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Message no. 1
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 13:06:19 +0200
>It's almost possible to guarantee that a printed module will have an awful
>lot more to it than it seems at the start. My players tend to think to
>themselves when being offered a job "Hmmm, he says easy job, no more than
>a day, cakewalk, 5000-10000 nuyen...LIKELY", then promptly demand three
>times the nuyen to cover the sure to come unexpected eventualities.

The trick here is to keep the book out of sight of your players at all cost.
I made the mistake of leaning the QE module book against the edge of the
table while I ran it. We were nearly at the end of the first half at the
time, and I awared the PCs karma to make them think it was all over. The
player saw the top edge of the book, saw that it was half-way open, and said
"I think we've still got something ahead of us..."

--
Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
tattooed everything
GC3.0: GAT/! dpu s:- !a>? C+(++) U P L E? W(++) N K- w+ O V? PS+ PE Y PGP-
t(+) 5 X R+++>$ tv+(++) b+@ DI? D+ G++ e h! !r(--) y? Unofficial Shadowrun
Guru :)
Message no. 2
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 1995 00:16:52 +1000
Gurth writes:

> The trick here is to keep the book out of sight of your players at all cost.
> I made the mistake of leaning the QE module book against the edge of the
> table while I ran it. We were nearly at the end of the first half at the
> time, and I awared the PCs karma to make them think it was all over. The
> player saw the top edge of the book, saw that it was half-way open, and said
> "I think we've still got something ahead of us..."

Yeah, I'm wondering what scheme I'm going to have to use for Harlequin (yes,
I haven't run it yet, as a matter if fact I only bought it last year), since
the first 5 or so runs in that are not (apparently to the players)
connected. This is kind of defeated when they see the same book coming up
every now and then. Perhaps I'll photocopy the individual runs when I do
them. That should get around that particular problem.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au
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Message no. 3
From: Sascha Pabst <Sascha.Pabst@****.INFORMATIK.UNI-OLDENBURG.DE>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 1995 16:35:01 +0200
Damion Milliken wrote:
> Yeah, I'm wondering what scheme I'm going to have to use for Harlequin (yes,
> I haven't run it yet, as a matter if fact I only bought it last year), since
> the first 5 or so runs in that are not (apparently to the players)
> connected. This is kind of defeated when they see the same book coming up
> every now and then. Perhaps I'll photocopy the individual runs when I do
> them. That should get around that particular problem.
Start now! Pop H up once in a while, do heavy Paperwork in it, utter
"Just a moment, gotta look this up" in each and any run you do.
You will have them paranoid even before the first H-Run :-)

Sascha
--
+---___---------+-----------------------------------------+------------------+
| / / _______ | Jhary-a-Conel aka Sascha Pabst | The one does not |
| / /_/ ____/ |Sascha.Pabst@**********.Uni-Oldenburg.de |learn from history|
| \___ __/ | or | is bound to live |
|==== \_/ ======| Westerstr. 20 / 26121 Oldenburg | through it again.|
|LOGOUT FASCISM!| *Wearing hats is just a way of live* | |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+------------------+
| Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some |
| die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to |
| deal out death in judgement. -- Gandalf |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Message no. 4
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 1995 20:24:38 +0200
>Yeah, I'm wondering what scheme I'm going to have to use for Harlequin (yes,
>I haven't run it yet, as a matter if fact I only bought it last year), since
>the first 5 or so runs in that are not (apparently to the players)
>connected. This is kind of defeated when they see the same book coming up
>every now and then. Perhaps I'll photocopy the individual runs when I do
>them. That should get around that particular problem.

You can get around this by pulling some GM tricks: dig up a book from
wherever you keep your SR books, and use that to camouflage that you're
picking up another book (Harlequin, in this case) as well. Do this while
distracting the players by talking to them, letting them dig up some or
another bit of trivia in another book, or some other reason. Then quickly
dump the books behind your GM screen (you have got one of those, haven't
you? :) and they'll never know. Then of course make sure the PCs don't get a
look behind the screen before you have had the chance to "remove" the book
in a similar manner.

It works for me :)

--
Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
don't know what I want but I know how to get it
GC3.0: GAT/! dpu s:- !a>? C+(++) U P L E? W(++) N K- w+ O V? PS+ PE Y PGP-
t(+) 5 X R+++>$ tv+(++) b+@ DI? D+ G++ e h! !r(--) y? Unofficial Shadowrun
Guru :)
Message no. 5
From: "S.F. Eley" <gt6877c@*****.GATECH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 1995 18:20:58 -0400
> Yeah, I'm wondering what scheme I'm going to have to use for Harlequin (yes,
> I haven't run it yet, as a matter if fact I only bought it last year), since
> the first 5 or so runs in that are not (apparently to the players)
> connected. This is kind of defeated when they see the same book coming up
> every now and then. Perhaps I'll photocopy the individual runs when I do
> them. That should get around that particular problem.

That's how I handled the mini-runs in Double Exposure. No, scratch that --
the SECOND one I photocopied; the first one I just jotted down the armored
truck's schedule and statistics in my own notebook.

Unless you're a stickler for getting all those "Tell It To Them Straight"
lines right (and you already know what I think of those), there are
relatively few parts of a module you NEED to have open in front of you when
you're running it -- mostly NPC stats, sometimes a table (not often). For
short runs, if you read it thoroughly a few times before you play it, you
can remember most of the relevant details without having to refer back to
them while gaming. If you get confused, call a short break for some reason,
and look at the book where players can't get to it.

Photocopying might be better, but only if you can do it for free. >8->


Blessings,

_TNX._

--
Stephen F. Eley (-) gt6877c@*****.gatech.edu )-( Student Pagan Community
http://wc62.residence.gatech.edu| "Program flowering --
My opinions are my opinions. | Procedures, functions, data
Please don't blame anyone else. | Bloom effervescent."
Message no. 6
From: Mike and Jill Johnson <shadow@******.NET>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Sat, 19 Aug 1995 19:24:00 MDT
>Yeah, I'm wondering what scheme I'm going to have to use for Harlequin (yes,
>I haven't run it yet, as a matter if fact I only bought it last year), since
>the first 5 or so runs in that are not (apparently to the players)
>connected. This is kind of defeated when they see the same book coming up
>every now and then. Perhaps I'll photocopy the individual runs when I do
>them. That should get around that particular problem.
>
>--
>Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au

Either photocopy or just sit down with a word processor and type out the
whole module. This has some great side effects. First you will be very
familiar with the module. Second you can organize it into an order that you
like and/or think the players will follow. And third you can add notes
where you think the players will deviate from the printed module.

As long as you don't sell copies I don't think FASA would have a problem
with it either.

Mike
Message no. 7
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 1995 01:25:00 +1000
Sascha Pabst writes:

> Start now! Pop H up once in a while, do heavy Paperwork in it, utter
> "Just a moment, gotta look this up" in each and any run you do.
> You will have them paranoid even before the first H-Run :-)

That's a class idea. I'll start it next time we play. Thanks. Actually, I
might begin photocopying some modules as well, and using other modules that
I'm not really running. Confuse 'em even more :-)

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au
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Message no. 8
From: Steffen Lassahn <SL@*****.DE>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 1995 13:59:14 GMT+0100
> > Start now! Pop H up once in a while, do heavy Paperwork in it, utter
> > "Just a moment, gotta look this up" in each and any run you do.
> > You will have them paranoid even before the first H-Run :-)
>
> That's a class idea. I'll start it next time we play. Thanks. Actually, I
> might begin photocopying some modules as well, and using other modules that
> I'm not really running. Confuse 'em even more :-)
>
Would you please stop posting such great ideas on this list! ;-)
One of my players is reading this too and he should not know about
this stuff.

Mad Eagle


+---------------------------------------------------------+
| Steffen Lassahn sl@*****.de |
| Tel: +49-40-2507298 lassahn@*******.uni-hamburg.de |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
Message no. 9
From: Sascha Pabst <Sascha.Pabst@****.INFORMATIK.UNI-OLDENBURG.DE>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 1995 22:20:09 +0200
Mad Eagle wrote:
> > > Start now! Pop H up once in a while, do heavy Paperwork in it, utter
> > > "Just a moment, gotta look this up" in each and any run you do.
> > > You will have them paranoid even before the first H-Run :-)
> >
> > That's a class idea. I'll start it next time we play. Thanks. Actually, I
> > might begin photocopying some modules as well, and using other modules that
> > I'm not really running. Confuse 'em even more :-)
> >
> Would you please stop posting such great ideas on this list! ;-)
> One of my players is reading this too and he should not know about
> this stuff.
Sorry... but the qustion popped up here, not on ShadowGM, so I answered
here :-)

Sascha
--
+---___---------+-----------------------------------------+------------------+
| / / _______ | Jhary-a-Conel aka Sascha Pabst | The one does not |
| / /_/ ____/ |Sascha.Pabst@**********.Uni-Oldenburg.de |learn from history|
| \___ __/ | or | is bound to live |
|==== \_/ ======| Westerstr. 20 / 26121 Oldenburg | through it again.|
|LOGOUT FASCISM!| *Wearing hats is just a way of live* | |
+---------------+-----------------------------------------+------------------+
| Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some |
| die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to |
| deal out death in judgement. -- Gandalf |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Message no. 10
From: Stefan Struck <struck@******.INFORMATIK.UNI-BONN.DE>
Subject: Re: Traitorous Johnsons (Queen Euphoria Spoiler!)
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 1995 09:31:35 +0200
Damion wrote:
> Yeah, I'm wondering what scheme I'm going to have to use for Harlequin (yes,
> I haven't run it yet, as a matter if fact I only bought it last year), since
> the first 5 or so runs in that are not (apparently to the players)
> connected. This is kind of defeated when they see the same book coming up
> every now and then. Perhaps I'll photocopy the individual runs when I do
> them. That should get around that particular problem.
I did that and it worked well. Have to say that during this time we didn't
game that often. So when the next H. run came up everything from the last
run wasn't forgotten anyway 8)
Player: "These Ehran guy, didn't I hear the name somewhere before?"
BTW, my players are waiting to play HB now. Everytime we start a new game
they asked a couple of days before: "Will it be HB?" esp. when I call in a
big game session (with 3+ players, I said to them that it will be tough).
The answer is always "maybe" and then I'll bring the HB book with me and
lay it somewhere at a not-so-obvious (sp?) place and let them wonder.
I think HB will not be in line for another 3 month or so but it's always
nice to see them wisper, pointing at the book.
bye,
Stefan
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