From:	Andre' Selmer <031SEA@******.WITS.AC.ZA>
Subject:	Re: Everyone(almost) who plays Shadowrun is a Munchkin!
Date:	Mon, 11 Sep 1995 12:29:33 +0200

}On Sun, 10 Sep 1995, Dustin Wood wrote:
}
}> I have found that giving a character a disadvantage can often add a
}> lot to the role-playing aspects of the character, some examples that come to
}> mind are a blind decker or mage. A decker could see VR and a mage could use
}> astral perception, but both limit his ability to interact with the physical
}> world. A physical affliction or phobia, or some kind of quirky mental code
}> seem to work well too.
}> Illness, fear of water or flying, or a strict code against killing
}> are examples of this. Anyone have feedback?

Disadvantages (and advantages) add an entire new dimension to
characters. The disadvantages add that little bit of extra thrill
when your character finally manages overcome it. It must be be stated
however that (I personal opinion) that the dis/ad-vantages must
result from role playing. For example my character Limpit has a sever
phobia of vampire. First time he encounter one it beat him up, as
with the second, and the third and actually the fourth times as well.
What started as me running away from the vampire in the second time
(optional) resulted finally in a total paranoia about vampires. How
many character walk around with a carved stake in a holster that is
regularly bathed in a solution of holy water and garlic, has Aztec
sun symbols carved over it (and is trying to get it tipped with
oricalcum)... and that is not mentioning his axe.. It cost enought
nuyen to get a big enough plank of Africa Iornwood..

Apart from diverting, the point is that whether runners like it or
not they are walking very close to the edge of sanity. They have to
be consistanly alert and experience stress, that would probably give
us stomach ulcers just thinking about it... Disorders will arise.

Andre'

+-----------------------------------------------------------+
|It has been said that the they who stay in the shadows have|
|no soul, no depth, no moral conviction. But how can one |
|say this when, it is they who have lost themselves in the |
|search utopia. We are the realists, we work from the |
|unseen corners of society, we do what no another has the |
|strength to do, with our cybered bodies and magic extreme |
|we prevent the corruption from spreading and destroying |
|your dreams, not through power, but bullets, sweat, tears |
|and blood. All of this we do for your sake, and few nuyen. |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+

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