[MikeLemmer]

I'm coding a Shadowrun Returns mission where the runners infiltrate an Aztechnology building for Mitsuhama. I'm missing several sourcebooks detailing the stuff I want to use, though; could you please help me factcheck whether this plot makes sense to Shadowrun veterans that know the canon?

Mission Basis: Mitsuhama asks the runners to infiltrate an Aztechnology Magical Healing Clinic in Seattle to steal a new serum they're testing there. The twist is they're recording the whole thing for a trideo reality series pilot; the party has to escort a dwarven rigger/decker/recorder for the entire run, let him tape the entire thing, and properly ham it up for the cameras. The more successful the pilot is, the more nuyen they earn.

Extra Twist: While stealing the serum, they uncover evidence of "classified activities" in a deeper subbasement. If they decide to look into that as well, they discover human sacrifices & blood spirits below; the Aztecs are secretly sacrificing "terminally ill patients". Once the runners have it on tape (and fight their way back out through the defenses), their dwarf escort is visibly shaken. After a few days of laying low, the runners are contacted: the pilot has been scrapped and they've been paid a large sum by Mitsuhama to never speak of this again.

Questions I have:

• Would Mitsuhama even try taping a shadowrunner reality series? Or would it be too hard for them to deny responsibility for the run?
• Would Aztechnology run a Magical Healing Clinic in Seattle?
• Would Aztechnology be doing secret human sacrifices in Seattle?
• Would the runners already know Aztechnology does human sacrifice?
• Would Mitsuhama already know Aztechnology does human sacrifice?
• What are the iconic abilities of blood spirits? How tough are they to take down?
• How would Mitsuhama react to getting video footage of Aztechnology human sacrifice? Is "classify the footage, pay the runners well to never speak of it" a reasonable reaction?

[Michael Chandra]

1: Idunno, doesn't Mitsuhama have a reputation to uphold that they kill all trespassers on sight? Taping a shadowrunner reality show at the same time is a bit unbecoming of that reputation.

[Black]

1: Idunno, doesn't Mitsuhama have a reputation to uphold that they kill all trespassers on sight? Taping a shadowrunner reality show at the same time is a bit unbecoming of that reputation.

Mitsuhama is one of the more hard line corps when it comes to Shadowrunners...  I would think, in the 2050 period, that Ares would be the more likely corp to sponsor such a run...  There was a talk show in 2050 which turned violent due to the shows host having both a shadowrunner team and corp security team in the same studio...  And Ares used to own some of the older american tv stations...

2.  Aztechnology might.  They have the capablility to run such a clinic and magic is niche enough that Doc Wagon is not really a competitor. (Though Doc Wagon would make a 'secret' good sponsor for this show, hoping to expose the magic healing clinic as a gimic and thus discredit their competition... Yamamistu (sp?) aka Eva would also fit, what with Crach Cart and all that.)

3.  They would being doing to at their arcology/temple.  Otherwise?  Sure, why not?  Some Corp Executive may being using the sacrifices to gain more power locally..

4. I think its publicly known, but its always volunteers and its down south in Aztlan... so far, far from here... at least as far as the corp citizens are aware...

5.  Yes.  They may not care much though.

6. ... I'll let someone else answer this one.

7. Yes.  Keep the footage, try and leaverage it at the next contract negotiation.

That said, I think a corp publicly raiding another corp would lead to legal troubles.  More likely the film crew is 'indepedent' with no obvious links to a rival mega.

[MikeLemmer]

Mitsuhama is one of the more hard line corps when it comes to Shadowrunners...  I would think, in the 2050 period, that Ares would be the more likely corp to sponsor such a run...  There was a talk show in 2050 which turned violent due to the shows host having both a shadowrunner team and corp security team in the same studio...  And Ares used to own some of the older american tv stations...

Mitsuhama has to be the sponsor of this mission. It's based off a throwaway line Jake Armitage mentions in the ending of the base Shadowrun Returns campaign. There's 3 different variations of it:

Jake Armitage:
"I heard Mitsuhama's looking for a team and they specifically want a woman. No idea what that's about."
"I heard Mitsuhama's looking for a team and they specifically want elves/dwarves/orks/trolls. No idea what that's about."
"I heard Mitsuhama’s looking for a team. No idea what that’s about but it could be lucrative."

When I read that, it reminded me of a casting call. When I looked Mitsuhama up on the Shadowrun wiki, it said Mitsuhama was the world's leading corporation in the entertainment industry. That's why I went with the shadowrunners reality series idea; why else would they care about their Shadowrunners' gender/race? (Well, maybe to infiltrate certain places, but covering all the different branches of that would be a lot of work.)

I also saw several interesting ideas in this angle:

• Risk vs reward: the "safe" way of finishing the run isn't the most exciting. The player is encouraged to hamper his own run (purposely setting off alarms, going in guns blazing instead of stealthy, etc) for more excitement and higher ratings.
• Choose 1 of several personalities to role-play as and try to stick to it as close as possible, even if it denies certain options. ("You're a mystic! Can't you figure out some magical way to open the door instead of hacking it?")
• The reveal of Aztechnology human sacrifices during a "routine run" makes it more than "just another corporation" to players who are introduced to Shadowrun by Shadowrun Returns.

Hmm, I suppose there's another angle I could go with: Mitsuhama hires the runners to tape them breaking into their own building. They want to release it through a shell company on the gray market, simultaneously making money off it and spreading disinformation about their own defenses.

Although it removes the Aztechnology sacrifices reveal, it solves several other issues (Would Mitsuhama prosecute itself?) and shows how bastardly the corporations can get. ("...So, you'll pay us to shoot up your own building and kill a few dozen guards... to make money on the gray market?" "Yep.")

Of those two plots (Aztechnology raid vs self-raiding for profit), which do you like more?

[Black]

Hmm, I suppose there's another angle I could go with: Mitsuhama hires the runners to tape them breaking into their own building. They want to release it through a shell company on the gray market, simultaneously making money off it and spreading disinformation about their own defenses.

And claim the insurance. Oh, and if a prototype is stolen and a project is delayed... then no one will realise that the prototype project was behind schedule and it didn't work anyway...

I like the Mistuhama runs against itsself angle, but I do like the Aztechnology 'Magical Health Clinic' is actual a source of sacrifices.  I just don't think they mix well together.  Both a great ideas though.

[RHat]

The Aztechnology thing DOES lend itself better to continuation, though, if you wanted to keep going with it.

[MikeLemmer]

The Aztechnology thing DOES lend itself better to continuation, though, if you wanted to keep going with it.

I don't. It would just be a one-shot; I want to code up the other 2 runs Jake mentioned as well (Crater Lake & the Ork Underground) instead of continuing this one. I went with the Mitsuhama one first because it seems like the shortest one to do.