Shadowrun campaign, comments and OOC discussion!

[Mosier]

This thread is for posting out of character (OOC) comments regarding the SDMB Shadowrun campaign titled "New World Orders." It's also where spectators can discuss the campaign, or express interest in being added to the list of alternates.

Happy Running!

[Autolycus]

So, are players allowed in here?

[Hoopy Frood]

I don't see why we wouldn't be.

[Mosier]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

So, are players allowed in here?

No!* Get back in the basement!












*yes

[Hoopy Frood]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

Mentioned before Mr. Johnson began speaking, [color=green]"So, Mr. Johnson," he rolls his chin slightly towards Goethe, "how may we help you today?"

If the underlined Mr. is in reference to my opening intro post with the Mrs. Johnson, that occurs before our current Johnson meeting. The person I was talking to in my condominium is not the same person we're talking to now. And I highly doubt we'd be having this meeting anywhere private. We don't know anything about this Johnson and public places allow for easy escapes if this is a blatant setup. (McManus just hooked us up with him, he hasn't vouched that this guy is on the level. And while McManus would never sell us out as such, he's not loyal enough that he won't hook us up with less-than ideal runs if his commission out of it is good enough.)

Also, is our technomancer with us in this meeting? Or is she jacked in? Frequently it's good to have the technomancer, if she has the tech for it, monitoring the vitals of the Johnson (e.g. increased heart rate can indicate a lie or at least something the Johnson is uncomfortable about) and actively researching the Johnson's background during the meetings, and letting us know over commlink anything particularly noteworthy.

[Love Rhombus]

McManus? A Usual Suspects reference. Also, curse you, Mosier, for making me buy Shadowrun books on Amazon just for this game!

[Hoopy Frood]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

McManus? A Usual Suspects reference.

Yep. I figured it sounded like a good name for a fixer. You know, someone with resources and contacts, but you probably don't want to trust him with the keys to your house.

[Hoopy Frood]

Mahaloth, is it safe to assume that unless you mention otherwise the information you get will be shared with the rest of the party?

Because I don't think we need to roleplay out your regurgitation of what Mosier posted was the results of your spell.

Anything you don't want us knowing, just indicate as such. I think we're all good enough gamers here not to meta-game it.

[Mahaloth]

Originally Posted by Hoopy Frood

Mahaloth, is it safe to assume that unless you mention otherwise the information you get will be shared with the rest of the party?

Because I don't think we need to roleplay out your regurgitation of what Mosier posted was the results of your spell.

Anything you don't want us knowing, just indicate as such. I think we're all good enough gamers here not to meta-game it.

Yes, I'll share.

[Mahaloth]

Ominokami:

What are drones? I see that Kirsikka mentioned not wanting to lose them. What are they? Machines or something? If so, my character may be interested in helping with them.

[Mosier]

Originally Posted by Mahaloth

Ominokami:

What are drones? I see that Kirsikka mentioned not wanting to lose them. What are they? Machines or something? If so, my character may be interested in helping with them.

As a technomancer, Kirk can take direct control of machines. If the machines belong to her, no test is needed. If they belong to someone else, she must "hack" their signal. Technomancers are typically frail and weak in the "meatspace" world of reality, but in the cyberspace Matrix, they are legendary. Kirk starts the game with several drones (machines) useful for spying, fighting, and transportation.

[Hoopy Frood]

Drones are machines. In previous versions when riggers (machine interfacers) and deckers (matrix interfacers) were separate archetypes (as opposed to the more general technomancer that 4th ed seems to use), riggers used them as their remote link to the world. Essentially they acted as the rigger's senses, and typically had armor and weaponry and other tech added in. I'm guessing they haven't changed much in 4th, though I haven't looked through that part of the 4th ed rulebook yet.

So yeah, whereas someone like my character uses his direct senses and weapons in combat, our technomancer uses his drones. Nice thing about drones, they're not alive. However, based on the stereotypical rigger/technomancer, you never want to tell them that if you don't want to find yourself suddenly abandoned by the drones you thought were backing you up.

[Mosier]

Originally Posted by Hoopy Frood

Drones are machines. In previous versions when riggers (machine interfacers) and deckers (matrix interfacers) were separate archetypes (as opposed to the more general technomancer that 4th ed seems to use), riggers used them as their remote link to the world. Essentially they acted as the rigger's senses, and typically had armor and weaponry and other tech added in. I'm guessing they haven't changed much in 4th, though I haven't looked through that part of the 4th ed rulebook yet.

So yeah, whereas someone like my character uses his direct senses and weapons in combat, our technomancer uses his drones. Nice thing about drones, they're not alive. However, based on the stereotypical rigger/technomancer, you never want to tell them that if you don't want to find yourself suddenly abandoned by the drones you thought were backing you up.

That is mostly true. The decker/rigger archetypes have been merged into what can best be described as a "hacker". Hackers use a device (like a cyberdeck) to access the Matrix and control their drones.

Technomancers take that concept, and dial it up to 11. They have a Resonance stat that works very similar to the Magic stat, and some argue that technomancy literally IS a type of magic. Technomancers do not need (or want) cybernetics or devices to access the Matrix or control their drones - they do it through sheer force of will. They can "feel" the signal, and their psyche is linked closely to it. In places where the signal is weak, or "dead zones" where there's no signal at all, a Technomancer will feel disassociated, depressed, isolated, and unnerved. These are creepy places that might be compared to the feeling a regular person would get walking through a graveyard, or imprisoned in a dungeon.

[Autolycus]

Originally Posted by Hoopy Frood

If the underlined Mr. is in reference to my opening intro post with the Mrs. Johnson, that occurs before our current Johnson meeting.

Ah, I'm sorry. That wasn't clear to me.

Soooo, the corporate agent dude, not Donovan, is the zombie, right?

Also, are all Adepts registered as Adepts? How does everyone know somebody is an adept right off the bat?

[Omi no Kami]

Hoopy Frood mentioned jacking in, and while I probably should've made this clearer in her opening post, one of the reasons Kirk has such weird physical affectations is because of this- even though she carries a commlink and some classic hacker tech she doesn't actually need any of it, and she has a habit of twitching or falling corpse-still even when she isn't directing her attention to the matrix as a way of making it hard to tell what she's doing. Technomancers are (at least to the best of my knowledge) less common than hackers who use rigs or implants, and one way she helps keep this secret is by trying to make it extremely difficult to explicitly tell when she is and isn't accessing the matrix.

[Mosier]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

Ah, I'm sorry. That wasn't clear to me.

Soooo, the corporate agent dude, not Donovan, is the zombie, right?

Also, are all Adepts registered as Adepts? How does everyone know somebody is an adept right off the bat?

I think the other characters are poking fun at the Seneth character, for wearing black and calling himself "master." That's why they're referring to him as the zombie.

The only known Adepts so far are you, and Chaggo the renegade ork, the assassination target. You're known because you said as much in your intro. Chaggo is known because Seneth used Mind Probe to get that information from the Synthcorp representative. Adepts are not necessarily recognizable, unless they show off their power doing something extraordinary in combat.

ETA: On second glance, I'm not sure what Goethe was referring to when he said "zombie." Hoopy Frood, care to clarify?

[Love Rhombus]

I presumed that "zombie" was another way of referring to the company man giving them the info?

[Balance]

Originally Posted by Mosier

Adepts are not necessarily recognizable, unless they show off their power doing something extraordinary in combat.

Except to astral perception. It should be trivial for any magician (or adept with the Astral Perception power) to use assensing to determine that the adept is Awakened, and not much harder to tell that they're an adept. The same goes for spirits, at least relatively high force ones. Astrally perceiving entities can spot weapon foci, too.

[Hoopy Frood]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

I presumed that "zombie" was another way of referring to the company man giving them the info?

You presume correctly.

It's an epithet for a wage-slave. You know, mindless; unable to think for himself; a slave to his goal above anything else. (I.e. a traditional zombie craves brains/human flesh and will stop at nothing to get it. A corp zombie craves impressing his superiors above all else and will stop at nothing to get it.)

[Mahaloth]

That post I pulled today is because I posted something that I need to wait to post about the meeting with my source. Mosier had me pull it and i was in the time of the editing window, so I did.

[Mosier]

Since everyone seems to be taking to the game pretty enthusiastically, I'll introduce a few new game concepts to you.

For those of you who invested in Edge, you'll soon be able to take advantage of that attribute. Expect an explanation of how skills and attributes work, and how to use your Edge to make friends and injure people, in your PM box soon.

[Autolycus]

Originally Posted by Mosier

The only known Adepts so far are you, and Chaggo the renegade ork, the assassination target. You're known because you said as much in your intro.

I hinted at it, but I never came out and said it. Unless told otherwise though, I'll assume it's not a big deal.

Unrelated question (I'm guessing questions to the DM that could benefit everyone should go here rather than the in-game thread?), are there missionaries in this dystopic world? If so, can you give some details?

[Mosier]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

I hinted at it, but I never came out and said it. Unless told otherwise though, I'll assume it's not a big deal.

Unrelated question (I'm guessing questions to the DM that could benefit everyone should go here rather than the in-game thread?), are there missionaries in this dystopic world? If so, can you give some details?

Now that I look over my conversation logs, of course you're right. I'm sorry if I blew a secret your character was hiding!

To answer your second question-the major religions have fallen out of favor in the New World, since the realization that spirits and magic are overtly real.

Shamans (similar to mages, but conceptualize their magic differently) in particular are the closest things to a large scale missionary movement in the world. Shamans are magicians who feel a close connection to nature, and the spirits of beasts. Where a Mage views his relationship to spirits as a servant/master situation, a Shaman handles his pacts with spirits as a negotiation between equals. Particularly active shamans will put themselves at great risk to protect a natural environment, typically the place they feel most connected to. Some Shamans even lead congregations of non-Awakened (non-magical) people who are spiritually and politically active.

The idea of spreading a particular religion is an old-time anachronism though. Small scale vampire cults and doomsday prophesiers are the closest thing to old-school religious missionaries among the cities.

Outside of the cities is a similar story. The Natives were the first to realize the world had Awakened, and quickly revived their practices of ancestor worship and totem reverence. The missionary mindset is completely absent from the culture, though.

[Love Rhombus]

I'm making a magical character just for for kicks and I wondered if there's any cyberware that's worth the penalty? I could maybe see a Dog shaman getting an olfactory enhancer just to make himself more like his totem. Also Hoopy, did you get my email? I've had some computer issues.

[Mosier]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

I'm making a magical character just for for kicks and I wondered if there's any cyberware that's worth the penalty? I could maybe see a Dog shaman getting an olfactory enhancer just to make himself more like his totem. Also Hoopy, did you get my email? I've had some computer issues.

In my opinion, no cyberware is worth the essence loss for any type of magically inclined character.

I wouldn't be opposed to letting characters with certain mentor spirits (which is what totems are called now, and both shamans and mages can have them) have access to certain spells they can sustain very easily, which mimic some aspect of their mentor spirit. It's very out of character for an Awakened character, who can see just what abominations cybernetics are, to voluntarily pollute their spirit with them.

[Love Rhombus]

Originally Posted by Mosier

In my opinion, no cyberware is worth the essence loss for any type of magically inclined character.

I wouldn't be opposed to letting characters with certain mentor spirits (which is what totems are called now, and both shamans and mages can have them) have access to certain spells they can sustain very easily, which mimic some aspect of their mentor spirit. It's very out of character for an Awakened character, who can see just what abominations cybernetics are, to voluntarily pollute their spirit with them.

Makes sense. Thanks!

[Balance]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

I'm making a magical character just for for kicks and I wondered if there's any cyberware that's worth the penalty? I could maybe see a Dog shaman getting an olfactory enhancer just to make himself more like his totem. Also Hoopy, did you get my email? I've had some computer issues.

I pretty much only play Awakened characters in SR, and I've never found it worthwhile. In fact, the team in our last campaign was all Awakened except for a technomancer, and none of them had a single scrap of 'ware. The Freak Squad kicked ass...and they could fly commercial.

[Hoopy Frood]

Originally Posted by Love Rhombus

Also Hoopy, did you get my email? I've had some computer issues.

Yes. Sorry, I've been busy and haven't gotten a chance to really look at it.

I did notice one thing, though. You have no extra edge. You want extra edge. Understand, the number of total edge dice each level of edge gives you is the square of your edge.

With an edge of 1, you get 1 die added to 1 pool roll.

With an edge of 2, you get 2 dice added to 2 pool rolls. (4 dice total)

With an edge of 3, you get 3 dice added to 3 pool rolls. (9 dice total)

So yeah, bare minimum you should have 2 edge. Goethe, for instance has 3.

And edge dice added to a pool allow all dice in that pool to "pop" on a 6. Edge is nice. 1 edge sucks.

[Love Rhombus]

Originally Posted by Hoopy Frood

Yes. Sorry, I've been busy and haven't gotten a chance to really look at it.

I did notice one thing, though. You have no extra edge. You want extra edge. Understand, the number of total edge dice each level of edge gives you is the square of your edge.

With an edge of 1, you get 1 die added to 1 pool roll.

With an edge of 2, you get 2 dice added to 2 pool rolls. (4 dice total)

With an edge of 3, you get 3 dice added to 3 pool rolls. (9 dice total)

So yeah, bare minimum you should have 2 edge. Goethe, for instance has 3.

And edge dice added to a pool allow all dice in that pool to "pop" on a 6. Edge is nice. 1 edge sucks.

Cool. And no rush, everyone's busy and I'm not even a player.

[Autolycus]

Hi everyone. I just woke up. I'll be posting shortly.

[Mosier]

Kirk gave Nail a tablet computer which will serve the same purpose as the book Nail is trying to con the group with. Actual honest-to-goodness non-electronic books are pretty much historical curiosities and unlikely to be something a character can obtain on short notice, but tablet computers are quite cheap and available anywhere. I'll proceed in the game as if the book you were referring to is actually the tablet book reader device.

[Autolycus]

Went out partying late last night and had a massive hungover, so I went back to bed. I'm ummm, I'm up for real now.

It might be interesting to ask where everyone else lives.

[Mahaloth]

Originally Posted by Autolycus

It might be interesting to ask where everyone else lives.

USA. Eastern timezone for me.

[Autolycus]

It's 30 past midnight for me. Off to bed.

[Hoopy Frood]

Chicago. Northeast part of Humboldt Park.

[Mosier]

All players should expect a "How combat works" private message before the end of the day. The extremely simplified explanations I gave in the game thread for the first round of combat will be enough to get you through the first round of combat, but I'm sure you're eager to sink your teeth into a more comprehensive behind the scenes look.

Happy Running!

PS, I'm in las Vegas, pacific time zone. But I work the night shift, so my posting times are all over the map. It's time for bed now, but I'll get to work on the combat guide this evening.

[Mosier]

The next round of combat may not get posted until tomorrow morning. Real life has just hit me with a bit of a doozy, and it's looking like I might end up spending most of the evening today in a hospital waiting room.

Everything's fine right now, but I have family that needs support. We're waiting for (hopefully good) news, which could come at any time.

I'll be back running in the shadows with you guys soon! Thanks for keeping the game interesting and intense. I expect we'll wrap up the big combat scene without too much more delay, and go back into full RP mode soon, and I can't wait to show you what the New World has in store for you! Take care.

[Autolycus]

Dang, that sucks. Sending good vibes your way.

[Hoopy Frood]

No problems. Meatspace family matters come before internet.

Hopefully the good news comes for you.

[Mosier]

I'm back in the game, and the new round has been resolved and posted. Thanks for the well wishes everyone. We got some better-than-terrible-but-still-not-great news from the doctors, and everything should be fine for now.

[Love Rhombus]

Originally Posted by Mosier

I'm back in the game, and the new round has been resolved and posted. Thanks for the well wishes everyone. We got some better-than-terrible-but-still-not-great news from the doctors, and everything should be fine for now.

Good, glad to hear it! That the news was semi-good, anyway. I'm enjoying the story so far, even though I'm not a participant. Still pondering my character that I'm building for kicks. So much fun tech....

[Mosier]

So now that our first combat is over, can I get some feedback from the players? It took several days to finish roughly 15 seconds of game-time narration. Was it too slow? If you guys have any suggestions for improving the combat scenes, post them ere please.

Also, I'm having a great time playing with this group. You made it very challenging to keep combat from being entirely one sided against the gang!

[Hoopy Frood]

I think the combat scenes are perfect.

[Omi no Kami]

Same here, the pacing feels pretty good so far

[Autolycus]

I'm loving it.

[Hoopy Frood]

I'll be going out of town tonight, and won't be back until sometime Sunday. I may or may not be able to get online before then. (I'll try my best.)

[Mosier]

Have fun on your trip!

Sorry Seneth broke your glasses.

[Mahaloth]

Are we more or less waiting for Hoopy's return so we can finalize Chaggo meeting plans and go for it?

[Mosier]

Yeah, I'm posting a bit slower than normal so we can give Goethe time to get back. He's taking a pretty strong role in the group, and in this particular scene he's the most important character. We'll resume full speed ahead this evening!

[Mosier]

Sorry, but the poker game isn't going to be resolved until morning. It's taking a but more effort than I expected, and I couldn't finish it before I had to leave for the evening. Feel free to hammer out the Chaggo plan before then if you'd like.