| From: | Pete Sims <petesims@********.demon.co.uk> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Informal Survey - answer (long) |
| Date: | Wed, 25 Sep 1996 02:16:47 +0100 |
<gurth@******.nl> writes
>Pete Sims said on 2:55/24 Sep 96...
>
>> This leads me on to a question. Why do Shadowrunners so often resort to
>> gunplay? There is no possible way they can predict the other person's
>> profficiency with their weapon, and may be starting the end of their
>> lives.
>
>My guess is because they believe in their own ability with their weapons.
>If the shadowrunner believes he's one of the best shots in the world, he's
>bound to think almost everybody he meets is less skilled, so he'll draw
>his gun sooner -- he expects to win.
>
That would explain why "Boot Hill" is so full in the old west, but in
these days of enhanced articulation, smartlinks, rapid fire sidearms,
speed and armour augmentation, synaptic accelerators etc. The
Shadowrunner with half a brain should realise that if he/she's got it,
there's a damn good chance the other guy has, and anywhere hostile, is
likely to house more than the obvious threat in front of you. Of course
if some geek is going to stand up and challenge the PCs, trying to get a
rep while taking down a heavy dude, fair enough, you gotta stand up and
rely on the 'ware to take him down. But engaging in firefights just
'coz one is carrying some high tech hose pipe is nonsensical, almost
tantamount to suicide, and hell, hospital charges are exorbitant enough,
without having to make payoffs to keep some nosy Doc quiet.
It took a while before my players learned that shooting everything that
moved wasn't the solution to the problem, but I'm lucky in that respect,
they've figured it out, and although firefights are still a part of most
games, they aren't the desired result anymore. I've talked to other
GM's in my area, who have endless problems with trigger happy
characters, and it's surprising how many of them are fed up with it,
although there are one or two who live for it.
It just makes me wonder, when I listen to a player who lost his/her
facourite character because the GM shot him/her, and then as the
conversation continues, it transpires that the player opened up on a
corp sec team while on an insurgency mission, while still deep in
whatever complex they had infiltrated, ending up having to try and fight
their way out. When I ask in amazement why they shot the sec team in
the first place, the usual answer is along the lines of "Why not?" I
know in ST:TOS, security guards were there to die, but this is
Shadowrun, Corp Sec don't wear red shirts, and don't wonder aimlessly in
circles looking for a quick death. They're family men, with a wife and
kids at home, a mortgage, a loan, desires, loves, hates, and a life of
their own.
It was only after my players witnessed the trauma caused to families
(after one of their more lucrative runs) via TriD (they televised the
funeral of the Lone Star officers the team had offed) that they realised
that the guys in uniform, might be the enemy, but they are also people
too.
Enough, I'm starting to waffle.... 8-)
TTFN
Pete
--
Pete Sims
Civilisation advances by extending the number of important operations which we
can perform without thinking about them.
