[captduck]

I'm looking for ways I can design my runs to give my rigger player more opportunities to get involved and tips I can give him about things he can do to help. I feel like I'm really letting my rigger player down, he's ended up being pretty bored for most of the sessions we've had so far.

My players are trying to be a very stealthy group that avoids detection and fights. Because they're trying to avoid fights the rigger will infrequently get to use his armed drones in a combat support role. The number of high speed chases that occur will likely be reduced as well since they're trying avoid detection. The group has used his smaller drones as pre-run reconnaissance several times, but that hasn't been very interesting to roleplay.

The first run they went on the group actually only sent one guy into the target location while the decker was in VR a few hundred meters away. The rigger did get to use his combat drones as a noisy distraction when the decker accidentally alerted security, but the one guy that was actually inside managed to avoid notice and no fancy driving was required to escape. For the current run they're again planning for the face to sneak in by himself with the decker helping remotely from VR. They don't currently have plans for the rigger to do anything unless they screw up and get detected. I'm planning to make it very difficult for them to avoid detection so there should be a high speed chase on the way out this time. What I really want is ideas for how I can design the run or else useful things the rigger could do that would make the group incorporate the rigger into their plans instead of him only becoming involved when things go wrong.

The one thing I've tried so far is seeding the environment with drones that the decker could hack and give control of to the rigger, but outside of combat it seems like the decker could just use control device himself in most situations. In any case my players so far have shown no interest in attempting to seize control of whatever drones happen to be around. What are some things I could try?

PS: This is my first time GMing Shadowrun so please don't assume I've tried the obvious stuff!

[Mr. Black]

My first thought is reconnaissance drones. Drones with high sensor values and image link can show everything to the entire Crew. A MCT Fly-Spy or a Shiawase Kanmushi can do excellent recon duties and transmit everything to the Crew allowing them to make better plans. This allows the Rigger to do work during the Legwork period of the Run. Drones can also recon ahead of the Crew inside facilities, helping to prevent  ambushes. Aztechnology Crawlers are perfect for this. A Lockheed Optic X-2 or a Cyberspace Designs Dalmatian can provide on-site surveillance checking for incoming security support. None of this is glamorous but all of it is important.

Additionally, your Rigger could re-equip his death drones to less-than-lethal drones with dart guns, stun guns or DMSO squirters. Then he could be silently dropping guards ahead of the Crew, and if his drones are in the advance guard, the Crew could just bug out and leave the drone if detected. This gives the Rigger something more to do, and gives the Crew options/decisions, which is among the most important thing a GM can do-give the Party choices. Doing so gives the players agency, and who knows, they choose poorly.

[Wavefire]

1.  As mentioned by Mr Black, Recon! Recon drones are if anything overpowered so make them use them.
2.  Silent backup. Stealthy drones with tranq dart equivalents.
3.  Obstacles that are just easier to get by for a drone. Guard rooms with locked dors still have ventilation openings where a small drone could get through.
4.  Keep giving the option to take over site security. Eventually they'll catch on.
5.  Worse intel. If the stealth operative doesn't know exactly where the loot is he'll probably be grateful for the assistance of some drones that can look through a research floor.

There are probably more options but this has always been a SR issue. Deckers and riggers who do their stuff in 5 mins and then the rest of the team has a 45 minute run. It can be mitigated by making the drones the "hands" of  the rigger just on super long arms.

[Aryeonos]

From a matrix architecture standpoint I`d make sure your facilities are properly secured. Make sure the actually important stuff is all wired, and patched directly to on site security, doors, HVAC controls, Security measures, even the majority of cameras. Have the outer walls and important rooms painted with wi-fi damping paint. This way on sight security cant be easily comprimised externaly and anyone who plugs in can be route traced to their precise location. Security will have to rely on the base rigger for direction if the cameras are wired and on his feed though making them parially blind. All that seems like it might make the decker/hacker a little useless? Maybe. But with the rigger you can have microdrones fly in with optical taps and signal repeaters, or just have the hacker go straight through the drones into the local grid. The rigger now is important for being the party`s long arm, and the hacker`s probe. In addition to recon and infiltration he becomes more central in the plan. 

[Tarislar]

Agree w/ the above,   Fly-Spy = Awesome.
Our decker recently got one simply because we don't have a regular Rigger, we've had some non-regular players come in as Riggers in that past but that has been all of 3 times.  Most runs we had no Rigger & recon is huge.
Fly-Spy drones are very very cheap & you should have several of them available at all times.
Rotodrones for combat support is fine but the legwork/prep is every bit as important as the run itself IMHO.

Also, Contacts, Contacts, Contacts,   Everyone can have them.  Its one of the best uses of Karma at Char-gen IMHO.
A couple 2K Level 1 skills is a nice way to round out a character, but, that can be done after your first Run, but Contacts, those are forever & only at Chargen.  I'm big on blowing karma to have several contacts in the 5-7 pt range.

[Mr. Black]

I would also add that most Riggers have strong mechanical skill sets. Electronics, Lockpicking and Hardware are all skills in their wheelhouse. These are used, of course, for breaking into secure facilities. If the Rigger can handle the doors, then the Decker can being doing something else. And sometimes, Corporate facilities are proofed against Wi-Fi and hacking. You know, because said facilities are full of industrial secrets and the Sixth World is one where their corporate competitors hire Shadowrunners to steal said secrets as a regular course of business. And then the Crew will need those door knocking skills.

[Sterling]

You've said that this is your first time GMing Shadowrun, but is this the first time the players have played Shadowrun?

If it is, then perhaps spending some time as a group just asking them what they want in the game and how they see their characters fitting in might be an idea?

If the game isn't going to involve many full-on drone battles or high speed chases then it may be an idea to suggest the player re-design his character to one that fits into the group a little better?

[Sabato Kuroi]

The other posters gave great advice.

You should also prepare some runs that require driving skills.
Extraction/Elimination  of moving targets, transportation of assets etc

[halflingmage]

The other posters gave great advice.

You should also prepare some runs that require driving skills.
Extraction/Elimination  of moving targets, transportation of assets etc

This very much.  Don't let everything be a stealth based theft or extraction run.  Have a courier job, an escort or bodyguard job, a surveillance job that is on a individual not a facility so the group has to keep up but still keep out of sight. 

Also, employ the honored Shadowrun tradition of having everything go horribly, horribly pear shaped.  There is another runner team after the same  widget, and their main plan is to wait for the pc team to do the hard work, shoot huge holes in them, and then take said widget.  Combat drones become very useful at this point.  Or simply have unexpected security.  The bad guys noticed matrix chatter on said widget and brought in a bunch more boots for the perimeter and a giant iron box to keep said widget  in.  Sometimes you just can't sneak a problem. 

[Lethal Joke]

The other posters gave great advice.

You should also prepare some runs that require driving skills.
Extraction/Elimination  of moving targets, transportation of assets etc

This very much.  Don't let everything be a stealth based theft or extraction run.  Have a courier job, an escort or bodyguard job, a surveillance job that is on a individual not a facility so the group has to keep up but still keep out of sight. 

Also, employ the honored Shadowrun tradition of having everything go horribly, horribly pear shaped.  There is another runner team after the same  widget, and their main plan is to wait for the pc team to do the hard work, shoot huge holes in them, and then take said widget.  Combat drones become very useful at this point.  Or simply have unexpected security.  The bad guys noticed matrix chatter on said widget and brought in a bunch more boots for the perimeter and a giant iron box to keep said widget  in.  Sometimes you just can't sneak a problem.

Or my personal favorite: have the run itself be a trap/a distraction (functionally the same thing, if you ask me.) Then they would need to get away from any corp-cops (and there would be) in the area so they can lay low until the heat goes down.

[Tarislar]

Aside from Extractions being big on Rigger time.  I'd also add in Hijackings (X-Item) thefts. 
Lots of things are too sensitive to be transmitted via the Matrix where it can be hacked.  Instead have the runners be hired to retrieve an item that is being transferred from one location to another.

You mentioned having the Rigger drones be a distraction in 1 run.
This could probably be done fairly often as even if the bulk of a mission is "Black Trenchcoat" there is often a need for a "Pink Mohawk" finish to it.
Either as backup to the infiltrators when they are compromised or as a distraction right as they are detected or about to hit an area that can't be sneaked into.  Or better yet, have the rigger set up to ambush the 1st response team if you can find out where they are based out of.  Know where the barracks/garage/security command center is?  Station drones in firing position to use Sniper/Grenade/Full Auto fire to hit the first guys through the door.
A surprise attack could be just what is needed to delay them from catching the inside guys.  Then retreat quickly after just a turn of fire to avoid being tracked.

[Shaidar]

Industrial Mechanics, one of the technical skills in the Rigger's wheelhouse, can be very useful for gaining access to sites. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Ventilation systems fall within this skill, as well as estimating the locations of electrical and fiber optic cabling runs within walls.

Riggers can also serve as communication specialists, handling the transfer of information from their drones and the Decker to the team on the ground. This can work both ways if the team has visual and auditory sensors (cameras and mics).

And don't forget that Knowledge skills can reveal key bits of information even once the infiltration is underway, recognising that the model numbers on the Maglock Keypads aren't the same as the intel said can offer a clue that they have anti-tamper circuits that had slipped notice.

[Mr. Black]

So I gave this a lot of thought, and came up with 10 run ideas that can make your Rigger shine captduck. 5 are here, the rest are on my blog.

1. Let's start simple. The Crew needs to get into a very tall building. From the top. Perhaps the elevators don't go all the way to the roof, or maybe the top 30 floors are not accessible by Wi-Fi. And the other 100 floors are a bitch of a security nightmare. Whatever. Time for the Crew to get out of the Van, and into a helicopter, which our poor benighted Rigger gets to drive. And maybe fire machinegun shots into those top 30 floors. And then make a high speed aerial chase across the skies of Seattle. Bring extra shenanigans by having the Crew make an high-speed emergency evac off that roof. You know the one, where that last member of the crew has to make a jump off the 130th floor onto a skid or a dangling rope. Don't make it to hard for the jumpee; you want him dangling when the chase starts. You know, for that extra-cinematic feel. And the grin on your face as the Crew's spends all their Edge to keep him from falling off...
2. Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to recover a large shipment. It is loaded on 3 freight cars, and Mr. Johnson wants the Crew to steal the whole train. Which is where the Rigger comes in. While the Hacker goes in and changes the routing, the Rigger is going to play engineer! Again, someone else will have to drive the Van. The rest of the Crew can provide security, and really, who doesn't want to have a fight on top of a train?
3. One of the Big Ten has a new prototype. Only this time it is not some little piece of electronics. It is a frakkin' tank (or a Riot Control Vehicle, or an APC. Something big, armored and armed.) And Mr. Johnson wants it driven to the Swap point. Try Ash City/Glow City, or maybe the stolen train above. Anyways, the Crew needs to get into the testing grounds, get the Rigger into it (only Riggers can drive this advanced prototype), and then jander off into the night. And somebody else will have to drive the Van this time; hope somebody has Pilot: Ground Vehicles above Rating 1. Oh, and throw in an awesome chase, perhaps with attack helicopters firing AP missiles, and lots of car crunching fun.
4. Try the above Run differently. Mr. Johnson is perhaps a collector of expensive, high-speed automobiles. And one of the major corporations is testing their new prototype $500,000+ sports car. Once again, the Crew needs to get into the testing facility and have the Rigger drive it away. Which should lead to a high-speed, high octane (should that be high ozone in 2075?) chase across the city. Channel all your Fast 'n' Furious 1-7 into this; stealth should not be an option. Heck, go super-stupid and have the Crew helo insert into the top of the above Very Tall Building and then go full Furious 7 on them! If you are wizzer lucky, then maybe the rest of the Crew will also be able to drive and have some fast vehicles. 'Cause that stodgy Van just won't be able to keep up this time. For extra shenanigans, ensure Mr. Johnson puts a "no damage" clause in the contract.
5. While we have talked about many many large vehicles, maybe it is time for the Rigger to go small. Like flying ultralights into facilities. Or racing motorcycles through Seattle. Or scooting Jackrabbits through the sewers loaded with gold. Or cutting through the woods in ATV's or those armed dune buggy things special forces love so much. Something small enough that the entire Crew can't fit in, so the Rigger-driven vehicle is the Alpha vehicle, and the rest of the Crew is another vehicle praying and spending Edge to keep up with him. Let him be the star for the night, so he doesn't go suicidal the next time he just sits in the Van.

So stop letting the rest of the Crew the spotlight, and shine it on that poor Rigger huddling in that smelly Van.