Shadowrun

Shadowrun Play => Play-by-Post => Topic started by: Forged on <02-01-12/1449:39>

Title: Broken Eggs
Post by: Forged on <02-01-12/1449:39>
Hello! I'm going to be running a play by post shadow run game. I'm looking for 3-5 players for now. Once the primary section is done I want to open up the game to have a rotating roster of characters/players/GMs. I am fairly new to play by post games, so expect 1-2 posts a week. The "Theme" is surviving at the bottom. I want to run a story about the little guys trying to get by. This is my first play by post game as a GM. So expect some bumps.

The Game is taking place in Seattle
It will be a 400 BP game with free contacts points = Chax2
I don't want minmaxed characters, and inefficient characters are welcome.
WAR is banned, (plus I don't have it) Augmentation, unwired, Street magic, Runners companion, arsenal still good to go.
Character creation will be done AFTER I have selected players.
For the purposes of character creation, I am giving the TEAM (Players x 1.5)+1 snowflake points. (SP's) and the players must agree how to divvy up the points. I'm sorry if this seems unfair, but In RL I'm tired of running games with everyone being a unique snowflake.

Human = 0 SP
Elf, Dwarf, Orc = 1 SP
Troll = 2SP
Changeling or Metavarient = 3SP
Any other Race = 4SP
Mage or Adept = 2 SP
Mystic Adept or Technomancer = 3SP
Any cyber or bioware better than standard = 1SP
Any nanites or implants not covered yet = 2SP
From Seattle = 0SP
From elsewhere, been living here min 1 year, = 1 SP
Recently arrived to Seattle = 2 SP
Karma to spend after character creation: 1 SP = 10 Karma, 2SP = 15 Karma, 3 SP = 20 Karma etc....

Also, do i need to make the IC and OC threads for this? or do I get a mod to do it.

I cannot wait to play!
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Kouryuu on <02-01-12/1510:06>
A game is fun, if you want "average Joe" characters first suggestion is to go with Karmagen. This way you can avoid this SP principle, as  2 Karma is much more valuable as a BP.
Might Make a char, but will see what exactly you are looking for.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Forged on <02-01-12/1516:05>
I'll admit I put the SP for karma in the end because last time I ran a game, somebody decided they anted to be the grizzled veteran. If the rate seems too generous for Shadowrun I can adjust it.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Kouryuu on <02-01-12/1534:03>
I'll admit I put the SP for karma in the end because last time I ran a game, somebody decided they anted to be the grizzled veteran. If the rate seems too generous for Shadowrun I can adjust it.
I meant the Karmagen makes more average character then BPGen.
sorry for being to vague.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Lethe on <02-01-12/1616:57>
How about i use all the SP to make a vampire mage, then bite the other players to make them vampires for free, saving each of them 100BP :P
If we all are the same, no one is special ...
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Mirikon on <02-01-12/1738:08>
Honestly? Why not let people play what they want to play? If it isn't broken or overpowered, then what's wrong with it, so long as you aren't a troll in a group of Humanis supporters?
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Kouryuu on <02-01-12/1739:03>
Honestly? Why not let people play what they want to play? If it isn't broken or overpowered, then what's wrong with it, so long as you aren't a troll in a group of Humanis supporters?
This might actually be a fun RP concept  ;D
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Sichr on <02-02-12/0512:07>
Honestly? Why not let people play what they want to play? If it isn't broken or overpowered, then what's wrong with it, so long as you aren't a troll in a group of Humanis supporters?

Not the right place for this discussion IMO. Well it seems lately that there is lot of GMs who thing that restrictions on the team and character buildind will provide them with good RP characters...which is LOL. As I would be interrested in the run, this restrictive policy means closed doors I dont want to open...
And this forced characters...IDN...you can as well post: Everyone can take one Sample character from rules. No other characters are available. We will play a bunch of archetypes and everyone is happy :P
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Lethe on <02-02-12/0512:38>
Honestly? Why not let people play what they want to play? If it isn't broken or overpowered, then what's wrong with it, so long as you aren't a troll in a group of Humanis supporters?
Exactly. The snowflake system is the wrong approach. You as a GM will have last words on characters anyway.

With SPs you can only prevent too many extravagant character combinations, even though they might be played quite normal. But you can't prevent snowflaking by roleplaying. Every character in your group is or should be considered a special snowflake, even if they are just norms. They deserve a special care and individual attention and recognition for what they are and what they do. For that it doesn't matter what kind of character they created.

If you have some kind of special characters for the players in mind, tell them which roles to fill. Declare the general settings of the campaign, tell them they should all be human, better no magic at all etc., whatever you have in mind. The SP system, where theoretically everything is possible, suggest that it doesn't matter for the campaign. So why bother at all?

Edit: sniped by sichr, with basically same content, lol ;)
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Sichr on <02-02-12/0654:56>
Well lets not make this some kind of Hate Show for newbies...
Forged just came to forums, and want to run his game, and possibly he will stay in touch with forums to create awesome campaign. Just my opinion...restricting team is useless. In PbP there is much more space...and pressure, on roleplay, so there is place to shine for every character regardless the dicepools.m And forcing metahuman/awakened/emerged/mundane mix with some system...not good IMO.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Kouryuu on <02-02-12/0737:08>
No hate from me, at least,
his Approach of making a game is interesting
just suggested to take a look at Karmagen, as the small addict i am.

And Forged, If you ever need something, just ask, we are here to help, at least me
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Lethe on <02-02-12/0808:13>
Yea, i hope you are not offended by some well meant criticism.
I totally support and understand your restrictions to the main rulebooks as well as the demand not to minmax - just not the SP.

Introduce your campaign settings and tell the people to make some normal chars that fit in there. Give a list of restrictions for stuff that definitely doesn't fit and discuss the other character ideas with the players. That list should not only include some character options, but also lots of (negative) qualities, which can make a character very flaky.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Sichr on <02-02-12/0905:35>
Otherwise...what the hell does the "snowflake" means? Something like Mary Sue?
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Lethe on <02-02-12/0911:39>
Otherwise...what the hell does the "snowflake" means? Something like Mary Sue?
this thread (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?566418-Unusual-and-unique-characters-vs-quot-Special-Snowflake-quot) might give some idea about it.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: All4BigGuns on <02-02-12/1136:31>
Yea, i hope you are not offended by some well meant criticism.
I totally support and understand your restrictions to the main rulebooks as well as the demand not to minmax - just not the SP.

Introduce your campaign settings and tell the people to make some normal chars that fit in there. Give a list of restrictions for stuff that definitely doesn't fit and discuss the other character ideas with the players. That list should not only include some character options, but also lots of (negative) qualities, which can make a character very flaky.

Welcome to the forums Forge, however, no offense, I may have been interested, but once seeing the restrictions--the continued unnecessary Haterade on the War! book as well as this stuff that is basically making it a pain in the hoop to be anything remotely interesting--sorry no way would I even consider a game THAT restrictive. Restrictions of that nature only serve the fun of the GM--at the expense of the players' fun.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Forged on <02-02-12/1137:52>
Well it looks like the SP thing stole the show, I didn't realize it was going to be a big issue. I know I could just veto characters after they have been revealed, but this way my prejudices were upfront, and any player could still make the character he wanted, but only if the rest of the party supported them on it. I know limiting character creation does not force better RP, but the SP acted as a team building exercise before the game began. It also made people talk about their characters before they were made and led to linking backstories etc.

Now here is the more important question for me.

If I dropped the SP would people actually sign up?

because so far I have not seen one person interested in playing except Sichr who doesn't like the policy enough to join. And a GM with no players is a sad Panda.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: All4BigGuns on <02-02-12/1143:00>
Well it looks like the SP thing stole the show, I didn't realize it was going to be a big issue. I know I could just veto characters after they have been revealed, but this way my prejudices were upfront, and any player could still make the character he wanted, but only if the rest of the party supported them on it. I know limiting character creation does not force better RP, but the SP acted as a team building exercise before the game began. It also made people talk about their characters before they were made and led to linking backstories etc.

Now here is the more important question for me.

If I dropped the SP would people actually sign up?

because so far I have not seen one person interested in playing except Sichr who doesn't like the policy enough to join. And a GM with no players is a sad Panda.

Sorry, but not me. The other restrictions including the bit about "surviving at the bottom" are deal breakers for me.  That phrase tells me an over emphasis on scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to nuyen, and that just isn't fun and makes one of the advancement routes nigh impossible (buying more/upgrading implants and equipment).
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Sichr on <02-02-12/1207:14>
Well.. I have an offer :)
If you want players to be kind of low level...rookies so to say...
Well Ive seen some PbPs, Chicago GMed by Kontact, or long time ago in Puyallup gang run BevielderBeast (who dropped them after initial meeting which was really tragic, because we fell in love with that setting), I`ve seen this approach:
300BP(or equal in Karmagen) , max. availability 8
Depending on your campaign idea...since low powered characters would hardly came from whole Seattle, more probably from one part, street or even block...can you point us to any location?

Not to forget:
I`m interrested :)
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Sichr on <02-02-12/1226:47>
Ah. So now I have idea what is Snowflake. Seems to me that deffinition is: stereotype incarnate
Well, don`t be afraid of such things :)
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Kouryuu on <02-02-12/1254:04>
Well.. I have an offer :)
If you want players to be kind of low level...rookies so to say...
Well Ive seen some PbPs, Chicago GMed by Kontact, or long time ago in Puyallup gang run BevielderBeast (who dropped them after initial meeting which was really tragic, because we fell in love with that setting), I`ve seen this approach:
300BP(or equal in Karmagen) , max. availability 8
Depending on your campaign idea...since low powered characters would hardly came from whole Seattle, more probably from one part, street or even block...can you point us to any location?

Not to forget:
I`m interrested :)
gang run, oooohhhhhhh  :o i am interested too.
300BP and karmagen sounds perfect, but i am interested what forged has planed as well
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Sichr on <02-02-12/1300:03>
Hey!stop putting words into my mouth.
I didnt say anything about..
huh...did I?
I mean, that was just a reference from past, IDN what was on Forged`s mind :)

(not to forget Forged :D )
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Mirikon on <02-02-12/1735:16>
Yes, welcome to the forums, Forged. Personally, I'm not really in favor of an uber-low powered game. But then, I've also never understood the people who want to use the D&D variant that caps advancement at level 6. Why shouldn't the characters get the hell out of the gutters when they get the least bit of chance? So if its going to be a low-powered game, with the restrictions on the books you put up, I'd have to say I'll pass. But good luck with the game.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Spectre Zero on <02-03-12/0001:16>
If your still looking for players sign me up.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Wretch on <02-03-12/0850:54>
I'm interested if you are still looking for players.  I have a Samurai character I have been working on.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Forged on <02-03-12/0926:01>
So right now we have:
Wretch
Specter Zero
Kouryuu
Sichr



I'm going to wait until monday to finalize the team. Thanks for the interest guys!
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Kouryuu on <02-03-12/0931:29>
So right now we have:
Wretch
Specter Zero
Kouryuu
Sichr



I'm going to wait until Monday to finalize the team. Thanks for the interest guys!
Until i see a clear set of rules and limitations, i am promising nothing, had made a char for similar occasion just to be attacked for not understanding what the GM wants to see.
until now i have not learned to read minds over the internet, so i would like an expansion of the rules - availability max, BP or karma Max any other limitations.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Halancar on <02-03-12/1025:11>
I'd be interested in playing too, even under your initial SP system.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Spectre Zero on <02-03-12/2132:56>
I was interested in playing either a human Hacker, or an Ork Sprawl Ganger. Though I am up to other options.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Forged on <02-06-12/1130:23>
Allright time for the cutoff. I will be making the OOC thread for broken eggs, there we will begin discussing characters, their relationships etc.
I have:
Wretch
Specter Zero
Sichr
Halancar

On the fence:
Kouryuu
I'm doing the standard 400BP I have the basic book + arsenal, augmentation, runners companion, street magic, and unwired. I don't know what you mean by availability max, and since I'm using the BP system, I assume Karma max is a moot point. Are you still interested or do you have more questions? Please message me if you do.

Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Sichr on <02-06-12/1135:10>
For standard character creation there is maximum availability 12 gear/ware allowed by rules.
Title: Re: Broken Eggs
Post by: Forged on <02-06-12/1153:06>
Ahh thanks, Sichr Yeah I'll leave the Availibility at default levels too.