[Moonshine Fox]

Maybe he meant awakened and emerged

 It’s so vaguely worded it could be any group of people. (though kudos to whoever wrote the script)

If it's Clockwork I am DEFINITELY glad he got shot.

I’ll say an amen for that! Dudes all the crazy with none of the class.

[Beta]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, as I'm still learning the lore: If we are going to be dealing with these bug thingies, outside of one megacorporation (Ares?), wouldn't shadowrunners be the ones most likely to run into, and thus oppose, the bugs?

You are entirely correct.  Runners stumble into bugs when they expect something else, and runners get hired to save people who have just been taken by bugs, and runners are tempting targets for bugs because they are powerful and skilled but would not be so much missed if they disappeared.

Also while most corp news may play down the bug threat (panic is not good for the bottom line, don't ya know), runners with much experience tend to have access to less filtered news and so to know that the bugs are still very much a threat.

And that one corp that goes after bugs?  Yes that is Ares, specifically their Firewatch teams.  But being a mega-corp, it didn't take long for the powers that be to wonder if they couldn't find a way make a profit off of the bugs .... could they control them and get them to produce anything valuable?  Could they study them and figure out new technology based on them?  Could they train them to be super-soldiers, or even develop their own strain or nest of bugs that was loyal to the corp?  And bug spirits can be smart, in their own inhuman way, and some of them are very persuasive, so some of those studying captured bugs became a little too enthralled ....  There is some question in the shadow community now of just how far bugs have infiltrated Ares, and to what degree they are running things.

[Singularity]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, as I'm still learning the lore: If we are going to be dealing with these bug thingies, outside of one megacorporation (Ares?), wouldn't shadowrunners be the ones most likely to run into, and thus oppose, the bugs?

You are entirely correct.  Runners stumble into bugs when they expect something else, and runners get hired to save people who have just been taken by bugs, and runners are tempting targets for bugs because they are powerful and skilled but would not be so much missed if they disappeared.

Also while most corp news may play down the bug threat (panic is not good for the bottom line, don't ya know), runners with much experience tend to have access to less filtered news and so to know that the bugs are still very much a threat.

And that one corp that goes after bugs?  Yes that is Ares, specifically their Firewatch teams.  But being a mega-corp, it didn't take long for the powers that be to wonder if they couldn't find a way make a profit off of the bugs .... could they control them and get them to produce anything valuable?  Could they study them and figure out new technology based on them?  Could they train them to be super-soldiers, or even develop their own strain or nest of bugs that was loyal to the corp?  And bug spirits can be smart, in their own inhuman way, and some of them are very persuasive, so some of those studying captured bugs became a little too enthralled ....  There is some question in the shadow community now of just how far bugs have infiltrated Ares, and to what degree they are running things.

Great. Gotta love megacorps, R&D teams with no moral compass, and the almighty bottom line! What could possibly go wrong!? 

Still, that's great news to me (less so my future vic...err, players): The way this has been playing out, I'm very tempted to use the events to set a horror-themed campaign. I saw another post somewhere mentioning past editions having an option to start players at a lower power level (street campaign, I think it was called?), and I'm imagining a group of these lower-level types just starting out and getting caught in one of these cities that went dark, like St. Louis. }:)

[Michael Chandra]

Iirc, we have an official short story in one of the books where a Siouan big shot quit Ares and returned to Sioux Nation while Ares Bugs tried to take him out. And it only got worse and worse since then.

[Singularity]

Iirc, we have an official short story in one of the books where a Siouan big shot quit Ares and returned to Sioux Nation while Ares Bugs tried to take him out. And it only got worse and worse since then.

Hmm, sounds like I might be able to go the horror route after all!

[Moonshine Fox]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, as I'm still learning the lore: If we are going to be dealing with these bug thingies, outside of one megacorporation (Ares?), wouldn't shadowrunners be the ones most likely to run into, and thus oppose, the bugs?

You are entirely correct.  Runners stumble into bugs when they expect something else, and runners get hired to save people who have just been taken by bugs, and runners are tempting targets for bugs because they are powerful and skilled but would not be so much missed if they disappeared.

Also while most corp news may play down the bug threat (panic is not good for the bottom line, don't ya know), runners with much experience tend to have access to less filtered news and so to know that the bugs are still very much a threat.

And that one corp that goes after bugs?  Yes that is Ares, specifically their Firewatch teams.  But being a mega-corp, it didn't take long for the powers that be to wonder if they couldn't find a way make a profit off of the bugs .... could they control them and get them to produce anything valuable?  Could they study them and figure out new technology based on them?  Could they train them to be super-soldiers, or even develop their own strain or nest of bugs that was loyal to the corp?  And bug spirits can be smart, in their own inhuman way, and some of them are very persuasive, so some of those studying captured bugs became a little too enthralled ....  There is some question in the shadow community now of just how far bugs have infiltrated Ares, and to what degree they are running things.

Great. Gotta love megacorps, R&D teams with no moral compass, and the almighty bottom line! What could possibly go wrong!? 

Still, that's great news to me (less so my future vic...err, players): The way this has been playing out, I'm very tempted to use the events to set a horror-themed campaign. I saw another post somewhere mentioning past editions having an option to start players at a lower power level (street campaign, I think it was called?), and I'm imagining a group of these lower-level types just starting out and getting caught in one of these cities that went dark, like St. Louis. }:)

That sounds like it could be a fun game! How much more scary is it when you know enough to realize how bad things REALLY are!

[Singularity]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, as I'm still learning the lore: If we are going to be dealing with these bug thingies, outside of one megacorporation (Ares?), wouldn't shadowrunners be the ones most likely to run into, and thus oppose, the bugs?

You are entirely correct.  Runners stumble into bugs when they expect something else, and runners get hired to save people who have just been taken by bugs, and runners are tempting targets for bugs because they are powerful and skilled but would not be so much missed if they disappeared.

Also while most corp news may play down the bug threat (panic is not good for the bottom line, don't ya know), runners with much experience tend to have access to less filtered news and so to know that the bugs are still very much a threat.

And that one corp that goes after bugs?  Yes that is Ares, specifically their Firewatch teams.  But being a mega-corp, it didn't take long for the powers that be to wonder if they couldn't find a way make a profit off of the bugs .... could they control them and get them to produce anything valuable?  Could they study them and figure out new technology based on them?  Could they train them to be super-soldiers, or even develop their own strain or nest of bugs that was loyal to the corp?  And bug spirits can be smart, in their own inhuman way, and some of them are very persuasive, so some of those studying captured bugs became a little too enthralled ....  There is some question in the shadow community now of just how far bugs have infiltrated Ares, and to what degree they are running things.

Great. Gotta love megacorps, R&D teams with no moral compass, and the almighty bottom line! What could possibly go wrong!? 

Still, that's great news to me (less so my future vic...err, players): The way this has been playing out, I'm very tempted to use the events to set a horror-themed campaign. I saw another post somewhere mentioning past editions having an option to start players at a lower power level (street campaign, I think it was called?), and I'm imagining a group of these lower-level types just starting out and getting caught in one of these cities that went dark, like St. Louis. }:)

That sounds like it could be a fun game! How much more scary is it when you know enough to realize how bad things REALLY are!

Especially considering that being relatively new, and with everything going down, the sources of information will probably be a bit wary at first with sharing.

[Shinobi Killfist]

Iirc, we have an official short story in one of the books where a Siouan big shot quit Ares and returned to Sioux Nation while Ares Bugs tried to take him out. And it only got worse and worse since then.

I thought that whole arc sucked. Ares researching bugs for profit. Fine. Having the worst security against bugs taking over possible when they already know bugs inhabit and take over people when Damien Knight is arguably the smartest human alive. I mean holy crap the security against a infestation in the story was terrible. Yeah right.

[Sichr]

Ares is clearly under siege, as the picture 00:22 shows the battle raging between supposedly firewatch and some shining spirity-thingies next to Ares arcology.

May the message the guy in the feed is talking about be:
"Everything you have, everything that you’re about, is fragile. The society that keeps you safe, that gives you the things that you need, can be taken away at a moment, in an instant. Everything can be lost..." ...insert: Us (BUGS) are running the show now, so STFU or you get exterminated. Your food, your news, your GOD, your cities, Corpses, Governments...wwe are everywhere, so lay dowwn and prepare to be flesh formed...

Maybe enven Ares FWT didnt expect the scale the infestation reached, and as soon as they tried to purge their own tribe, Invae everywhere just striked back with full force?
(Just imagine: Walking into interview in Ares, walking away as vessel. Walkin into behind-the-closed-doors top officials meeting with Ares representatives...walking away as a vessel...etc)   

[Prime Mover]

After listening to crossover podcast about events in Chicago. One entry in Streetpedia really stands out.

“According to the ASPS, V'golkatl is one the largest single threats to the world's continued existence. V'golk-atl emerged from the astral corpse of Calumet (previous spirit of Chicago) and is served by swarms of lesser terrors.”

I’m starting to think bugs are a red herring or least minor part of what’s going on in current story.

[Michael Chandra]

The bugs are fake heralds, no? So maybe the brute force tossed against them, combined with their own plots and all the other damage going around, managed to cause just enough damage for a certain something to break past Dunkelzahn...

[Prime Mover]

Not saying fake heralds. That status well established.  Just thinking current threat has less to do with them.  Could be way off though, obviously a piece of story still being held back.  Got this nagging suspicion the foundation and our favorite taco place will get some plot time in current story.
 Or it could just be that (Really Big Burrito™️) I had for breakfast.

[tenchi2a]

Could have been a message from a wage slave within Ares?
Maybe their fight against the Bugs took a wrong turn and the first meta-arc will be trying to destroy/stop a Major Bug infiltration into the corp?
Anyway my group and I play in 2052, so not really caring right now.

[Beta]

Still, that's great news to me (less so my future vic...err, players): The way this has been playing out, I'm very tempted to use the events to set a horror-themed campaign. I saw another post somewhere mentioning past editions having an option to start players at a lower power level (street campaign, I think it was called?), and I'm imagining a group of these lower-level types just starting out and getting caught in one of these cities that went dark, like St. Louis. }:)

For what it is worth, a couple of references:
- 4th edition adventure "Boardroom Backstab: Sacrificial Limb" is basically playable as is (the deep background on who the real Johnson is would need updating, but the players are not even apt to ever find that out).  The players are hired to infiltrate an Ares training program -- as trainees. If they do well, they eventually get sent to an Ares research subsidiary. There are bugs there -- big surprise given the contents of this thread

In October (I think) they are supposed to be coming out with the first 6th edition adventure, called 30 Nights.  From the tiny bit we have been told, it is living through the blackout in one of the cities that went dark (in this case: Toronto).  You may not want to wait that long, and if you want it set somewhere else you'd have to do the work of porting the adventure.  But just so you know that is in the pipe.

[Sichr]

Its too bad that Boardroom Backstabs were canceled after those two parts came out and never actualy finished