User:OrionsRequiem
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| Reddit Username | OrionsRequiem |
|---|---|
| Timezone | GMT-7 |
| Country | Canada |
| GM Level | 3 |
| GMP Tracker | GMP Tracker |
Characters
Back in my day |
GMing Style
My GMing style for Shadowrun tends to lean itself towards Black Trenchcoat or Mirrorshades style of games. Heavy legwork which is rewarded by a smooth job. However I'm more than happy to run a Pink Mohawk style game from time to time, and will lean into the silliness if that's the way the team decides to go. I have a strong improvisational base that I will lean into, but want to ensure that the job has the thematic weight that I intend for it to have. This means that there will be bad feels jobs, because you are often doing bad things for money, but there will also be story beats that give some hope in the cyberpunk dystopia.
The World, by me
Shadowrun is a dark setting, people are apathetic, greedy, and self-consumed. The media is against you by default, and you live in the cracks of society trying to eke out a living by doing crime. The people you're going against will have more resources than you do, and they haven't gotten to the place they are in the world by being lax about their security or being foolish in their decisions. You gain an edge by breaking the rules of society, being smarter and more skilled than the average person, and not being bound by corporate hierarchy.
Bad things happen to good people, and, more frustratingly, good things happen to bad people. Money makes it so that the best off in society don't often face the consequences of their actions, and multi-million dollar Public Relations teams can turn even the purest of runs into an act of domestic terrorism if you're not careful. It is up to the player characters to choose if they want to make the world a better place, or if the money offered is worth selling your soul for.
Picking the Team
This section comes with the caveat that I am limited in choice of the applicants I get.
My philosophy for choosing people for the job is to give the players the broadest selection of skills to complete the job. I will always try and bring a Matrix specialist, a magic specialist, a stealth operative and a face. This is to give the most room for a plan to be formed. Certain jobs will have leanings towards more of one archetype, but that is my broadest general case.
There will also be preference given towards thematically appropriate characters. Those who have a reason to want to do this job beyond just the nuyen and karma I feel make for a great story. In addition, I tend to prefer characters that I feel will be challenged by the job, it can feel good to completely roll over a host or steamroll the OpFor, but there is a much greater satisfaction in my mind of being pushed to your limit and not knowing that success is guaranteed.
Declining the Job
I try not to pick characters who won't do the job. A pacifist isn't good for wetwork, a tank isn't really suited for stealth, and if the character and the Johnson have some bad history, I won't take them unless there is a very good reason for them to be on the job. Of course, if you have objections after the meet, be that not enough money, some moral objection or any other reason, you're free to walk away from the job. Though there might be some form of repercussion for walking out on a job. Less so if you do it before agreeing to do the job, but there will certainly be times where it affects if a Johnson contacts you again.
Derailing the Run
If you want to work against the Johnson on a run, or do the job and get payment and then gank the sucker, then by all means, that option is available to you as a player. Sometimes the Johnson screws you over, sometimes the Johnson gets screwed. This is well known in the Shadowrunner's line of work. Of course it might affect you negatively even if you succeed. If you are going to try and change the parameters of a run, be that by trying to kill the Johnson, making off with whatever they asked you to steal, or any other way, I would ask that you discuss it with the other players at the table. If everyone agrees to the derailment, then by all means go for it. I will do my best to adapt as situations come up.
Setting
The Sixth World is dark, dangerous and doesn't give a solitary drek about you. Of course, there are pockets of light and goodness that keep everyone going. My goal in running Shadowrun is to give both the light and the dark. Most jobs will probably be dark, because Shadowrunners are, for the most part, doing bad things in order to continue paying rent. However some of my runs will either have the explicit goal, or give the opportunity for, feel good moments. When it comes to running jobs, I want the players to do their cool stuff, so if you have an idea that is a little out there, but it might be cool, feel free to bring it to the table and I will do my best to make it work with you.
Assumed Competence
The concept of assumed competence is one that we on the ShadowHaven apply to avoid things like "gotcha" moments. However there are things that I do not personally believe that it covers. Disguising yourself, buying burner SINs, and obtaining safehouses that aren't on your sheet have to be done on the table, this list is not exhaustive either. While these things aren't always needed, they're things to consider on a run that can't just be handwaved away.
The other note on Assumed Competence is that it goes both ways. Security forces are paid to keep a place secure, so they will do everything in their power to ensure that is the case. While these things will stay within the constraints of the difficulty system that we use on the Haven, they will have tactics and decisions that are aimed to maximize their own life expectancy, while also doing their duties. Spiders will prepare IC if a host is poked, Mages may summon spirits, security forces will call for backup.
Consequences
When I run Shadowrun, this is the one thing that I want to make the most clear. Actions have consequences. Messing around gets you messed up. People who offer you jobs expect you to be professionals, and while you might not always do things the way they like, if it gets done reasonably, everything is good. If you sabotage the job, or turn on the Johnson, or just play silly bugger games, then word of what you do is going to get out and it's going to negatively affect you. If you taunt the Street Sam who got hired to work security to the point where he's going to hold a grudge, expect that to come back to bite you.