[TimmyTheNerd]

I'm use to DM/GMing but this is my first time doing so in the Shadowrun universe, normally I use d20 Modern or DnD 4th. However, most of my group is out of town and the rest of the group (3 total) don't want to wait for them to get back before doing some roleplaying. I remembered that I have a few copies of Shadowrun 4th Core Rules in my personal library, got it around when it first came out and bought four copies, one for me and the others if anyone needed to borrow one. Well, we decided to go with Shadowrun until the others get back in a month. Anyway, the group wanted to use my d20 setting in the Shadowrun universe and I'm trying to decide on how to make it fit.

The setting is called Free Saints City and is located off the coast of California. It's a large city on a man made island that was built by a corporation I call HeavenTech. The corporation built it to house it's employees and it's like a normal city, more or less. However, Heaven Tech wound up falling apart, but most of their employees stayed in Free Saints City. With HeavenTech gone, and therefore also the money that funded the police force, various gangs took over the city. The Blood Pack, Da' High Rollerz, El Guerreros, Grey's Graveyarders, House Carstein and Plum St. Outlawz are the major gangs in the city and are divided into two factions, the Supernatural Syndicate, made up of the Blood Pack, House Carstein and Graveyarders, and the Big Time Playas, made up of the Outlawz, Rollerz and Guerreros. A corporation called the Raven Corporation bought the rights to the island and have moved in as well and fight the gangs of the city. Another group emerged called the White Knights, they're a group of vigilantes and ex-FSPD officers funded by the US Military to retake Free Saints City and claim it for the US Government, making the White Knights not only enemies to the Gangs but also the Raven Corporation.

That's just the basic information. I'm having problems adapting it to the Shadowrun universe and could use some help.

[Walks Through Walls]

Your city sounds really cool, and a well thought out setting. For a traditional shadowrun game it would be difficult for some of these same reasons.

If it is a short term game that is going to be contained in the city you could use the White Knights, Raven Corp., and the gangs as your factions that are hiring the runners to act against each other in place of the megacorps in Shadowrun. This way you would have the same feel, but have it individualized for your setting. Long term or if the characters are going on and off the island city this might be difficult to maintain.
Another thing to think about is how prevalent will magic be and how available will technology be in the city since it sounds like it is a feral city. Shadowrun does a good job of balancing the power of each of these so you need to be careful to not unbalance it. Again for a short term game this wouldn't be as much of a problem.

Hope all of this helps

[Sacredsouless]

If its located off the coast of California, then you won't have the US military trying to take it as the US more or less was disbanded. You might want to have California troopers trying to take over instead. You could also expand later by having the various megacorps taking interest in the island and they start hiring the runners against, well, everyone else.

[Redmercury]

I agree. This setting looks like a lot of fun and has a lot of room for development. Depending on how much your players like to take part in the information war you could involve them in the development, and potential downfall of the city. Gangs, factions, power struggles, and potential military intervention if things get too out of control if you wish to turn the setting into a long term thing and move them to a new location. Mind you that's just one idea. If you do involve the military or any high level corporate involvement (such as special operations sections of the White Knights, or whoever plays the same role) I suggest making them badass enough not to get crushed by the local powers use of guerrilla tactics and local knowledge. Milspec armament, armor, and vehicles. Prime runners with a good dose of wits are a good thing to keep the runners on their toes as well. Not that your city would mirror the Tokyo from the Akira novels, but you might get some inspiration from reading those.

[Eugene]

What problems are you having, exactly?  It's not going to have the same feel as d20 because the mechanics are so different.

[Glyph]

The campaign you have laid out already has the basic Shadowrun feel to it.  All you really need to do is add in metahumans and magic, and adapt it a bit - the setting itself is fine, you just need to have the wider scope of SR-California affecting it.  California is a free state, until recently occupied by Imperial Japan (I imagine that, although they are gone, the Japanese corporations still retain a lot of power).  Parts of it are under the jurisdiction of the Pueblo Corporate Council, and they also have Aztlan to the south.  Horizon, a big media company, is a power player, vying with Aztechnology.

So for your campaign - the White Knights will be trying to claim the area for CalFree (or alternately, for the Pueblo Corporate Council), the Supernatural Syndicate might have some ghouls in their ranks, maybe even some other infected types such as vampires, and will have more mages than their rivals.  The El Guerreros might be getting some miltech gear from an Aztechnology connection.  Da' High Rollerz could be a mostly human and elven gang, while the Outlawz could be more of an ork and troll gang.

[TimmyTheNerd]

The setting already has magic.

The Blood Pack = Werewolves
House Carstein = Lead by vampires
Grey's Graveyarders = Necromancers and their undead servants.

The Raven Corporation = Deal in weaponry and most of their top agents are masters of arcana and psionics, not sure if psionics exist in Shadowrun or not, still reading the core rulebook.

Everything else you suggested feels spot on.

Now, the real problem:
In this setting, my group is use to playing members of the Big Time Playas (El Guerreros, Da' High Rollerz and Plum Street Outlawz). We're using the BP system for character generation. Should I limit the BP since their experience will mostly be as gangers? In another thread I made, it was explained to me that Shadowrunners can't be full fledge gangers but there are ways to reflect their ganger background.

[All4BigGuns]

Now, the real problem:
In this setting, my group is use to playing members of the Big Time Playas (El Guerreros, Da' High Rollerz and Plum Street Outlawz). We're using the BP system for character generation. Should I limit the BP since their experience will mostly be as gangers? In another thread I made, it was explained to me that Shadowrunners can't be full fledge gangers but there are ways to reflect their ganger background.

No. Do not reduce the number of points. All this does is require them to make practically worthless characters with only a few average attributes and the rest below average (unless multiples are dump-statted to 1s to have a single above average attribute) and almost nothing left for skills, gear, contacts and qualities.

...not sure if psionics exist in Shadowrun or not, still reading the core rulebook.

The closest there is is a "psionic tradition" for mages in one of the books.

[WellsIDidIt]

Due to the way BP system works, you need at least 360 points to make an average member of your race for the most part. 400 BP is pretty well rounded even for new players. If you are going to slap on restrictions for a "street level" feel, I recommend limiting starting availability and/or starting skill levels.

[foolofsound]

No. Do not reduce the number of points. All this does is require them to make practically worthless characters with only a few average attributes and the rest below average (unless multiples are dump-statted to 1s to have a single above average attribute) and almost nothing left for skills, gear, contacts and qualities.

He's being melodramatic, but he has a point. You can reduce build points, though I recommend that you don't (it will make your players want to minmax more, not less). If you want a low powered game, you should use the Karma Generation system from Runner's Companion, and give them 550 or so Karma. This will give your players weaker, but well rounded characters.

If you do choose to use the build point system, a better choice than reducing points might be lowering the cap on gear spending down to 15 BP, reduce max starting Availability to 8F, reducing the skill cap (one skill at 5 or 2 skills at 4, no skills at 6), disallow more than one attribute at 1, and require at least 15 BP in contacts. Using 400 BP under this system will force you players to spread out their points, making them weaker, but more versatile, and more appropriate to a ganger campaign. If you use these rules, I recommend you increase the cost of the Magician and Mystic Adept qualities to 20 BP, to balance them against the less augmented mundanes (Adepts should be fine as-is).

[Glyph]

Gangers in Shadowrun can range from pitiful cannon fodder to badasses who are at or better than shadowrunner level (the Ancients, the Spikes, etc.).  I don't see a need for any lower-powered char-gen, unless they are starting out as rank-and-file gang members, rather than heavy hitters.

[foolofsound]

Gangers in Shadowrun can range from pitiful cannon fodder to badasses who are at or better than shadowrunner level (the Ancients, the Spikes, etc.).  I don't see a need for any lower-powered char-gen, unless they are starting out as rank-and-file gang members, rather than heavy hitters.

Elite members of the Ancients/Spikes/ect. are at Shadowrunner skill level, but even then, they are unlikely to be as well equipped as a true experienced (400 BP is experienced) runner.