Anumati

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Basic Info

Call me Anu, its a handle I got from E.S. Posthumus. I also use other song names they have as internet handles, but this one stuck. I've been running shadowrun for over a decade, cutting my teeth on 4e as a teenager. I've had the rules beaten into mye by much better GMs over the years and have a breadth of knowledge of the system and lore. Yet even then I am still a novice in my opinion.

Style

PINK TRENCHCOAT BABY. (I love silly characters played straight, but at the same time they need to act in character to the world)

So first and foremost. Lets start at the basics. Rule Zero, shadowrunners exist. Professional criminals exist and security of the world will reflect this. On the other hand, shadowunners are uncommon and rare as a profession, generally most don't last long or retire early. You MUST practice opsec at a certain point on my table, as you will be noticed by security or at least registered as a threat. Depending on your notoriety this can get really bad quickly. I generally start at a threshold of 20 for memory tests and lower it for each point of SC you have when being noticed by actual professional security forces that can run facial recognition technology. With that in mind I will actually try to build a believable world with actual security that makes sense for the situation. This can be a tell in my game that something might be off. Having high SC, with some PA and not disguising will almost certainly get you recognized in places with actual security. Though this can be to your advantage if you are wanting to create a distraction. Though that comes out with it's own downsides as always chummer.

Generally one runs that are high threat and above, when I talk about opsec. This means using secure communications, making sure you aren't followed. You have the ability to not draw attention to yourself like a lightbulb and to not have security breathing down your neck.

For example, if trying to stakeout a place, don't use an Ares Roadmaster of all things. Yes its "legal" in the same way that wearing FBA to a nightclub is. Its going to stand out if such a tank is just sitting around isn't registered to a local entity. Using cars that blend in, are ubiquitous and don't draw heat are best for stake outs or just not wanting to draw attention to yourself. (On the other hand, distraction is a tactic runners can use liberally. If they are looking at the hot pink roadmaster, the americar in standard grey will most likely be given less attention.)

If you are using DNI, you need be clear that if you draw attention to yourself, security deckers can and will potentially snoop your communications, your commlinks or any wireless on cyberware that might be used to spy on you.

Another example, if using a fake SIN, where is this fake sin based out of? How active is it's history? Does it have a face tied to it? If so if any security forces using facial recognition technology are able to do a t3 or t6 search on you and start checking your purchase history. They might be able to tie this to the fake that you are a shadowrunner depending on how you use that SIN. If this SIN only sporadically pops up in Seattle for example and there is no history of you using it to get into the country legally, chances are police or security forces might want to bring you for potential questioning depending on the heat or way you present yourself.

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Examples of levels of threats and things going on:

Example: Gangers in the barrens will NOT have Ares Alphas with APDS. They are gonna have AKs, SMGs and some grenades at most with used ware or standard ware. If you see gangers in anything that can't be bought or obtained enmasse to arm your guys on a limited budget, then something is going on. They will have open comms and generally try to practice some basic opsec with in person stuff, but not very professional. These guys are gonna have basic dicepools and basic tactics and not much morale if actually pressed.

Example 2: If you go get security called on you and they register you as a threat, they will not be renta cops. These will be men who will have the area locked down, use drones, combined arms and actively make your life hell. I don't care you that threw a force 20 fireball, they are going to send in suicide drone swarms on your ass if need be. They will have a pi-tac, magical back up with spells on them as they move in to kill you. Unless you openly surrender and throw away your weapons, they are going to take you down with extreme prejudice unless you have hostages. You may be a professional shadowrunner, but you are not invincible and have a limit.

Threat Escalation

For example on my table. Depending on the security zone and neighborhood, HTR isn't the default. Deploying them is expensive and wasting the time of professionals gets you fired. Generally police responding will start with a quick drone over watch from standard drone posts out of reach on poles. Probably two small swarms of rotodrones and some lockheed optics. They will fly over, report on what they find and provide overwatch along with starting scans of people involved. Unless there is an active firefight they generally won't intervene too much.

After that a police cruiser w/ EMS will arrive to begin medical attention to actual SINners and those with Fake Sins. Remember chummer, its cheaper to replace a drone than it is to hire and lose a professional police officer. In higher security zones, a personal visit from two officers, instead of impersonal and impartial drones will be the norm.

If explosions are happening and shotcaller passive police sensors will detect it, sending a swarm of wolfhound recon drones to burn towards it to get immediate eyes on the situation as other drone swarms come in to lock down the area.

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In residential zones, police can and will lock down grid guide if suspects or criminals are in the area and have drawn the ire of police and people are calling it in. This means your rigger running with grid guide override or any other fool with it installed will immediately be noticed, tagged and promptly dealt with. Expect to deal with this chummer. Running offline as a rigger and doing this will immediately escalate to shoot on site orders for AV drones. Gridguide may be ordered to use empty cars to ram into you to stop you if you are especially egregious and openly firing on people. Remember chummer, anything that isn't a person can be replaced and filed for insurance. You are a threat that has be to be neutralized. In lower security zones police will not respond as harshly simply because they can't afford to, thus making escaping to lower security zones important. Always have an escape plan chummer.

THE WORLD

Starting off at places to be.

The barrens are not a nice place to live chummer. Power is spotty in D zones and below, police presence is minimal, and if there are police, they generally will not be there to play nice with anything going on. This is where you better be open carrying and prepare to have a gun or an armored vehicle to not cause trouble. On the upside openly illegal gear and activities will not get you that much in the way of attention. If there aren't police, expect gangers or syndicates to be defacto security. Hell they might even keep the area relatively nice comparatively, but this also comes with the fact that if you are an outsider, you will be noticed and watched.

Security in these zones is often obvious, lethal and there to make a point.

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Any runner worth their salt wants to live in a place with running water, electricity and security. In C zones and above, this is where civilization exists and police exist. The higher the rating, the better life is. The downside is that openly illegal activities will get noticed and stopped. With civilization comes the benefits of people not shooting each other. Traffic works, the streets are clean(ish) depending on the level and you can expect crime to actually be stopped and dealt with.

For example; In a higher security zone, security is done through more obscure means, hidden recesses and things coming to them for back ups. Instead of gun turrets open and ready to shoot, they might be obscured pop up turrets or pepperpunch dispensers with tagging systems marking you in the matrix with your SIN for investigation by local security forces.

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Always be conscious of what you are actually wearing in a situation. How you present yourself as a runner and how other NPCs will react to what you are wearing. Wearing an armored jacket in the barrens will barely get you looked at. Wearing a 10k nuyen suit that is obviously nice will make you immediately stand out. Either you are a tourist who is dumb or someone worth robbing because you are wearing several months of rent. Likewise wearing an armored jacket in an extremely nice area might get you looks unless you make efforts to make it look nice or accentuate it with other things.

There are times and places to flaunt your wealth, there are times to not do that. Knowing when to do this is keen. If unsure, feel free to ask me to use one of your common sense to give you some feedback.

MAGICAL SECURITY

• OUTSIDE OF THOSE FUNNY PARTIES, WHEN IN PUBLIC AND SIN BROADCASTING, MASKING IS ILLEGAL.

Magic is uncommon in civilization, 1/10000 are full mages as per Forbidden arcana, and even fewer are actually trained security mages with magic beyond six.

Any place that has a mage on site is generally extremely high security and heavily warded. A mage will not be there in person unless it is absolutely necessary. They are simply too expensive to waste in person with that risk.

Generally you will have wards and spirits out on bound tasks as security with the occasional astral watcher. Actual security mages will do simple astral flybys with a small gank squad of spirits and do extended detection spells on areas within regular intervals while on shift. Anything else is simply TOO expensive for the average corp or organization to have.

If you see someone with a personal security mage, they are usually extremely important or have the money afford such services. Such security mages are NOT going to be pushovers. They have trained in astral defensive magics and ritual magics to ward off all threats to their principal.

BACKGROUND COUNTS

I actively use these and enforce these. Generally the sprawl you are in is a standard BGC of three that you are acclimated to. Depending on the location, they may be aspected to specific tradition. Some corporations like Wuxing will actively increase the background count and can create astral shallows in order to deter astral entities from sneaking past. Know what they do to your PC and how you will work about them.

If in the main sprawl, they generally won't be an issue. Leaving your sprawl and going to another city will give you another background count that you can acclimate to over time. Recommended picking up spiritual pilgrim asap if you plan on being a jet setting runner who travels somewhat often.

INFECTED PLAYERS ON MY TABLE

Look, I like infected players. I like the concept of having to fight your inner beast if you don't want to be a monster mentally. But...

I'm not gonna sugar coat it.

Dress it up, run from it, reason it away. At the end of the day you are playing a flesh eating monster that feasts on the blood of man in some form or another. You are almost universally reviled by the common person for the monster that you are. Only certain places even give citizenship to such beings and its done with caveat. There is an infected nation of ghouls/infected and it is a pariah state that is actively policed and locked down with a militarized border with shoot on sight orders from its neighbors.

Any travel you wish to take will have to be discreet and most likely private. Suborbitals are lethal to you because going into a manavoid as a dual natured creature will kill you. All ships that are passenger and livestock WILL be screened with mana barriers. Public transportation in general is simply not a thing for you for anything leaving the sprawl.

In the lowest places of society, in the dark corners where people do not go, you will find feral ghouls. Being eaten alive by ghouls is an effective propaganda piece chummer, as this is an actual fate that has happened to people. Let alone the fear of actually getting infected with how horrifying it can be to be to become one.

If you avoid trying to eat or finish your dietary requirements on my table, you will start to take the penalties for not feeding. As per the core rulebook page 401. Going without 1 meal a day of your dietary requirement will lead to sickness and death.

You MUST take active precautions to mask your presence and your true nature. This includes using disguises with disguise kits, keeping your aura from being able to be assensed through windows, walls and simple smart play working around your glaring monster status that can be seen. Remember you can mask and hope that works for astral security, but this is still illegal.

If this seems combinative or hostile, please understand I'm saying it to warn you as an infected player on my table. You generally get a large laundry list of powers and ability in exchange for these weaknesses, so it has to be balanced around that fact. If you want to fully embrace your monsterhood on my table, I am all for it. Just be wary of how you go about it. Fear the night, be that which goes bump.

Pick Policy

1. Folks who fit the rough threat of a run and make up a good dynamic team comp
2. Folks who are lore or RP wise a good fit for the run
3. Folks who are overall good sports and bring a positive attitude to on and off table roleplay.

Declining the Meet

While I understand that you may have a PC that may decline at the meet, don't sign up for a run your PC simply wouldn't do. Remember chummer, these go both ways. If you put your Street Cred on the line and a Johnson tries to short you, are within your rights to walk away. Running is dangerous.

Thwarting the J and derailment

Shit happens runner. If the runner team decides to betray the J, I am completely down for that. I may have to completely change my rewards. If you took the money up front and then betray the J? You will get a bounty and some noto. Though sometimes its worth it depending on the goals/ethics of the runner team. If runners disagree on each other, I am fully okay with PvP on my table as long both players consent. If there isn't.. then well.. we can work that out.

Negative Rewards

Runners will earn negative rewards appropriate to their failure.

Failure

Runs happen chummer. Sometimes you fail the objective, fumble the roll and shit goes sideways. I'm not gonna excessively try to screw you over, but if you get caught with illegal gear, there will be actual consequences.

Runs

Name	Metaplot	Date
Pawn Takes Bishop	Portrait of Ruin	23 June 2085
Tussle In The Brook		5 June 2085
Barnaby's Bad Decision		3 June 2085
Into the Jungle		2 June 2085
Bull In The Shop		29 May 2085
Saving Junichiro		27 May 2085
Drug Den Bonanza		26 May 2085
Big Safe Theft		17 April 2085
Gone in a few Minutes		1 April 2085
Fish in a Bucket	Deep Hunting	30 March 2085
Pretty Fly For A Fly Guy		26 March 2085
Plucking A Bird	Deep Hunting	18 March 2085
Crab Bucket		17 March 2085
Walking To The Library		12 March 2085
Bottom Barrel Theft		10 March 2085
The Milky Way		9 March 2085

Cities I've run in

Seattle

Constantinople