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i'm not too familiar with 4e shadowrun (haven't played since 2e actually), but i recommend you read william gibson novels (specifically: neuromancer, count zero, mona lisa overdrive) to get a feel for how a good cyberpunk setting would run.
i think basing the runners in a non-corp controlled area is a good idea, you can go for a "casablanca" feel of corporate presence, but not control.
one thing to remember in shadowrun: lethality isn't a big issue, don't run it like d&d. characters can die rather easily. double crosses are commonplace, and life is cheaper than nutrasoy...
as far as the mean rate for a run, well, milkruns might net 1k to 5k per member, depending. raiding an archology (renraiku, for instance) for some hot r&d prototype or software would yield a much larger reward, maybe 50k to 100k for the group. you could also pay them in equipment (milspec black market weaponry, body armor, cyber and bio mods, hot icebreakers, stuff like that).
don't worry too much about having only three players: big groups usually aren't the norm for shadowruns, smaller groups can usually move about less conspicuously.
i hope this helps somewhat, sorry i couldn't be more specific.
A couple points to keep in mind:
1) Detailed background and setting are very important when the PCs create characters and the GM creates scenarios. The game works best (IMO) when played in a gritty, detail-oriented style. "Working the street" for details and information should play a key role in the scenario. PCs should "keep to the shadows" and avoid making a lot of "noise" (i.e., refrain from combat as much as possible and try not to stand out). Planning for contingencies, both in general (safehouses, alternate identities, etc.) and by scenario (what if the target is moved? what if alarms are tripped?), is also extremely important.
2) The "feel" of the game should be dangerous and morally ambiguous. Combat should be potentially deadly; always. NPCs should be mostly greedy and ruthless; trust should be a rare commodity (and be of varying levels, when it does exist). Betrayals, or at least secret agendas, should be commonplace. The PCs are not tremendously powerful; more capable than the average person, yes, but they can't directly match the resources of even the smaller corporations (if nothing else, they can be swarmed under by enough bodies).
Three PCs is a pretty good number, since there are really only three bases to cover: magic, muscle, and tech.
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Three PCs is a pretty good number, since there are really only three bases to cover: magic, muscle, and tech.
agreed, and you can always subcontract the tech (decker, rigger) if the players don't want to play one. if i understand correctly, 4e shadowrun made running a decker (i guess they call them something else now, though) easier to do within the group dynamic, so maybe that isn't as unattractive an option as it was in 1st and 2nd ed...
i'm not too familiar with 4e shadowrun (haven't played since 2e actually), but i recommend you read william gibson novels (specifically: neuromancer, count zero, mona lisa overdrive) to get a feel for how a good cyberpunk setting would run.
i think basing the runners in a non-corp controlled area is a good idea, you can go for a "casablanca" feel of corporate presence, but not control.
one thing to remember in shadowrun: lethality isn't a big issue, don't run it like d&d. characters can die rather easily. double crosses are commonplace, and life is cheaper than nutrasoy...
as far as the mean rate for a run, well, milkruns might net 1k to 5k per member, depending. raiding an archology (renraiku, for instance) for some hot r&d prototype or software would yield a much larger reward, maybe 50k to 100k for the group. you could also pay them in equipment (milspec black market weaponry, body armor, cyber and bio mods, hot icebreakers, stuff like that).
don't worry too much about having only three players: big groups usually aren't the norm for shadowruns, smaller groups can usually move about less conspicuously.
i hope this helps somewhat, sorry i couldn't be more specific.
I'm somewhat familiar with cyberpunk as a whole, being a fan of works like Ghost in the Shell (which is very much like 4e shadowrun). The trick for me is to pull all the elements of shadowrun together. I know them separately but it take some time to get the hang of them together.
My concern with lethality is that the players are new to shadowrun and tend to be a little bold with their characters. These two factors combined makes me have a gut feeling that someone is going to have their guts splattered over a wall, and waste some 30 mins of character generation on top of removing them from a game.
I figured 3 PCs would be fine on any given run, but I sorta worried in the long run that the PCs will lack some skills, given that character seem to end up having about 1-3 skills they're good at,...
Consider having one or several of the players have a Buddy. If you do have 3 players you can use the Buddy mechanics to fill in roles that would be good(if not critical for soem runs) to have. Like a Rigger Buddy who pilots their ship, or a Decker Buddy who will handle the hacking. This helps prevent the group splitup mid adevnture , or the "you all sit for a half hour while i deal with the matrix for bob here" It also helps to gloss over rule subset chapters so you won't have to become intimately familiar with every mechanic right away. Thats the best advice i can think of for 'new' GM's there.
Shadowrun actually works rather well with fewer players. (At least the way I usually ran it back in SR2/SR3. I have 4th, but haven't actually run it yet)
Essentially, if you go by the cliches, your PCs are hired specifically for a given shadowrun. Presumably, in almost every case, there has been some due diligence or background checks done by the Mr Johnson, even if its only asking about their street cred, etc. Or maybe they were referred by a fixer, whatever.
But they wouldn't approach someone who didn't have at least the basic skills to get the job down. Just like Paizo isn't about to hire me to help Gary and Vic with the website, Mr Johnson isn't going to hire a knuckle-dragging street samurai for a run that heavily involves decking or a trip to the Metaplanes.
Of course, there can be complications and unexpected difficulties, or sessions where the PCs aren't hired specifically for a run, but have it forced on them by circumstances (blackmail, etc). But generally, if you get approached by Mr Johnson for Shadowrun XXX... its a safe bet you can accomplish the job with your existing skills... assuming you don't die first ;-)
*A floating roster of characters works rather well. (I imagine the original Mission Impossible cast)
1-2 characters per player gives some variety, but does slow the progression a bit. But since Shadowrunners tend to be created at a decent powerlevel and then slowly advance, that isn't such a big deal.
It also opens up the scenario where you can have rotating GMs as well, since Shadowrun lends itself well to episodic content. (ie. If Bob is GM'ing this run, then Bob's character isn't available. But next session when Jim is GM, Bob's character is back in town, etc)
I would suggest reading some of the shadowrun books; there are a lot of them out there; each of them more or less reads just like an adventure and can give you some good background.
I am currently playing in a game with the new edition for a couple months now; and what I see as the biggest problem is finding a challenge for the players. Things tend to be very one sided for either the players or the mobs. And we are still stuggling to get all the rules down for modifiers for stuff like decking the matrix, combat in various conditions, spells.
Also, immersion is kinda difficult; consider having about 12 big brother corporations always watching you, other shadow runners; deckers of all kinds; shamans and various type mages watching things; all kinds of agendas.
I would suggest to run a game; that you center things around a fixer; create a few common Mr. Johnson's and create a healthy competitive environment between some moderate sized corps who are doing some petty fighting; stealing; and whatnot between each other and using shadowteams to get objectives accomplished; also; have some infighting between managers or managment levels inside a corps itself; maybe a little guy is looking to get promoted and wants to smear his boss so he hires a shadowteam; stuff like that.
oh; money depends on risk and time of service. In the fiction books; it tend to 500 to 3k for a job for a one night thing for courier to providing muscle for a valuable delivery or theft. Other than that I couldnt offer any suggestions.
The general rule of thumb is a shadowrun should net the character enough money to pay their lifestyle costs for the month. If they want to live wealthy they will need to take on more dangerous runs. If they want to live on the street they can get by knocking over liquor stores or some such.
In Third Edition there was the Shadowrun Companion. The book was great when it came to advice for setting up runs and how much to pay out. The setting info is a bit different in pre-Fourth Edition but you can always make it work.
The basic format for a run is this: 1. The runners meet the Johnson and learn about the run. 2. The team investigates the corporate facility they need to break into and do general legwork to prepare for the run. 3. The team breaks into said facility and steals/breaks/whatever they were sent in for. 4. Meet with the Johnson again to get paid. Now, obviously, it's a good idea to mix that up a little bit but at its most basic that is a Shadowrun. If all else fails, go watch the movie Ronin, you'll get the idea.
I recommend the great adventure On The Run for Fourth Edition. it gradually introduces all of the elements of the game and allows for everyone to get a handle of what a Shadowrun is and the important elements of the world. I ran it recently and it was lots of fun. It takes a little while to get intense so my action junkie got a little bored in the beginning but its a fun run and the action payoff is a great scene to run.
If you're planning on running a Southeast Asia game you should also consider Runner Havens. There is a great big write up on Hong Kong as a setting. You could easily have the city there as a big metroplex stopping point. Plus there's lots of story hooks and ideas to build an adventure from. Also in Third Edition there was a sourcebook called Cyberpirates that focused on the kind of campaign you're thinking of running. I never really read it so I don't know if it's any good or not.
dont forget; Mr. Johnson always has his own agenda; is really nice and accomidating for the hire; tends to leave a bitter taste and sometimes screws runners over at the end; and sometimes someone else is pulling his strings or usualy is pulling his strings.
also; elf gold; dissappears when you try to spend it. that is a common theme in the books.
When I first started gming shadowrun, I found it a bit tough to get the feel of the game, until I picked up some sourcebooks to fill in some of the gaps. The main book has great crunch and some good fluff, but it doesn't have room for all the fluff I wanted to run my game. There are some books out for 4E, but they are mostly crunch type books. However, there are lots of good setting and fluff books out for 3E. You can still find hardcopies of most, but they are certainly available on pdf (paizo even sells some for pretty cheap) Here are some I liked (in no particular order):
Sprawl Survival guide: gives a great amount of fluff on what life is like in the cities of the shadowrun world. Lots of fluff, and some crunch too. There are some good rules for setting up bolt holes for your characters to hide out in, and making fake id's etc....
Corporate Security Handbook: This book was great for helping to devise security features for a facility. The crunch stuff won't be that useful in 4E, but it would still give a gm lots of good ideas.
The Underworld Sourcebook: I was a big fan of this one, because I liked the organized crime syndicates. It has plenty of info on the Maffia, Yukuza, and Triads, as well as some other organizations.
New Seattle: I set my game in seattle, so this was must have.
There are also lots of good adventure's which can be a great starting point. Most of the 2nd and 3rd edition adventures would convert to 4E without too much trouble.
I think they just came out with a new campaign style adventure for 4E, but I'm don't know much about it. I remember flipping through it and not liking how it was organized.
Anything by Nigel Findley is generally awesome, and worth buying just for the read alone. He died a while back, so you won't find any 4E material with his name on it.
Oh yeah there is also a pirates/smugglers type book for 3E. I forget the name off hand, but it has lots of rules for different boats and such. It describes the carribean of the shadowrun world in detail, and from the sounds of your campaign description you would find it very useful.
The smugglers haven's book would also be good for you (again a 3E book). From what you described in your post I could see a lot of smuggling type operations. A rigger type would probably be highly useful for your party.
If you go with three players I would recommend a cybered up fighter type (as they are always fun to play in the Shadowrun game, and one of the easier archetypes to manage). I would have a rigger, who can do some computer stuff, pilot the boat, and run some drones (this is one of my favourite types of characters, but it is one of the trickier one's to put together and run, so the player might have to ease into it a bit by not having too many drones and things like that to start with- a boat, a combat drone and a stealthy surveillance drone should suffice initially). A magic user would also be handy (shaman or mage doesn't really make too much of a difference except in terms of flavour and rp).
Make up a few of the key contacts they will need to start with. A fixer (to help them get work). A Mr. Johnson to offer them their first job. A street doc (to fix them up when they come back nearly dead, and upgrade some cyberware). A talismonger (to help out with magic type stuff), a mechanic (to fix vehicles, mount weapons on their boat, and give them access to drones). And maybe a social contact (like a bar tender).
For the first run keep it pretty simple to get the feel of the game. A snatch and grab always makes for a great first run. Maybe have them hired to raid a minor corporate facility that has been built on some island (though usually facilities hidden away on islands aren't minor). Usually they would need to steal a physical object. It could be either technological (new nanotech or biotech) or arcane in nature (some old scrolls or a dragon egg).
They need their boat to get out there. They might have to sneak past some water patrols. They could then use their surveillance drone to gather some info about the sight or the mage could go astral and scout it out.
Typically they would then come up with a plan for their raid, but usually they overlook a something, which causes the raid to not go as planned. Maybe they don't notice that the compound has a high altitude stealth surveillance drone that notices their boat, or the device they still has a GPS chip hidden in it etc... They might think they are making a clean getaway, but then suddenly have bunch of gun boats chasing them or security chopper.
Complications can also arrive when they get back to shore.
I wouln't screw them too too much on their first run. I'd let them do a few jobs where they have a decent chance of success. Keep them pretty straightforward with only one or two complications in a run. Let them get a feel for their characters and the game system. Let them build a bit of a reputation for themselves. Once that's been done, then you can lay into them with a real nasty run, where they get screwed over in several ways, but if they make it out of it there is a big pay out.
In 3E there was a lot of variation in money for runs, but generally what should seem like a pretty easy run would net runners around 2-5K per runner. Later on when they were had reputations and got tougher runs they might get between 20-50k each per run. However, cyberware prices in 4E are a lot cheaper, so I wouldn't give them too much money to start. Enough to pay a month or two in living expenses and maybe upgrade some equipment a little.
Hey, with all these Great Shadowrun GM's on here, anyone interested in starting up a Shadowrun PbP?? Huh? Pretty Please? =D
And if/when ya do, put me down top of your player list! ;-)
First off, where are you located? I have been jonesin' for some runnin', and I will give great advice in person... ;)
GM advice: In all honestly, most Shadowrun modules are a very good source for how to build an adventure. And truthfully, edition changes don't matter that much to the basic plotline. You can find tons of modules either online or at your FLGS or used bookstore for cheap. Get a couple. See how they set up contacts and gathering information (and double and triple cross the players). Someone already mentioned On teh RUn, the 4e starting adventure, and it is a good tool to get everyone used to the game. As for rewards, the nuyen varies from a piddly few hundred to several million, depending on the complexity of the run. Generally, a good idea is to start small, to allow the runners to build a rep and "reward" them with the opportunity to take riskier and more convoluted missions with commensurate rewards. Of course, sometimes they need to be screwed over (seriously! if you're not screwing the players on a regular basis it just ain't Shadowrun; my group was ready to make a run on FASA corp in the 90s).
I disagree with the poster who advocated every combat should be rough. My experiences in shadowrun showed mix really tough battles and really easy ones. The tough battles were memorable, but if every battle is tough, the players burn out. Let them pile on a few gangers or lowlifes every now and then. It will make them feel better about the HMG burst to the chest later.
Player advice: Make up a minimum of two characters to start. Actually, I even go so far as to recommend total newbs use the templates, and switch around a few things, like skills or spells. The templates are generally decent, and due to some confusion on the pic of a template, led to one player in my old group being a pre-op transexual orc samurai. Characters will die, or be arrested, or have to leave town, so make sure you have at least one more ready to go.
In terms of number of players, three to four is ideal. Magic is power. Have a magician or you're toast (and you will toast those without magic). Have a samurai or some other basher. Have a tech guy (though this can be farmed out). And look for overlap. In a small group, I had a mage/decker that worked great, and a decker/samurai that was the world's most kick-ass decker.
Also, make sure at least one character has contacts and social skills. Whereas Charisma is almost an afterthought in many DnD campaigns, it is essential in Shadowrun. High social skills means better information which exponentially increases one's survival rate. It gives one a chance to see where the double cross is coming from. It also increases the nuyen payout, by being able to negotiate higher prices for hocking salvaged goods.
Finally, playyers need to question everything and everyone and follow the money. Expect the worst, plan for the worst, map out every contingency, and make friends (and pay them well). Even then, make sure your docwagon is paid in full, and expect serious pain. As a player, work to avoid combat unless you can control the time and place (think like a kobold) and always have two or three exit plans.
Good luck!
hehe; seconded if he will; current edition? hehe
ok, i nominate the Stick to run the pbp...
Well, Stick, What say ye?? =D
ok, i nominate the Stick to run the pbp...Well, Stick, What say ye?? =D
Oh, I wish I could... Unfortunately my gaming time has taken a severe hit due to (1) a new baby (first) due very soon, (2) a new job starting this week, with lectures to prepare and tenure to get, and (3) searching for (and hopefully buying and then moving into) our first home. :) I hope by February to have a little more gaming time, but alas, I find I can only play twice a month these days.
Thanks for the votes of confidence! I appreciate it, and I hope if a pbp starts up I might be able to be a player. But just not GM for a while.
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ok, i nominate the Stick to run the pbp...Well, Stick, What say ye?? =DOh, I wish I could... Unfortunately my gaming time has taken a severe hit due to (1) a new baby (first) due very soon, (2) a new job starting this week, with lectures to prepare and tenure to get, and (3) searching for (and hopefully buying and then moving into) our first home. :) I hope by February to have a little more gaming time, but alas, I find I can only play twice a month these days.
Thanks for the votes of confidence! I appreciate it, and I hope if a pbp starts up I might be able to be a player. But just not GM for a while.
(1) congradulations!
(2) what subject? and...congradulations again!
(3) i'd wait for a few more months, you'd probably get a better deal (unless you're in a stable market - like houston- then go for it!)
as for the last paragraph, hey, i'm patient ;)
(1) congradulations!
(2) what subject? and...congradulations again!
(3) i'd wait for a few more months, you'd probably get a better deal (unless you're in a stable market - like houston- then go for it!)
as for the last paragraph, hey, i'm patient ;)
(1) Thank you!
(2) I'm a biochemist, and will be teaching in a chemistry department (and thank you again).
(3) I'm in no hurry to buy, but having the summer mostly free, we've seen about 40 houses (and untold hundreds online), and have identified a couple that we like. And if they don't accept our offer, or the banks don't offer a great mortgage, we have the best landlords ever -- seriously, we have to buy after them; they gave us money for landscaping and paid our renter's insurance.
And for the last paragraph, we'll see. I've never played PBP, must less GMed, but I may try to get my feet wet and see if I like it. Of course, if you move to NC, that might facilitate a live game... :)
i've never run a pbp either, and i haven't played shadowrun since 2e (really didn't do much gaming in the late '90s and didn't start back up in earnest until '03, and then it was all 3.5 - easiest groups top find, frankly), so i'm hesitant to try as well...
Well, I was in a similiar boat, except even more extended. I had played D&D extensivly as a youth but then not at all in my late teens & twenties and it wasn't until my mid 30's, just a few years ago, that I heard of some people playing D&D that I even realized people still played as adults! lol So I immediately started in a few tabletop games and all was swell. That's when I tried Shadowrun as well. But then I moved to Mexico and, Alas! No more gaming <sniff> <sniff> but then Joy! I found PBP games and happiness has again entered my life (que violins lol yes yes a tad dramatic I know...just go with it ;-) and I must say that, so far, I've quite enjoyed it. Most of the games I am in do not post as frequently as I would like but I am following a couple that have a great posting rate. I'm sure this format could and would work just as well for Shadowrun...perhaps even better as SR is a heavy RPing game...
So, Anyone?? Anyone?? We need a brave GM to step up to the Shadowrun Plate! =D
The general rule of thumb is a shadowrun should net the character enough money to pay their lifestyle costs for the month.
The problem with "just enough to pay the rent" rewards is that they're way too small to be realistic.
A regular joe with a safe easy job can pay the rent.
Shadowrunners are usually highly skilled people who do dangerous stuff. Surely they'll be paid more than minimum wage.
Geoff.
The problem with "just enough to pay the rent" rewards is that they're way too small to be realistic.
A regular joe with a safe easy job can pay the rent.
Shadowrunners are usually highly skilled people who do dangerous stuff. Surely they'll be paid more than minimum wage.
Geoff.
Very true but that assumes profit. That would be money left over after replacing all of the expendables from the mission and then doing a little upgrading. I originally thought it was pretty small when I first started applying that thought process to the pay but once I figured out exactly what they meant it works out pretty well.
Check out the pay for the Shadowrun Missions downloads (Shadowrun4.com/missions) and it gives a good idea for reasonable pay that works pretty well. It allows a character to receive the money to pay for their lifestyle and upgrade a little as they go.
Though I like the idea of trying to run Shadowrun pbp I just don't see myself having the time. I'll see how things go over the next couple of months, and if it doesn't look like too much of a burden on my schedule I might give it a shot. One of my players may be taking more of the gming duties in our weekly table top game, so that could free up some time, but I've been trying to find extra time to focus on my artistic pursuits and my job is pretty demanding as well. I'll think on it.
i've never run a pbp either, and i haven't played shadowrun since 2e (really didn't do much gaming in the late '90s and didn't start back up in earnest until '03, and then it was all 3.5 - easiest groups top find, frankly), so i'm hesitant to try as well...Well, I was in a similiar boat, except even more extended. I had played D&D extensivly as a youth but then not at all in my late teens & twenties and it wasn't until my mid 30's, just a few years ago, that I heard of some people playing D&D that I even realized people still played as adults! lol So I immediately started in a few tabletop games and all was swell. That's when I tried Shadowrun as well. But then I moved to Mexico and, Alas! No more gaming <sniff> <sniff> but then Joy! I found PBP games and happiness has again entered my life (que violins lol yes yes a tad dramatic I know...just go with it ;-) and I must say that, so far, I've quite enjoyed it. Most of the games I am in do not post as frequently as I would like but I am following a couple that have a great posting rate. I'm sure this format could and would work just as well for Shadowrun...perhaps even better as SR is a heavy RPing game...
So, Anyone?? Anyone?? We need a brave GM to step up to the Shadowrun Plate! =D
Shadowrun my all time favourite RPG - (Unfortunately my group liked other RPGs). Played up to 3ed love the world.... Some many conspiracies within conspiracies. The 8th Dwarf was the running name of my first character.
DM hat on.
Shadowrun is NPC driven.... Its not hordes of goblins that you face up to but people with motives and agendas.
Contacts, buddies, friends, family all can effect the way the game can pan out - the richer the background the better.
Ok start your characters out slow and build on the world. The bar brawl though clichéd is a good way to get a good feel for the game.
Location:
The Chrome Wolf a bar in a rundown part of the sprawl.The Wolf is dilapidated and ramshackle.
Tarnished chrome fittings and wolf motifs dominate the the basement bar. The front door is located at the base of a set of pitted rubbish covered plas-steel stairs.
The back door opens into a poorly lit and dumpster filled alleyway. The alleyway is populated by cooks and waiters from the various food joints taking a break out the back or preparing food. Further up the alleyway lounge various substance abusers and BTL addicts.
Inside the bar the floor is grey plas-steel. The chrome fittings mirror and distort the red neon lighting. The lighting and smoke from cigarettes and a hidden smoke machine make it difficult to see people in booths (also interferes with laser sights).
There are data ports and white-noise generators at each of the booths. The walls of each booth the booths are padded and have some kevlar backing
Characters:
The characters are there to meet up if the know each other or if they don't they are there to see contacts, friends or lovers.
NPC's:
Gaz:
An orc is the barman and owner of the Wolf. He is an old veteran of the Eurowars his ancient cyberarm whirs and stutters. Gaz's face is scared and battered. Gaz rarely speaks and is not particularly friendly.
Up to you to flesh the rest of the NPC's out
Patrons: The usual group of shadowy lowlife scum, dealers, scammers, prostitutes (Joyboys and Joygirls)raconteurs, and "businessmen".
The bad guys: If you have meta's in your team use a Humanis (Nazi,KKK) bassed gang. Otherwise go with an elf gang (because unlike other RPGs elves are highly intelligent, well-hard, psychotic bad-asses). Give the ganagers a little bit of cyberware and some magic. Roughly 1.5 - 1 odds, enough to make it a challenge but one they can win.
The gangers motivation is to rob the joint and smash some (meta/human) scum.
Have the fight escalate - fists then knives(barstools, bottles)then guns.
After the fight (If they win) have Gaz call them over and offer to put them in contact with somebody that can give them some work. Then he tells them to get leave by the back door before LoneStar turn up.
(Now the players have a meeting place and a contact).
Have the Johnston or Fixer give them a small job - a delivery or a bodyguard or babysitting job. If they successfully complete the job then give them a harder job. Build them up make them confident then hand them their arses on a platter.
I've been thinking a bit more about the notion of doing a pbp Shadowrun game, and maybe I could swing it. I do miss Shadowrun.
Thus, this message is for Khaladon, Valgrim and Houstonderek (and possibly a forth). If you guys are interested here's what I have in mind.
Due to the nature of pbp's I'd like to minimize the combat aspect of the game. It can get a little too complicated, and I don't want to have to try to post too many maps and the like. I'm leaning towards a style of play that focuses more heavily on rping and investigation. As a result, if I'm going to do a Shadowrun pbp, it's going to be slightly different than the typical shadowrun type campaign.
To start with I'm think of adapting the old 1st addition adventure Ivy and Chrome. If you are familiar with that one, you might not want to play. It has a pretty strong investigative focus, and lots of opportunity for good street level NPC interaction.
The characters would be PIs for a private detective agency (Emerald City Investigations). I'd have to look at the character creation rules again, but I think that I'll be reducing the standard point allotment. Cyberware and magic would still be options, but it would lean more towards aiding in investigations. Some minor combat cyber might be possible, but it would probably all be licensed and registered.
Think of it more as cyberpulp instead of cyberpunk.
If that sounds interesting to you guys let me know.
PS sorry for the threadjack. We'll get our own thread going ASAP.
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1st edition works (i'm a bit rusty, though, haven't played SR in a while), but yeah, i'm definitely down for some "cyberpulp"!
chrome and ivy? i owned it a million years ago, but i couldn't tell you thing one about it to be honest. the only adventure i remember anything about was the one with the insect spirits, and i don't even remember what it was called...
keep me posted, i would love to play :)
I'm not actually planning on using 1E rules. I'll go 3E or 4E, whatever you guys prefer.
1st edition works (i'm a bit rusty, though, haven't played SR in a while), but yeah, i'm definitely down for some "cyberpulp"!
chrome and ivy? i owned it a million years ago, but i couldn't tell you thing one about it to be honest. the only adventure i remember anything about was the one with the insect spirits, and i don't even remember what it was called...
keep me posted, i would love to play :)
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I'm not actually planning on using 1E rules. I'll go 3E or 4E, whatever you guys prefer.
1st edition works (i'm a bit rusty, though, haven't played SR in a while), but yeah, i'm definitely down for some "cyberpulp"!
chrome and ivy? i owned it a million years ago, but i couldn't tell you thing one about it to be honest. the only adventure i remember anything about was the one with the insect spirits, and i don't even remember what it was called...
keep me posted, i would love to play :)
which ever edition suits your story best, doesn't matter to me. i don't have any 4e stuff, but the flgs is a two minute drive or a ten minute walk from here, so just let me know so i can get the core book and bone up :)
Whoo-hoo! Colour me Shadowed!
I've only got the 4E books but I may be able to get my hands on 3E if you guys prefer that? But I was happy with 4E so that works for me.
I'm ready to start getting ready soon as we have our own thread PHD
(nods politely to BM ;-)
Okay I'll put a threat on the pbp discussions "PHDs Cyberpulp game". Because it's a more investigative type game, I don't think it will make much sense to have a whole slew of investigators out on a case. Thus, I'm going to limit it to 3 players for now. If down the road you get in a situation where you want need to bring on another character for some particular aspect of a job, then we can bring in another player.
If I don't hear from Valgrim today or tomorrow I'll open up the third slot to someone else who is interested.
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No problem. I wasn't active on the boards (took a break) until just recently, though I been peaking in every so often.
We have yet to start the game, as a mixture of collage and school starting soon. I have a idea of what I doing/what but I still need to make the first run. Any advice on a first run for a bunch of newbies would be nice.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
i think, when we do get out pbp going, you might like to lurk the thread, to see how the fluff flavor in shadowrun looks. PHD sounds like he has a nice grasp on the setting, so it could be a useful resource :)
i think, when we do get out pbp going, you might like to lurk the thread, to see how the fluff flavor in shadowrun looks. PHD sounds like he has a nice grasp on the setting, so it could be a useful resource :)
I second that notion BM. PHD is a very talented story teller and you couldn't do wrong to pick up a few hints from him. Lurk away! ;-)
I know very little about 4e, but if it's anything like the other three editions:
CONTACTS!
Contacts and legwork are the meat of the game. A good Shadowrun, like a good heist movie, consists of 80% legwork and buildup, and 20% actually doing whatever nefarious deeds the Mr. Johnson has set forth for you.
Plus, the favors PCs inevitably owe to these contacts have a way of turning into whole new missions. Good luck, Shadowrun's a phenomenal RPG!
Wow; did you all read 8th Dwarf's post; that was cool; are there now two gm's for pbp shadowrun; am confused?
oh; I dont have access to a computer most end of weeks btw; but post heavily on Sunday - Wed; can do most thursdays and fridays daytime MST
three toons; hmm; probably need some muscle; some magic and prolly a netrunner. How fast is this thing getting going?
I like the new rule in 4e that rolling a 1 doesnt kill you like it used to; you just need to have more sucesses than you have botches ie 1's.
Wow; did you all read 8th Dwarf's post; that was cool; are there now two gm's for pbp shadowrun; am confused?
Where's this post? Link, please, for the search-inept...
Current thread; this page: The 8th Dwarf, Wed, Aug 27, 2008, 04:35 AM
Wow; did you all read 8th Dwarf's post; that was cool; are there now two gm's for pbp shadowrun; am confused?Where's this post? Link, please, for the search-inept...
Current thread; this page: The 8th Dwarf, Wed, Aug 27, 2008, 04:35 AM
D'oh! I am search inept. Thanks!
hehe np; happens to me all the time
Thanks Vale.... The OP asked for ideas on how to start the game off.
I wish I had the time to run something - Its been about 5 years since I played SR :-(
I have an itch to play SR again but I am committed to GMing STAP we are only half way through and its been about a year so far.
I stole Gaz from Neuromancer by William Gibson - The Jules Vern of the 20th Century.