[Wakshaani]

I love it when people discuss these things like they're real and not subject to the agendas and whims of writers.

Well, you want to at least be HONEST about it. If people pick up the next book and see "S-K stock drops by 99%! Spinrad Industries snatches BMW from under Lofwyr's claws! S-K folds!" then, well, they're gonna be tiiiicked.

On the other hand, if you take several books to say things, like "Due to the Dragon Civil War, all corporations associated with dragons are seeing their sales, and stocks, take a dive ... none so hard as Saeder-Krupp", and "The Orange Queen has been targeting Lofwyr assets all over the planet ... including some we didn't know about!" and "Spinrad seems intent on knife-fighting Saeder-Krupp all over Europe, but Lofwyr's too distracted to fight back" and so on, then you set the stage.

But since you need Chekov's Gun out there to be fair, people love trying to find the clues and guess where things are headed.

As opposed to, say, Agatha Christie novels, where they withhold some vital clue, only sharing it when she's cracking the case, and you're all, like, "Well DUH. If you bastards would have TOLD me that, I could have solved it too!"

Haaaaaate it when authors do that to me.

[CanRay]

Isn't it about time for NEONet to get a new name, again? 

I know where I'm aiming when I get the Shadowrun MMORPG. 

[Mirikon]

I want Ares to go down. Bugs should be treated with extreme prejudice. Bugs with access to orbital weapons systems even moreso.

[CanRay]

I want Ares to go down. Bugs should be treated with extreme prejudice. Bugs with access to orbital weapons systems even moreso.

Bah, it was time the Cockroaches had their shot anyhow...

[RHat]

I love it when people discuss these things like they're real and not subject to the agendas and whims of writers.

This. Just don't tell r-hat.

Right.  Because there's no way for me to be completelty aware of that.  I couldn't possibly be the case that I don't see that as grounds for enjoyable speculation, which is the purpose of the thread.  Nor is it the case that I pointed out that the notion of all 10 being on the chopping block is unlikely, and just being used to frame the topic for the sake of fun.

And unless you want to say something constructive, that's all I'll be saying to you here.

[Warmachinez]

I love it when people discuss these things like they're real and not subject to the agendas and whims of writers.

This. Just don't tell r-hat.

Right.  Because there's no way for me to be completelty aware of that.  I couldn't possibly be the case that I don't see that as grounds for enjoyable speculation, which is the purpose of the thread.  Nor is it the case that I pointed out that the notion of all 10 being on the chopping block is unlikely, and just being used to frame the topic for the sake of fun.

And unless you want to say something constructive, that's all I'll be saying to you here.

Please do not ruin this thread . I really enjoy the topic and the speculation... Not please continue for my entertainment 

[Xzylvador]

Much as I hate bugs (really, I wish SR would just be about politics, corporate intrigue and how the world adapts to increasing levels of magic and technomancy), an Ares bug infestation makes most sense.
Ares gets blown to pieces, the rest of the AA and AAA's fight over what's to be salvaged from the company, its subsidiaries and the (bug) research, creating a large amount of job opportunities for Shadowrunners all over the planet.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

It's honestly going to be difficult to do away with one of the Big 8 - yes, I said that deliberately - without somehow replacing them with something built on their bones, the way Novatech-then-NeoNET was built on the bones of Fuchi, with Shiawase and Renraku absorbing the remnants.  (Evo doesn't count; it's just Yamatetsu rebranded.)  I hope it's Horizon - in part because I really seriously feel that any corporation that's that touchy-feely-everyone-decides deserves to be burned with nuclear fire - but unfortunately it sounds like those of us who aren't going to play the MMORPG aren't going to have a voice in this.

[Mirikon]

Indeed, getting rid of one of the original Court members would require, literally, an Omega Order that was carried out to the fullest extent. Wuxing and Horizon would just need to get knocked down a peg or twenty. However, with Ares having internal problems, as well as having bug problems, they are the one of the Big 10 that is most likely to get a full Omega Order going against them. If there's one thing all the Powers That Be (except Knight) can agree on, its that bugs are bad. If the infestation of Ares is made public, they're dead, period.

Of the original court members, only Aztechnology has any real problems right now, though they have a host of well-deserved enemies. Their fortunes will literally depend on what happens with Sirrurg and Ghostwalker.

Horizon is definitely creepy, but I don't think they're going to get the axe, unless the technomancer/AI alliance tears it apart. Which is a possibility, granted.

[Sengir]

Azech has always been around as the big baddies and it's a role that will be required in the future. Ares is unique in being the 'murrican corp.

My money is on one of the Japancorps, the territory is still fairly crowded and they are all somewhat interchangeable.

[Nath]

Indeed, getting rid of one of the original Court members would require, literally, an Omega Order that was carried out to the fullest extent.

What can happen however, is one the other AAA taking over a weakened one of the seven founding corporations. It's not going to be cheap, but AAA are supposed to have more money than most if not any other corporations on Earth, so they would be able to make the best offers.

If the corp taking over is a founder, it could change nothing beside effectively removing a corporation from the court (though depending on the exact wording of the court charter, it could possibly guarantee that corporation two seats from then on). If it's not a founder, it would guarantee it will remain on the court.

[Necrogigas]

Has there been any noise on which AA might replace the fallen AAA?

[Mirikon]

Has there been any noise on which AA might replace the fallen AAA?

I'd look at Manadyne or one of the biotech firms.

[Nath]

If the published books are anything of an indication, I would expect Reality, Inc., Nadja Daviar corporation that owns a chunk of Eagle Security, Lone Star and Cavalier Arms (with Jonathon Reed taking a position, since he now appears to be an ally of Daviar). Especially if Ares Macrotechnology was to fall, Eagle and LSSS would greatly benefit from a weakened Knight Errant, and Daviar could, through Gavilan Ventures, be in a position to acquire some worthy assets. Ares and Damien Knight would be removed from the picture, with a new "good american corp" with a focus on security and firearms, and a management that care for all the awakened threat.

[Crimsondude]

Just as a reminder, in Cybertechnology the OOC text describing cybermancy explained that Hatchetman was given the privilege because he was nearly killed on a run that "virtually saved a megacorp from destruction." And given that there were only four "known" AAA-owned Delta Clinics that could do that work, it could've only been Fuchi, Aztechnology, or Saeder-Krupp. However, it could have been AA Transys Neuronet if they controlled the rumored sixth clinic. But I recall there was a lot of suspicion that it was one of the Fuchi factions, and thus one of their labs.

I think it depends on Priest, and that's a story I can't even begin to recall now without digging into it, and I don't have the time or interest.