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Canonical material

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Reaver

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« Reply #15 on: <08-21-11/1157:15> »
I find that the canon material is a great starting point.... But rarely survives player contact ;)

I try to keep as close to canon as I can at the start, then keep detailed notes about the "changes" the players made to the world. (in my game, the players sold out Gracia Riveros to a pharm Corp to end the Ghost Cartels adventure) Anytime you run a canon adventure you have to be ready for the PC curveball :) From there it's just a matter of working the changes into an over arching storyline that you meld as best as you can with the rest of the material. Your players are important, they and you are building a fantastic story! You cheapen it and them by not acknowledging the changes they have made heough their choices.
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CanRay

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« Reply #16 on: <08-21-11/1201:44> »
My group nearly re-wrote the face of Seattle, and missed out doing so by one success.

When the Irish Republican Army in Exile (IRAiE) is scared of the guy that goes, "I have a bus!", and considers his explosives expertise a "Hobby", that should be a big warning sign.

...

Sad part is, that was the DISTRACTION part of the plan...
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« Reply #17 on: <08-21-11/1300:54> »
My group nearly re-wrote the face of Seattle, and missed out doing so by one success.

When the Irish Republican Army in Exile (IRAiE) is scared of the guy that goes, "I have a bus!", and considers his explosives expertise a "Hobby", that should be a big warning sign.

...

Sad part is, that was the DISTRACTION part of the plan...

Lol!!!

Even better is when they PLAN for a big distraction.... But the demo expert glitches the roll :D
Where am I going? And why am I in a hand basket ???

Remember: You can't fix Stupid. But you can beat on it with a 2x4 until it smartens up! Or dies.

CanRay

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« Reply #18 on: <08-21-11/1320:27> »
Actually, we were discussing the plan they has last night, and they just realized, "Um...  We'd have been in the blast radius..."

Good thing it didn't go off then.  ;)
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Julius Q Enderby

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« Reply #19 on: <08-22-11/0037:33> »
Started canon and attempting sand-box. My players have already affected canon to some extent and I like where they're headed so we're keeping it. We're still playing in the '50s; I like knowing what the "official" interpretation is but for this campaign especially it will be more fun I think to let them rewrite increasingly important bits of history.

I'm another practitioner of mixing published adventures with homebrew stuff to have it make sense. Though at this point my players can fairly call me on that...  :-\  ;)

Fallen

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« Reply #20 on: <08-22-11/0558:33> »
Seems like most people are like-minded here in their approach in balancing canon with sandbox.  Good deal!
"Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

CanRay

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« Reply #21 on: <08-22-11/1141:10> »
Seems like most people are like-minded here in their approach in balancing canon with sandbox.  Good deal!
There's also huge swathes of land and cities that aren't given any kind of talk whatsoever.  For example, the only mention I have about my hometown is that Lone Star provides the Peace Officer service there.  That's it.

Winnipeg, I don't think has even been mentioned once.  Which makes it ripe for the picking!

Especially considering the heavy mystical history the city has.  And the fact that it's now a border town.
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baronspam

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« Reply #22 on: <08-22-11/1514:30> »
I tend to look at the game as "small, tough fish in a really big ocean."  The forces that players rub up against are frequently so huge that I don't see a handful of hired operatives making that much of a difference.  On a local scale, sure.  They could clean up (or ruin) a neighborhood, make or break a small or start up corp, do some 'hooding to help the local block or fill their own pockets at other's expense.  You might even topple a Mayor if you are really devious.  But they certainly are not going to take down a Mega or a government.  Take down one subsidiary, that Megacorp has literally a thousand others.  They would kill you with a Thor Shot before they let you do something that could actually destroy them. 

I guess what I am trying to say is that if when your PCs are done if you down to three mega corps and Harlequin in president of the UCAS, which is in talks with the  CAS to form a new joint government,  you have probably been too easy on them. 

Julius Q Enderby

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« Reply #23 on: <08-22-11/1537:09> »
I guess what I am trying to say is that if when your PCs are done if you down to three mega corps and Harlequin in president of the UCAS, which is in talks with the  CAS to form a new joint government,  you have probably been too easy on them.

Well, in game and in RL, our game is at a crossroads. If the group continues to meet in RL for this game instead of for another game or dissolving altogether, we're going in uncharted territory for us for the Shadowrun universe. (Silly statement. When is anyone ever not going into uncharted territory for their own games?) To this point, my group has been balancing running their own legit, unrated corporation and the shadowrunning required to keep it afloat. (When they pitched the idea of having their own corp, I needed to be convinced that we'd still be playing Shadowrun. I was.)

Dunkelzahn has just bought the farm. He was suitably impressed (through a recent report from Carla Brooks) with their performance in Dry Run (Not too easy on them; a few nearly bought some of the farm the Big D just did.) that the public Face PC got a conditional bequest in the will.

When they're done, I don't expect that it will be down to 3 Megas and Harlequin in the Oval Office but they might, might, have gone Mega themselves. I'm quite hopeful the game continues and am very curious to see what they make of it. Will the small, tough fish eat enough to grow teeth? Will it cost them their souls if they do? Who knows?

Julius Q Enderby

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« Reply #24 on: <08-22-11/1540:48> »
Winnipeg, I don't think has even been mentioned once.  Which makes it ripe for the picking!

Especially considering the heavy mystical history the city has.  And the fact that it's now a border town.

This! I was tempted to set a campaign in Winnipeg but simply don't have the time to make it justice and be worthwhile. As it is, the PCs briefly touched down there to catch a connecting flight on their way to DC from Lake Louise/Calgary. If you or anyone does play Winnipeg, I'd love to know how it goes.  :)

baronspam

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« Reply #25 on: <08-22-11/1552:23> »
There is mega and there is mega.  I kind of like the idea of characters forming and driving a company, it shows they are thinking.  But a AAA corp is HUGE.  It is made of hundreds of smaller companies with thousands of product lines.  They are the financial equivalent of a medium sized country.  They are generally also ruthless, evil, and greedy on a level that would make Machiavelli blush.  Corporations can live forever, and some of the current big ten have taken generations to get where they are.

I think it would be possible, however, to maybe build a character run Corp up to single A status.  Even at that level  if the characters still own most of the stock they would be living a luxury plus lifestyle, and one those AAA Megas would show up with a dumptruck full of cred sticks to take it off their hands if they had a good business model and were making money.

CanRay

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« Reply #26 on: <08-22-11/1706:55> »
Winnipeg, I don't think has even been mentioned once.  Which makes it ripe for the picking!

Especially considering the heavy mystical history the city has.  And the fact that it's now a border town.
This! I was tempted to set a campaign in Winnipeg but simply don't have the time to make it justice and be worthwhile. As it is, the PCs briefly touched down there to catch a connecting flight on their way to DC from Lake Louise/Calgary. If you or anyone does play Winnipeg, I'd love to know how it goes.  :)
I was working on a "Shadows of Winnipeg" document for a bit, then realized I don't know the city well enough to do it justice.

I'll see if I can dig up the work I did and post it somewhere here.  I'm sure I put it up on The Other Forum.
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Fallen

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« Reply #27 on: <08-22-11/1721:49> »
Seems like most people are like-minded here in their approach in balancing canon with sandbox.  Good deal!

There's also huge swathes of land and cities that aren't given any kind of talk whatsoever.  For example, the only mention I have about my hometown is that Lone Star provides the Peace Officer service there.  That's it.

Winnipeg, I don't think has even been mentioned once.  Which makes it ripe for the picking!

Especially considering the heavy mystical history the city has.  And the fact that it's now a border town.

I love "reinventing" cities and towns that aren't mentioned in source-books and converting them to the Sixth World.  My setting outside of Seattle is rife with ghost towns, ghoul-infested farmlands, and quasi-post-apocalyptic landscapes mixed with hippy-tripped returns of Nature's grandeur, with all an Awakened Mother Nature can plausibly toss around to make matters interesting.

I have a part of a game coming soon that's meant to take place in Salem, Ma.  Certainly, there's material that mentions what's been going on in Salem in the Sixth World, but I'll amuse myself with rearranging some elements to suit my fancy.
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CanRay

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« Reply #28 on: <08-22-11/1725:32> »
OK, sick thought time...  During the chaotic time of the early 21st Century, I could see The Vaults (From Fallout) being put into place/use...
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Fallen

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« Reply #29 on: <08-22-11/1730:40> »
OK, sick thought time...  During the chaotic time of the early 21st Century, I could see The Vaults (From Fallout) being put into place/use...

Hahahaha!

It does fit -- not only with Shadowrun, but also with Earthdawn's concept of Caerns and Citadels that people sought shelter into during the Scourge.

I so want a Pipboy.
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