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Here we go again. 4th Ed Pre-Awakening timeline pushout

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Shadowseer Kim

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« Reply #15 on: <10-25-17/0435:46> »
The biggest problem with using the SR5 rules, unless you have Run Faster (which has additional character creation systems), is that the Priority character creation system weaves magic/technomancy and resources into the five Priorities, making excising or reducing them more difficult.

293 build points is kind of anemic, even for street punks.

Good to know about the 5th ED character gen.  I did hear they put in a mechanic for surppressing fire which I am keen on. (this did not seem to be in 4th)

The idea I had with that point level was that you could either get a character with a lot of skill and some gear (which I see as more useful) or a character with a fair amount of gear but almost no skill (which is more useless)  Just my opinion.  400 points was standard in 4th Ed if I remember, which made more high end characters, and the book even suggest for a real grit street level to go as low as 200 points.  I felt 300 was the good balance for what I wanted to do.

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #16 on: <10-25-17/1221:47> »
Can I suggest making a character of each major archetype with your homebrew rules and after you have it built ask yourself is this a character you would be mechanically interested in playing. If you find the home brew rules have crippled an archetype, especially if it is one your PC's want to play you can make adjustments. (Availability here more than even bp, what kind of commlink for the decker, drones for the rigger or guns for the samurai.)

On a side note, PC's of any power level can start down in the grit. Just the more powerful they are the more options they have for getting out.

Glyph

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« Reply #17 on: <10-26-17/2237:46> »
The biggest problem with using the SR5 rules, unless you have Run Faster (which has additional character creation systems), is that the Priority character creation system weaves magic/technomancy and resources into the five Priorities, making excising or reducing them more difficult.

293 build points is kind of anemic, even for street punks.

Good to know about the 5th ED character gen.  I did hear they put in a mechanic for surppressing fire which I am keen on. (this did not seem to be in 4th)

The idea I had with that point level was that you could either get a character with a lot of skill and some gear (which I see as more useful) or a character with a fair amount of gear but almost no skill (which is more useless)  Just my opinion.  400 points was standard in 4th Ed if I remember, which made more high end characters, and the book even suggest for a real grit street level to go as low as 200 points.  I felt 300 was the good balance for what I wanted to do.

Yeah, but there's also buying Attributes to factor in.  Even getting low-average stats, let's say four 3's and four 2's, costs 120 BP.

My personal preference for low-powered campaigns is to give the same number of points, just with more restrictions on how you can spend them - things like limiting how much they can spend on resources, capping maximum Attribute or skill ratings a bit lower, etc.  But they will have a wider spread of skills, more contacts, etc.  The problem with lower points is that you can wind up with less variety.  People will buy the same "essentials" and not have any points left for extra stuff.

SR4 rules for suppressive fire are on page 144 of the main book (don't know what page for the Anniversary Edition).

Shadowseer Kim

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« Reply #18 on: <10-27-17/0208:11> »
Can I suggest making a character of each major archetype with your homebrew rules and after you have it built ask yourself is this a character you would be mechanically interested in playing. If you find the home brew rules have crippled an archetype, especially if it is one your PC's want to play you can make adjustments. (Availability here more than even bp, what kind of commlink for the decker, drones for the rigger or guns for the samurai.)

On a side note, PC's of any power level can start down in the grit. Just the more powerful they are the more options they have for getting out.

Great suggestion, my previous players had no issue with this the last time I did this, but I never really sat down to do a bunch of characters myself.  I really should, then make them NPCs

Glyph - Thank you for that page #, no idea why I couldnt find that previously

oxford_fumble

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« Reply #19 on: <10-30-17/0458:24> »
Back to your original question about inspiration, I recommend "Children of Men"

I am thinking this could be the perfect "introduction" to Shadowrun.
The characters are somehow involved in protecting Kee, the only woman pregnant on earth. But once they successfully rejoin project tomorrow, and Kee gives birth, the baby isn't human - it's an elf. Maybe it's even Jane Foster (or maybe it's a dwarf, depending on how much you like the "arcane meta-lot" of the SR universe).

It's kind of adding a pretty big element to the timeline (there were no babies for 18 years at some point), but it really sets up the dystopian element, it's low-tech futurism set in the 2010's, there is a migrant crisis, surveillance tech, and oligarchs "saving" the world by rescuing art from the fallen places (Theo's cousin).

Also, it will misguide your players into thinking you're not playing Shadowrun.
You can pick up a few years later, and some of the group might even have gooblilnized, etc...

Shadowseer Kim

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« Reply #20 on: <10-30-17/2136:44> »
Back to your original question about inspiration, I recommend "Children of Men"

I am thinking this could be the perfect "introduction" to Shadowrun.
The characters are somehow involved in protecting Kee, the only woman pregnant on earth. But once they successfully rejoin project tomorrow, and Kee gives birth, the baby isn't human - it's an elf. Maybe it's even Jane Foster (or maybe it's a dwarf, depending on how much you like the "arcane meta-lot" of the SR universe).

It's kind of adding a pretty big element to the timeline (there were no babies for 18 years at some point), but it really sets up the dystopian element, it's low-tech futurism set in the 2010's, there is a migrant crisis, surveillance tech, and oligarchs "saving" the world by rescuing art from the fallen places (Theo's cousin).

Also, it will misguide your players into thinking you're not playing Shadowrun.
You can pick up a few years later, and some of the group might even have gooblilnized, etc...

Nice, I will add that my watch list.  Thank you so much.   Maybe when it comes time for awakening, they have to secure a VIP.  The pregnant woman, and someone somewhere obviously knows that the unborn is special, but no one else quite knows why so much effort has been put in for this pregnant woman.  Could be cool.

belaran

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« Reply #21 on: <12-04-17/1702:26> »
Shadowrun "à la Vampire", where PCs gets to see the Magic coming (ie human becoming Vampire to keep the analogy). Cool :)

My 2 cents on tweaking Timeline - I avoid doing that at all cost, because once you have done it you must tweak everything. Yes, it might be silly to play a somewhat futuristic settings set in 2011 but (in my case), I'll take that over dealing with mocking up with the dates.

Also, regarding the system, you may want to take a look at Anarchy (over 4ed and 5ed).

Shadowseer Kim

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« Reply #22 on: <01-03-18/0307:46> »
Owning a game and comic store is a wonderful thing, I picked up all the 5th ED material off the shelves and started reading through it.  Anarchy, wow great book.  As we were thinking of doing a Shadowrunners League, drop in style like D&D Adventurers League, this book is awesome.

Much reading to do.. I hear you bout the date changing concerns, but I find it really easy to just add 30 years to everything.

Still in the middle of a Ravenloft Campaign, so plenty of time to plan.  I am practicing with the idea of setting up scenarios and NPC motivations so I do not end up railroading the game too much.