GM Rules

Run Types

A run is __ if ___.

Selection

• Private: the majority of players were pre-selected
• Public: not private

Scheduling

• Scheduled: post and picks were made at least a full day in advance of the run, the post accurately informed players when picks will be decided, and the game started within an hour of the scheduled time
• Impromptu: post and picks were made within just a few hours of the run
• Overflow: an Impromptu that was made within two hours of another run's game start in response to high player demand
• Normal: otherwise

Duration

• Long: 7 hours or longer
• Short: under 3 hours
• Normal: otherwise

Special

• Multi-Session: a run that takes place across multiple play sessions
• Mock: a run with zero rewards, consequences, or effect on the canon

Run Rewards

Rewards are primarily based on run threat, as it (usually) represents player risk and GM preparation. However, non-Normal duration and multi-session runs often require an adjustment. Use the following formula as the high end, and feel free to adjust it in favor of lesser rewards at your discretion:

Reward Multiplier: (Total Duration In Hours Across All Sessions) / 5

In general, even if you expect the run to go long, it's best to have the Johnson pay the runners normally and consider any extra allowance from duration to help handle "extra" pay the runners might happen into (like paydata, going out of their way to "get paid twice", fencing loot, etc).

Also, feel free to ask the GM Department and fellow GMs for advice on run rewards.

RVP

Player run rewards are measured in RVP (Reward Value Points). They can be converted to

• 2,000 nuyen
• 4,000 nuyen worth of gear, if an NPC has the ability to obtain it at severe discount
  • Giving out gear above Availability 16 requires approval from a GM Deputy
  • TODO: consider reducing this as per Cutting Aces formula
• 1 karma
• 1 karma of positive qualities adequately roleplayed for (ie. at chargen cost if it's a run reward)
• 1 Street Cred (max of 1 per run)
• 1 Connection or 1 Loyalty for a new contact gained that run (ie. 7 rvp for a 4/3 contact)
  • Contacts rewarded can be public or private, but they must be shared (if connection changes or it dies for one character, it does for all the others who have it)
  • Contacts above Connection 6 require approval of the Thematics Department

Additionally, runs may award faction rep as per RAW rules (generally 1-2 per run) and this doesn't count against RVP.

Player Rewards

Standard reward ranges for Normal runs based on threat:

• Low: 6-9 RVP
• Medium: 10-13 RVP
• High: 14-16 RVP
• Semiprime: up to 40 RVP
• Prime: up to 100 RVP

These are merely guidelines and exceptions can occur, but chronic overpaying is frown upon and may result in consequences.

Note: A Full AAR must be added to the run's wiki page for any run that rewards more than 19 RVP if the run is not a Semiprime or above.

Additionally, players may write a Full/Narrative AAR to earn 2 GMP.

GMP

GMing a run gets you GMP, which can be spent in a few ways:

• You can redeem 1 gmp for 2000 nuyen or 1 karma on a character for your choosing
• You can redeem 1 gmp for 1 faction rep on a character of your choosing. This includes NPCs, so GMs can use it to upgrade faction contacts and the like with the standard reputation powers, as per cutting aces
• You can buy certain features with GMP at varying prices. Prime slots, extra character slots, discord emojis, etc.
• You can trade GMP with other players freely, though there might be a transaction fee. Intended to be in return for services such as paperwork, run prepwork, GMing, etc

Note that each character has a GMP Cap that limits how much GMP can be redeemed on them. You earn 10 cap by playing that character on a run. You earn 5 cap on a character of your choosing by GMing. Additionally, redeeming GMP for certain expenses is exempted from the cap. These include:

• Luxury Lifestyle
• Knowledge Skills
• Vehicles (just base, no mods)
• Faction Rep

GM Rewards

Base reward for hosting a run:

• Prime: 20
• Semiprime: 15
• Low-High: 10

Additional rewards, which are not affected by the Reward Multiplier:

• Received Coaching: +1
• Overflow: +2. Increased to +3 for weekends
• Scheduled: +1. Increased to +3 if picks were made at least 4 days in advance
• Run was record and uploaded to ShadowHaven youtube: +1

Note that if a run wiki page is not created for the run, you receive no GM rewards. Feel free to pay/force your players to do it instead.

Run Posts

Style Guide

GMs should maintain a document covering their personal GMing style, linked on their run post

• For now, use whatever structure and information you feel best, but the following questions must be covered
  • Whether you're okay with players applying to jobs their character has a high chance of declining at the meet
  • Whether you're okay with players applying to jobs their character will actively attempt to thwart or derail
  • Views on realism and seriousness of the setting
  • Views on consequences and failure
• Runs that notably differ from your normal style as described in your document must be noted as such

Run Content

Reusing Material

Re-using run concepts and ideas is allowed, but GMs are encouraged to make their games as unique as possible for the benefit of the players.

GMPCs

You need a run proposal and approval to have a GM-controlled PC in the game. It is strongly discouraged to have GM PCs in game without good reason.

PvP

PVP is always at the GM’s discretion, and should only occur if both players are ok with it. If PVP does happen, don’t let players burn edge to smackdown in PVP, and if edge is burnt for Not Dead Yet, the player who burnt the edge gets to live. Players are not allowed to circumvent Not Dead Yet (“I shoot him in the head just to be sure”, for example) in PVP.

Space-time

• Downtime

The ShadowHaven operates in real-time. A day in the real world is a day on the Haven. However, some games take place over the course of a couple days, a week, maybe even longer. These games are considered to be part of their “pocket universe.”

Character adjustments, purchases, and other time-sensitive cooldowns are unaffected by pocket universe time. As an example, a character who initiates before a run that spans a month in-game will not be able to initiate at the run’s conclusion as though a month has passed in real-time. Similarly, a character who learns a skill or spell, or increases an attribute during a long run only has that skill in the pocket universe of that run: they must pay for the change in downtime as normal before they can use it on other runs.

• Multi-Session Exclusivity

Note, characters in the middle of Multi-Session runs are assumed to be free to go on other runs unless either of the GMs in question elect to not yet them. This should be clearly communicated in advance to avoid any issues.

Gamemasters

GM Types

GMs are either Probational, Standard, or Advanced.

• Advanced can run any sort of run they'd like and have no plan or proposal requirements.
• Standard can't run a Prime and require a Run Proposal (or Run Plan + Sit-in Coach) to run a Semiprime.
• Probational are the same as Standard, except their runs must be tagged [PROBIE] and cannot run a Semiprime.

Anyone (GM or not) can run a Mock run of any difficulty, with no requirements whatsoever, for zero pressure practice or just to have fun, so long as it clearly noted as such by tagging the run post title with [MOCK]. It doesn't even need to use ShadowHaven characters.

Becoming a GM

If you'd like to become a GM, all you need is to interview with a GM Deputy by sending modmail to the GM subreddit. This is less of an approval process and more of an initial measurement of your strengths and weaknesses so we can assist your improvement- essentially anyone that wants to GM can GM.

That said, we want new GMs to have a feel for the Shadowrun game and ShadowHaven culture. Try to learn this through playing in runs, watching runs (recorded or live), RPing, and interacting on discord. Apply for an interview once you feel comfortable.

Advancement

Advancement occurs at the discretion of the GM staff, based on input from Coaches. There are no requirements on quantity of runs or how long you've been doing it- just feedback from Coaches.

That said, at a bare minimum, going from Standard to Advanced requires having completed at least one Semiprime run. Similarly, going from Probational to Standard requires at least one High Threat Corporate run and demonstration of basic competence in all major aspects of the game.

It is highly recommend to receive coaching from multiple people per run if you want to get promoted quickly.

GM Guidelines

Note the following are not rules, merely guidelines.

Expectations

• Players should have fun. We’re fundamentally here to play games together and have fun, and as the GM you have a lot of control over how the game goes; with that great power comes great responsibility, and the responsibility is to try to make sure people have a good time.
• If you have a major obstacle, know the rules related to that obstacle. If a big part of the run involves a car chase or a host dive, you should have a good grasp of the rules related to car chases or host dives (or whatever the obstacle is).
• Players (and GMs) can play the kind of Shadowrun they want to play. If you have a specific view of how shadowrun should be, you’re entirely free to pick people who conform to that philosophy, but it’s not okay to tell other people how to have fun, or their kind of fun is wrong. As the GM, it's your responsibility to communicate your particular style to your players - through a Style Guide as well as pre-game discussion.
• Stay within reasonable expectations. It may be fun for a character to get milspec armor from a ganger in the barrens on a low-threat run, but it really cheapens the experience of the player who slogged through the amazon to pry that same armor off a super-soldier during a prime run.
• Play with the players, not against them. Challenge and risk can make for a great and memorable experience -- but don’t make the game you vs. the players. Assume competence, and don’t try to catch players in “gotchas” -- competent runners might make a mistake or forget something if they’re pressured for time or under fire, but it’s good practice to give them the benefit of the doubt when they aren’t.

Assumed Competence

There are a lot of trivial decisions -- that is, decisions with a clear best choice and no downside -- that shadowrunners routinely make. These are things like wiping an astral signature, infiltrating in disguise, wearing a mask in a firefight, setting up a DNI before the meet, running silent while hacking, and turning off SINs before committing crimes. In general it’s best to assume that players do these things unless they say otherwise (or some kind of constraint -- like time -- prevents them). Exactly what assumed competence covers is a matter for debate and should be discussed with the players at your table in the event it comes up. When in doubt, rule in the player’s favour; try to avoid “gotcha” moments. Generally for the sake of tidiness and expedient gameplay most GMs choose to assume competence, but each GM table is unique.

The standard is to assume competence. The onus is on the GM to explain what they mean when they say they won’t assume competence, and it something they need to ensure players are aware of before a game begins, whether through the application thread, their style guide, or before the game begins.

Keep in mind that a lack of assumed competence doesn’t mean assumed incompetence. The nature of a community means that players will need to adjust to different GMing styles. Consider giving your players the benefit of the doubt in case they forget something obvious, or making use of the Common Sense quality to prevent potentially derailing situations.

Threat

The following are rough guidelines on threat. Ultimately context and situational modifiers can change things drastically.

Threat Descriptions

• Milk Run

Milk Runs are extremely low threat games, intended as a way to introduce a player or GM to a new mechanic they may not be familiar with at minimal risk. Failure states are exceptionally rare, and opposition, if there is any at all, usually consists of Professional Rating 0 or 1 grunts that the PCs may even outnumber. A typical Milk Run could be anything from binding a mischievous but harmless spirit, graffiting a Stuffer Shack Host, or beating up a stalker. Rewards should consist of little more than bragging rights but in some cases a few RVP is acceptable (certainly never more than 5).

• Low Threat

Low threat runs have rewards between 6-9 RVP (an example payout would be 6,000nY and 4 Karma). Opposition is fairly light, consisting of Professional Rating 1 or 2 grunts that may minorly outnumber the PCs, low Force spirits with limited powers, or low rating IC. Generally, opposition will be rolling between 8-12 dice in their primary skills, and 5-6 in secondary skills. Static defenses and obstacles, such as mana barriers, can go a bit higher in dicepools, since runners can generally circumvent them. Opposition will be disorganized and unlikely to do much other than point and shoot.

A Low Threat run typically involves people or organizations incapable of maintaining long-term consequences on a PC.

• Medium Threat

Medium threat runs reward between 10-13 RVP (an example reward would be 12,000nY and 5 Karma). Opposition gets much more serious at this level and consists of PR 3 or 4 grunts who outnumber the PCs in most encounters, medium Force Spirits with the occasional disruptive power, or strong IC with the possibility of Black IC if the players aren’t careful. Opposing NPCs will usually roll between 12-16 dice for their primary roles, and 8-12 for secondary. Static defenses and obstacles, such as mana barriers, can go higher, and circumventing them might be important. Opposition will use low-level tactics like suppression, drugs, alchemical preps, and flanking attempts.

A player is expected to do their legwork to avoid failures, and be comfortable with their role in a team. At this level, weak “landmine” effects begin to show up; an opposing mage might Turn to Goo the Street Sam, gas may flood out of vents, etc. These effects often come up easily in legwork, and can be defended against by a prepared team.

• High Threat

High threat runs reward up to 16 RVP (an example reward is 16,000nY and 6 karma). Opposition consists of PR 5 grunts, with elements of PR 6 opponents. Opposing dice pools approach 14-18 in all roles, with the strongest being no higher than 20. They will use clever tactics like focused fire, hacking unsecured ‘ware, illusion and manipulation spells, and attempts to lure PCs into traps. Often, opposing forces have the means to discover if Runners are working against them and the resources to counter the team. Static factors and obstacles, such as mana barriers, might be prohibitively difficult to overcome directly.

Comprehensive legwork is essential to discovering the full extent of the opposition players will face, with the occasional unexpected wrench thrown in to derail their plan. Proper planning is necessary to avoid failure, and contingencies are an asset. Players are expected to be fully capable in their given role, with a strong understanding of mechanics attached to it. High threat runs include people and organizations that punish failure severely, and are capable of being major detriments to PCs.

• Semi-prime

Semi-prime runs reward up to 40 RVP. At this point, rewards typically come in the form of rare equipment or powerful contacts, in addition to money and karma.

Opposing forces consist of PR6 units, often matching or slightly outnumbering the PCs. Dice pools start at 18 and have no real limit; much of the difficulty from semi-prime runs comes from how opposition behaves. Landmines are hidden behind difficult legwork, and failure comes from PCs being unable to handle rapidly shifting mission parameters. Semi-prime runs involve people, things, and organizations that have the means and the will to invest significant resources towards thwarting attacks by Runner teams.

• Prime

Prime runs are the height of a Shadowrunner’s career. Reward can be upwards of 100 RVP depending on threat and consist of extremely rare and powerful gear, along with elite contacts and sizable cash and karma payouts.

Opposing forces in Prime runs have no listed PR or dice pools. As a GM hosting a Prime run you are expected to have full working knowledge of all the game’s systems, as well as the ability to provide a challenging experience that will push your player’s abilities to their limits. Prime runs are not to be taken lightly, and contain serious risk of PC death or retirement.

Escalation

Generally, the threat of escalation is often enough to encourage players to carry on with their mission. However, occasionally the players might trip an alarm, anger a mob boss, or make enough Matrix noise that GOD converges on the team. In the event that players escalate a situation to the point where the realistic response exceeds the GM’s intended threat level, the GM is free to use their best discretion to resolve the issue.