[JackVII]

Nice pic, SgtBoomCloud!

I don't draw, but I do google. So here's an idea for Wraith (assume the sunglasses are of the silver-mirrored variety):

[JackVII]

Alright, Wraith is going to start getting to work. First up, she's going to start pulling basic information on some of the listed locations (GeoCords, Pictures, Upcoming Events, etc). Right now, she'll work on the Heron and the Spirits Club.

Cyberdeck: ASDF/4586; Programs: Browse, Configurator, Signal Scrub, & Toolbox (Configurator: ASDF/5747, Programs: Decrypt, Encryption, Hammer, & Mugger] )

Matrix Search [The Heron] (5 INT + 5 Computer) [8]: 10d6t5 2 (15 Seconds)
Matrix Search [Spirits Club] (5 INT + 5 Computer) [8]: 10d6t5 3 (7.5 Seconds)

She's also going to try to spot the Hosts for both locations.

[Poindexter]

I've tried to post a few times today, but i'm sick. I just aint got it in me.

[rednblack]

@Jack, Hotel Heron is on the upper end of a Middle Lifestyle hotel in downtown.  It has a moderately-sized convention center, pool, and sauna.  and a hotel bar/restaurant that leans more to the bar side.  It's within walking distance of a bullet train station, and is known to be a good spot to find male or female companionship for out-of-town sararimen, and has a gambling parlor, which heavily favors baccarat and Hold 'em.

Ah, yes, the Spirits Club, a rough and tumble three-story converted warehouse for a rough and tumble clientele.  It's located in southeast Fort Worth in a particularly dangerous neighborhood, surrounded by a few other such clubs, flop-houses, and coffin motels.  A favorite spot for go-gangers, Wraith is able to piece together that sometimes the yakuza will provide security for meetings between rival gangs.  The bar is on the first floor with a sizable dance floor and mechanical bull.  The third floor hosts a strip club, with an elevator to ferry patrons up and down.  The second floor is only accessible through a set of service stairs, and there isn't much to go on in that regards.

I'll get the locations up on the google map soon, but it may be sometime this weekend/early next week before it's up.

[JackVII]

Alright, I'm going to wait to see if anyone wants to continue talking in the IC thread before getting to work on Matrix Searches and such.

[rednblack]

@Jayde, you still with us?

@All, anybody care to make any Knowledge Checks that may be appropriate?  Not sure if you want to make plans now, or break for the evening and do your individual legwork thing before coming back together.  Let me know, but let's keep it moving.

[JackVII]

I don't think I have any relevant Knowledge Skills, unfortunately. I shot for "Interesting and Rounding Out Skills" rather than "Obviously Useful For a Shadowrun" skills.

[Jayde Moon]

Yeah, sorreh.  Traveling for work, I'm definitely still with you.

[rednblack]

Cool.  No worries; just wanted to make sure nobody was getting bored.

@All, let's get OOC for a second.  The Johnson requested that all the hits be executed within a certain hour time frame.  As stated, this is because she doesn't want the word to get out that yaks are getting geeked, and spook the others into hiding.  I'll be making checks for each of the potential hits after a certain threshold of time has been reached to determine if they've found about what's going down, and if they do, underground they go.  This does not mean that they will be un-find-able, but it has the potential of greatly increasing the difficulty and manpower you'll be facing.

Now, steps can be made to stop the clock from starting.  If you were to catch a target who wasn't expected to "check in" for awhile, the clock would only start after they were expected back.  Similarly, if you could successfully pose as that individual -- comm-wise, etc. -- for a certain period of time, the clock would fail to start.

If you have any questions in that regard, feel free to ask them, but we'll be solidly in common sense territory for figuring that stuff out.

Another OOC note, I've been considering different ways to handle GM rolling.  I do not want to post links to GM rolls because I make a lot of checks that players won't be aware of, to determine NPC strength, possible preparations, etc.  I am considering giving players a threshold for things like combat, but I'd like to get your thoughts on whether or not that adds to the fun factor.  For instance, NPC is firing a short burst from his Ares Predator.  Would you rather: 1. Player 1, roll a defense test against Joe's burst, 2. Player 1, roll a defense test against Joe's burst.  It looks like he's a pretty good shot, or 3. Player 1, roll a Defense Test against Joe's burst.  He scored 4 hits and is using Explosive Rounds.  Which would you rather?  Also, assuming you want to know about GM rolls, would you rather thresholds be given only in things like combat, or would you like social interactions, etc. to follow the same pattern?

[JackVII]

I think you already know how I feel about it, having previously had the discussion in the last thread.

Given my belief that decisions like Edge expenditure and Full Defense are pretty much metagame decisions (I mean, who doesn't do their damnedest to not get shot, discounting Bubba the Troll Tank?), I prefer 3, particularly for combat (although I don't know if you necessarily have to tell us what kind of ammo they're using until after it hits something). I also honestly don't think its a big deal for players knowing opposing dice pools, mostly because it helps us help you when you may forget penalties, bonuses, limits, or whatever.

IMO, verisimilitude arguments go out the window anyway since I don't think it really plays a role in SR from the get go.  When you have a group of runners standing around close to one another and they get shot out, why aren't they ALL making defense tests (and subsequently suffering from the previously defended penalty)? How do they automatically know that Ganger A is shooting at their friend 1 meter away instead of them? It's an abstraction.

As far as non-combat stuff, I still prefer 3 if we're aware of the situation. But if it's something like Perception checks, resisting Con checks, or other things where dramatic surprise might be ruined if we know the threshold (or even that a roll is being made), I can see a case being made to go with 1 or rolling for the players (although I think the latter interferes with the agency players are supposed to have through Edge, but sometimes the story should take precedence).Then again, I don't have a problem knowing I failed a Perception test and keep rolling along unaware. For some thing though, it becomes problematic. For instance, I've never really liked how Matrix Search works unless the Threshold (and the time it's going to take to search) is front-loaded for the player. If I want to look one of these guys up and am trying to budget for time, it can wreck things if the information turns out to be a 12-hour dive versus a 30 minute dive. So... case by case?

With all that said, I'm totally good with however the group decides. Hell, in my other active game, the GM rolls everything, albeit openly, including the opposition. We just describe our actions. But we definitely pick up areas where too many or too few dice are rolled, and our GM has been running PbP 5e games with us for for a year and a half, so everyone forgets stuff from time to time.

[Jayde Moon]

However is clever.  I'm used to #1 and that's how I run my games.  Sometimes I even go so far as to intimate that a player might want to use edge, even though they have a handful of net hits already.  Because I'm a bastard.

I will happily take advantage of option 3 if that's how we decide to run it.

2 is decent compromise, tho.

[SgtBoomCloud]

(I mean, who doesn't do their damnedest to not get shot, discounting Bubba the Troll Tank?)

As I'm currently playing one of those in another PbP on here and have eaten around 10 stik n shok volleys and three flashbangs with minimal damage accrued, I can relate to that

Back on topic, knowing what the opposing rolls are will not affect me in the slightest.  When I make a roll for a post, my actions will more than likely reflect the results of said roll.  I rolled 6 hits on my defense dice?  Sweet, talk about your Matrix-style reflexive dodging, dipping, etc.  Enemy scored a 7 on the attack, though, and to me that translates as one hell of a good shot that predicted the aforementioned dodge.  Simple as that.

tl:dr I'm easy.  Go with what's comfy.

That also being said..knowledge rolls?  -checks sheet, notices all skills are directly related to theme-  ...maybe checking to recall scenarios of Action Trids that shared the 4x homicide setup and see how those panned out for inspiration?

Knowledge: Action Trids: 8d6t5 3

[JackVII]

Wraith checks for hidden icons in the room, after trying to spot any unhidden sensor icons in the room that don't correspond to her companions.

Matrix Perception: INT (5) + Computer (5) + Hot Sim (2) [8]: 12d6t5 4

[Jayde Moon]

Self Control to stem her desire to take advantage of Wraith's open request while she's out: 4 hits.

[JackVII]

Oops, looks like I forgot to turn on my commlink cam like I did in the cab. Not like I trust any of you yet. I'll have to do a better job of remembering that in the future.