| From: | rogue@*****.fr (Sebastien Andrivet) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Who knows what evil... (campaign) |
| Date: | Tue, 13 Aug 1996 13:43:14 GMT |
mood-intensive, controlled environnement one.
The Shadow
As you may have inferred from the title, this campaign is based on the
pulp character called the Shadow (only logical in a game named Shadowrun,
neh ?). The Shadow is very difficult to do right, as was alas demonstrated
by that execrable movie one or two years ago ; if you wish more reference
on this great character, check back issues of The Shadow Strikes Back !
from D.C. Comics. They can be found at 50c apiece, but are IMHO worth far
more.
Characters
The characters are among the numerous agents of the Shadow. He saved their
life at some point, and he now own them. They have to be absolutely
obedient to him, and are expected to risk their live to bring back accurate
information to the Shadow about any possible criminal activities. They are
also issued direct orders.
For this one, I use Blackjack's rules on character creation, and more
specifically his "lesser powered" character creation table. This is a
cliffhanger-like campaign, not one about walking tanks fireballing
everything in sight.
Scenarios
One big question is how well you can play the Shadow. If you have the feel
for the character and can wrap yourself in his peerless mystique, you could
have yours PCs to be among the Shadow's top agents, like Margo Lane, Harry
Vincent or Shrevvy. In that case, they regularly have direct orders, and
can understand their role in the Shadow's "run".
If you don't feel up to playing a legend (humility is a virtue, you know),
the PCs are going to be "sleeper" agents. They will chiefly investigate on
their own, or the Shadow will direct them on long term missions that are
more complicated than they appear.
In both cases, these are espionnage missions. Which % you wish to invest
in ballroom chat, and which % you which to invest in night raids to grab
highly protected optical chips depends solely on your tastes.
The agents
Full time agents of the Shadow are suplied with 2500Y per month, which
allows for a low lifestyle and mission-specific expenses ; they can request
more expensive pieces equipement on a case-by-case basis. Keep in mind that
the Shadow's agents are not motivated by greed, or the desire to prove that
they have the biggest di... I mean, cyberware. They own their very life to
the man, and now serve the cause of Justice.
Oh, and they don't wear a huge signet ring to identify themselves.
Why did I design this campaign ?
- The characters are not psycho munchkins. Hmm, did I already say that ?
- The characters are bound to have interesting life stories. Some have
attempted suicide, some have almost been killed, some were mentally or
physically ill... all bear scars, and have deep, personal secrets. Plenty
of great role-playing potential here.
- The GM has great control over the PCs, and can make certain the story is
always exciting and loaded with ambience. He even has a great NPC which can
logically advise the character when they're stuck or sidetracked... even if
the players are in the dark, the Shadow Knows. The GM can also make sure
that the players will get to mingle with varied and interesting peoples and
places.
- I *love* to role-play The Shadow.
- Even if they have checkered pasts, the characters are the Good Guys.
Fewer hurt feelings, lost time and bad memories due to backstabbing or
Mongol-like behaviour.
- One of my characters was an agent of Harlequin, and I wished to expand
the concept for other players, but with a different NPC. I like Harlequin,
but he just ain't the Shadow.
That's about it. Oh, and tell me if you happen to use one of my campaign
description ; I'd love to hear about it.
Sebastien Andrivet
rogue@*****.fr
France / Europe
"I'm not gonna try to hit him. I'm gonna try to hit myself. Since my skill
with a staff is so low, I have a good chance of achieving critical failure
and hitting the wrong target, and there's only me and him around. So I
attack him by trying to hit myself".
- Fred
