben:
>
>> So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of "stock
>> NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security
>> personal,
>> police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever opposition
>> runners
>> might run into.
>
> Look into the NAGEE (can be found on the web at various places)
> And look here:
> http://blackjack.dumpshock.com/ARCHIVE_peopleplaces.htm#npcpersonalities

Just a quick note: There are NAGEE-Archetype Files available for the NSRCG
at the NSRCG (surprise *g*) Homepage.
(http://matrix.dumpshock.com/mcmackie/)
Just in case anybody does not know yet ;)

- The Antidote
Message no. 10
From: Tobias.D@********.de (Burning Avatar)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 07:28:40 +0200
On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 13:46:52 +0200 (MEST) Jürgen Hubert <jhubert@***.de>
wrote:

> So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of
> "stock NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like
> security personal, police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men...
> whatever opposition runners might run into.

I don't have an URl but I have a pdf-file with some 50 characters AK404
compiled. It's called "archetypes3.1.pdf", perhabs google finds
something with that?

- Burning Avatar

--
BA's Data Haven: http://tobias.d.bei.t-online.de/shadowrun

GCC0.3 y80.de[B] G92 SCP/F/SF:@@[SR] B+ f- RR rm++ rr++ l- m+ w+ s=:=
GM+(*):=:+/++[PF] h+++ p* LA- mf- W- C+ CG+ OG+ F+ c- K?
Message no. 11
From: cougar@***.rr.com (Robert Blackberg)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 08:26:03 -0400
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Burning Avatar" <Tobias.D@********.de>
>
>I don't have an URl but I have a pdf-file with some 50 characters
AK404
>compiled. It's called "archetypes3.1.pdf", perhabs google finds
>something with that?

It does, here's a link:

http://www.mwrycraft.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/den/files/archetypes3.1.pdf

Robert
Message no. 12
From: silvercat@***********.org (Jonathan Hurley)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 22:30:53 -0400
-----Original Message-----
From: shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com
[mailto:shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com] On Behalf Of Jürgen Hubert
Sent: 2003-June-25 07:47
To: shadowrn@*****.dumpshock.com
Subject: Stock NPCs?

I'm a fundamentally lazy guy, and I try to spend as little time as
possible
on preparation time for my adventures.

And what I've found to be particularily tedious in preparing Shadowrun
adventures is writing down NPC stats - complete with skills, cyberware,
equipment,
spells...

So I was wondering: Is there somewhere on the Internet a list of "stock
NPCs" for Shadowrun that could be used as is? Things like security
personal,
police officers, soldiers, mercenaries, hit men... whatever opposition
runners
might run into.

- Jürgen Hubert


[reply separator]

I tried that for a while, but I quickly realized that, except for color,
it doesn't matter. NPCs have a description (spur of the moment),
equipment appropriate to them (again, spur of the moment), and they roll
an appropriate amount of dice so as to challenge the PCs. Anything else
is color.


"I suppose this is what I get for letting rednecks play with
anti-matter; they just don't know when to say 'Okay, that's 'nough!'
Instead, it's always 'Hey' y'all! Watch this!'"
When the Devil Dances, John Ringo

Ian Argent
silvercat@***********.org
Message no. 13
From: gurth@******.nl (Gurth)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2003 10:58:25 +0200
According to Jonathan Hurley, on Tuesday 01 July 2003 04:30 the word on the
street was...

> I tried that for a while, but I quickly realized that, except for color,
> it doesn't matter. NPCs have a description (spur of the moment),
> equipment appropriate to them (again, spur of the moment), and they roll
> an appropriate amount of dice so as to challenge the PCs. Anything else
> is color.

I agree, the easiest way to do NPCs is to just make a few quick decisions
when you need them, instead of working it all out beforehand. Much less
work involved, and it's also just that bit easier to taylor the NPCs to
the opposition they will face this way :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - Stone Age: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Don't you know you know what's right?
-> Probably NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

GC3.12: GAT/! d- s:- !a>? C++(---) UL+ P(+) L++ E W--(++) N o? K w(--)
O V? PS+ PE@ Y PGP- t- 5++ X(+) R+++$ tv+(++) b++@ DI- D+ G+ e h! !r y?
Incubated into the First Church of the Sqooshy Ball, 21-05-1998
Message no. 14
From: silvercat@***********.org (Jonathan Hurley)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 13:22:13 -0400
-----Original Message-----
From: shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com
[mailto:shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com] On Behalf Of Gurth
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 4:58 AM
To: Shadowrun Discussion
Subject: Re: Stock NPCs?

According to Jonathan Hurley, on Tuesday 01 July 2003 04:30 the word on the
street was...

> I tried that for a while, but I quickly realized that, except for color,
> it doesn't matter. NPCs have a description (spur of the moment),
> equipment appropriate to them (again, spur of the moment), and they roll
> an appropriate amount of dice so as to challenge the PCs. Anything else
> is color.

I agree, the easiest way to do NPCs is to just make a few quick decisions
when you need them, instead of working it all out beforehand. Much less
work involved, and it's also just that bit easier to taylor the NPCs to
the opposition they will face this way :)

[reply separator]

Note, this trick works because SR is entirely a skills-based system. I'm
having a hell of a time running off-the-cuff adventures in my D&D campaign
because for class-based NPCs, a lot of their essential combat values are
tied to their class, and I haven't internalized the system to the degree
necessary to be able to pull those numbers out of thin air.

But in SR, an NPCs firearms skill is not related *by the rules* to anything
in particular (yes, I know that its advancement is somewhat limited by stat,
but that's not relevant to an NPC). The only thing that has to be written
down for a combat-opponent NPC is his damage track. Descriptions are useful
to have written down so as to maintain continuity. But usually all I go for
in planning beyond that is "Sam Stupid is easily affected by spells, has a
good ability with pistols and knives, and is fast". When it comes time for
dice to hit the table, I use that to determine how many dice to roll.

Also, I think I run a slightly different style of game than many people. I
run an action-movie style of game. I have explicitly changed results that
would outright kill PCs (which I don't want to due unless its do to their
own massive stupidity), and frequently changed course in plot when it looks
like the original plot just wasn't working (for whatever reason). On the
other hand, I prefer to hand out embarrassing (if temporary) flaws rather
than killing people (one character spent 2 months in a set of servo-assist
boots because all of his toes got blown off, and he didn't have clonal parts
handy; nor could he accept generic replacements or a cyberfoot due to having
magical ability). The overriding rule in my game is if it's cool, it's got a
chance of working. And if it hurts the story I want, it gets canned.

I also like to tinker with the base ruleset - the biggest pet peeve of my
players is that I sometimes change the rules around. I usually try to change
it on the back end (so that the player's interface to the rules remains the
same) but in the case of my firearms mod, that didn't work. In the end, I
run shadowrun with the rules as a guideline, and if I don't like something,
it comes down to the player makes a skill test, I set a target number, and
occasionally oppose it with something. If the rules get overcomplicated in
the book, I can them.

Currently, I do stealth as a resisted test between the sneakers' stealth vs
the average perception of the spotters (occasionally adjusted for
conditions) and the spotters' perception vs the sneakers' stealth check (1
test compared to the results of all sneakers) usually adjusted for
conditions. This is not at all the way the book says to do it, but I didn't
like the results that the book gave. Open tests are a particularly bad way
to do this IMHO because its not that unlikely in my experience for people to
get some absurdly high single die.
Message no. 15
From: frontendchaos@**********.com (Jim Montgomery)
Subject: Stock NPCs?
Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 20:21:04 -0400
> Also, I think I run a slightly different style of game than many people. I
> run an action-movie style of game.

I like this. Coming from Storyteller systems (lately Exalted in
specific),this is what my players are used to.

> Currently, I do stealth as a resisted test between the sneakers' stealth vs
> the average perception of the spotters (occasionally adjusted for
> conditions) and the spotters' perception vs the sneakers' stealth check (1
> test compared to the results of all sneakers) usually adjusted for
> conditions. This is not at all the way the book says to do it, but I didn't
> like the results that the book gave. Open tests are a particularly bad way
> to do this IMHO because its not that unlikely in my experience for people to
> get some absurdly high single die.

I was just re-reading the rules on Stealth a day or two ago in
preparation for my first session, and the Open test did seem to have
some skew to it, especially given the result in the -example- is 14! A
resisted test was what I was thinking as well, with modifiers based on
whether the perciever is on the lookout for sneaks (a guard on patrol)
or is going about their normal routine, oblivious (suit walking home
from work).

Jim

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Stock NPCs?, 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!