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Some questions from a prospective runner

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EinsamWulf

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« on: <07-30-13/0942:39> »
I'm interested in taking the plunge but there are a few things I have yet to figure out/understand (probably because I've never played a tabletop RPG...ever):

When it comes to player characters, how long do they last? I.e can they suffer permadeath? Can I take them with me to different campaigns or do I have to create a new one every time a new game starts?

Thanks in advance

Michael Chandra

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« Reply #1 on: <07-30-13/0944:22> »
Most GMs don't let you bring veteran characters. Characters can die, yes.
How am I not part of the forum?? O_O I am both active and angry!

EinsamWulf

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« Reply #2 on: <07-30-13/0953:15> »
At what point does a character become a "Veteran". Is that after a campaign (which I assume is a series of games) concludes or is there a certain Karma point value where a character is considered a veteran?

I did some reading on the "Living Campaign" and saw mention of Prime and Legendary Runners, is it similar to that or different?

Michael Chandra

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« Reply #3 on: <07-30-13/1000:16> »
I simply meant characters that aren't just chargen. There's only two exceptions I know: One is when the GM of a group changes, another is the official Missions games when hosted as Event by an Agent, where the GM is irrelevant. Maybe others know of GMs letting experienced players join, but usually there's no way to make sure the character isn't just made up and all that.
How am I not part of the forum?? O_O I am both active and angry!

Crunch

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« Reply #4 on: <07-30-13/1006:38> »
Characters can die, and one of the core physical laws of Shadowrun is "No Ressurection" (the others are no teleportation and everything has a price). However death in a Pen and Paper RPG is typically pretty rare and a pretty major event.

In practice pen and paper rpgs exist somewhere in the spectrum between tactical boardgame and free form collaborative storytelling. Where on the line they fall will depend on the players, the GM(game master) and what they enjoy about the game. Most new groups tend to gravitate towards the mechanical tactical boardgame approach.

Regardless of this the death of a PC(player character) should be at the level of the death of a major character in a serial drama, although how often this happens can vary wildly from table to table depending on story type, difficulty level and preference of the GMs and the players. Notably Shadowrun's edge mechanic offers the opportunity to escape death against the odds by burning edge, so death should be rare. 

As for portability of PCs it depends. In a typical home game it will be completely up to the GM whether they allow existing characters. Some GMs will run campaigns of indefinite length that last as long as players are interested (there are some SR campaigns that have survived intact from the first edition in 1989 with characters and players coming and going but the campaign staying the same), some GMs that run campaigns that lead one to another (this is the model taken by many of the recent Catalyst products like Artifacts Unbound) and some GMs want to run short confined one shot sessions or arcs (these are typically easier on the GMs writing abilities). 

SR also offers a "living campaign" option now on Season 5 that allows players to take there character from home game to convention to home game under the same rules. There's a whole forum here for Missions and they seem like good folks down there, although it's not my cup of tea.

And that's the important point. The most brilliant thing about pen and paper RPGs is that they can be anything you want them to be.

Do you enjoy jumping around like an idiot improvising your own action movies and pretending you're a hero? RPGs can do that.

Do you enjoy the tense high stakes tactics of a competitive board game where you can lose it all at any minute? RPGs can do that.

Do you enjoy getting together with your friends to make a story that none of you could write alone? RPGs can do that.

So find out what part of it you and your group enjoy and jump on in. The RPG will be what you want it to be.

EinsamWulf

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« Reply #5 on: <07-30-13/1013:19> »
I appreciate the information!

Crunch, for me I really haven't nailed down what exactly I want to focus on only that this is completely uncharted territory for me  but something I'm very much looking forward to trying. I'm currently looking to cut my teeth in an online table top group and once I move back to the states I will probably look for a local group to play with.

The living campaign sounds very interesting to me and I'm sure I'll check it out after I've gained a better understanding of the game. I recently picked up the Runner's Companion as well as dropping a pre-order on the print copy of the 5th edition.

Again, thanks for taking the time to share some knowledge.

Crunch

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« Reply #6 on: <07-30-13/1017:49> »
No problem.

It's worth noting that while the forum here is sometimes querilous, it's also a great source of information. Feel free to ask any questions you have.

If you're starting with SR4 may I recommend picking up a copy of Chummergen? It's a free program that helps automate 4th editions character creation.

EinsamWulf

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« Reply #7 on: <07-30-13/1024:34> »
I'm actually planning on starting with 5th edition since it just released

Crunch

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« Reply #8 on: <07-30-13/1026:27> »
Good! I'm a fan, and I think its got a much lower barrier to entry than 4e did.
« Last Edit: <07-30-13/1410:20> by Crunch »

Nal0n

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« Reply #9 on: <07-30-13/1405:04> »
I think the choice to start with the new Edition is a good one, so you have only the core rules to start and your "shadowrun-fu" can grow with the edition as more book get available.

As SR can get very complex very fast I always like to start out slow with "new guys".
For beginning just some small neighbourhood gang stuff, only small arms/knifes/clubs and some vehicles.
When you are comfortable with that you can grow out of there, first professional jobs, some Magic or Hacking or both, all added as fast or slow as you like, until you are deep into the shadows.

And always remember: SR might be complex, but with that comes a lot of freedom (more with every new book).
Bored of standard runs? Lots of options:
- Do your own runs! Can't get that one piece of Equipment? Talk to the GM, he might let you make your own run to get that ... you are the J now, nice change of perspective, right?
- Do not only play Shadowrunners, you can do campaigns with many different stuff, e.g.:
-- DocWagon HTRT
-- Coorporate Security
-- Military / Mercenary stuff
-- Protection for on-site research teams
-- (Para-) Critter Hunters
-- Pirates (YARRR!)
-- Organized Crime members
-- etc.

The list can be as long as your fantasy allows ;)
« Last Edit: <07-30-13/1408:04> by Nal0n »

Xenon

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« Reply #10 on: <07-30-13/1531:09> »
I think it is pretty common that you play with the same group and the same GM for several missions. Sometimes someone else in the group act as GM but it is often the same person. The same character can live through many many adventures.

If you join another group (maybe you move to another physical location) you will probably be required to roll a new character, but if your character got a good back-story that fit his campaign and is at somewhat same power level as existing members of the new group a GM might let you continue with the same character.

Sometimes characters do die. But as long as you don't act st00pid or like you are immortal you should probably be fine. Well... there are degrees of "fine". Most characters towards the end of a mission might look very much beat up and covered in sweat, dirt and blood like Bruce Willies towards the end of an action movie ;)

When a character get too powerful or if the player want to play another role (or the whole group decide it is time to start over, like now when 5th edition came out), it might be time to buy a bar or maybe a hide-out for Shadowrunners - and retire (at least for now). Maybe your new character might run into your old character at some point. Maybe just show up  (while GM play him as a non-player character) to say hi or maybe have a specific role in an adventure - such as a contact or a fixer.

EinsamWulf

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« Reply #11 on: <07-30-13/1629:10> »
Very cool stuff. I like having a lot of different aspects to check out.

I'm sure I'll probably look to start off simple and learn the ropes of the game, maybe do a few run with some disposable runner so I can get a grasp on things.

To start playing I'm currently looking at playing with people online since I've got less than a year left in my current residence. Any advice on good places to find online players would be great. I've checked out Roll20 but haven't had much luck there.

I really appreciate the responses and continued advice for a would-be runner.