[Phylos Fett]

Awakened, Mutant, Toxic, Mundane or otherwise?

Do you use them?

If so, why, where and how often?

If not, why not?

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

Yes to all.  Whether as part of a security force, a hint of how Awakened the world is, a precursor to The Big Encounter with the Toxic who incited it, or just as a reminder of how bad some areas of the Sprawl, even Downtown, really are, Critters are a way for the GM to give players a bit of combat without having to have any real reason besides 'you scared it / it was hungry'.

Or maybe there is a real reason, but they don't need to know that yet...

[digeridork]

I like using devil rats, especially when someone says that sneaking through the sewer is the way to go. Other than that I haven't really used many other critters. I think that in planning a game or setting a scene that sort of thing doesn't occur to me. Though it is a line of thought that I am trying to correct to flesh out the setting a little more and demonstrate that things have changed quite a bit.

[Mason]

demon rats are better. Only swamrs of 30+ devil rats can DO anything to my group unless I buff their terrible base stats.

[Phylos Fett]

I like using devil rats, especially when someone says that sneaking through the sewer is the way to go. Other than that I haven't really used many other critters. I think that in planning a game or setting a scene that sort of thing doesn't occur to me. Though it is a line of thought that I am trying to correct to flesh out the setting a little more and demonstrate that things have changed quite a bit.

I'm pretty much in the same boat - I tend to overlook them as an option in urban settings.

I tried including a few mundane animals in security teams back in SR2, but the lack of armor meant that they got ripped through very quickly when the lead started flying.

[kirk]

Awakened, Mutant, Toxic, Mundane or otherwise?

Do you use them?

If so, why, where and how often?

If not, why not?

Yes. I've got a campaign where it's fairly obvious they're going to be seeing more than people: I keep insisting and reminding it's North Georgia, not just North Atlanta. When and where and in what fashion they'll see them depends not in small part on what they decide to do: I've got the situations roughed, and if they don't go "there" they won't see "that".

In general, however, they're not the main event. They're a ... oh, how do the missions describe it, something to add a little complication or to ratchet up the intensity a bit.

[Phylos Fett]

Awakened, Mutant, Toxic, Mundane or otherwise?

Do you use them?

If so, why, where and how often?

If not, why not?

Yes. I've got a campaign where it's fairly obvious they're going to be seeing more than people: I keep insisting and reminding it's North Georgia, not just North Atlanta. When and where and in what fashion they'll see them depends not in small part on what they decide to do: I've got the situations roughed, and if they don't go "there" they won't see "that".

In general, however, they're not the main event. They're a ... oh, how do the missions describe it, something to add a little complication or to ratchet up the intensity a bit.

What kinda Critters y'all got there in North Georgia?

[CanRay]

One of my players has used them in his backstory...  His Dwarf Parkour Master Doctor took a drunken bar bet to climb the Empire State Building in a Gorilla outfit and ended up in a three-way fight with a Gargoyle and a Rotodrone.

I gave him bonus points for it, and stated he was forever exiled from Manhattan Island.

EDIT:  A Gorilla outfit and a "I ♥ New York" T-Shirt.

[kirk]

Awakened, Mutant, Toxic, Mundane or otherwise?

Do you use them?

If so, why, where and how often?

If not, why not?

Yes. I've got a campaign where it's fairly obvious they're going to be seeing more than people: I keep insisting and reminding it's North Georgia, not just North Atlanta. When and where and in what fashion they'll see them depends not in small part on what they decide to do: I've got the situations roughed, and if they don't go "there" they won't see "that".

In general, however, they're not the main event. They're a ... oh, how do the missions describe it, something to add a little complication or to ratchet up the intensity a bit.

What kinda Critters y'all got there in North Georgia?

Well, since my current set of players are PbP on this list  I won't go into a full list, but just to give you an idea:
A lot of north Georgia - depending on where you draw the lines between 1/3 and 1/2 - is covered by the Chattahooochee-Ocoonee National Forest. It's the southern end of the Appalachian mountains. Tucked up just across the border is Hellbender Valley, just for one name-point of interest. Oh, that valley is what the Southern Tennessee river has carved out, said river flowing to the Tennessee, which just happens to be one of North Georgia's watersheds.

Birds, reptiles, and mammals abound. Most are normal, but they're still pentiful.

[CanRay]

The very idea of awakened or toxic Canada Geese scare the hell out of me.

One tried to pick a fight with me just 'cause...  And I am not a small man.

[kirk]

The very idea of awakened or toxic Canada Geese scare the hell out of me.

One tried to pick a fight with me just 'cause...  And I am not a small man.

though it's a bit of a thread hijack... I know of a man, well, boy at the time, who tried to grab one from below while using scuba gear.

I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance and give him CPR. I thought I wasn't going to be able to do either as I was laughing so hard.

Who needs them to be toxic or awakened?

[CanRay]

"Never, ever slot with a Goose Shaman."  "You're kidding, right?"  "See these cyberlimbs I got?  The street doc was lucky to save the left arm!"

[LostProxy]

My strategies with Critters.

- Support, support, support. Animals have an instant advantage in that they can't be hacked and can gain a bonus similar to a tacnet when trained as a pack but drones have the advantage with armor. This can be mitigated with normal guards using a mix of suppressive fire and selective fire. Suppress to allow them to get in close. Selective when one or more PCs are being held down by dogs and get crappy defense rolls because of it.

- Think like an animal. Predators rarely if ever attack head on. They use ambush tactics and when used appropriately that can seriously mess up PCs. For example the PCs are trying to infiltrate a private camp ground. If ambushed by a pack of security dogs the dogs have been trained to divide and conqueror. 2-3 dogs per runner that will keep them from helping each other. To deal with spirits they could have a spirit with them on the Astral or dual natured critters strong enough to take down spirits or at least keep them from helping.

- Remember strengths. Animals on their own are barely a threat. If they were humans wouldn't be as dominate as we are. Animals are great as distractions (guard dogs holding down runners to shoot), complications (fire fight with cult attracts toxic grizzly), or using really powerful ones as unique "boss" fights (awakened giant squid.)

- Mundane critters with augmentations can be one of the scariest things to deal with. A dog with injectors in its mouth could be pumping you full of narcojet every time it bites you. This will quickly bring down just about anyone. Add some muscle replacement and bone lacing to that and at not much higher then your average drone you have an unhackable, unquestionably loyal creature.

- Awakened critters offer a defense to a completely mundane security force. They see something that shouldn't be there and start howling up a storm. Combine this with the ability to call spirits or Astrally projecting mage to the area and you have a solid magical defense.

[CanRay]

The potential group I have going is already looking at my character's Cyberwolf with anticipation when he finally comes into play.  Currently, he's the best home security a lost wife could provide to a formerly retired Shadowrunner! 

"That Dwarf is a Magician, he's gotta have great stuff we can pawn!  Just crack the door, the alarm will give us more than enough, OH DEAR GHOST GET IT OFF ME IT'S BITING THROUGH MY ARM AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

[Zilfer]

The potential group I have going is already looking at my character's Cyberwolf with anticipation when he finally comes into play.  Currently, he's the best home security a lost wife could provide to a formerly retired Shadowrunner! 

"That Dwarf is a Magician, he's gotta have great stuff we can pawn!  Just crack the door, the alarm will give us more than enough, OH DEAR GHOST GET IT OFF ME IT'S BITING THROUGH MY ARM AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

That reminds me of a mission i sent my group on. To collect a rare white tiger. Well they were new and didn't ask any question so they went out and bought tranquilizer's to put the beast down. They ended up encountering the mob boss (they tried to shoot their way in....) and the tiger, and he ordered the tiger to attack. Well it messed up the hacker after the troll managed to hold it off for the first few turns, and the hacker managed to get two tranq's in the SOB. Well after the hacker went down the troll shot it and he heard metal.

The group. "DOH!" xD