[CobraCommander]

Specifically South America, Brazil location information to be specific. I poked around (very minorly) the forums and I didn't really see a background section on the game as a whole that jumped out at me (I could be just very blind I suppose) but I was looking for information about the other countries (South America to be specific) Maps and the like. I should break it down though.

So my group consists of about six people including myself, I'm fairly new to their group since they're a bunch of old gamer friends one of my friends used to play with and I've been brought into the gaming circle. Currently we've all decided to try and put together a shadowrun team as apposed to a bunch of guys that end up getting put on the same job. Right now the hardest thing we're running into is cementing the team as a whole. There's been a few character swaps within the first few sessions, trying to fill in holes within the group. Needing a Decker was one of them. But it's taking longer then everyone thought. With this group everyone takes a turn GM'ing a game round robin style, and it's getting close to my turn and I want to put together a fairly long campaign. The others will be able to run games within mine when it comes to their turn, and we've all agreed if someone wants to run a lengthy campaign, that the others should work within that game and keep the main focus kinda in mind, asking permission beforehand concerning runs so as not to throw the whole plot line out the window with an offshot side mission.

Now another problem most of us are seeing is that the white collar shadowrunning we're all doing is starting to get dull. Pick up a job within Seattle and get it done, get paid and wait for the next one. There's no real big motivator to get everyone on the same page to accomplish a specific goal. There's no real "Adventure outwards and do general good guy stuff (mind you shadowrun good guy stuff) and accomplish some awesome goal" Which is what I want to try to do with my game. What I want to do is get them sent to Brazil where the party will (hopefully) take on something that is like that and spend some time outside the white collar shadowrunning gig. They wont really have to shadowrun per say, they could help save a village from evil spirits, or even help topple the local Warlord/Megacorp crushing the life out of the local population. If anybody has played the RPG game Rifts then you'll know what I'm getting at. So for whatever reason they'll be stuck there, and will have to make do.

What I'm asking is I'm having trouble finding specific information on South America and I'd like to be pointed in the right direction. I asked my friend who has been playing since like... 1st Edition if there was anything like a world map that showed the current state of worldly affairs and he said no, not to his knowledge. So I'm looking for info, plot hooks, reasons, just basically anything that I could look at or use to make this game fun. I have quite a lot of experience running D&D games, but this will be my first real attempt at running a Shadowrun long term campaign, and I want to show these guys that I can put together a well thought out and fun game that they'll be able to look back on and say "Hey, remember when our guys were sent to Brazil and we ended up doing *blank*."

I'm fortunate enough to be able to hear about their old war stories like how their group ended up getting transported to the "Rifts" world and were running around there doing awesome sounding things. I would hope it will end up something like that. Does anybody have anything they'd be willing to share?

Thanks
COOOBBBRRRAAA!!!

[Phylos Fett]

Brazil is now Amazonia. I'd start with Sixth World Almanac and then curse that Shadows of Latin America never got made...

[Mason]

the long lost shadows of latin america is where it all is.

[CanRay]

And Bogota is depicted in War!.

[Phylos Fett]

the long lost shadows of latin america is where it all is.

That's what I meant! Good work!

[Mystic]

And Bogota is depicted in War!.

Bingo. That would be the one to really look at as the war is having reprocussions all over the region.

Also, as for "life" try and get some of the character's background involved. Maybe they run into an ex of one of the runners who is now their opposition, or tries to use them (and defacto the group). Also, try and get them involved in their environment, make them care about a few things then mess with them that way.

Also, do things that take them out of their comfort zones. If they are nothing but gun bunnies: give them something they have to think their way out of. Moral dilemas work well too, example: they willing to blow away anyone, or do they still have morals?

And, don't be afraid to use consiquences. My favorite example is: Runners do run, but accidently kill a kid because they got careless (or just didn't care). Kid turns out to be nephew of the local crime/warlord. OOPS. Now the runners have to deal with a pretty powerful (and pissed off) enemy. Having to deal with the fallout of a run, good and bad, can be just as challenging as the run itself.

[Walks Through Walls]

Mystic is exactly right. Take the players out of their character's comfort zones.
Another thing that I have found works well is if there is a person or group behind the scenes manipulating things. They have taken a series of seemingly unrelated "white collar" runs and now find out that these were being used to manipulate stock prices for someone who now has a made a large bankroll to .......... or a megacorp is working to corner the market on something in Seattle and the team has been setting things up with their runs.
You can even go back and look at the runs that have already happened an build in the "back story" to fit. Of course now the team needs to find out about the plot just before it is too late, or maybe a ways before it is too late, but no one believes them and they are on their own.

Hope this helps

[CobraCommander]

Thanks for the great info guys. I'm actually looking through "War" right now, but because of the changes to regions names I'm not too sure where this place actually is, the only conclusion I can draw upon would be... Columbia? Either way, I'll definately look around for more Amazonia related books.

Also, a bit about the group. The group consists of a shinto based mage (I think that would make him a shamanistic one) a smuggler, a street sam, a decker who ended up replacing another mage, a organlegging Doc Wagon/Face (my character), and an Adept. The nice thing is they are actually a really experienced gaming group, most if not all of them have been playing since 1st Edition, so to a point they really all do look at the "bigger picture" of all their actions and try to come up with plans that cause the least amount of colateral damage as possible to everyone. Which is really awesome. The group does feel that it has been getting a little stagnent as of late, and I'd really like to liven things up with a more "You guys end up going out into the wilderness and adventure cause for whatever reason you guys can't get back to Seattle." Which is what I hope happens in Brazil.

As far as comfort zones... I can't really think what I could do to them that would make them squirm (not in a bad way of course). One of the other players ran a beautifully laid out game where it was really confusing (in game) it was hard for the players to all steadily get in contact, there was always groups of two or three running around, we could never find a time to get together and reorganize, and the characters basically ended up getting really frustrated, which led to two of them almost getting fire bombed in a restaurant, and my character almost getting black bagged. And at the end of it all everyone was really taken back and mentally exausted. Me personally I thought it was an amazingly run game, and after a while some of the others did as well.

I think I'll brainstorm more throughout the day and come up with some things they could do and post them later. Maybe get some feedback on what I could add/remove so it will be able to mesh into a fairly seamless story. Thanks for the tips guys, I'll look out for those other books.

COOOBBBRRRAAA!!!

[Reaver]

Ghost cartels is a great opener for War! And might offer the levels of excitement you are looking for. And from there you "jump" into The War! Setting very nicely.