[Dropship]

I'm new to Shadowrun, got into it recently from Shadowrun Returns and looks like I'm going to be the GM for our new group. I think I've got the rules down for the most part but my concern is actually providing the game to my players. They're all friends of mine and probably aren't expecting a huge amount of detail to begin with, but I'd like some advice.

What sort of preparation do you do for a run? Do you prepare (covered) maps for your players once they are at a location, or only if they have done the legwork for it? How much of the surrounding road network do you plan?
Do you have copies of maps for yourself, with any cameras, security/drone patrols and the like?

[Namikaze]

Yes to all of those, and no to all of those.  What I do is I prepare my games in scenes.  Each scene has a type: combat, investigation, interrogation, etc.  If you consider that in most investigation scene,s, a map will be next to useless, I don't bother with making maps of those areas.  For combat scenes, I generally prepare a small map so that we can keep track of locations easily.  For scenes with a lot of talking, like a meeting, I will usually forgo the map but sometimes I'll throw it in to make the players think combat could happen.

[cantrip]

I'm a player turned GM (recent) and am working through similar questions. Originally, I thought winging it would be fine -- which for certain GMs can work. I've had some great roleplaying with GMs flying by the seat of their pants. But in those cases, it was a well developed world that they were drawing from.

For myself, I'm finding, writing up a summary of a "Behind the Scenes" is working fairly well. I don't design maps, but do upload reference maps from the web (google search is your friend). We use roll20 and have been pleased with it - they just did a pretty major update that included default character sheets -- SR5 is an option -- and like it pretty well. I launch the campaign in Hangouts and run an online session.

Ultimately, I've found the more planning you do, the more smoothly the games goes. Kinda like real life! (So, would that be life imitating art?) I write an overview of the run, a cast of major characters - including some motivations, also some possible plot points that occur due to specific actions. What I have found that I need to start doing: lay out matrix/astral overviews; have a brief summary of legwork information and a timeline of when things happen.

I would suggest not going to the extreme of planning either, though; the plot is going to shift and flow.***"I know there is a balcony there--but it's fraggin' eleven stories!" / "Huh, your Parkour's that high? Hmmm....well let's see <roll, roll, roll>" / "Well...yes, you did roll well. <crumples sheet of opposition, and tosses over shoulder>"***

Still got a ways to go, but each session we play, it gets better and more interesting for both me and my players.

Keep in mind that (at least IMHO) it really helps to be flexible. The players never do what you expect; which ultimately is a good thing!   

So to summarize:
*Planning good!
*Reference maps good!
*Flexibility good!
*Mini-Drone explosives goo....oh, did I write out loud again?   

[RulezLawyerZ]

If you have other GMing experience, many of those skills are transferable, and you'll likely know what level of preparation you need to do for yourself. If you are a new GM, I'd advise you to have the following things as you walk in the door:

1) An outline of the night's plot, including an idea of where things might go wrong, and how to get them back on track (or where to go from there)
2) Relevant stats for any sort of opposed encounter you expect to have (combat, negotiations, whatevs) - Don't waste time on figuring out things that are unlikely to come up, like names for random mooks.
3) Names and stats of important NPCs the runners are going to meet tonight.
4) Maps of important locations, for your own use
5) A notebook or pad of paper, as well as a drawing/writing implement, so you can sketch out said maps, take notes, pass notes, etc.
6) A propensity to answer player questions with "Yes, but..."
7) An idea of where the overall plot is going; it is not necessary to know exactly how you're going to get there.

You'll adjust and probably slim down that list as you get more comfortable with the game and the group.  As a hoary old GM, I generally spend most of my time developing the story, then scribble down the mechanical stats I think I'm going to need about 20 minutes before everyone shows up. It means that I do a lot of tap-dancing, but I'm comfortable with that. Good luck!

[emsquared]

One thing I would highly recommend is taking the time now to make templates of standard NPCs and Drones (the book NPCs were not appropriate for my table):

Wageslave - Self-Defense Trained
Wageslave - Handgun Enthusiast
Wageslave - Techie
Wageslave - Awakened

Ganger Brawler
Ganager Gunman
Ganger Hacker
Ganger Shaman
Ganger Boss

Rent-a-Cop
Beat Cop (for Lonestar, and the like)
Corp. Sec.
HTR Team
Spider
Corp. Mage

Soldier
Elite Soldier

And any actual story/named NPCs that the players may cross guns with that may need to be more "special".

Spy Drone
LAV Drone
Doberman Drone
... and so on and so forth for the main types of NPCs appropriate for your campagin. This takes a lot of pressure off of you for 1.) combat that just pops up unexpectedly, because if you choose your templates well enough, you can just adapt one of them to any situation but 2.) you can just plug them into your runs where you plan on combat too.

Regarding maps, we use a large dry-erase board for what the players get to see, freehand drawn onto the board as we go. If it's someplace where they're either going to have to infiltrate or shoot-up, I have my map (maybe on graph paper, maybe on ruled or plain paper) that the players never see with security, NPCs and a key with room summaries. If it's just a place where there's a scene, I'll have an idea of the layout in my head, but don't map it out unless I expect trouble or some sort of "work" needing done there. For area maps, I print off a google map frame of the actual area, draw in building or street-changes with a pen as I deem appropriate. The PCs do generally get to see that, because they too can probably just "google" the area.

I have a ruled notebook with bullet pointed plot points, and sometimes I'll write out verbatim narratives I want NPCs or the TV to say - especially the news announcements as I will incorporate hints about the campaign arc and/or feature stories of the PC's latest job and/or aftermath thereof.

I usually spend probably 2 hours on average planning any single session (not counting the time that I might spend just thinking about it at my desk during work), more if it's for something big like an arcology or something where they're spending numerous sessions.

[RulezLawyerZ]

One thing I would highly recommend is taking the time now to make templates of standard NPCs and Drones (the book NPCs were not appropriate for my table)

Good point. I do this too, usually on note cards, especially for important or common NPCs and bad guys.

[Reiper]

On my online game (roll20/mumble) I recently quit doing maps (I used to have a map for every single scene, but it was taking me 10 - 12 hours a week on just prep work).

So now I'm doing still images for the most part to set the scenes and let the imagination go from there. I've found that I've been using quite a few of the images from the new Cyberpunk game coming out (example, I use the Cyberware clinic for the team's new base of operations, found a great subway/hotel image with AR overlays).

Then again I'm also working on doing some of my own renders too for images for things I can't quite find stock images for. And at least so far, my team seems to like it a bit more.

[Dropship]

Thank you to everyone that's posted, been too busy recently to respond!

This is going to be my first GMing outside of the occasional RP event in WoW - a medium that really doesn't need much in the way of preparation except finding a convenient location and checking phasing issues.  I appreciate the different styles you all take for planning and am going to shamelessly steal every possible avenue at this point until I work out how my players are going to play on the Mirrorshades to Mohawk scale.

I remember seeing elsewhere on the internet the idea of a wider-world time line as well, with events that are going to happen with or without player involvement, but depending on the actions taken by the players it can affect the timeline. The example I used to see was D&D based, beginning with a jump in thieves guild activities, power struggle within the guild and finally culminating in assassinating the city rulers and open warfare in the streets. I get the feeling that will lend itself well to Shadowrun, especially combined with emsquared's News Announcements.

Has anyone used the building templates available through DrivethruRPG? I've been eyeing them off the last couple of weeks to grab as a foundation once I'm back at work.

Making up some templates for mook NPCs is a fantastic idea, might save me the issue I see our D&D GM have of constantly flicking through the Monster Manual.

[Lethal Joke]

One thing I would highly recommend is taking the time now to make templates of standard NPCs and Drones (the book NPCs were not appropriate for my table)

Good point. I do this too, usually on note cards, especially for important or common NPCs and bad guys.

Did something similar with the templates, but now that I hear about it, the notecards sound way more convenient. Too bad I already have my templates scattered around my campaign notebook...

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Noooooote cards.  Note cards note cards note cards.  And a note card box.  Verry very good.  or on your computer, instantly accessable.  Having them loaded into a spreadsheet program can make this even easier and faster - have your list of archetypes, put in the archetype, and it fetches it for you.  You can just have 'X1, X2, X3' for multiples.

This is, obviously, something I need to do ...