With 2012 being a significant event in the Shadowrun calendar I hope to see Catalyst jumping at the opportunity to publicize Shadowrun. The reason for this is because the SR community has dwindled for some time now and polarizing around the official forums and dumpshock. Unfortunately they lack appeal to new, interested players which makes it hard to grow the community. So how would I like Catalyst to get Shadowrun back out into the rpg masses during 2012?
Relationship mapping my game
December 11, 2011
By The Dood in Design, NPC
I’ve spoken about how important NPCs are in a sandbox game before and I’ve been wanting to map out the relationships between my campaign’s characters for a while now. There are several reasons why I’ve wanted to do this, most importantly was so I could remember everyone’s name but also so I could see where the focus of the campaign was and any hidden relationships that were developing. I ended up using XMind to draw the relationships and the result is below. The player characters are in green, deceased characters are in red and non-player characters are white.
Core Assumptions
December 3, 2011
By The Dood in General
One of the first things that stood out when I read through the 4th Edition Dungeon and Dragons DM’s Guide was the section entitled “The D&D World”. This is the section where the designers outline the core assumptions upon which 4E was built and explain the points of light concept. I have always thought this would make a good framework to introduce players to a particular sandbox game by providing them with the core assumptions they can hold about the game world.
NPCs and the Sandbox
November 19, 2011
By The Dood in Character Creation, Design, NPC
The defining element of a Shadowrun sandbox is the NPCs who inhabit the game world. I’m not referring to the nameless wageslaves and corporate guards that stand between the group and the macguffin. They could be called anything and still fulfill their purpose. I’m referring to the real NPCs – the Whiskey Joes, the Alices, and the Montys who make the world come alive because without them the world would be a sterile, boring place. Unfortunately, as a GM you can never predicate when you will need an NPC who can drive the story forward.
Carjacking in 2072
November 13, 2011
By The Dood in General
My game regularly sees PCs stealing and disabling cars and I’ve been hand waving a few of the intricacies in the name of fun. However recent events have forced me to look at the rules more closely and here is my interpretation of how to steal a car in 2072.
Know How to Play Your Character
October 30, 2011
By The Dood in General
It is said that being a player is a lot like using a flashlight and a being a GM is like using a spotlight. The GM can see the whole story – the interesting parts, the boring parts and most importantly the way forward. It is his responsibility to direct the player’s flashlight towards the interesting parts and away from the boring bits. However, I believe that when it comes to rules mastery the player, with his flashlight approach, should have a higher level of knowledge than the GM for the rules that concern his character.
Old School Gear Kit
October 19, 2011
By The Dood in Character Creation, General
This gear kit is what we used to roll with back in 2E. Apart from archetype specific gear (decks, wired reflexes, foci, etc) this was all we needed to complete a run.
Old School Gear Kit (5000¥ / 1 BP)
- Ares Predator I
- Smartgun System, Internal
- Spare Clip x 3
- Regular Ammo x 30
- Lined Coat
- Mirrorshades (Rating 1, Smartlink)
- Micro-Transceiver (Rating 1)
- Low Lifestyle – 1 month
Murdering Cops is a Bad Idea
October 15, 2011
By The Dood in General
Knight Errant officers may be corrupt and racist but that doesn’t mean they disappear when you murder them. They always have friends and family who will come to their aid if needed. Often this support is from unexpected sources, like the officer who is an active member of Humanis or the one who runs a protection racket for the Triads. Both of these officers expect assistance beyond KE when something happens to them.
Continued…
First Game Retrospective
October 8, 2011
By The Dood in Actual Play
A look back on the end of our first game and the things I would of done differently. This was one of the better games of Shadowrun I’ve been part of. The limited pool of BP has meant I didn’t have to engineer the NPCs to be competent foes, instead I can just pick some dice (Average guy: 3 dice, Trained ability 3 dice) and roll. Bonus points for a car chase with a full fledged negotiation and melee happening in the back of one of the vehicles.
The Rule of Three
September 24, 2011
By The Dood in Actual Play, Design
One of the fundamental rules behind the games I run is the rule of three – Two opposing characters and a third, undecided character. The opposing characters need the support of the third to defeat each other. This creates the basis of the adventure where the character’s have a goal and an immediate path forward – gaining the loyalty of the third party.
However, the PCs enter the picture and begin to unravel the plots of the 3 characters, determining which side to support and ultimately which character will prevail. When this happens it is often desirable for the GM to align the undecided character. This escalates the odds against the PCs forcing them to further adapt to the situation.