Shadowrun Play > Gamemasters' Lounge
New Gm needs Tips
jakk9000:
Hi all I am a newb GM and I need help.
How do I handle Players getting contacts in game?
Tips for noob shadowrun runs?
How to generate npcs for combat that should rarely happen I hope?
GM Screen and where can I find a hard copy?
Kot:
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Player Contacts are NPC's whose background and character you discuss with your players. And you have an easy Loyalty/Connections rating to help you with that, so feel free to take it as a good suggestion of how good and how friendly that contact NPC is. And remember, they're still NPC's, so they can get pissed by player's actions, die in a shoot-out, if they get involved (by the players), or suffer other conswquences of player actions.
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---Tips for noob shadowrun runs?
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Keep it small, but hard. I'll post a few suggestions:
Smash and Grab: Infiltrating a small-time razor gang turf to get an item/package they managed to steal from the employer.
Wetwork: Cacking a violent pimp/dealer who hurt someone important to your contact.
Data Steal: Getting some dusty old data from a barely working terminal in the barrens, where wild things lurk.
Bodyguard: Protecting a salarywoman from stalker-turned-vr-lover.
Acquisition: Delivering a fresh or live (bonus!) Wyrd Mantis to a talislegger.
Tracking/Shadowing: Finding the source of faulty cybereyes hitting the streets, that are bypassing the local channels.
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---How do I handle Players getting contacts in game?
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You don't really need to worry. There are enough of them in the Rulebook (use Contacts and Proffesionals as framework) and Runner's Companion. And they either pay for them with Karma, or do something to get their Loyalty in-game (like saving their ass from a gang, or corp hitmen).
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---GM Screen and where can I find a hard copy?
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Here for example. I can get it in Poland, so you shouldn't have any problems. :P
Crossbow:
New contacts are a great way of rewarding good roleplying with, and/or dropping large amounts of nuyen on, NPC's, at least that is my take. Just find the appropriate connection rating and start the loyalty at 1, let the players do the work from there.
Like I said in the starting module thread, I like food fight and the denver missions for beginners, especially since both are free on the Catalyst homepage. Food fight also has some pages with charts in the PDF that you can clip to a file folder and make a quick GM screen
A lot of NPC stats are actually found in a booklet called "Contact and Adventures" that is included with the offficial GM screen which you can buy at a store on the homepage too.
Another book to find while you are shopping is On The Run.
Hope that helps, welcome to the shadows
Chaemera:
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---Hi all I am a newb GM and I need help.
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More so than most on here, I'm in the same boat. Only been GMing for 4 sessions, so hopefully my experiences will be at least a little relavent.
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---How do I handle Players getting contacts in game?
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If they want to get an NPC during "downtime" between action, I would treat each point of Loyalty or Connection as 2 karma. And I wouldn't let them buy more than loyalty 1 in this manner.
If they're dealing with the people in-game, use your judgement, that's why you're the GM. Decide when/if the players have done "enough" for the NPC that they want to keep in touch. The relationship between the new NPC and existing contacts can also be taken into effect. That Fixer to whom your Loyalty 4 bar-tender contact introduced you to is likely like you faster than some guy you met on the street. After all, you've already got an in.
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---Tips for noob shadowrun runs?
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You know, I can't argue with Kot on this one. Keep it simple, gritty, and make them work their way up the food chain.
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---How to generate npcs for combat that should rarely happen I hope?
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When you're looking at mooks, either lift them from the book (and the other sources people have already mentioned). Or, if you're looking for that "something special" to make the mooks from your gang stick out, start with a similar mook, of the right professional rating, and start tweaking. One-for-one swaps work nicely (Automatics for Longarms, Unarmed for Pistols, etc). When picking gear, try to imagine what would be the realistic resources of the group for which these mooks work.
If you more mean "meeting with a contact of a contact" NPC's and you don't intend to have a fight, don't stat them. Just consider which pre-stated mook or 'runner is a "best fit" for the character in the event a fight does break out. Then, when you're RPing said NPC, make notes of the skills you're suggesting he has, how smart/dumb strong/weak, etc as they come up and he'll stat himself (if you ever need to).
As to prime-runners who are supposed to be big-baddies (or future allies), but they'll be encountered in a thoroughly non-combat environment, the same method works, but try to decide how they rate compared to the players (inferior, equal, superior, superhuman; pg. 284 - 285, SR4A) and build them accordingly before you need to use them in a fight. This is a bit more fair to the players than just assigning stats based on "feels right", since you eventually expect them to be trying to kill each other (or helping each other kill someone else).
Nomad Zophiel:
--- Quote from: jakk9000 on ---How to generate npcs for combat that should rarely happen I hope?
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Honestly, my answers to all the other questions were already handled. Contacts=roleplaying decides. Starting mission=Stuffer Shack. Books listed for other NPC's.
BUT
one of my favorite tricks for building an NPC team to put the fear in the PC's goes like this. Photocopy all the character sheets. Change names, races, background details etc. Add 1 to any skill that you think will be relevant. Make some minor changes to gear and/or implants to make it less obvious (swap guns, ammo types or implant weapons for something similar but not identical and modify armor slightly). Once they're not recognizable, throw back at the PC's as enemies. Players tend to know what the most dangerous combinations are, let them do the thinking for you a bit.
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