GMing a 4E game, just saying that first off. I just read through the 3E books
Renraku Arcology: Shutdown and
Brainscan until 7 am(I work nights), and I've never before seen such a terrifying, alien, rat-trapped-in-a-maze atmosphere before, short of games like System Shock. So as our group's GM, naturally I figure the party HAS to be subjected to that feeling at least once. Just want to post an idea and make sure it's feasible as a one-off or maybe 2-shot run. All critique and suggestions are welcome.
In between the main adventure arc, the runners get a job from a Renraku Johnson to go into the ACHE(formerly the Arcology) to one of the mid-upper levels there to retrieve the contents of a particular server. Johnson says its some old technical files, essentially defunct and obsolete now but the corp wants them for research, archival, etc reasons. However, there is a deadline as rumours say the UCAS garrison inside will be renovating that level in preperation for making better use of it(Insert function here), and he doesn't want the data to fall into their hands on matters of principle. The job is to get into the ACHE, get to the floor in question, obviously undiscovered by the troops there, find the section in question, get to the server, download a copy and erase the data, and then get out to hand it over to Mr Johnson for some tasty nuyen.
Twist #1 - The Johnson may not actually work for Renraku(undecided), if not he works for a rival corp that wants access to said data, because they have plans for it. Now while not a huge twist in and of itself, the data isn't just "some obsolete technical info". It's the drone program scripts for some of Deus' old drones(Medusas, Mantas, Bumblebees, Spiders), all encrypted of course, as well as something infinitely more valuable - the schematics for a prototype Medusa upgrade that Deus was planning to test/implement right before the final events of
Brainscan when he was effectively defeated. I'm thinking a Medusa with Reuthenium coating, something like that(not decided yet).
Complication #1 - The Johnson knows someone who can assist the runners in getting to that level undetected. He's a former member of the resistance, early 30s(in his teens when it went down), and has knowledge of a lot of secret routes through the Arcology. He's a bit unstable, has trust issues, and really doesn't like to stay in one place for more than a few hours once inside, a result of staying on the run from Deus for over a year. The complication comes in when they get closer to that level, and see more telltale signs of Deus' influence(bullet holes, wiring in sections ripped out, just generic flashback stuff). Basically he can be a huge help, but he may also have the urge to wander off if he goes through an area that has strong memories for him. The only reason he's helping at all is because Renraku already has most of their data, so he figures it'll hurt less people in their hands than if the UCAS military gets ahold of it.
Twist #2 - When they reach the level through access corridors and defunct elevator shafts, they realize the blueprints for the layout are wrong. Walls where they shouldn't be, entire sections of housing/businesses changed, all the result of Deus' modifying it when he was in control. The trick here(as a GM) is that it at first looks normal, but most of the businesses and houses are shallow facades, as there is an entire(possibly multi-floor) section concealed behind it all. Through some planning and thinking, they can find an entrance and make their way inside, and find their first actual exposure to what people were subjected to 15 years ago. Derelict zombie rooms, augmentation/surgery labs, experimentation chambers, maybe signs of a firefight between destroyed drones and Renraku Red Samurai, whatever seems appropriate. Also, the resistance guy starts going through the first signs of recurring PTSD, and becomes a lot less helpful at this point. He reconsiders his position and suggests they destroy whatever they find on the server instead of recovering it, that no one should ever have access to Deus's horrors again, even just information about them.
All seems abandoned until they make their way deep into the level, where their presence trips long-dormant security backups, activating some semi-functioning security systems. The entrance shuts behind them, some drone nodes(the few still in functioning order) activate, and the runners now have to get to the server to shut it down in order to get out, as well as get the paydata. So what should have been a milk run turns into a run-and-gun to get to the server room, jack in(no wireless, has to be hardwire with an old fiber-optic cable), and shut down the drone control protocols while staying alive amidst Deus' mechanical horros run amok. Also, at seeing Medusas or other stuff again, resistance guy goes into full-on PTSD shock, runs off and disappears into the abandoned business block. So no help there. Lastly, there might even be a functioning prototype that Deus was in the process of rolling out,
So all in all, the PCs can retrieve the data and turn it in for mega-nuyen. Or they can destroy it and tell Mr Johnson it was unrecoverable/corrupted/etc, maybe see what else they can recover that might be valuable to someone(Renraku still has a lot of secrets). Or maybe they turn it in and the Johnson tries to have them killed to tie up loose ends and eliminate them as witnesses. Haven't decided on an ending yet, and I might just play it by ear depending on the choices they make.
Also, the team's hacker is an old-school decker from an older generation. The players designed him to have lived through a lot of the events of the 50-60s, so he might have some additional insight into what they'll find inside the SCIRE. Me and him still need to discuss whether he had any runs relating to those events or not.
ANYWAYS, sorry for the long post guys, but figured I'd run this past the community so you can point out any glaring errors, mistakes, suggest ideas or changes, give general critique, whatever. Any feedback is appreciated.
