[Schultzee61]

I was just wondering because I'm trying to come up with a campaign that is fun for all character types, challenging, and not so easy to figure out. Comments/criticism?

[benhatt]

I think it could be fun, I just don't know how to companies would do it.  Seems like they would have to like vat group paracritters and then shove them into drone bodies or would they be capturing mages/shamans/adepts and turning them into drones.  Since there is no biological foundation in being Awakened - no magic "gene" - I am not sure how you could combine drone and magic.  Unless, of course, you have some sort machine that is a mana sponge that then releases it, but I am assuming that each drone could only cast a few spells if not only one.  I don't know.  Just some things to think about. I guess if you can breed magic destroying bacteria, it would be possible.  How would the runners interact with these two companies?

[Crimsondude]

Actually MCT _is_ a major magic company (#2 last I recall). Anyway, yes, this is a good idea.

The point isn't how it succeeds or doesn't, it's in what insane things they try to get it to work.

[Onion Man]

If it gets your players to go along with your Johnson and keep things moving, it's a good campaign.

Bio-magic, techno-magic, etc. have been a fascination for me ever since the early days of RIFTS (it had so much potential, why such a horrendous system of rules?)?  If I had the broad strokes description like your first post before I started character creation, I'd be putting together a mad street-shaman or ex-corporate scientist right now.

Also... bio-drones, (maybe secretly influenced by a bug possessed VP of research or something like that).

[Charybdis]

The concept can work, but as GM you need to know in advance if:

A) This tech is actually going to work (hence some rework of Magic vs Tech rules may be required in your campaign)
B) The tech is just in R&D, and the runners are being tasked to go find crazy reagents or ritual materials (via theft or salvage), arcane research (via theft or extractions), weird tech  etc etc  which will never actually produce usable results, but could give interesting rewards along the way

As a campaign though, this has the potential to spin-off all sorts of crazy theories (which again, may or may not work, but could be really interesting to watch the Corp try them!)

Some things that could certainly be attempted would be:
- Orichalcum circuitry
- Binding Spirits to drones (instead of locations).. maybe a storm spirit with Innate Lightning bolt?
- Cyber-zombie drones
- Drones made of some weird dual natured material (Bio fibre?)
- Matrix hacking or physical theft/extraction form other organisations with weird magic or weird tech

Rewards along the way could be:
- New spells - standard elemental spells with different effects (Blast, Sound etc)
- Weapon foci - Yeah, we tried adding this R3 sword focus, but it didn't work with the drone-arm. You've helped us out so much, I can offer it to you as payment for the next mission, though.
- Guns and Armour - Yeah, we've tried every combination of getting the spirit to inhabit this security armour with integrated SMG, but it just didn't play ball...looks your size thouh...

Seriously, all sorts of fun craziness. Enjoy

[Sliver]

That basic concept in itself is fine, and I like it, but what about the deeper aspects of the campaign? What's the setting, who's hiring them, what's the theme, what's the style?

Also, I like your poll answers:

"What do you think of this campaign?"
"Yes."

[baronspam]

Its a good plot.  I would argue theme is something other than plot, but I might be splittng hairs here. 

There is a writeup in one of the books (maybe Augmented?  my brain is swiss cheese these days) about biodrones.  Basically, animals that have implants that can receive instructions from a rigger.  Its not that far of a leap to some some kind of cutting edge project that-

Does the same with paracritters.

Binds a technomancer sprite to a drone permanently.

Binds a spirit to a drone

Combines cybermancy with full cyborgs to make really nasty, astrally horrific autonomous drones out of dead brains.

etc.

[SirDelta]

Oh yeah. I think it's a great idea.

You could also tie it into Dunkelzahn's will.  There's an 8 million Nuyen reward for the fusion of the two without a mage or a spirit involved.  YOu could easily use that to make an interesting game.

[Mystic]

Want to mess with them? Could have it be nothing but a smokescreen or better yet a trojan horse. Company X says they have developed something like...the ability to magically teleport (which could be one of the Holy Grails for magic). Runners hired to steal paydata or a few "key scientists", which is then used as a way to either mess with their compedetors own reasearch or get their own agents in a position to be double agents.

Now when things go south, said Mr/Ms. Johnson may be looking for some scapegoats...

[Walks Through Walls]

I like the idea for driving the campaign. If it were my game I wouldn't have the tech/magic combination work. However, like several people have already said it could make a great driving force for a campaign, and could have the team going after all kinds of off the wall things.

I ran a campaign where three groups were working on making a gold machine and hiring the runners to steal, acquire, and otherwise obtain different items from the other groups at times, and other sources at different times. In the end the machine didn't work, but none of the groups knew that and it drove the campaign.

[Charybdis]

Company X says they have developed something like...the ability to magically teleport (which could be one of the Holy Grails for magic).

This is hard? Free Spirits do it all the time.... 

*whistles innocently*