User:Kaigen87

GM STYLE GUIDE

Hi, I'm Kaigen87. The following style guide will cover the essential basics of what I'm required to answer, then it will go into more depth with how I run Shadowrun on roll20.

• Q: Whether you're okay with players applying to jobs their character has a high chance of declining at the meet
• A: I'd prefer for players chosen for the run to not do that as it will complicate things on the table as far as the group requirement is concerned, but if it's something the player's character will absolutely do, then by all means they can.

• Q: Whether you're okay with players applying to jobs their character will actively attempt to thwart or derail
• A: This is partially why I build my sessions they way they are on roll20 (I will go into more detail later in this guide). Yes, I'm absolutely fine with it and I welcome it. When I run a session, I try to make it as freeform and open as it can possibly be. The players in my sessions shouldn't feel limited to what they characters would do in the situations presented to them.

• Q: Views on realism and seriousness of the setting
• A: Shadowrun is a fascinating yet extremely dark setting. It doesn't shy away from adult topics, and it clearly shows that horrific things can and will happen. At the same time, there's definitely comical elements present in it, so I try to stay open in welcoming both the serious nature of the setting, in addition to its lighter bits. Sometimes I run sessions where the tone is extremely graphic, whereas other times it may be on lighter, more hilarious scenes. Sometimes both would be present, depending on time and place.

• Q: Views on consequences and failure
• A: To make it clear first and foremost, I want the players to feel as badass as possible with their characters. I encourage cool ideas whenever I'm able to, and I want them to really enjoy themselves at my table. With that being said, in order to feel like a badass, then the players will most definitely come across challenges that will truly test them, depending on the situation. In-Character actions can have very clear consequences, and failure is a real possibility if the team screws up monumentally (obviously higher risk with tougher run types).

BLACK MOHAWK STYLE (STRUCTURED MAPWORK)

So to go more in depth with how I GM these runs on roll20, I go with a style I call 'Black Mohawk'. It is typically very action-oriented, leaning more towards 'Pink Mohawk', but it does not neglect the subtler elements of 'Black Trench coat' completely. What this means is, even though the general route to completing most missions can certainly be done through brute force, that's not the only way to approach it. It is largely up to the players to decide how they want to tackle a particular run. Regardless of what the players choose, I try to make the experience as cinematic as possible, which brings me to the next major element of my style : The Design.

Downtown Seattle converted onto Roll20 (Night Time Edit). This screenshot was taken from a much older game elsewhere.

Map markers are present on screen, indicating where players can go to, which will prompt a map transition from the GM. In this example, this is outside of a warehouse.

And this is what it looks like if the players enter said warehouse. The map transitions into the next area the map markers lead to.

Things can get pretty wild if fights break out. This is an older image taken from a session elsewhere. It was a large shootout against a gang in an underground hideout. The gang did not survive.

The runs I do take quite a bit of inspiration from the older Shadowrun games (SNES, SR Returns, SR Dragonfall, and SR Hong Kong), and this is very clear with the map design, using the Shadowrun Map Editor tool from those games to create and transfer maps into roll20. I do this to keep the areas as open as possible with many places to go to or explore, to enhance player freedom in my sessions as much as I can. It's also for tactical purposes in combat, so the players know exactly where everything is on the scene (for cover, etc). Typically before a run starts, I will organize tokens for each character that was chosen for the run. They will be added onto my table if they don't exist already, so players can simply use their tokens to match this visual style.

When utilizing this variant of my style, I don't typically use a mic in voice chat, but players are free to use voice to speak. However, much of what occurs is done in text, as I'm simply more comfortable that way when running like this. It also helps that I don't miss things that players want to do as much, but if I do miss something anyway, feel free to notify me on roll20.

BLACK MOHAWK STYLE (THEATRE OF THE MIND)

Alternatively, I have begun embracing the traditional way to do runs via 'Theatre of the Mind'. Imagination is the name of the game for this style, as it's much more freeform and flexible to work with. The downside is that the level of detail from using mapwork is absent, though I am able to focus more on narration with my voice. The storytelling I do for the runs remain the same though.

GMP EARNED

• 16 (Scheduled Low Threat Run - Stalker's Night Out)
• 8 (AAR Created/Finished for - Stalker's Night Out)
• 8 (AAR written for Mynx's first two runs, and Hybrid's first two runs)
• 22 (Scheduled Medium Threat Run + Replacement needed on Weekend for - Howling Night of Rage)
• 8 (AAR Created/Finished for - Howling Night of Rage)
• 5 (GM monitoring for Shadowhaven Tournament : Riot VS Valet)
• 16 (Scheduled Medium Threat run - A Templar's Plea)
• 8 (AAR Created/Finished for - A Templar's Plea)

GMP SPENT

• 16 for 16 Karma on Hybrid
• 8 for 8 Karma on Hybrid
• 8 for 8 Karma on Hybrid
• 30 for 30 Karma on Hybrid
• 5 for 5 Karma on Hybrid
• 20 for 20 Karma on Hybrid
• 4 for 8,000 Nuyen on Mynx
  

CHARACTERS

• Kalissia "Mynx" Veir
• Nadia "Hybrid" Sage